SMOKES & DAGGERS

A mischievous mix of (mostly) news

LEO VARADKAR put both feet in his mouth at a Votáil 100 event this week, a celebration of 100 years of women getting the vote. Minister Regina Doherty got things started suggesting that by Votáil 200, perhaps the crowd wouldn’t be able to remember the last time there was a male taoiseach. Times Ireland reporter Ellen Coyne records how it proceeded: ‘Leo Varadkar jokes that he stands here as “our last male taoiseach”, and the crowd bursts into cheers and applause. He then loses the room slightly by saying there might be a “little schoolgirl somewhere” who wants to be taoiseach ... in a room FULL of women TDs.’

VIRGIN Media pundit Brian Kerr taught Graeme Souness a thing or two about slang on this week’s Champion’s League coverage. ‘The pitch has been melodeon,’ he said. ‘What’s it been?’ Souness asked. ‘Melodeon. It means not very good.’ FYI, it comes from the idiom, ‘cat on a melodeon’.

WE COULDN’T ignore events in Ballybrack. Paul Howard (of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly fame) pointed to the updated Wikipedia page for the area, which lists notable ex-residents. It offers four: taoiseach Seán Lemass, DJ Adrian Kennedy, author Howard and a brand new entry, footballer Fernando LaFuente Saiz. Giants all.

LEO VARADKAR went to Templemore this week, but it was he who nearly passed out, because he was greeted at the door by local TD, and strong Government supporter, Michael Lowry, pictured – captured by TV3’s Richard Chambers. The pair were all smiles, we’re glad to report.