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Recently a controversial Twitter account by the name of ' RTE Secret Producer ' has emerged. Its premise: a brave RTE staff member stands up against their employer and sets out to expose the hidden culture which prevails within the organisation. It sounds like a plot to a low-budget thriller. The account has spurred much debate and has riled up many of the anti-RTE cynics who inhabit our country. Moreover, some of the Irish media - in competition with RTE and unlike RTE, not subsidised by the license fee - are probably happy to have a go at their media nemesis. I have a few thoughts about this Twitter account... First of all  I have read Facebook comment after Facebook comment praising this mystery staffer for their bravery and for being the good Samaritan to expose the ' flawed ' organisation. Although when one examines the level of 'exposure' through the Twitter account, one notices that this secret producer's ramblings amount to little more th

'The Leaving ' is ingrained in the Irish psyche. It's an experience that characterises life as an Irish person. Engage anybody in conversation - somebody in the local shop, a friend of the family's, even a passerby on the street. If you admit your age and stage of education they'll immediately tilt their head to the right slightly in a gesture of sympathy, aware of the backbreaking workload that burdens you, before sighing and letting out the " Well we all had to bloody do it " line. 'The Leaving' is a common experience that we have all been conditioned to endure. Although there's a sense of unity about it: we all struggled, we all persevered, we were all overwhelmed by it. No matter how academically gifted, how determined or how meticulous, the Leaving Cert represents a substantial hurdle in life. I don't think I'd do it justice by simply labelling it a 'state examination'. I'm in the middle of that roadblock. In a

I believe the Irish comedian David O'Doherty once wryly described Saint Patrick as the 'Patron Saint of urinating in doorways'. Saint. Patrick's Day is a national holiday that has become synonymous with decadence, debauchery and generally doing things that we instantly regret. This appraisal of the event lives on to this day. On a more benign level it is perceived equally negatively as a day of miserable weather, of American tourists claiming their heritage while sporting the naff 'Kiss me I'm Irish' t-shirts and of samba dancers awkwardly gliding through the streets amidst the rain revealing their true pasty skin tone. If that synopsis hasn't covered it, it is frightfully ironic that this Saint Patrick bloke wasn't even born in Ireland. Sure we were probably drunk when reading his birth cert… I urge you to set these preconceptions behind and experience a parade tomorrow. We've all stood hunched for hours on end in the lashings of rain wa

Let's face it. Dublin's cycle paths are un-attractive. Many times I have driven past a cyclist looking despondent, getting splashed when each passing car drives through a puddle next to him. One of the main cycle lane in the city is located along the N11. It's a fairly direct route, starting at Loughlinstown, before passing by Stillorgan, Donnybrook and eventually emerging at Leeson street just off St. Stephen's Green. However some cyclists would criticise it for having a poor surface in parts, and having issues with cars and buses travelling at close proximity to them. A contribution on a thread on Boards.ie from a cyclist who uses the N11 cycle lane frequently. I was sitting on the Luas a few weeks ago and a thought struck me. The Luas green line runs directly into St. Stephen's Green from Cherrywood. It originally had a terminus at Sandyford. This route is incredibly direct, passing through Dundrum, Milltown and Ranelagh before heading onto Harcourt street

Apollo House on Tara Street in Dublin city centre, seized by citizens to house the homeless in December of last year.   Hard to believe that it's March already, isn't it? Apollo House has most likely left our minds at this stage. The media have certainly moved on to the other big stories of the day, namely the Garda whistle-blowing controversy, the leadership race for Fine Gael and Donald Trump. There was a fantastic documentary about the 'Home Sweet Home' project on TV3 last week. It was filmed throughout the group's occupation of Apollo House and it profiles the decisions they made, the ideals behind the campaign and the public reaction to their actions. There are contributions from the figures behind the campaign such as trade union representative Brendan Ogle, musician Glen Hansard and director Jim Sheridan. It was an incredibly daring undertaking, for sure. The act directed a huge amount of media attention to the gravity of the homelessness situation in

 My dad was buying a car recently and at every dealership we visited there was a big emphasis to sell these so-called 'PCP' finance plans. They're ultimately a more flexible wave of hire purchase agreements. Firstly an initial deposit is paid, or a car is traded in. Then the owner makes his repayments while keeping the car serviced at the main dealer and keeping the mileage of the vehicle below a specific level per annum.  Usually after 3 years - when most of the payments have been made - the purchaser has a range of choices to make: He can hand back the car with no obligation for him to make any further repayments. He can make a balloon payment or continue to make payments until he owns the car. Or he can trade in the car and enter into a new PCP agreement on another car. Hyundai: The best-selling car brand in Ireland last year. Also one of the many brands offering PCP deals.  The media are forever using car sales as a barometer of economic activity in Ireland. Inc