Pointy Bird

The reason, in my opinion, that Pete's passing was a relatively low key affair was that despite being such a successful writer he never seemed to be playing the celebrity game. If he had been some boneheaded celeb,(say a Big Brother contestant) it would have created a bigger stir. My reaction on hearing of his demise was an initial sadness and a feeling of warmth for the man brought about by the memory of the pleasure I derived from reading his books. Always a good sign was the fact that his books were recommended by word of mouth by other readers and not the usual and jaundiced opinions of professional reviewers. I'll miss Pete.

Hello Everyone, My first post. I'm enjoying the forum. As someone living not a million miles from the relevant area it is obvious to most people in these parts that SinnFein/IRA(the two headed beast) were put under severe pressure after the Belfast bank heist and more especially the awful murder of Robert McCartney. That particular incident which resulted in Sinn Fein being denied access to the White House on Patrick's Day was especially galling for the Shinners as they received an icy reception from ther likes of Ted Kennedy and Hilary Clinton and other Irish Americansand subsequently took a lot of stick from what had been relatively supportive sections of the media. As your contributors stated the econony here in southern Ireland is thriving. The Irish have joined the global lust for consumerism. People are more concerned with plasma t.v's and Prada handbags. Sinn Fein's basic philosophy is marxist 1950's style. When Sinn Fein are questioned by any decent journalist about subjects other than Northern Ireland, say, the Health Service, Education, Transport they haven't a clue all cod economics not supported by any hard facts. My heroes for 2005. The McCartney Sisters and Robert's partner Bridgeen.