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Kinahan cartel begins to realise that the international investigation is unrelenting

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One of the big stories of the week was the arrest of senior Kinahan cartel member Liam Byrne in Mallorca. Photograph: National Crime Agency

Sun Jun 11 2023 - 07:53

Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a selection of the best Irish Times journalism for our subscribers.

One of the big stories of the week was the arrest of senior Kinahan cartel member Liam Byrne in Mallorca. Security and Crime Editor Conor Lally writes that if Byrne is convicted and jailed, it would effectively complete the dismantling of the cartel’s Irish operation which he once led. Four years ago Lally wrote a profile of Byrne, Daniel Kinahan’s lieutenant in Dublin. In Saturday’s Weekend Review, Lally tells the story of Byrne’s rise and fall and how his arrest has left the wider criminal organisation in chaos. “There’s also beginning to be a realisation that the [international investigation into them] is unrelenting,” Lally is told.

Looking to the powerful of the past, in his column, Fintan O’Toole says all records of all church-run institutions should be nationalised. “Giving the Christian Brothers ownership of their sordid history is adding insult to injury. The Government should act now to stop this affront to the memory of those who were preyed on so ruthlessly,” he writes.

Earlier in the week O’Toole looked a how the three pillars of Ireland’s political system – the Church-State alliance, party tribalism and clientelism – are crumbling. Objectively, the centre of gravity of Irish politics is Green, social democratic and pluralist, “yet the Green, social democratic and left parties got fewer than 20 per cent of the votes between them in 2020... The big question is whether Sinn Féin, as the great beneficiary of this disjunction, can be the force that brings the political system back into line with Irish society. An awful lot of voters clearly hope it is,” he writes.

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David McWilliams also looks at changes on this island, writing about how the purpose of 21st century Ireland is prosperity. The North has red, white and blue poverty. He forecasts that “economic distinctions between North and South will have almost disappeared by the time a Border poll is called.”

On Tuesday, we reported that the number of people suffering serious, often life-changing injuries in road crashes has almost tripled over the last 10 years. Mark Hilliard covered the story and he spoke to Clodagh White, who was injured in a crash near their home in Roscommon in seven years ago. Her daughter suffered a cracked skull and broken neck but incredibly survived. Clodagh says they are all still dealing with the trauma of the incident.

The figures indicate that while fatalities have fallen by 70 per cent since the first ever national road safety strategy was launched in 1998, in the last 10 years deaths appear to have plateaued while injuries rise. Hillard examines whether Ireland can ever achieve its vision of zero road deaths.

Una Mullally this week wrote about the familiar failings at Dublin Airport, where car parks are full and people are being asked to find a different way of getting there. “The issue with travelling to Dublin Airport has little to do with them. This isn’t about planes. It’s about trains.”

In her column, Kathy Sheridan examines why so many middle-aged politicians are bowing out of the job. She writes: “unlike most occupations, the question of whether politics is worth the downside is not just about the individual, but the whole family. Is it worth the in-your-face threats and protests on the doorstep?”

In his Smart Money column, Cliff Taylor examines whether promises of tax cuts are all they’re cracked up to be, or would they all get swallowed up by ongoing inflation?

In this week’s On the Money newsletter, Joanne Hunt looks at the costs of running a second car, at over €10,000 per year, she asks, is it worth it? Sign up here to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox every Friday.

This week Corinna Hardgrave reviewed the new Hawksmoor steakhouse on College Green. She was impressed.

One reader writes to Trish Murphy seeking some advice on a difficult situation at the company she has worked at for 30 years. She says she has become caught between the two warring owners who she has known since they were children.

In her column this weekend, Roe McDermott hears from a reader who says her future is on hold as it’s entirely dependent on her boyfriend’s business success. Read the full query, and Roe’s response, here.

As always, there is much more on irishtimes.com, including rundowns of all the latest movies in our film reviews, tips for the best restaurants in our food section and all the latest in sport. There are plenty more articles exclusively available for Irish Times subscribers here.

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