Cormac MacConnell: Shane Ross will be struck down by Jonah gene

Best wishes for Greg Broderick, Ireland’s show jumping representative at the Rio Olympics, from Minister for Tourism Transport and Sport Shane Ross.

As the world forgets about everything but sport in these lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, I am fully aware that I am skating on very thin ice indeed, by even mentioning the name of our new Sports Minister, Shane Ross, apparently known to his friends as Rosser, and the author of many books of a financial kind, including one entitled The Untouchables.

Accordingly I want to stitch it into the record that our Sports Minister, a founder member of the Independent Alliance, and formerly of Fine Gael, journalist and author as well as politician, is formidably articulate, principled, able-minded and superbly equipped to deal with any challenges he encounters in any of the fields in which he operates.