A Cork Judge recently released with a suspended sentence a Corkman found in possession of drugs with the sole purpose of sale and supply. He was a drug dealer, caught by the guards.

Why did Diarmuid Flood take the lives of his children and wife before killing himself? We'll never know but I'm sure it wasn't a premeditated act, just like I am sure that the Wexford native loved his seven year old Mark and five year old Julie with all his heart.

For too long women as victims have been made feel like criminals in Irish courts of law. There is a shocking statistic that sticks in my head; 10 per cent of all rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the gardai and three per cent of those result in a court appearance.

Ireland is a grand old talking shop all the same, full of empty promises and turning a blind eye to what's really going on in our midst. How can we as a society get serious about tackling underage drinking and smoking when the very establishments that sell the stuff don't take it seriously themselves?

Two weeks in Cuba doesn't make me an expert on the country, its people or its system of government but it has left me with a clear understanding of what Ernest Hemmingway and Spencer Tracy found so magnetic about the Caribbean island.

While many are looking forward to the second long-weekend in a row with anticipation and excitement, many others are already dreading the violence, abuse, carnage and heartache that the weekend will bring with it.

Last week I took a mock driving test with a fully trained instructor. I failed, miserably, but I knew all along that I would.

My Wife arrived home with two small bags of shopping from Tesco during the week, regular small plastic bags that you buy at the till, the ones that are so light they keep ripping.

The ever increasing amount of teenage disco’s in Cork is in itself a good thing, it gives kids the much needed outlet to enjoy good music and the social vehicle needed to mix with kids of their own age.