A look at the week that was.
Confounded
"I wish to extend my congratulations to Brian on his marvellous win for Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens tonight." It was generous of Minister for Arts John O'Donoghue to post a note on his website praising Brian Kennedy's glorious achievement. It's a pity that the warbler actually finished 10th.
Grounded
New York's achievement in beating Derry and making the Ulster senior hurling championship final was dampened by the realisation that several players can't fly to Ireland due to immigration issues. They've since offered to fly their opponents, Antrim, to New York for the match. If they go all the way in the All-Ireland, things could get very messy.
The Numbers
20 The number of pages one Finnish newspaper dedicated to Lordi's Eurovision win
150,000 The number of rubber ducks to be released into the Liffey on June 3rd for a charity event
Eur3bn The amount wiped off the value of Irish shares on Monday
In Quotes:
"What sort of priorities does the Taoiseach have when he is heading around like the queen of Drumcondra?"
John Gormley TD questions Bertie's €2,000 a month make-up bill
Now We Know
Gypsy skirts are a fire hazard.
Living up to 120 years, the endangered pearl mussel is Ireland's longest-living animal.
The English FA has already arranged a World Cup victory parade, two weeks before the tournament starts.