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RTE staff were embarrassed when trainer Peter Casey lost the run of himself after his horse won at Leopardstown.

I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. I’ll sleep tonight. I’ll have fucking sex tonight and everything.

Mr. Casey didn’t specify who he was going to have sex with but I suspect his horse is slightly anxious about that ‘and everything’.

Recently retired Commander Eugene Ryan of the Naval Service was interviewed by Marian Finucane last week (21st January).

Cdr Ryan spoke about his experiences throughout his long career including how well he was treated by the Royal Navy when attending courses in the UK at a time when the conflict in Northern Ireland was at its height.

I had a similar experience myself while training as a naval diver at the Royal Naval base, HMS Drake, in Plymouth in 1974.

The Irish Navy was just beginning to form its own diving school at the time.

The ability to carry out a ship bottom search was an important skill for a naval diver.

This was principally to learn how to search for limpet mines but also to inspect and clear any blockages on hull equipment including the propeller.

As part of our training we were due to view the hull of a warship and submarine in dry dock to familiarise ourselves with the various pieces of equipment on the hull.

That day, however, myself and the three other Irish trainees were confined to quarters after the IRA carried out the M62 bombing which killed twelve people including a Corporal, his wife and their two children aged two and five.

Confining us to quarters was a precautionary measure but, thankfully and much to our relief, we suffered no negative reaction whatsoever.

Later in the course, and on a lighter note, we were due to attend a lecture and film on the procedures employed by the Royal Navy to protect their ships from enemy divers when at anchor.

Given the political situation there was some worry about revealing top secret information to us but in the end the lecturer simply requested us not to pass on anything to subversives and, of course, we agreed.

Former court clerk, Dick Robinson, told the Irish Examiner the following story.

During lunchbreak he heard the judge say to the defending solicitor.

I’m watching your client there beside you and I must say that his demeanour suggests guilt to me.

Judge, the solicitor said; the man beside me is my apprentice, the defendant is at the back of the room.

I’m truly shocked to hear of the death of journalist Mary Raftery at the young age of 54.

Ms. Raftery was one of the few bright shining lights in Irish investigative journalism.

She was the journalist principally responsible for the exposure of the child abuse holocaust perpetrated by the Catholic Church

Colm O’Gorman, survivor of clerical sexual abuse and current executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, put it well:

Mary Raftery was one of the most principled people of the highest integrity that I’ve ever been fortunate enough to meet.

She has done this society and this country an extraordinary service.

Reading about Sinead O’Connor’s latest life event I can only come to one conclusion.

She’s a brilliant, naturally gifted artist with some very serious psychological problems.

Hope everybody had a peaceful and fulfilling Christmas. Best wishes in every way for 2012

A TOP Russian female newsreader has caused a stir after appearing to offensively show US President Barack Obama her middle finger during a live newscast.

http://youtu.be/G3wzmyCmDMo

Sunday Independent journalist John Drennan describes Garret Fitzgerald’s government of 1981 and the criminal Haughey’s government of 1987 as courageous and decisive.

Garret Fitzgerald decisive? Incompetent and extremely naïve would be more accurate and that’s being kind.

Haughey courageous? The man was a cowardly, greedy, ruthless criminal – nothing else

Independent TD Shane Ross in discussion recently.

Leo Varadkar, when in Opposition, did a superb paper on the quangos and he found that between 1997 and 2007 in the Bertie golden years there were 207 state agencies created.

There are 6,000 directors on the boards of quangos and Brendan Howlin is only going to tackle 28 and review 50 next year. This is not adequate.

I was at the PAC yesterday and the Pensions Board came in and we questioned them for about three or four hours. At the end of the day I didn’t know what they did.

There are 16 members on the board who are picked from political favourites and various social partners.

See here for full list of quangos

I see the Taoiseach has sorted out the Germans.

Poor old Angela must have thought she was caught in a Blitzkrieg.

There’s no messing with our Enda.