Bill Lynch, a native of Ballybunion has lifted the top honour in the Ernst & Young 2006 World Entrepreneur Of The Year. A long time resident of South Africa he was one of two Irishmen who’d taken national honours, the other being Aidan Heavey of UK-listed Tullow Oil.
Here’s a great review of a fascinating book (H/T reader Rory) on how the Internet is destroying our capacity for intelligent, focused and critical thought. It opens thus: …here is the news that Ulin brings in this slim, meandering book: that reading is “an act of contemplation”; that such an act becomes more difficult in [...] read our review »
Short answer: very little, other than he enjoyed the environs of Hillsborough Castle, enjoyed working with the local politicians, and has Gerry Adams to thank for Bobby his dog. Peter Mandelson’s book The Third Man has captured media headlines in recent weeks as the Times serialised the most juicy bits. But what did he have [...] read our review »
Northern Ireland’s peace process has been promoted as an international success story. The Republic’s Department of Foreign Affairs has its Conflict Resolution Unit, which aims to disseminate the ‘lessons’ of the Northern Ireland peace process. And some of the prominent players in our peace process have travelled abroad to other troubled spots to share their [...] read our review »
Mick
The guy who won the apprentice last week was half Irish.
(He was half lebanese as well, so undoubtedly has an interesting time getting through customs)
Interesting that he made his fortune under the aparteid regime in RSA.
Now, now. I’m sure he channelled lots of his money over the years to anti-apartheid organisations.
He’s about as Irish as I am. And I’ve been in Belfast (and other places on your island when I went missing) more recently than him.
Yes. William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) has been identified as Irish as well, as were the psychosexual murderers known as the Shankill Butchers. I don’t really want to bask in their association either. Wouldn’t it be better not to draw attention to power-driven anti-social beings like these?
I mean, you wouldn’t let your daughter marry an entrepreneur now would you?
Going up in the world we are
Read in the paper yesterday that he went to the RSA on an assisted passage from the Apartheid govt.
Maybe it was a bit too easy for white boys without basic mathematical skills to make it then – he was quoted as saying that 80% of the businesses he became involved with were successful, 15% satifactory and 10% very bad!