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September 02, 2006

McGuinness Calls For Intensified Peace Efforts

News About Ireland & The Irish

SF 09/02/06 McGuinness Calls For Intensification Of Peace Efforts
BT 09/02/06 NIO Is Diverting Money Away From Historical Inquiry Team
BB 09/02/06 Empey Heralds Possible UVF Move
BT 09/02/06 GAA 'Snub' To Sinn Fein After Defiance On Rally
BB 09/02/06 Welsh Leader To Address Stormont
MR 09/02/06 Irish J/24s Gives Royal Cork Yacht Club Support For Nations Cup
BN 09/02/06 Irish Obesity 'Could Be As Bad As In US In 10 Years Time'
IT 09/02/06 Rebelling Against The Confederate Flag
IT 09/02/06 Black Days For The Black Stuff

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/15769


McGuinness Calls For Intensification Of Peace Efforts

Published: 2 September, 2006

The Sinn F‚in Ard Chomhairle is meeting in Dublin today to
deal with a report from the party's negotiations committee
in relation to a review of Sinn F‚in participation in the
Hain Assembly.

Speaking following the meeting Sinn F‚in Chief Negotiator
Martin McGuinness said: "There were serious misgivings
expressed at today's Ard Chomhairle meeting regarding the
approach of two governments. Following a lengthy
discussion the Ard Chomhairle has agreed that Sinn F‚in
Assembly members will participate in the Hain Assembly, on
the same basis as before the summer recess, with the sole
purpose of restoring the Good Friday Agreement institutions
and we will therefore engage only in work that genuinely
contributes to that objective.' Mr. McGuinness It is still
possible to make progress in the coming period but it will
only happen if the Irish and British governments play a
decisive role. It is their responsibility to see major
progress made in the time ahead and we need to see an
intensification of efforts if that is to happen.'

Mr. McGuinness said:

"In June Gerry Adams announced that Sinn F‚in intended to
hold a review into our participation in the Hain Assembly.
Today we discussed the report presented by the party's
negotiations committee which they produced following a
series of meetings with the party's Ard Chomhairle,
Assembly members, TDs and members of the party throughout
Ireland.

"There were serious misgivings expressed at today's meeting
at the approach of the British and Irish governments. It
was clear from the outset that the establishment of an
Assembly with no powers and with a protracted time scale
was going to cause difficulties and that has proved to be
the case. Despite the best efforts of the majority of
parties very little progress towards restoration of the
political institutions has been made over the last four
months.

"There was also serious concern expressed that the
stringing out of the process was seriously undermining
public confidence and reducing the potential for progress,
with repeated calls for the Irish and British governments
to get a grip on the process in the coming weeks. The
meeting was given a firm undertaking in writing from the
British Secretary of State 'that achieving the deadline of
restoration on or before 24 November is firm and
immovable.'

"Following a lengthy discussion the Ard Chomhairle has
agreed that Sinn F‚in Assembly members will participate in
the upcoming session of the Hain Assembly, on the same
basis as before the summer recess, with the sole purpose
of restoring the Good Friday Agreement institutions and
only in work that genuinely contributes to that objective.

"We want to see the power-sharing institutions restored
before November 24th and we will continue to do all that we
can to ensure that the opportunities opened up last year
are not squandered. It is still possible to make progress
in the coming period but it will only happen if the Irish
and British governments play a decisive role. It is their
responsibility to see major progress made in the time ahead
and we need to see an intensification of efforts if that is
to happen.

"The Sinn F‚in Ard Chomhairle and the party's elected
representatives from the Assembly, D il, Westminster and
European Parliament will meet in the Deerpark Hotel in
Howth, County Dublin on Friday 8th September to discuss our
approach to political events in the coming weeks, the
upcoming elections in the 26 Counties and our political
programme for the D il and Assembly."ENDS

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=704775


PSNI FURY

Cops Accuse NIO Of Diverting Money Away From Unsolved Murders Team

By Jonathan McCambridge

02 September 2006

The investigation of more than 3,000 unsolved murders in
Northern Ireland was last night facing a cash crisis as a
funding row exploded between police and the Government.

The PSNI has accused the Northern Ireland Office of taking
away money which had been set aside for its new Historical
Enquiries Team (HET).

It is understood that investigators within the HET are
concerned that the cash shortage could break the back of
the new cold cases unit before it has properly begun its
work.

This year the PSNI set up the Historical Enquiries Team to
investigate 3,268 deaths during The Troubles in Northern
Ireland - a unique world venture.

The unit is based at Ravernet in Lisburn and police, at the
time, said more than œ30m of funding had been made
available to the team over six years.

Now it has emerged that some of that money - as much as œ1m
a year - could instead be diverted to the Police Ombudsman
to carry out historical investigations into alleged
killings carried out by the security forces.

Statements issued by the PSNI, Northern Ireland Office and
the Police Ombudsman reveal that the agencies are seriously
at odds over the funding situation.

A PSNI spokesman told the Belfast Telegraph: "The NIO has
changed the funding arrangements for historical inquiries
work. The ongoing funding intended to cover the work of HET
over six years now has to accommodate the requirements of
other agencies as well."

The spokesman also said that œ450,000 which the HET did not
spend in its first annual budget has "now been re-allocated
to the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland".

But a Police Ombudsman spokesman said: "We are in
discussion with the NIO about the funding requirement for
historical enquiries that our office will be required to
undertake but there is no question of funds being diverted
from the Historical Enquiries Team."

A NIO spokesman said: "The Government has provided œ34m to
fund the investigation of historic cases, and the money is
allocated to a number of agencies including the Historical
Enquiries Team and the Police Ombudsman's office.

"Allocations are determined according to the level of
funding needed and as with all Government expenditure the
level of funding provided is monitored and adjusted during
the financial year to reflect changes in those
requirements."

The HET has spent the last number of months organising its
ranks ahead of the massive task of investigating unsolved
murders stretching back to the 1960s.

However, it is understood that members within the unit
believe that the funding crisis presents a viable threat to
its work.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/5306670.stm


Empey Heralds Possible UVF Move

Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey has welcomed
indications the Ulster Volunteer Force may re-engage with
the body overseeing decommissioning.

The move is part of the UVF's internal consultation over
its future.

Ulster Unionist assembly members are to discuss their link
with Progressive Unionist leader David Ervine next week.

Sir Reg said he would take account of what the Independent
Monitoring Commission will say about UVF activity when
considering his options.

"I'm not prepared to live a lie that there is progress,
when there's not progress," he told BBC Radio Ulster's
Inside Politics programme.

"I want to see progress. We're pushing, we're trying to
send a message out to people that we are concerned about
them and their communities ad we want to help and provide
representation.

"But it has to involve the transformation taking place to
exclusively peaceful means."

The UVF has been under pressure recently to begin
decommissioning and end all activities.

Among those calling for the moves have been the Ulster
Unionist Party, which has entered into an alliance with the
PUP in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Beyond use

However, the BBC has learned that the UVF is now
considering re-engaging with General John de Chastelain's
arms commission as part of an internal consultation over
its future.

In January 2003, the paramilitary group suspended all
contacts with the decommissioning body.

It is understood it is now considering appointing a
representative to speak to the commission.

If it does re-engage with the arms body, it is unlikely to
lead to immediate decommissioning but will begin a process.

The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning
Commission was established in 1997 under chairman General
John de Chastelain, of the Canadian army.

In September 2005, General de Chastelain said the IRA had
put all of its weapons beyond use.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/09/02 08:10:15 GMT
c BBC MMVI

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=704785


GAA 'Snub' To Sinn Fein After Defiance On Rally

By Claire Regan
02 September 2006

Sinn Fein admitted last night that some of its party
members would be disappointed by the refusal of the GAA
hierarchy to supply tickets to this year's All-Ireland
hurling and football finals to them in the wake of a
hunger-strike rally in Belfast.

But a spokesman insisted that it does not get tickets for
the annual Croke Park showdowns from the association on an
official basis.

"Individual party representatives get tickets and I'm sure
they will be disappointed about not receiving any tickets
this year. But that is a matter between them and Croke
Park," he said.

The spokesman was referring to reports that the GAA will
not make tickets available to Sinn Fein in response to the
use of Casement Park for a hunger-strike rally last month
in defiance of an order from Croke Park.

Some 20,000 people attended the event at Casement Park,
despite the prior decision of the GAA's central council
that the rally should not take place because it was in
breach of regulations that the organisation must not be
seen to endorse party political events.

In spite of this, the local Antrim County Board allowed the
ground to be used. The event was dominated by speeches from
Sinn Fein figures.

It is understood the GAA traditionally allows Oireachtas
members [of the Irish Parliament] an opportunity to buy
tickets for matches when their counties are involved.

The offer is also made to members of the nationalist
parties in Northern Ireland from the counties involved
along with unionist politicians interested in attending.

There are no Ulster teams in either the senior or minor
football finals or the senior or minor hurling finals, both
being held in Dublin later this month.

But it is understood the withdrawal of this privilege from
Sinn Fein will extend to all its representatives, not just
those in Northern Ireland.

The GAA said last night that it has no official comment to
make on the matter.

The Irish Times yesterday quoted an unnamed Croke Park
official as saying: "Tickets are issued generally to county
boards and clubs. The small allocation of discretionary
tickets is issued on the principle of mutual respect."

Sinn Fein members will be allowed to obtain tickets through
GAA clubs in the same way as members of the public,
although this is always exceptionally difficult for All-
Ireland finals due to demand.

Kerry and Mayo will meet in this year's eagerly anticipated
All-Ireland senior football final, after Kerry and
Roscommon have clashed in the minor championship.

Kilkenny and Cork are due to square up in the senior
hurling final, while Tipperary and Galway meet in the
minors.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/5307480.stm


Welsh Leader To Address Stormont

The first minister of Wales is expected to visit Stormont
later this month to talk to local politicians about the
benefits of devolution.

It is believed that Rhodri Morgan will talk to assembly
members in the Stormont senate chamber on 11 September.

Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell visited the assembly
in May.

He offered a "hand of friendship" to assembly members in a
speech in the senate chamber.

Mr McConnell told MLAs he did not want to tell them how to
conduct politics.

However, he said that devolution in Scotland had boosted
confidence and helped tackle long-standing problems.

Devolved government in Northern Ireland has been suspended
since October 2002.

The British government has set the local parties a deadline
of 24 November to restore it.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/09/02 08:19:39 GMT
c BBC MMVI

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http://www.matchrace.ie


Ireland. Irish J/24 Class Gives Royal Cork Yacht Club Support For Nations Cup

Friday, 01 September 2006
Michael Clarke:

A dozen J/24 keelboat owners from eight other Irish clubs,
and the International J/24 Association of Ireland are
giving vital support to the Royal Cork Yacht Club, which
hosts next week's Grand Final of the ISAF match racing
Nations Cup, which is Ireland's topmost level Sailing event
this season. Allocating it to Ireland last July, the
International Sailing Federation (ISAF) had specified that
J/24 keelboats be used.

From opening on Monday 4th to prize giving on Saturday 9th
September, RCYC's race team will host the final rounds in a
worldwide match racing competition that has been running
all season involving 63 nations and seven prior regional
championships. Match racing, two boats matched, crews win
or lose, no other option, is exacting sport. Boat
manoeuvrability is paramount, for which the J/24 is very
well suited.

The dozen J/24s from 8 clubs on loan to RCYC are Crazyhorse
and J-Spot, Royal St George YC; Dandy Rocker and Gossip,
Carlingford SC; Jana and Jaws, Lough Ree YC; Jadore and
Virjin, Lough Erne YC; Jibberish, Portaferry SC; Westmeath
Motor Group (ex-Sidney), Western YC, B d, Carrickfergus SC,
and Kilcullen, National YC.

Two thirds are from the Republic and a third from Northern
Ireland, showing Ireland-wide J/24 support to RCYC from a
class widespread in Ireland and beyond, being the world's
most numerous international class of this type, with fleets
in most yachting nations. Most international match racing
competitors will be familiar with the J/24.

Invaluable international J/24 support to RCYC came with
Stuart Jardine of the International J/24 Class Technical
Committee. He visited with advice and practical assistance
to the RCYC team preparing and matching the boats for this
exacting sport, using systems he used for a similar world
event in Bermuda last year in J/24s - the poster and header
photographs for the RCYC event feature those J/24s in
Bermuda.

The J/24 Association of Ireland has also given key support
to Ireland's Women's team at the Nations Cup. They were
invited to compete, and went on to win June's innovative
J/24 match racing championship at Carlingford Sailing Club.
In recent weeks, Mary O'Loughlin's team have been
practicing match racing's exacting tactics in one J/24 with
another as sparring partner, both loaned by Dublin Bay J/24
owners.

Peter Crowley, PRO for the Nations Cup, had nothing but
praise for the J/24 class. Speaking at July's press launch
he thanked the class for lending their boats. "The J24
Class is one of the most competitive and social classes in
Ireland. I have worked with them on previous occasions and
it has always been a pleasure." Peter continued, "The J/24
is probably the most suitable boat in Ireland available for
match racing and the Nations Cup organising committee is
deeply grateful for their owners support."

The support effort from Ireland's J/24s into this most
major event is a matter of pride for the J/24 Association
of Ireland. It has three objectives: to play an important
role in this top level sailing event, for the collective
good of Irish Sailing, the ISA, RCYC and of Ireland's
J/24s, to revive Ireland's South Coast J/24 Fleet in Cork,
and to secure J/24s as Ireland's best international
keelboats for match racing - as they already are for
keelboat sport at club, regional, national and
international levels.

Michael Clarke, President, J/24 Association of Ireland
Last Updated ( Friday, 01 September 2006 )

*********************


http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/09/02/story274997.html


Irish Obesity 'Could Be As Bad As In US In 10 Years Time'

02/09/2006 - 12:39:50

Health officials have warned that our obesity problem is
becoming Ireland's fastest growing health issue and warn it
could be as bad as the United States in 10 years time.

More than 2,500 people die from obesity-related conditions
in Ireland every year.

Almost half of Irish people report being overweight, with
one in eight men and one in 12 women being clinically
obese.

Dr John O'Riordan of the National Task Force on Obesity
says he expects Ireland's problem to get as bad as America,
which has the highest rates of obesity in the world.

He says that without a concerted effort from all sectors,
people are in serious danger of heart disease, cancer and
high blood pressure.

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/newsfeatures/2006/0902/1156791336457.html


Rebelling Against The Confederate Flag

02/09/2006

It's red, it's white, they wave it all about, but Cork
fans' adoption of the Confederate flag raises serious
questions, writes Peadar King

Of all supporters, Cork's "rebel army" are truly a
colourful and eclectic lot. Not just for them the simple
red and white. Lurking in the midst of the blood and
bandage are the flags of Croatia, Cuba, Japan, Canada and
the US. Not just the official flag of the United States,
however, but also the deeply racist Confederate flag that
remains anathema to all African-Americans in the United
States, particularly those who have lived and suffered in
its southern states. The Confederate flag represents the
claim of white hegemony over black people and is still
flown in many places in the South in defiance of the
expressed wishes of the African-American community there.

For the many white people who continue to embrace it, the
Confederate flag remains a potent and cherished symbol of
white supremacy, of deep-seated hostility to black people
and a consciously proud and obdurate resistance to the
rights not only of African-Americans but of Native
Americans as well. It's a very public and deliberate
reminder to black Americans of the days of their utter
subjugation - of horrific violence, lynchings, slavery and
the whole edifice of apartheid that existed up to 40 years
ago, as well as the social, economic and legal hold that
many white people continue to exert over the African-
American community. As a symbol of subordination of black
people and as a reminder of the precarious world in which
they live, the Confederate flag retains its power to
threaten, insult and offend almost 13 per cent of the
population of the US.

For Cathleen Price, an African-American civil rights lawyer
in Montgomery, Alabama, the confederate flag represents "a
hostile symbol of race-based white supremacy, a central
feature of which was the complete subjugation of black
people on the basis of their 'natural' inferiority". And
Price should know. Montgomery proudly advertises itself as
the first capital of the Confederacy. It was here that
George Wallace famously said on his inauguration as
governor of Alabama in 1963, "From this cradle of the
Confederacy, this very heart of the great Anglo-Saxon
southland . . . I draw the line in the dust and toss the
gauntlet before the feet of tyranny . . . and I say . . .
segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation
forever."

And despite the long, hard struggle of the civil rights
movement that coincidently came out of Montgomery, Alabama,
black people continue to be treated as second-class
citizens and largely excluded from the levers of power. As
an attorney at law, Price is in a small minority. In a
state where 28 per cent of the population is black, only
5.7 per cent of all attorneys in Alabama are African-
American. As Martin Luther King once said: "Injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." And the
confederate flag is a particularly noxious symbol of
injustice.

While acknowledging that flags change their meaning over
time, both on and of the pitch they have an objective
meaning and therefore retain a tremendous capacity to
instill and inflate deep feelings. The deep seated
sectarianism within Scottish football is a case in point,
while off the pitch, the racist British National Party
seeks to wrap itself in the flag of St George.

CLEARLY, NOT EVERYBODY carrying the Confederate flag to
Croke Park this summer or indeed flying it in their front
garden is aware of its oppressive symbolism and its power
to hurt and offend. Nonetheless, senior figures within the
GAA ought to know and take action. It is most unlikely that
the GAA authorities would allow the swastika of the Third
Reich be flown in Croke Park, yet the Confederate flag has
the same power to offend African-Americans as the swastika
has for the Jewish community.

While the GAA may not have had to deal with overt evidence
of racism thus far, it needs to acknowledge that it has a
duty of care to players and supporters. And clearly, the
players and management of the Cork hurling team along with
the vast majority of its supporters would have no truck
with racism in any of its various manifestations.

The blindness of Croke Park authorities to this racist
symbol is further underscored by the lack of any policy on
racism within the GAA. While kids from a whole range of
ethnic backgrounds can be seen playing Gaelic football and
hurling in every county in the country, the absence of any
anti-racism policy at national level, unlike their
counterparts in the FAI, is a glaring omission.

Crucially, the kaleidoscope of red and white that follows
Cork need not be sullied by the red, white and blue of the
Confederate flag that for years brutalised the daughters
and sons of African people robbed from the continent of
their birth.

Peadar King is a documentary film-maker

c The Irish Times

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/newsfeatures/2006/0902/1156791336453.html


Black Days For The Black Stuff

02/09/2006

Profile Guinness It may be good for us, but Irish drinkers
are drinking less Guinness. Is it too late to stop the
world-famous pint from going flat, asks Rosita Boland

Guinness is Good for You. Five of the most memorable words
in advertising history. However, whether it's good for us
or not, the Irish public has decided it doesn't like
Guinness as much as it once did.

Guinness is one of the many brands owned by Diageo, the
world's largest drinks company. On Thursday, the company
announced its pre-tax profits for the year to June 30th,
and although they were up to ?3.1 billion from ?2.82
billion for the same period last year, the embarrassing
sting in the statistics was that sales of Guinness in
Ireland had declined significantly - yet again.

Sales of our national drink have been decreasing every year
for the last six years now, and this year, they were down a
further 8 per cent. It's estimated that total sales of
Guinness here have fallen by a quarter within the last
decade. Diageo's statement on its website about the results
admitted that "challenges in the Irish beer market have
adversely impacted top-line growth" in its European market.
Britain is now the country where Guinness is most popular.
Ireland is second, followed by Nigeria, the US and
Cameroon.

One of the really ironic things about the decline in the
fortunes of Guinness in Ireland is how admired its
advertising campaigns have always been. From the toucans of
the 1940s to the penguins of 2006, the ads have regularly
drawn attention and frequently been award-winners. In 2000,
the "Surfer" ad with white horses rising from the waves,
was named the best television commercial of all time in a
Sunday Times/Channel 4 millennium poll. So here's the
marketing conundrum: how can an ad campaign be so
successful in its own right, while the brand it is
advertising is going through the floor at home? As Guinness
has famously said of itself in the past - not everything in
black and white makes sense.

ARTHUR GUINNESS STARTED brewing ales at St James's Gate in
Dublin in 1759. If he were alive today, he'd probably be a
property developer - he managed to get an astonishing 9,000
year lease on the four-acre premises for an annual rent of
œ45 (?57.14). While he first focused on brewing a range of
ales, he later switched to developing a porter drink. The
result was Guinness.

For Diageo, the most damaging thing about the fall in sales
of the black stuff in its home market is that it undermines
the product internationally. It would be like the French
deciding they weren't going to drink Champagne any more,
yet expecting it to continue selling strongly abroad.

So how did we start falling out of love with our erstwhile
national drink, when at one point in its marketing history,
even pregnant women were being encouraged to drink it? One
reason might be that for a very long time, there was not
much of a choice when it came to placing your order at the
bar. Like Henry Ford's dictum when it came to choosing the
colour of your car, you could have whatever you liked - as
long as it was black.

Britain, by contrast, has long had a thriving real ale
industry, and many rural pubs in which customers can try
out different ales rather than stick to the same one all
night. The farthest you can get with experimenting with
Guinness is by contrasting its palatability from one area
and pub in Ireland to another: by deciding whether it is a
"good pint". When abroad, however, the Irish were usually
the last to order the black stuff, our palates so
sensitively tuned that we generally considered Guinness
outside Ireland to be about as attractive as hogwash. No,
home was the one place where a pint of plain was your only
man, which is why the steady slippages in sales here must
be all the more alarming for Diageo.

No matter what kind of wheeze the marketing people come up
with - Guinness Extra Cold, the low-alcohol Guinness Mid-
Strength, Guinness Toucan Brew - younger drinkers in pubs
are not being convinced. They are drinking imported bottled
beers, draught lagers, alcopops and cider. Women in
particular are eschewing the big dirty pints.

Another issue is that Guinness has consistently been
marketed as a drink you find at its best only on draught in
a pub. The near-mystic process of pulling the perfect pint
- where all the elements of tilting, pouring, settling and
pouring again come together in monochrome alchemy - is
legendary. (Draught Guinness contains nitrogen, which does
not dissolve in water, and can be put under high pressure
without becoming fizzy. Hence its smooth taste and creamy
head.) Whether sacred ritual or overhyped nonsense, we've
been conditioned to accept that pulling a pint correctly is
a big deal.

THUS, WHILE THERE are all kinds of widgets you can get to
put heads on the bottled and canned variety, these products
have always been rather second-class citizens in the
Guinness family. You don't find tourists in Ireland, for
instance, looking for their Guinness experience by buying a
couple of cans to drink alone in their hotel room. What
they're looking for is not just the drink, but the context
- the lively pub where, Guinness in hand like a local, you
might hopefully strike up conversations or hear music. We
locals take the drink entirely for granted, but the
Guinness Storehouse website proclaims that the Storehouse,
with its visitor tour, is "Ireland's No 1 International
Tourist Attraction."

Pub drinking in general has taken a hit in recent years. In
the 1940s, the Guinness jingle ran: "Toucans in their tests
agree, Guinness is good for you. Try some today and see
what one or toucan do." In the 1970s, there was a long-
running ad on RT television which depicted an image of two
pint glasses, car keys beside them, with the slogan "two
will do". We now know all too well what "one or toucan do"
to a driver who drinks. Diageo states on its website that
"excessive or inappropriate [ alcohol] consumption can
cause health and social problems for individuals and
society". People simply don't go to a pub to drink as often
as they did. Thus, while sales of wine and bottled beer to
drink at home keep on rising, those of Guinness, a drink
we've come to believe is best served on draught, are not.

Aside from tweaking versions of the core product, Guinness
has been consistently active in trying to connect with
potential consumers through sponsorship of sports and the
arts. It currently sponsors the GAA hurling championship
and the Cork Jazz Festival and used to sponsor the Witnness
music festival, now Oxegen.

While sponsorship is a very modern concept, philanthropy is
not. The Guinness family were generous to Dublin. They
established, for example, the Guinness Trust and the Iveagh
Trust to provide housing and related amenities for working-
class people in Dublin, which continues to this day. They
gave Iveagh Gardens to the State. They also gave us St
Patrick's Gardens.

HOWEVER, POSSIBLY THE company's best piece of public
relations - albeit in 1877 - came when Sir Arthur Edward
Guinness, grandson of the famous founder, pushed an act
through Parliament to make the then privately-owned St
Stephen's Green open to the public once again. He later
paid for laying out the Green's gardens and ponds, and the
Green has since been beloved of generations of Dubliners.

We may not love the Guinness family's other legacy to us
quite so much any more, but one thing is sure: there are
still 8,753 years to run on the lease Uncle Arthur took out
on St James's Gate.

TheGuinnessFile

What is it? Considered by many to be our national drink

Why is it in the news? Our consumption of it is in steady
decline

What the company would be most likely to say Guinness is
good for you

Least likely to say Try a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc in
the pub instead of a big dirty pint.

High point The clever ads

Low point The disastrous launch of the short-lived Guinness
Lite. "They said it couldn't be done" ran the slogan. It
couldn't

c The Irish Times

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