This conflict between the Irish Times and the Mahon Tribunal is an interesting collision of interpretations of "the public interest". At the time of going to press, the tribunal has yet to say what action, if any, it proposes to take against the newspaper in relation to the recent leak about the financial affairs of the Taoiseach. But what is more interesting is the fact that here we have two institutions each claiming to represent the public interest, with no possibility of reconciliation. Each side is, from its own point of view, correct.

Colin Murphy on Festen and The Bonefire, both playing as part of Dublin Theatre Festival

A 'lay woman' with no family lineage in law or medicine, the odds are stacked against Deirdre Madden in her bid for chair of the contentious Medical Council ethics committee. Justine McCarthy profiles the UCC law lecturer.

The best part of the reporting during the Bertie payments scandal was the broadcasting of Joe Higgins' now legendary Dáil speech on Wednesday 27 September. Higgins mocked up a letter for Bertie to send, with a bank draft, to his generous pals: "Ah jaysus, lads, you'll have me in huge trouble if you don't take back the 50 grand. My circumstances have improved and I will have 50 reporters traipsing me for the rest of my life if this comes out. Bertie." And a PS: "Tell Paddy the Plasterer to stay clear of Calelly's house.

As the Bertie scandal disappears in a welter of smoke and plain glass, we are left with two not very consoling points. Firstly, even though a majority of voters don't believe that Bertie was right to take the money given to him, that majority still prefers to see him in charge of government than the Rainbow alternative. It's a bit like the Huey Long slogan when he campaigned for governor of Louisiana: "Vote for the crook you know!"

It was called the artistic crime of the 20th century. It started even before he had seen the towers. He was sitting in a dentist's waiting room in Paris when he flicked open a newspaper and saw a drawing of the projected buildings. At the time, Philippe Petit was a vagabond street artist with a toothache. Six years later, he was walking the air between the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

One of the great American myths is the westward journey. The high-angle shot of the imagination is the long line of white canvas wagons bumping across the wind-tilted grass. The fiddles come out. The sun falls red on the horizon. A coyote howls in the distance. Night, John Boy. Night, Grandpa. Night, Mary Ellen.

Gerry Adams recently visited Israel and the Palestinian territories. In the second of two articles reflecting on that visit, he looks at how international assistance could bridge the gap between the two warring sides

Richard Nesbitt, the messiah of the Arnotts empire, is planning a billion-euro development for Dublin's Abbey St. But with half-a-dozen Arnotts executives recently having jumped ship and frustration growing among those who are left, the finger of blame is moving towards the company's impulsive impresario. By Justine McCarthy.

Luckily for Dermot Bolger, the Ryder Cup is like a bout of measles: you get it once and it never comes back