ONE of the first and easily the most upsetting of sights to confront Eddie Travers and his wife Derbhla was that of a dead man being put into a body bag.

TO compare Michael Lowry to Mario Balotelli might seem ridiculous, but bear with me for a few moments please.

SO, how much extra tax are you willing to pay next year?

IT WOULD have been hard-hearted not to have felt at least some sympathy for Seán Quinn if you had watched him shed tears on the stage of the protest rally at Ballyconnell in County Cavan last Sunday.

IT MIGHT appear that Enda Kenny is better appreciated outside Ireland than within it, now that he is the first Taoiseach since Sean Lemass to appear on the cover of Time magazine, subject of a largely very favourable piece about the hard work he is doing to rescue the Irish economy and praising his personal qualities.

THE amendment to the constitution proposed in the children’s rights referendum seems, by fairly widespread consent among those expressing informed opinions, to be at least reasonably well worded and most certainly well intentioned.

YOU might forgive Eamon Gilmore if he didn’t want to fly home from New York.

THE next time Justice Minister Alan Shatter brings up the idea of privacy legislation to regulate media shout these two words at him: “Mitt Romney”.

IF IN the mood it is sometimes possible to draw some wry amusement from re-reading comments made about the Irish economy during the height of our illusory boom.

THE country’s main domestic gas provider is being allowed to put up its prices by 8.5%, following on a 20% price increase over the last year.