Bringing people to places they may not usually go is a good mechanism to inform and entertain. Diarmuid Ferriter does it each Sunday morning when he asks a hypothetical ‘what if' question to one or two expert panellists (What If, RTÉ Radio 1, Sunday 10.30am). What if the Abbey theatre had never been founded? What if Ireland did not join the EEC? If the pope's visit had happened later? If Ryanair had gone bust in 1991?

A month or  two ago, some good friends advised me that I should go a bit easier on the Irish Times – or at least spread my mid-winter ire around better so other media outlets were more equitably subjected to my fits of bad temper.

A chair that lets you swing along with your favourite films, a visor to bring out your inner nerd, and the nifty device that lets you transmit your iPod all around the house.
By Darragh O'Donoghue

Extract from Rossport Five book: In June 2005 the Rossport 5 were jailed for refusing to obey a court order instructing them not to interfere with the Corrib gas pipeline. Below is an extract from their book, published last week, in which Vincent McGrath, one of the five, recalls the 94 days he spent in Cloverhill jail

John Deasy has been prominent twice in his political career: once for smoking in the Dáil bar, and now for his remarks about Enda Kenny, which have caused great embarrassment to Fine Gael. By Emma Browne

The blatherers: Henry and Ryan

Henry Kelly was a fine journalist. We worked together in Belfast in the early-1970s. Henry was a superb news reporter and a colourful writer. Douglas Gageby (the celebrated editor of the Irish Times) thought highly of him and Henry might have been in contention for the editorship when Gageby first retired in 1974.

Geraldine Finucane, widow of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane, talks to Justine McCarthy about meeting her husband for the first time, why he was shot, and the death threats made against her during her 18 year campaign for an inquiry into what happened

The candidature of Mairead McGuinness in Louth and, more particularly, a secret lavish fund-raising function in Dublin's Four Seasons Hotel are likely to cause further embarrassment to Fine Gael and Enda Kenny. By Frank Connolly and Vincent Browne

Response to Village's AIB story, 4-10 January 2007

Friday 6 January and Saturday 7 January 1922: the Treaty debates