For all the glory that's in it, winning the All-Ireland Football final still doesn't make a man invincible. Kerry fullback, Barry O'Shea, appealed, on the front page of Kerry's Eye, for the return of the No. 3 jersey which he wore in the match.
As Barry slept in the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, following postmatch celebrations which ended in the early hours of the morning, a "mean bounder" broke into his room and ransacked his bag, probably looking for his All-Ireland medal.
Failing to find it, the thief made off with the Kerry jersey, along with Barry's togs, boots, a pair of Adidas trainers and £100 in cash.
It's no longer a case of "trot daddy, trot foal" in Kildare County Council where the newest Power to take his seat is JJ Power, a Green councillor who refused to follow in his Dad, Cllr Paddy Power's footsteps as a member of Fianna Fail. At county council meetings father and son are now known as Paddy and "Baby" Power (what else?), said the Nationalist of Clonmel. Paddy, a former Defence Minister, told fellow councillors that he could "quote the Bible and say, `this is my beloved Son' but in the passage of time that might become `Son, behold they father' ".
Who was it said there were no mosquitoes on this island? Mosquitoes, borne on the warm wind from north Africa, are causing serious skin ulcers and sores in Limerick, said the Limerick Leader. The skin problems result when the mosquitoes suck the blood of humans and animals, transmitting disease through their saliva.
Malaria may be a danger too, although it has not yet been established whether any of the visiting mosquitoes are of the Anopheles subgroup which carry the disease. As temperatures drop with the onset of winter, the mosquitoes are expected to die off.
The mosquito invasion vied for attention with a prediction of an "early by-election" on the front page of the Limerick Leader. Labour feels their best chance of keeping the late Jim Kemmy's seat will be to put Senator Jan O'Sullivan before the people as soon as possible. The mother-of-two is being supported by Jim Kemmy's nephew, Michael, and brother, Joe, local chairman of the party, who have also been mooted as "ideal candidates".
Kangaroo steaks aren't exactly leaping off the shelves at the Tesco supermarket in Ballymena, said the Ballymena Guardian.
Along with ostrich steaks, the exotic kangaroo meat was perceived as a healthy alternative to beef during the BSE scare but now most people are again finding beef steaks and burgers more appetising and Tesco has decided not to restock.
A series of savage crimes made headlines around the country. Talk of zero tolerance had done nothing to protect an elderly brother and sister who were brutally attacked near Ballinasloe, said the Roscommon Herald. One of the worst incidents was the brutal attack and sexual assault of a woman in Ballymena, who was found wandering the road in a dazed state after the attack, said the Ballymena Guardian. The Sligo Champion reported the fortunate escape of a feisty 80-year-old woman who used her stick to fight off a late-night intruder.
"Ming the Merciless" may have failed in his general election bid but his campaign to legalise cannabis is still puffing down the track. Ming says he will go to jail in four months rather than pay £150 in fines imposed by the district court for possession of cannabis.
Ming, whose real name is Luke Flanagan, sports Chinese-style sidelocks. He had tiny amounts of cannabis resin and plant worth £10 each when he was arrested by a Galway detective. During his court appearance, members of the public gallery broke into applause and on the courthouse steps supporters held placards reading: "Cannabis is a social and economic healer."
"Good MAN Derek Nally," said the Longford Leader, which clearly believes that the sex of the candidate towers above all other considerations and took Nally's minority status as a licence to vent a stream of sexist invective in its editorial. "The arrival of Derek Nally as a presidential candidate is a breath of fresh air after the deluge of oratory we have had before and after the nomination of the Famous Four females," said the newspaper.
"The fact that he is a man, that he is aged 61, has grey hair and sounds a very plain person puts Mr Nally very much at variance with his four opponents. As far as a lot of Irish people are concerned, that's great news."
Now that a man is there to inject some "commonsense" into the race, the "contest will be more realistic instead of a succession of flowery speeches and `loving' gestures and talk about embracing the Irish people, etc, etc", the Leader added. All Ireland could thank Mr Nally for talking in a country accent and seldom mentioning the words "outreach", "rainbow" and "diaspora". Mr Nally was also a founder of Victim Support, whereas "some of his rivals would be more interested in the welfare of those who commit the crimes", claimed the newspaper.
