ShaneC
@shanecostello10.bsky.social
On the board, signed off the annual accounts, and was humble enough to allow the trust to be named after him. That’s three reasons why he should explain why he wasn’t paying more attention when taxpayers money was being squandered.
November 21, 2025 at 7:00 PM
On the board, signed off the annual accounts, and was humble enough to allow the trust to be named after him. That’s three reasons why he should explain why he wasn’t paying more attention when taxpayers money was being squandered.
The “Let’s see those politicians dare to criticise a living saint like Peter McVerry!!!” takes aren’t as common anymore. The Dáil committee should ask McVerry to come in and grill him on how much he knew or cared about what was going on in the charity that bore his name.
November 21, 2025 at 5:14 PM
The “Let’s see those politicians dare to criticise a living saint like Peter McVerry!!!” takes aren’t as common anymore. The Dáil committee should ask McVerry to come in and grill him on how much he knew or cared about what was going on in the charity that bore his name.
Hard agree from me. America is at the other extreme, where instead of the woeful inexperience of youth politics is dominated by geriatrics with age related physical and mental impairments.
November 19, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Hard agree from me. America is at the other extreme, where instead of the woeful inexperience of youth politics is dominated by geriatrics with age related physical and mental impairments.
We’re part of a more general Europe wide trend in that regard, Austria and Finland have elected PMs in their 30s too. Our politicians retire earlier too.
November 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
We’re part of a more general Europe wide trend in that regard, Austria and Finland have elected PMs in their 30s too. Our politicians retire earlier too.
This is remarkable, in the worst possible way I should add:
November 19, 2025 at 12:36 PM
This is remarkable, in the worst possible way I should add:
Understood 🙂
I realise that my post lacked some context. Thirty-somethings can certainly have prodigious careers and achievements and I’ve no problem with that. Rather, it’s that this decidedly “un-prodigious” Thirty-something year old is now in charge of the nation’s finances.
I realise that my post lacked some context. Thirty-somethings can certainly have prodigious careers and achievements and I’ve no problem with that. Rather, it’s that this decidedly “un-prodigious” Thirty-something year old is now in charge of the nation’s finances.
November 18, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Understood 🙂
I realise that my post lacked some context. Thirty-somethings can certainly have prodigious careers and achievements and I’ve no problem with that. Rather, it’s that this decidedly “un-prodigious” Thirty-something year old is now in charge of the nation’s finances.
I realise that my post lacked some context. Thirty-somethings can certainly have prodigious careers and achievements and I’ve no problem with that. Rather, it’s that this decidedly “un-prodigious” Thirty-something year old is now in charge of the nation’s finances.
I should add that I meant to say “thirty something year old college dropout out”. I’m not all suspicious of thirty-somethings who have prodigious careers and achievements, but “prodigious” isn’t a word I’d use for our new Minister for Finance.
November 18, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I should add that I meant to say “thirty something year old college dropout out”. I’m not all suspicious of thirty-somethings who have prodigious careers and achievements, but “prodigious” isn’t a word I’d use for our new Minister for Finance.
To be clear, I don’t think it’s “inspirational” that somebody as woefully under qualified as Simon Harris has ended up running critically important and complex government departments, and it’s the last thing I want other woefully under qualified individuals from aspiring to.
November 18, 2025 at 7:19 PM
To be clear, I don’t think it’s “inspirational” that somebody as woefully under qualified as Simon Harris has ended up running critically important and complex government departments, and it’s the last thing I want other woefully under qualified individuals from aspiring to.
My problem is how it’s been working out in practice.
November 18, 2025 at 7:03 PM
My problem is how it’s been working out in practice.
Not bad for a journalism college dropout not yet past his 40th birthday, but not good at all for the country where a thirty-something year old can somehow make it to all of the highest ministerial offices:
November 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Not bad for a journalism college dropout not yet past his 40th birthday, but not good at all for the country where a thirty-something year old can somehow make it to all of the highest ministerial offices:
To which the answer always is “cream isn’t the only thing that floats”!
November 18, 2025 at 1:15 PM
To which the answer always is “cream isn’t the only thing that floats”!
I’m not trying to be funny or smart, but if Simon Harris was asked to use an excel spreadsheet or another software program to perform some basic compound interest calculations could he manage it?
November 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I’m not trying to be funny or smart, but if Simon Harris was asked to use an excel spreadsheet or another software program to perform some basic compound interest calculations could he manage it?
The rumour is Simon Harris fancies himself as the next Minister for Finance and that he’ll appoint Helen McEntee as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the cabinet reshuffle.
November 18, 2025 at 11:44 AM
The rumour is Simon Harris fancies himself as the next Minister for Finance and that he’ll appoint Helen McEntee as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the cabinet reshuffle.
Yes, but so mad that you can't but help your jaw dropping wherever you come across it.
November 14, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Yes, but so mad that you can't but help your jaw dropping wherever you come across it.
There's this weird, but very niche phenomenon in Irish online/political discourse where people get nostalgic about Ireland in the 1980s. It's not shared by anyone who had to look for a job in Ireland in the 1980s.
November 14, 2025 at 7:25 PM
There's this weird, but very niche phenomenon in Irish online/political discourse where people get nostalgic about Ireland in the 1980s. It's not shared by anyone who had to look for a job in Ireland in the 1980s.
It will never not be strange to me that a country that has a de facto federally mandated minimum drinking age of 21, and had national prohibition less than a century ago, has the most lackadaisical attitudes towards drink driving anywhere.
November 9, 2025 at 1:28 AM
It will never not be strange to me that a country that has a de facto federally mandated minimum drinking age of 21, and had national prohibition less than a century ago, has the most lackadaisical attitudes towards drink driving anywhere.
Having told Ivan to swing his hook for non-declaration of a conflict of interest, the “Paths to Power” podcast has asked “Daily Mail” pol corr and husband of a sitting Fianna Fáil senator John Lee on as a temporary co-host. First item on the agenda is Micheál Martin’s position as FF leader.
🤷🤷
🤷🤷
November 8, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Having told Ivan to swing his hook for non-declaration of a conflict of interest, the “Paths to Power” podcast has asked “Daily Mail” pol corr and husband of a sitting Fianna Fáil senator John Lee on as a temporary co-host. First item on the agenda is Micheál Martin’s position as FF leader.
🤷🤷
🤷🤷
The media have now managed to get a week’s worth of “news” out of this Ivan Yates “story”:
www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...
www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...
Wages of Spin: Ivan Yates’ €500-a-pop coaching sessions and Jim Gavin’s abandoned €150k fundraising bid
Ivan Yates is blaming the Fianna Fáil rebels for rumbling his role in the Jim Gavin campaign. And the former presidential election candidate himself is about to make his first public appearance since ...
www.independent.ie
November 8, 2025 at 10:49 AM
The media have now managed to get a week’s worth of “news” out of this Ivan Yates “story”:
www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...
www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...
Two very big stories dropped yesterday: A Commission for Taxation projection on the long term trends for the country’s tax base, and a Dept of Finance projection that we’ll have a housing crisis for 15 years. Neither will generate a fraction of the commentary that Ivan Yates has over the past week.
November 5, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Two very big stories dropped yesterday: A Commission for Taxation projection on the long term trends for the country’s tax base, and a Dept of Finance projection that we’ll have a housing crisis for 15 years. Neither will generate a fraction of the commentary that Ivan Yates has over the past week.
There’s a conflict of interest that he should’ve been upfront about, but there isn’t a weeks worth of news and media coverage in it either. 2/2
November 4, 2025 at 10:29 AM
There’s a conflict of interest that he should’ve been upfront about, but there isn’t a weeks worth of news and media coverage in it either. 2/2
I’d guess it’s as simple as they like Terry Prone and really don’t like Ivan Yates, because he’s a barstool boor with opinions they’re uncomfortable with and a podcast that I’d guess is more popular than any of theirs. Spite is probably the only reason I can think as to why this is still a story. /1
November 4, 2025 at 10:28 AM
I’d guess it’s as simple as they like Terry Prone and really don’t like Ivan Yates, because he’s a barstool boor with opinions they’re uncomfortable with and a podcast that I’d guess is more popular than any of theirs. Spite is probably the only reason I can think as to why this is still a story. /1
Media types are upset that a lad whose entire public persona is “barstool boor” did something to upset them.
Now, as a subscriber to his podcast I’d have appreciated him being transparent about his professional relationship with FF politicians, but personally I wouldn’t cancel him for it either.
Now, as a subscriber to his podcast I’d have appreciated him being transparent about his professional relationship with FF politicians, but personally I wouldn’t cancel him for it either.
November 4, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Media types are upset that a lad whose entire public persona is “barstool boor” did something to upset them.
Now, as a subscriber to his podcast I’d have appreciated him being transparent about his professional relationship with FF politicians, but personally I wouldn’t cancel him for it either.
Now, as a subscriber to his podcast I’d have appreciated him being transparent about his professional relationship with FF politicians, but personally I wouldn’t cancel him for it either.
It’s the latest in a long list of mistakes and misjudgments. Yielding to the far left on water charges, losing 6 seats in the 2020 general election, making a hames of Michael McGrath’s EU commissioner selection process. Risking everything for Jim Gavin is on a whole other level of reckless though.
October 27, 2025 at 7:53 PM
It’s the latest in a long list of mistakes and misjudgments. Yielding to the far left on water charges, losing 6 seats in the 2020 general election, making a hames of Michael McGrath’s EU commissioner selection process. Risking everything for Jim Gavin is on a whole other level of reckless though.
Come back to me when you’ve campaigned in somewhere like East Galway to abolish one-off housing, abolish turf cutting and introduce a “right to roam” on private farmland. The hostility will be on a whole other level to anything you might have encountered canvassing for Mary Robinson 33 years ago.
October 27, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Come back to me when you’ve campaigned in somewhere like East Galway to abolish one-off housing, abolish turf cutting and introduce a “right to roam” on private farmland. The hostility will be on a whole other level to anything you might have encountered canvassing for Mary Robinson 33 years ago.
Which would explain why Sinn Féin has lost so many voters since 2020.
October 27, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Which would explain why Sinn Féin has lost so many voters since 2020.