The Christmas blackouts made the holiday memorable for many, but few could compete with the weird experience of the O'Connell family who found their blackened house lit up by a most unexpected type of beacon: their Christmas dinner ham. The novel alternative light source was discovered by Derek O'Connell (15) when he went to the kitchen in search of candles with his father, Pat.
"As they scrambled around in the dark, Pat heard his bewildered son observe: `There is something wrong with that ham, Dad'," wrote Trish O'Dea in the Limerick Leader.
"Pat was astonished to see his fine, lean cut of ham glowing in the dark interior of the fridge. `We would never have noticed it only for the power cuts," Pat said.
Needless to say, ham was sliced from the O'Connell family's Christmas dinner menu. "I will never eat ham again. I wouldn't mind but I used to love ham," Pat added.
The X-file ham has Pat searching for answers. An analytical company in Limerick has suggested that the eerie glow may have been caused by the phosphate that is often added with salt to the meat. One explanation is that the oxidation of this phosphate, creating phosphorus, causes the glow, which on a smaller scale can sometimes be seen as a blue-green sheen on rashers.
"The use of polyphosphates during the salting of meat is not uncommon, but the safety of the practice seems unclear," wrote O'Dea.
People planning to get guard dogs to protect their premises might want to consider chipmunks instead. "Ouch!" said Kerry's Eye over its story about someone who went into a pet shop intending to steal only to be bitten on the hand by a chipmunk.
The man's solicitor, Mr David Ramsey, told Tralee Court that his client "had a lot of drink taken" and "cannot remember going into the premises, but does remember coming out of it, which is not surprising, as he was escorted by gardai."
Mr Ramsey said the man had spent the last three weeks in custody, and that basically the court was dealing with an alcohol-related problem. A chipmunk had bitten the man on the hand and this perhaps would also have contributed to his suffering in regard to the issue.
This prompted a Garda inspector to comment that the chipmunk had not been charged with that offence.
The Fingal Independent and the Weekender ("Meath's No 1 Family Newspaper") were playing "spot the Spice". Posh Spice was seen looking for bargains in McElhinney's of Athboy with her boyfriend David Beckham, midfielder for Manchester United, said the Meath newspaper.
The Fingal Independent had a blow-by-blow account of Baby Spice's movements through the Blanchardstown Centre's Next, Top Shop and Miss Selfridge and was shocked to learn that at the end of the spree she had spent most money in Marathon Sports. The newspaper wildly speculated that "the girls from Spice World could be planning a change of image in 1998, as Baby Spice opted to buy a lot of sporty items of clothing during her visit. Emma's sugar-and-sweet style may be on its way out of the window."
Drogheda is experiencing a grave shortage - literally. By the year 2002 it will have no last resting places left, said the Drogheda Independent. Such is the pressure on new grave space that St Peter's Cemetery has introduced a policy of "not selling forward" in order to ensure that space is available at the time of bereavement. The new town plan will incorporate space for the dead when it is drawn up in the next 18 months, said the newspaper.
The Kilkenny People described the destruction of a 19th-century church in Kilcooley, near Gortnahoe in Kilkenny during the Christmas Eve hurricane. "At the height of the storm the pinnacle was sent crashing through the roof, leaving a large gaping hole, tearing down a section of the ceiling, smashing through the Gallery and finally destroying a number of pews before it became embedded in the church floor". The curate, the Rev Barbara Fryday, was forced to cancel Christmas Day services, prompting the newspaper to comment that "Wednesday wasn't a good Fryday!"
Kerry was the place to be over the holidays, said the Kerryman. Aussie soap star Ray Meagher, who plays Alf in Home and Away, and "golden boy" Pat Kenny were among the influx of glamorous visitors who chose "cosmopolitan Kerry" to ring in the New Year. Popular luxury hotels like the Skellig Hotel, the Park Kenmare, the Parknasilla Great Southern Hotel and the Sheen Falls Lodge, Kenmare, were booked out while the Killarney Great Southern was full on a Christmas holiday for the first time, breaking all records for the season, according to its general manager.