Plastered at Sunrise

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has always denied he did any favours for the €60k+ “dig-out” he got in 1993 from a group of associates, which included Paddy “The Plasterer” Reilly.

But on 21st December last, the Winter Solstice, Paddy and his missus were among the 25 select few who got into the Newgrange passage tomb to witness the sunrise. According to a spokesman for the OPW, Paddy attended the event as an official guest of the Taoiseach,

Each year over 20,000 members of the public put their names into a hat in a draw to gain access to the chamber, so putting Paddy the Plasterer on the Newgrange A-list was certainly a nice “thank you” gesture on Bertie’s part.

Joining Paddy and his missus in the chamber were the ambassadors of the USA and the UK. Unfortunately, Tom Parlon was also there - a case of having to take the rough with the smooth.

Let’s just hope that Paddy wasn’t there in a professional capacity and Parlon’s OPW are not planning to refurbish the interior of the tomb, starting with a nice coat of plaster to cover up those rough etchings and edges. We may find out when the National Development Plan is published next week.