THE REFUSAL by the London high court to allow Belfast-born property developer Paddy McKillen to give some of his evidence behind closed doors in his legal action against the Barclay brothers, David and Frederick, has had one worthwhile consequence. It has enabled the public to gain a greater insight into his financial dealings with Anglo Irish Bank – now the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC).

A DAD'S LIFE: CONFESSION TIME. Delia Smith was my first crush. I’d sit in front of the telly as a small boy and take in everything about the perfect Yorkshire pudding and how best to roast a goose, but all the time I’d be gurning loonily at Delia.

WEDDINGS, WEDDINGS, weddings – that old adage, “it never rains, but it pours” is never so applicable as it is between the months of May and September. If we have one wedding invitation on the mantelpiece, we have seven – meaning seven brides to coo over on their hen night (or, more likely, hen weekend), seven gifts to buy (or cheques to write) and seven outfits to assemble.

A FEW YEARS ago, I encountered the British film producer Stephen Woolley. We had both just returned from certain festivities in the south of France. Neil Jordan’s right-hand man was still bubbling. “If you don’t love Cannes then you don’t love cinema,” he told me.

Drug-taking is not just a problem for the young; it has now been identified as a growing trend among older users.BRIAN O’CONNELL speaks to some of them

THIS SUMMER, top athletes from around the world will converge on London to try (among other things) to run, swim, cycle and walk faster than ever recorded. To jump longer and higher, to throw further and to lift heavier weights.

Drinks group meets market expectations as pre-tax profits jump nearly 40% to €110.9 million

Soccer:Kenny Dalglish is to leave his post as Liverpool manager after his contract was terminated, Fenway Sports Group and the club have announced in a joint statement.

ROADTEST KIA OPTIMA: AS TWO HOODIE-CLAD teenagers approached the Kia in the rain-sodden Quickpark car park at Dublin airport, my first thoughts were not that this was going to be a discussion about the growing popularity of the Korean brand. It was a dirty, wet night and, with my luggage in the boot I resorted to the usual middle-aged response: frantically look for the central locking switch.

Following in my father’s footsteps, whose snoring was like a hog trying to swallow a suitcase, I’ve annoyed many with my savage sleeping sounds

You don’t have to wait until school’s out to plan what to do. Whether you’re into film-making or football, science or surfing, there’s a summer camp for you, writesGRAINNE FALLER 

To some families it’s a holy sacrament, to others it’s an excuse for a party, and to many it’s an exercise in hypocrisy and mass delusion. So why is First Holy Communion a tradition we can’t let go of?

The Dublin International Piano Competition is down to its final four. So what does it tell us about the state of piano playing today, and where have all the Irish pianists gone?

Business thinking between the covers