4 February 1999 Edition
Editor's desk
The staff of the Daily Mirror (or the ``Irish Mirror'' as they like it to be called) have such a wonderful sense of humour.
Their front page exclusive on Saturday's paper in certain parts of Dublin, began: ``Newspaper tycoon Craig McKenzie is a secret republican terrorist bent on wrecking the peace process.''
Well, this is news. Read on: ``We can disclose that the turncoat Brit has been involved in confidential IRA Army Council strategy meetings since he arrived in the country less than 18 months ago... Already McKenzie has successfully infiltrated the notoriously Unionist Belfast Newsletter from where he is supplying Republican terrorists with crucial tactical information.''
Hmm. We then learn that ``IRA insiders'' took to McKenzie because: ``Any man who can drink two bottles of port and a litre of Bacardi at a 45 minute army council meeting is worthy of respect''.
Ho-ho-ho. From there the schoolboy in-house humour gets worse, so I'll spare you.
But what you need to know is that Craig McKenzie is in fact the editor of the Irish Mirror. The Mirror Group also owns the Newsletter.
The story is that those terribly clever hacks at the Mirror in Dublin prepared a special front page for McKenzie's 50th birthday party on Saturday night where it was handed out and, I'm sure, brought much jolly amusement. But what wasn't so clever was that the front page also made it onto some newstands in Dublin. Our copy was bought in Finglas.
There were also some red faces in Fine Gael last weekend when they opened the Meath Chronicle. There on page 11 was an ad for John Bruton's `Clinic Schedule' throughout County Meath. At the bottom were phone numbers.
Callers who rang the first number heard the answer ``Hello. Caoimhghín O Caoláin's office.'' The Sinn Féin TD's secretary Mícheál MacDonncha tells me there was a stream of callers all week. ``I know John Bruton is under pressure but we have enough work to do without dealing with his constituency work as well,'' he said.
Lord Saville, he of the new Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday, has a chance to prove his democratic credentials before the real work begins in Derry. He is one of the Law Lords currently deliberating on the future of Mrs Thatcher's new best friend and crazed fascist dictator, one General Augusto Pinochet. What he thinks should be done with the old goat will be very instructive...
Their front page exclusive on Saturday's paper in certain parts of Dublin, began: ``Newspaper tycoon Craig McKenzie is a secret republican terrorist bent on wrecking the peace process.''
Well, this is news. Read on: ``We can disclose that the turncoat Brit has been involved in confidential IRA Army Council strategy meetings since he arrived in the country less than 18 months ago... Already McKenzie has successfully infiltrated the notoriously Unionist Belfast Newsletter from where he is supplying Republican terrorists with crucial tactical information.''
Hmm. We then learn that ``IRA insiders'' took to McKenzie because: ``Any man who can drink two bottles of port and a litre of Bacardi at a 45 minute army council meeting is worthy of respect''.
Ho-ho-ho. From there the schoolboy in-house humour gets worse, so I'll spare you.
But what you need to know is that Craig McKenzie is in fact the editor of the Irish Mirror. The Mirror Group also owns the Newsletter.
The story is that those terribly clever hacks at the Mirror in Dublin prepared a special front page for McKenzie's 50th birthday party on Saturday night where it was handed out and, I'm sure, brought much jolly amusement. But what wasn't so clever was that the front page also made it onto some newstands in Dublin. Our copy was bought in Finglas.
There were also some red faces in Fine Gael last weekend when they opened the Meath Chronicle. There on page 11 was an ad for John Bruton's `Clinic Schedule' throughout County Meath. At the bottom were phone numbers.
Callers who rang the first number heard the answer ``Hello. Caoimhghín O Caoláin's office.'' The Sinn Féin TD's secretary Mícheál MacDonncha tells me there was a stream of callers all week. ``I know John Bruton is under pressure but we have enough work to do without dealing with his constituency work as well,'' he said.
Lord Saville, he of the new Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday, has a chance to prove his democratic credentials before the real work begins in Derry. He is one of the Law Lords currently deliberating on the future of Mrs Thatcher's new best friend and crazed fascist dictator, one General Augusto Pinochet. What he thinks should be done with the old goat will be very instructive...