You may not see him parading on the Twelfth; you're more likely to find him relaxing on his boat on Lough Erne, helping to run Enniskillen Rugby Club or rehearsing with the cross-cultural Fermanagh Choral Society. The Impartial Reporter didn't go so far as to say it, but in its glowing profile of James Cooper (47), a solicitor and secretary of the Fermanagh Unionist Association and vice-chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party, the newspaper seemed to be giving us "New Unionist", much as we were presented with "New Labour".
He may not be as powerful as Tony Blair (yet), but Cooper is an influential man behind the scenes of Northern politics and we may even see him running for office in a new assembly.
"Manic priests can rant and rave, the godfathers of terror can rain down death and destruction but as long as there are families like the Coopers, society will prevail," said writer Chris Donegan. Cooper and his successful, well-to-do family are "at the heart and soul of Northern Ireland's establishment" and have been described by the chattering classes as the "Fermanagh Mafia", although Cooper insists his success is due entirely to the Protestant work ethic. Cooper's wife, Margaret, is also a solicitor and is non-executive director of the Western Health and Social Services Board, as well as part-time chairman of the Industrial, Fair Employment and Health and Social Security tribunals.
"The Coopers are a dynasty - not a `don-asty'. They do enjoy a certain amount of affluence and influence. That goes with the territory," said Donegan. As does a childhood steeped in unionism: "James Cooper well remembers the bullet hole in the dining room window of the family home in Enniskillen. "The shot was fired the night a Sinn Fein gang attempted to kidnap his grandfather, the man who helped partition Ireland with that drunken line on the map known as the Border, and who represented Fermanagh in the first Stormont administration of the new Northern Ireland," said the newspaper.
On the Belfast Agreement, Cooper "is an ardent `yes' man". On the prospect of a United Ireland, he believes that neither he nor his children will live to see his grandfather's Border go. It's preferable to be part of British society, which is pluralist and advocates civil rights, a message which unionists have failed to get across, Cooper believes. The Republic, as he sees it, is steeped in Roman Catholicism and political scandal. "I think our political system is cleaner, not vulnerable to the financial scandals that persist in the Southern structures," he said.
The Kilkenny People berated the lack of control which has allowed Kilkenny city to become a "mess", with many precious historical features which formerly distinguished the city being obliterated. "Haphazard" housing developments in medieval laneways, rubbish-strewn streets, broken footpaths and the "poor visual impact" of many city centre streets will do no good for the future of tourism, it said.
The Nenagh Guardian forecast a "gold mine" for local tourism when the Shallee mining museum is opened. The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, foresees 100,000 visitors annually and intends to acquire immediate approval of £1 million investment. "Never in my long career as a public representative have I been as enthusiastic or excited about the enormous potential that this project holds and the many benefits that it will bring to Tipperary," said Mr Smith.
The Connaught Telegraph celebrated the "tremendous achievement" of the seafood industry in exporting £15 million worth of Irish seafood to European markets in 1997, a £2.2 million increase on the previous year. But the editorial writer regretted the fact that while the French, Germans, Spanish and Italians are relishing Irish oysters, scallops, mussels, clams, cockles, razorfish, abalone, periwinkle, whelks, sea-urchins, crabs, lobsters and crayfish, many Irish consumers have not tasted these delights because most of our native species are not available in our own fish shops.
Rubbish and what to do with it was a common theme: a cross-Border waste facility is a priority of Monaghan County Council, said the Anglo-Celt. The Leinster Leader said that the Kilcullen community had united to force a clean-up of the local dump, which it is claimed has been mismanaged by Kildare County Council.
"Loftus at Large" in the Western People said Mayo citizens shouldn't be too critical of the fact that 31 local councillors are going to Holland to examine waste management methods. One advantage was that it could prove cheaper in the long run for all 31 to truly understand the costly problem of waste rather than relying on hearsay from a fellow councillor. Another was that "there is always the possibility that they might not find their way back!"
