A cut above the rest...

at the Cross or in the pubs.

BY JOHN FITZGERALD

Paddy O’ Halloran was the barber to whom Callan lads of all ages turned to for a haircut from about 1950 onwards. His shop in Bridge Street remained an integral feature of the street- and the town- up to the day of his passing in 1995.

Paddy became apprenticed to a barber shortly after leaving school in the late forties, before setting up his own business. Males ranging in age from eight to ninety-eight lled his shop each week for more than four decades.

Paddy was a great socialite, a factor that played a huge part in his success.

Fellows who just wanted a chat, or to hear the latest news or gossip boosted the numbers of customers on any given workday. You’d be sure to meet someone interesting or informative in the shop…apart from whatever topic of conversation Paddy had initiated.

You’d hear more about local current a airs, the sporting scene or the latest scandals in Callan while waiting to have your hair cut than you would

He had an uncanny understanding of almost any gripe, grievance, viewpoint, or situation brought to his attention by a talkative customer. He’d size up the fellow within seconds and manage to attune himself to the man’s wavelength and then be one or two steps ahead of him in grasping the fundamentals of the topic he’d raised.

His powers of concentration were phenomenal: He could have a wide-ranging chat about any subject under the sun, while clipping a head or shaving a man with a cut-throat razor…and at the same time be pointing to an article on the sports page of a newspaper and looking out the window to see if such and such a person was passing the shop yet.

A noted pillar of local society prayed one day when Paddy began a comprehensive and owery description of a sporting event.

As the blade sliced away Jack’s facial hair, beads of sweat broke out on his forehead and he recited a Decade of the Rosary, beseeching God and Our Blessed Lady not to allow his untimely departure to the next world.

But he needn’t have worried: ose who knew Paddy have never quite gotten over his absence from the doorway of his little shop.

Nobody ever had cause to complain about Paddy’s skill as a barber. He cut tons of hair from the heads of Callan men without shedding a drop of blood.

You didn’t need to be a customer to start him o on one of his favourite themes: In between cutting and shaving, he stood in the doorway facing the street to greet passers-by, having a friendly, shrewd, or convivial word for everybody.

Jack Marnell and the Pope

A legendary yarn associated with Paddy’s barber shop concerns a man called Jack Marnell. Jack had a big heart and a wonderful sense of humour, which made him a target for every wise-cracker in town. But one day he had his revenge, which involved gag that’s never failed to bring a smile to Callan faces. e other man said he had just returned from a trip to Aras an Uachtarain, where he had met President De Valera. And what did he say to you? asked Paddy. “Oh he compli- mented me on my part in starting up the local branch of Fianna Fail, and he had good reports about me”, he revealed.

Jack was having a haircut in Paddy’s barbershop.. Six other local men awaited their turn, and Paddy saw his chance to start a bit of slagging.

As he clipped away at Jack, the barber addressed one of the other men in the shop, asking him if he had visited any intriguing places or met any interesting people lately. Turning around, he winked to the man, but Jack saw Paddy doing this in the mirror facing him.

“And what about yourself?” Paddy asked another customer. e second man described a holiday in South Africa, where he had shot a lion, two tigers, and a rhinoceros, each with a single shot in the forehead. Paddy whistled admiringly, and encouraged the rest of the lads to tell their stories.

A third man claimed to have seen a ghost that scared the wits out of him, and the fourth recalled speaking to Padraig Pearse a week before the Easter Rising. As they rambled on, all the men looked sideways at Jack Marnell, wondering what outrageous story he’d come up with to best their own.

When they’d nished bragging, Paddy gave a delicate cough and said: “Well, Jack, I suppose you haven’t met anyone extraordinary or been abroad lately, or have you?”

Paddy had completed Jack’s haircut and Jack was examining the job he did in the mirror. As he viewed his re ection closely, scrutinising the handiwork, he began to speak.

“Oh begob, Paddy, I have”, he declared, “Last month, I went to Rome and who did I get to meet but the man himself, the Pope, the holiest man in the world. He was in a lovely golden armchair. Four strong fellows carried him high above the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, and yer men, the Swiss Guards marched alongside. And would you believe? He called me over to him.”

Barely containing his amusement, Paddy quipped “and ah, Jack…you won’t mind me asking: what did the Pope say to you?”

Paddy nudged one of the lads as he waited for an answer.

Without blinking an eye, Jack replied: “He looked at me and he said: Who in the name of Jesus cut your hair?”

O’Briens Kilkenny will host a Megane E-Tech electric sales event this week – 18th to 20th May for customers looking to switch to electric.

Praised by motor writers for its design, road handling, range, price and competitive edge, all new Megane E-Tech 100% electric is now available to order and collect at O’Briens Kilkenny with more stock arriving in the coming weeks.

Megane E-Tech electric is the rst of a new generation of electric vehicles built on the advanced CMF-EV platform, styled within the brand’s ‘sensual tech’ design language and the rst model to wear the new ‘Nouvel’R’ logo. With an electric driving range of up to 450km (WLTP), all new Megane E-Tech 100% electric also features a class-leading digital experience with a 12.3-inch dashboard display, 9-inch multimedia display, and Android Automotive OS with integrated Google services. With up to 26 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features available across the range the model also has a 5 star NCAP rating.

Megane E-Tech electric is available with a 60kWh battery with 450km range, a 220hp electric motor, 130 kW DC charging and also a 40kWh battery with 300km range, a 130hp electric motor, and 85 kW DC charging with 22kW AC charging standard on all versions. ree trim lines are available - Equilibre, Techno, and Launch Edition. With the SEAI grant available for electric vehicles being reduced from €5,000 to €3,500 from July 1st customers looking to purchase a Megane ETech electric can still save by availing of a reduced APR of 4.9% (down from 5.9%) on all cars ordered at O’Briens Kilkenny by 30th June and registered by 31st July. As part of this o er the max GMFV will also be increased to 50%, giving customer savings in the monthly nance payments of almost €2,000 over the nance term. is o er will be welcome by customers looking to switch to electric or upgrade their EV and will be further enhanced at O’Briens Kilkenny where in house o ers will be available –such as a trade in bonus and a free home charger.

O’Briens Kilkenny are also o ering 24-hour test drives for customers looking at purchasing a Megane E-Tech electric. Prices for customers, including the

€5,000 SEAI grant, start at €37,495 for the 40kWh versions and €41,995 for the 60kWh versions.

Renault’s in-house bank, Mobilize Financial Services o er PCP from €249per month with 4.9% APR. Customers can ask at O’Briens Kilkenny for speci c additional o ers. Visit O’Briens Kilkenny from 18th to 20th May and avail of great o ers and test drives.

For more information on the Megane E-Tech 100% electric sales event www.obrienskilkenny.ie

Just a day after being found liable for battery and defamation of a woman who says he raped her in the 1990s, former President Donald Trump took questions in a live town hall event on CNN whose journalists he called “the enemy of the people” while running for the presidency and serving in o ce.

Before the jury foreperson announced the verdict at a courtroom in lower Manhattan, the immediate stakes for Trump — and CNN — were already high. Now they are even higher.

For months, Trump has been furious at Fox News, which serves as a pillar of the Republican Party and its controlling owners Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, who have been auditioning Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a GOP presidential candidate before Fox audiences.

Just hours before the verdict in E. Jean Carroll’s civil suit against him, Trump wrote an angry post on his Truth Social account inveighing against the Murdochs, Fox corporate director Paul Ryan (“worst Republican Speaker ever”) and their premier newspaper, e Wall Street Journal, as well as Fox, which he wrote was “rapidly disintegrating.” e CNN appearance was intended to allow Trump to demonstrate his independence from a network often favoured by his fans. It hasn’t been a complete Fox blackout; Trump has given interviews this year to conservative Fox hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin, as well as Carlson before his departure. He also spoke to a Fox News digital reporter after the verdict in Carroll’s suit went against him.

(Indeed, its prime-time ratings have plunged since it red star Tucker Carlson late last month, though Fox ofcials suggest they will rebound once a permanent replacement is named.)

CNN has much to prove. In his rst year on the job, Chairman and CEO Chris Licht has sought to put his mark on the network by draining it of the relentless criticism of Trump in response to the crises and controversies that de ned his administration.

Many Republicans argue