SMOKES & DAGGERS

A mischievous mix of (mostly) news

ONE of the small ads on the back page of the Irish Times caught Smokes’s eye during the week. It was promoting the Times’s own ‘Inside Politics’ podcast, apparently ‘presented weekly by Pat Healy’. Could they be thinking of their own deputy political editor, Pat Leahy?

SEARCHING the RTÉ website, Smokes stumbled upon a web application form for tickets to the new season of Ray D’Arcy’s TV show. It’s a remarkably detailed form with more than a whiff of desperation about it. Questions include: ‘Do you have any funny/unusual stories, photos or videos that you would be willing to share on the show?’ and, ‘Do you have any fun or unusual skills or talents?’ Must-see TV.

ON WEDNESDAY, Smokes spotted former RTÉ star Mike Murphy heading into Kites restaurant in Ballsbridge, only to be stopped by an admirer and asked for a selfie. That can’t happen to him very often: the fan has to be old enough to remember Murphy’s golden era on TV, but young enough to know what a selfie is.

HILLARY Clinton has received the backing of the Dallas Morning News, which boasts: ‘This newspaper has not recommended a Democrat for the nation’s highest office since before World War II.’ Indeed. Back on November 22, 1963, when Democratic President John F. Kennedy arrived in the city for his ill-fated visit, the paper ran a prominient anti-JFK political advertisement, stating that he was ‘wanted for treason’, was ‘lax’ on communism, appointed anti-Christians to federal office and lied about his personal life. Kennedy said to his wife Jackie: ‘We’re heading into nut country today.’ And how right he was.

FINE Gael newbie Maria Bailey has had a novel idea for the party’s think-in this week: the Dún Laoghaire TD, left, is seeking volunteers for a 5km run kicking off at 7am on the second day. Many TDs will be more focused on getting the pints in the night before. One bemused TD told Smokes: ‘The message came via something called a Whatsapp. I have to say I didn’t like the sound of it.’