SMOKES& DAGGERS
CECELIA Ahern, pictured, has made it onto an all-time greats list – for crime writing! The author of gushing romances such as PS I Love You and Where Rainbows End comes in at No.107 on the WH Smith ‘Best Crime Writers Of All Time’ list, voted by the public – one place behind Edgar Allan Poe. Elmore Leonard and Ed McBain are among the noted crime writers who failed to make it. Perhaps a confused public thought it was voting for writers whose oeuvre constitutes a crime against literature. THE parlous state of the mainstream parties has expressed itself in the build-up to the Carlow-Kilkenny byelection. Labour is not standing a candidate and neither Fine Gael nor Fianna Fáil has the cash – or the votes – to make it worthwhile putting up two. The sisterhood expressed dismay this week that Fianna Fáil rejected the claims of the capable Jennifer Murnane O’Connor – the protegée of John McGuinness. Instead, the party selected the uninspiring Bobby Aylward. The Aylward family have built a political dynasty on the fact that their grandfather once burnt down a police station – lucky it wasn’t in protest at the water charges. FINE GAEL, meanwhile, is in even greater uproar – twice forcing Big Phil Hogan to fly back from Brussels to impose his authority. He wants to parachute in IFA ex-president John Bryan, whereas the locals want popular ex-mayor David Fitzgerald. Having already persuaded hurling legend Pat O’Neill to step aside in favour of Bryan, Big Phil is putting his size 14s down firmly. RESEARCH fail of the week: in his ‘Tribute to Maxi’ show on Friday, RTÉ Radio 1’s John Murray asked the singer/ broadcaster if she had any regrets, helpfully prodding: ‘Of course, you never married.’ ‘Er, I did!’ replied an embarrassed Maxi, left, adding: ‘Fire the researcher! Moving swiftly along!’ At which stage, Ronan Collins interjected helpfully: ‘She married, it didn’t work out and she realigned.’ IN WHAT must have been a first for Irish radio – or radio anywhere – Newstalk proudly announced on its website yesterday: ‘Global Village is broadcast in Irish Sign Language tonight.’ Is there no end to presenter Dil
Wickremainghe’s talents?