FF Ard Fheis - Economy not the sole mark of progress

AS delegates assemble in Killarney this weekend for the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, they have every reason to be in a reflective mood.

Amid boastful claims by the Government that Ireland is one of the richest countries in Europe, if not the world, the public is mostly cognisant of wasteful cost over-runs, arrogance and a denial of ultimate responsibility as being characteristic of this administration.

Grimly, the Ard Fheis gathers with the country still in shock at the unnecessary death of Patrick Walsh and the appalling circumstances which led to his demise.