GARRINGREEN HOTSPOT -- Deputy John McGuinness met with US President Goerge Bush just before St. Patrick's Day to push for sharing best practise from the Missing Persons Bureau with Ireland. McGuinness also met with the FBI who said there was a channel they could use to begin formal ties with the Irish authorities. "McGuinness in the White House" in The Kilkenny People, March 21, 2003. x: 19 8:17:43 PM

GARRINGREEN HOTSPOT -- After returning from London and Frankfurt, I slowed down my mobile minutes. Because not only is it more expensive to drink in Ireland, it's more expensive to talk on mobile phones. Only one country in Europe spends more money on mobile phones than Ireland -- it is Switzerland which tops the ARPU European league. But Irish users spend €542 a year on their mobiles, compared to €371 in Britain and €329 in Germany. Dearbhail McDonald: Irish are charged more for mobiles in The Sunday Times, March 23, 2003. x: 17 3:47:38 PM

GARRINGREEN HOTSPOT -- About 3000 people attended a peace rally in Dublin yesterday, singing anti-war songs and staging a mock "mass death" to demonstrate solidarity with Iraqis. The crowd was far smaller than on February 15, when almost 100,000 people took to Dubli's streets. Red paint was thrown at Government buildings, but gardai said that the crowd was generally well behaved. Been there. Done that. x: 17 1:03:29 PM

SIMI -- If you buy a Ford Focus in Ireland for €14,000, after 10 years it will have paid €21,000 in taxes. From Conor Fagan of the Automobile Association of Ireland in The Sunday Times, March 23, 2003. x: 17 12:46:42 PM