{"id":579979,"date":"2026-07-11T06:56:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T06:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/579979\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T06:56:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T06:56:15","slug":"jesus-he-really-is-a-tosser-mary-lou-said-in-a-loud-stage-whisper-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/579979\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Jesus. He really is a tosser,\u2019 Mary Lou said in a loud stage whisper \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dublin Castle hosted its first major working event of the EU presidency this week when Enterprise and Employment Minister Peter Burke<\/a> chaired meetings with his European counterparts.<\/p>\n

The main business was conducted on Friday but Peter had a very busy day on Thursday, filling in for Simon Harris<\/a> at T\u00e1naiste\u2019s questions before taking up his EU duties. <\/p>\n

The Eurocrats and accompanying politicians like to ease themselves into the work. Their Irish schedule began with a trip in the afternoon to St James\u2019s Gate and the brewhouse in the lower yard where the beer is actually made. <\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t stay long, as it\u2019s very warm there at the best of times. On Thursday, it was sweltering. Then they went to the Open Gate Brewery on James\u2019s Street, which is a small experimental brewery. There was talk about decarbonisation (not of the product) and the company\u2019s plan to be net zero by 2030.<\/p>\n

Burke gave a short speech, then set himself up behind the bar where he acquainted his guests in the skill of pulling pints of stout.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, back in Leinster House, visitors to the D\u00e1il bar were intrigued to find EU beermats with the Irish presidency slogan on them scattered around the tables. The beermats will be placed in pubs around city areas and in parts of the country where EU delegates will be meeting.<\/p>\n

\"EUEU beermats in pubs around Dublin where EU delegates are likely to be and commemorative plaques for pubs <\/p>\n

In advance of the presidency the European Commission approached major firms and social organisations to help mark the event \u2013 the Guinness beer mat is one result along with a plaque for pubs.<\/p>\n

Burke hosted a dinner on Thursday night in St Patrick\u2019s Hall in Dublin Castle. The menu included a starter of whipped Ardsallagh goat\u2019s cheese with pickled walnut, candied beets and avocado pur\u00e9e. <\/p>\n

There was a choice of chargrilled Irish beef fillet with gratin potato, roasted onion, king oyster mushroom, parsley emulsion and Bordelaise sauce or pan-seared Atlantic seabass, saffron mousseline, wilted green, clams and beurre blanc. <\/p>\n

There was lemon meringue tart or raspberry sorbet with berry coulis and blackberry gel for dessert. <\/p>\n

And for after-afters there was the World Cup tie (9pm kick-off) between France and Morocco<\/a>. <\/p>\n

S\u00e9bastien Martin, the French minister delegate for industry, had booked a room in The Oak pub across the road in Dame Street and the ministers, including Burke, headed over to watch France clinch a semi-final spot with a relatively easy win.<\/p>\n

\u2018He really is a tosser\u2019: Mary Lou clashes with Miche\u00e1l<\/p>\n

The Taoiseach and the leader of Sinn F\u00e9in are never going to be best buddies. Their weekly clashes in the D\u00e1il can be very awkward at times. <\/p>\n

But, even by their fractious standards, Mary Lou McDonald<\/a> surpassed herself this week.<\/p>\n

The latest episode was on Wednesday afternoon when she asked Miche\u00e1l Martin<\/a> to tell her how long is a piece of string: what will be the final cost of the Dublin MetroLink rail project?<\/p>\n

She hung her question on news that the Government has purchased the Carlton Cinema<\/a> site on O\u2019Connell for \u20ac80 million to facilitate MetroLink, which is still in the procurement stage with construction expected to start in about two years.<\/p>\n

The Sinn F\u00e9in leader was worried the initial \u20ac7 billion estimate could rise to \u201c\u20ac12 billion or even more\u201d by the time the railway line is completed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will be the final cost of this project? Are we witnessing another National Children\u2019s Hospital fiasco unfold before us?\u201d cried Mary Lou, setting up an early marker for what could be a very long construction saga, going on past form.<\/p>\n

The Taoiseach smartly dodged this impossible question by seizing on her reference to the Carlton Cinema, which is in a historic part of Dublin\u2019s north inner city earmarked for regeneration. Sinn F\u00e9in has long campaigned for this.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust forgive me \u2013 my understanding is that you wanted the State to buy this site \u2026 so I thought you\u2019d be standing up to welcome this,\u201d said Miche\u00e1l, pointing out that two weeks ago she had been calling on him to buy it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m asking about MetroLink,\u201d said Mary Lou. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe somersault is interesting,\u201d mused Miche\u00e1l.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be more interesting if you answered the question,\u201d she replied. <\/p>\n

He said either she was for the acquisition of the Carlton site or she wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

But eventually, he had to mention MetroLink.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Minister is not in a position to put a definitive price tag on it right now \u2026 The focus now is on getting the metro built … I presume that\u2019s something you support?\u201d<\/p>\n

This was during Questions on Policy or Legislation where TDs usually have less than a minute to ask a question and are not allowed a follow-up. <\/p>\n

The Ceann Comhairle called on the Social Democrats leader, Holly Cairns.<\/p>\n

An exasperated Mary Lou stood, gathered her papers and prepared to leave. Holly\u2019s opening line was interrupted by a minor kerfuffle still ongoing over the previous subject. <\/p>\n

With the Taoiseach still sitting across the floor, Mary Lou said something in a loud stage whisper to her colleague Maurice Quinlivan. <\/p>\n

\u201cSorry?\u201d spluttered a Government TD, taken aback by her comment.<\/p>\n

But the hardworking parliamentary reporters who sit in the centre of the chamber don\u2019t miss much.<\/p>\n

Now Mary Lou\u2019s opinion of Miche\u00e1l is there for posterity on the official D\u00e1il record.<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus. He really is a tosser.\u201d<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9\u2019s \u00c1ine Lawlor bows out<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a big weekend for broadcaster \u00c1ine Lawlor, retiring from RT\u00c9 after four decades of covering the highs, the lows and often bewildering in-betweens of Irish politics. <\/p>\n

She officially signs off on Sunday when her final edition of The Week in Politics goes out at midday. <\/p>\n

\u00c1ine\u2019s colleagues from RT\u00c9\u2019s political staff joined members of the Oireachtas Press Gallery in the D\u00e1il bar on Wednesday night to give her the first of two big send-offs \u2013 the second was on Friday night back at base, when many former newsroom colleagues also returned for the occasion.<\/p>\n

And to cap it all, it was her birthday too. <\/p>\n

\"MaryMary Wilson and Aine Lawlor on their final day on RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s flagship news programme. Photograph: courtesy @lawlor_aine <\/p>\n

Minister of State Charlie McConalogue made a point of making it down to the bar to bid her farewell. He was on the very first The Week in Politics back in 2013, along with another ambitious young fella called Paschal Donohoe. <\/p>\n

Deirdre McCarthy, RT\u00c9\u2019s head of news and current affairs \u2013 herself a former member of the press gallery, led the Montrose contingent at the bash in the back of the Visitors\u2019 Bar. News anchor Sharon N\u00ed Bheol\u00e1in, who presents the live Leaders\u2019 Questions slot every Wednesday and Thursday, was also there along with Juliette Gash, Miche\u00e1l Lehane, Barry Lenihan, Paul Cunningham, Fiachra \u00d3 Cionnaith, Cuan \u00d3 Seiread\u00e1in of Raidi\u00f3 na Gaeltachta and Donncha \u00d3 Murch\u00fa of TG4.<\/p>\n

\u00c1ine said that when she started back in the day, there was \u201creal corruption\u201d in Irish politics and Irish political journalists were a well-paid bunch. Now, that widescale corruption (fingers crossed) is gone but the journalists aren\u2019t well paid anymore.<\/p>\n

Then there was the time her waters broke in the middle of a live interview in Belfast during the Belfast Agreement negotiations.<\/p>\n

\u00c1ine has four grown-up children \u2013 Ella, David, Jack and Megan \u2013 who were there on Wednesday night. <\/p>\n

Always known as meticulous in her research before a big interview, \u00c1ine remembered spending hours preparing tough questions the night before she was due to grill then Fianna F\u00e1il minister, Charlie McCreevy, at the height of a political controversy.<\/p>\n

Right at the beginning, in response to a probing question, Charlie responded: \u201cYes. You\u2019re right. We were wrong and we won\u2019t do it again.\u201d <\/p>\n

He more or less killed the interview stone dead.<\/p>\n

Senan Molony spoke on behalf of the Oireachtas Press Gallery and he led the applause and standing ovation from all in the D\u00e1il bar when \u00c1ine made her exit.<\/p>\n

Ryan Tubridy returns to Leinster House<\/p>\n

The Public Accounts Committee had a date with RT\u00c9 again this week. <\/p>\n

And look, there\u2019s Ryan Tubridy in Leinster House again. <\/p>\n

But the former Late Late Show presenter, who got star billing when the committee had a field day during the RT\u00c9 payments scandal, was in Kildare Street for a much more pleasant occasion, and the ushers and catering staff were delighted to welcome him back. <\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Ryan and his wife, clinical psychologist Clare Kambamettu, were guests of Senator Aubrey McCarthy at a dinner in the Members\u2019 Restaurant, along with former Ireland soccer international Niall Quinn and his wife, Gillian Quinn. <\/p>\n

\"SenatorSenator Aubrey McCarthy with Ryan Tubridy and his wife Clare Kambamettu, who had dinner in Leinster House to support McCarthy’s charity, Tiglin <\/p>\n

Senator McCarthy is founder of the Tiglin charity, which helps people struggling with homelessness and addiction issues. The two couples are big supporters and Aubrey tells us \u201cthe idea was to discuss Tiglin\u2019s \u2018social enterprise\u2019 and how we can make a difference in society\u201d. The charity is opening a new cafe in Wicklow town this weekend called Rise at the Abbey.<\/p>\n

They also made plans to collaborate on future projects and were joined at the dinner by Tiglin\u2019s CEO Phil Thompson and his wife, Ann.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was also an opportunity to celebrate Ryan and Dr Clare\u2019s marriage and Gillian Quinn\u2019s doctorate,\u201d says Aubrey. <\/p>\n

Ryan and Clare were in great form, with his return to Leinster House proving an infinitely more pleasant experience than his last outings when he was grilled by not one, but two Oireachtas committees.<\/p>\n

In March, Gillian Quinn was awarded a PhD in psychology from Dublin City University. Her thesis \u2013 An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Elite Professional Footballers and Their Intimate Partners During the Sports Career Transition: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study \u2013 focused on the experience of professional footballers and their partners following retirement.<\/p>\n

\"SenatorSenator Aubrey McCarthy with Niall Quinn and his wife Gillian Talk of The Boss in the Seanad<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only one Boss for Fianna F\u00e1il Senator Fiona O\u2019Loughlin, and it isn\u2019t her party leader Miche\u00e1l Martin. <\/p>\n

Anything and everything comes up for discussion during the Order of Business in the Seanad. On Wednesday, the Kildare-based Senator wanted to spread the word about a festival next month in Rathangan village \u2013 F\u00e9ile Springsteen.<\/p>\n

She told the upper house that a special event happened across the Atlantic last week in a town in New Jersey called Freehold. It happens to be the hometown of The Boss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure many Senators will remember me recalling here how Bruce Springsteen\u2019s great-great grandmother on his father\u2019s side, Ann Garrity, came from my home town of Rathangan in Co Kildare and travelled to America in 1852\u2026,\u201d she began. <\/p>\n

Sure, they talk about little else. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she went, she brought a seedling of a copper beech with her, which was planted and became a tree that is synonymous with Bruce Springsteen\u2019s music. Sadly, that tree was cut down a number of years ago but last year a delegation from Freehold, including the mayor, Kevin Kane, and including Bruce\u2019s first cousin, Kevin, came to Rathangan and they planted a copper beech.\u201d<\/p>\n

And last week, a delegation led by Cllr Brian O\u2019Loughlin, headed over to Freehold with another copper beech and planted it in the same spot as the original tree. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe event was fabulous and I look forward to hearing all about it,\u201d added Fiona. Maybe Cllr O\u2019Loughlin, her little brother, will fill her in.<\/p>\n

Rathangan\u2019s F\u00e9ile on August 22nd will have a Springsteen tribute band called The Human Touch among other attractions.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we hope to get the main man one of these years, which I have no doubt we will,\u201d concluded Fiona.<\/p>\n

New Jersey papers please copy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dublin Castle hosted its first major working event of the EU presidency this week when Enterprise and Employment…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":579980,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[40],"tags":[9,10,15248,4767,18,4893,13,14,6,19,17,11,12,15,16,16594,5765,5,12417,7,8],"class_list":["post-579979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-bruce-springsteen","tag-dail-eireann","tag-eire","tag-eu","tag-featured-news","tag-featurednews","tag-headlines","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-latest-news","tag-latestnews","tag-main-news","tag-mainnews","tag-mary-lou-mcdonald","tag-micheal-martin","tag-news","tag-seanad-eireann","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116900043454005377","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/579980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}