Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a selection of the best Irish Times journalism for our subscribers.
The verdict in the Regency murder trial was the big story of the week and Gerard Hutch’s acquittal over the killing in 2016 raises questions about why the prosecution proceeded in the manner it did. Conor Lally tackles that question in Weekend Review and writes that the manner in which the case against Hutch so spectacularly fell apart, will ripple through legal and policing circles for some time.
Earlier in the week, Legal Affairs Correspondent Mary Carolan wrote “charges such as involvement in an organised crime group, under section 72 of the Criminal Justice Amendment Act 2009, and/or possession of firearms, under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons legislation, could have been added to the indictment against Hutch and it is not clear why they were not, according to legal sources.” Conor Lally’s profile of Patsy Hutch, who the Special Criminal Court said the evidence might be used to conclude organised the attack, is also worth a read. For all the detail on the trial and the secret recordings of Gerard Hutch and State witness Jonathan Dowdall get stuck into Eoin Reynolds and Alison O’Riordan’s long read.
In his column, Fintan O’Toole writes that Ireland is one of the least nostalgic countries in the world. Partly because the news cycle keeps throwing up reminders of the bleakest aspects of 20th century Ireland. “So many of the aspirations that fuelled the creation of the State quickly curdled into pious rhetoric at odds with reality. The future was just an attic in which we dumped all our present failures”. Read here.
Despite his attacks on the ‘fake news media’, Trump remains an avid, old-school news junkie
David McWilliams: Europe has lost its mojo. Thankfully Ireland is in bed with the US
Fall of the house of Assad: a dynasty built on the banality of evil
Former Tory minister Steve Baker: ‘Ireland has been treated badly by the UK. It’s f**king shaming’
The reaction to Joe Biden’s Irish visit continued this week and Justine McCarthy argued in her column that the much-criticised British press coverage may have had a point. “Loath though any united Irelander bred in the broth of anglophobia may be to admit this, but them-next-door were only stating the obvious when they highlighted US president Joe Biden’s paddywhackery homecoming to the old sod... It is an uncomfortable truth, indeed, but the Brits were right. Joey’s misty-eyed version of Ireland is anchored in its monocultural Dark Age when all its songs were sad, its wars were merry and Brit-bashing was a favourite fireside sport.”
The report into the handling of Dr Tony Holohan’s abandoned appointment to a role at Trinity College Dublin was one of the other big stories of the week. The long-delayed report revealed glaring disagreements among some of the most senior officials in Government about the situation was handled last year. Robert Watt, the secretary general at the Department of Health answered questions about the controversy at an Oireachtas committee on Wednesday. Miriam Lord found his performance jaw dropping and arrogant. While Jack Horgan-Jones took a closer look at the row that won’t go away.
This week it emerged that the Government’s latest projections indicate the public finances will be in surplus to the tune of €10 billion this year - and on current forecasts Minister for Finance Michael McGrath could stand up on budget day with a surplus for 2024 of €16 billion. Cliff Taylor outlines 16 ideas that the Government could use the money to fund. He also writes that now the Government has struck oil, the problems start.
When it comes to you own finances, Fiona Reddan details the challenges facing savers, where poor interest rates on deposits ally with record inflation to mean you’re effectively losing money if you have lots on deposit. In this week’s edition of the On the Money newsletter, Dominic Coyle asks could you really use the credit union as your main bank? You can sign up to receive On the Money every Friday here.
Corina Hargrave reviewed Flaneur in Rathmines which she writes is “not looking to win prizes for sophistication but is geared to the inhabitants of its young cosmopolitan neighbourhood, who are clearly happy to be there, and service is charming.”
Finally, Roe McDermott hears from a woman whose marriage looks great from the outside, but all she wants to do is leave. You can read her advice 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.
