The Wee Paper, Buncrana (2026)

10/01/2026

Executive Government

Executive Governments, like the one in Northern Ireland and the one in Dublin, are only responsible for decisions that are made elsewhere, like in London and Brussels.
Dictionary Definition:
"the branch of a government responsible for putting decisions or laws into effect."
Our government has to get clearance from Brussels for The Budget before it is debated in the Dáil. How they do it is, they are allowed an amount of money that they can argue about as to how it should be spent, as long as it does not breach the amount laid down by Brussels.
This makes it look like the Dail has full power to control the tax collected annually. They do not, and all TD's are complicit in this cover-up by their silence.
All TD's are playing a political game with the public, and because they are all involved, it will continue.
The lesson that we have to learn about TD's is that we should not be so precious about them, or so loyal to them.
We are the pawns in their political game, and that should send shivers down your spine.
Happy New Year to all our readers.
Tony Grant, January 2026

18/12/2025

Bye Bye Martin

They got away with murder when it only cost them €400,000 to dump the dodgy would-be president.

What a debacle, when you think of it, when the man at the top table was holding all the cards in the game of poker to elect the next President of Ireland.

He held one card very close to his chest; it had Jim's face on it, and it was a secret, especially within the party.

No sooner had the face been revealed than it was discovered that it had egg all over it, and it proved impossible to wipe off.

Humpty Dumpty could not be put back together again because the victim was a newspaperman, one of those people whose job it is to get the dirt on the likes of these wrongdoers, and they still thought they could get away with it.

Did they think that they had cleared the "Banana Republic" of all its skins and that there could be no slip-ups?

Had they not got him off the stage asap, it could have ended up that Martin, by his poor game plan, had brought about the election of a Blueshirt, by default. He would have had more than egg on his face, for sure. That would have been treason within the party.

The only reason why he remains in the job is that the powers that be in Brussels want him in place for the job that they have given him to do over the next six months.

It will all become clear in the new year, the dirty job they have lined up for Ireland in the coming six months.

That is why we have "an executive government" in the Dail, which is subservient to the EU.

Its a far cry from what we voted for when we joined the EEC.

Tony Grant, December 2025

03/12/2025

Right of Way

A Better Business Plan for Christmas Event

Remove the Entrance Fee

Allow more people in to enjoy the Christmas Market Stalls.

Allow the Stall Holders to get more customers.

Allow the Stall Holders to get value for their rent.

Stop disappointing people who have travelled long journeys expecting it to be free, like last year.

Return to last year's plan of FREE Entry for all.

Allow people to return again and again FREE.

Go back to having good community relations with the people of Buncrana.

Stop a campaign in 2026 to have it FREE next Christmas.

Honour "The Right of Way" passed down from previous generations.

Be generous at Christmas in the spirit of goodwill and remove all barriers.

Allow less well-off parents to come down and enjoy the event like everyone else.

It would be a good business move, and you would be rewarded manyfold.

Tony Grant, December 2025

03/12/2025

Right of Way

A Better Business Plan for Christmas Event

Remove the Entrance Fee

Allow more people in to enjoy the Christmas Market Stalls.

Allow the Stall Holders to get more customers.

Allow the Stall Holders to get value for their rent.

Stop disappointing people who have travelled long journeys expecting it to be free, like last year.

Return to last year's plan of FREE Entry for all.

Allow people to return again and again FREE.

Go back to having good community relations with the people of Buncrana.

Stop a campaign in 2026 to have it FREE next Christmas.

Honour "The Right of Way" passed down from previous generations.

Be generous at Christmas in the spirit of goodwill and remove all barriers.

Allow the less well-off parents to come down and enjoy the event like everyone else.

It would be a good business move, and you would be rewarded manyfold.

Tony Grant, December 2025

01/12/2025

FREE to GO

Normally, I walk home through Swan Park with my shopping, so I decided to do that again this evening (Monday, 1st Dec).

Nobody tried to speak to me or stop me when I walked past the person collecting an Entrance Fee of €4 per adult.

I walked through the village and even got my picture taken (see above as proof of my entry).

I arrived at the other end and said to the person collecting the "Entrance Fee" at that end, I said "This is a public right of way and she said "I suppose it is" and I said "I don't have to pay money to walk on a "right of way" and she said with a broad smile "I suppose you don't".

So that is it, folks, it's all smoke and mirrors.

It is up to you. "Make a donation if you want to add to the profits of the company, OR just walk on by.

Notice there is no public notice for a fee posted, so it is a sc..; it is legal because they are suggesting, not demanding, payment, they are also not telling you that you can't come in if you don't pay. it is a ..am.

This is the neo-liberal agenda: get the money if you can, legal, grey area or whatnot, but get the money.

Neo-liberal Jack admitted that he proposed the idea of this "nice event", but what he did not tell you was the amount of money that came with that proposal, from the taxpayer to the private company. The total amount will shock you if you ever get to hear it.

He does not seem to understand that there are consequences for his actions, intended or not.

Will he now call on the company to stop charging an Entrance Fee to Swan Park and remove the barriers to people less well-off, who can not afford and who are afraid to confront the issue of payment at the gate?

We all know that there are people who do not know it is free to enter, and don't forget our cousins from Derry who are paying in their droves on Sunday, are we just going to let them keep on paying and us knowing it is FREE?

You proposed the idea of the "nice event", Jack, so you should call on them to lift the barriers and give the money that they collected to The Angling Centre to help maintain their toilets and to fix up a new ramp at their entrance.

It is payback time.

Tony Grant, December 2025

01/12/2025

Pay Up OR Else

Entrance Fee Collection Point at the entrance to Swan Park.

How can they turn a Public Park into an Entrance Fee Park?

They have removed the park from FREE access by the public for the purpose of profit; they have privatised Swan Park.

This was proposed by Buncrana Councillor, Jack Murray, who secured thousands of euro in public money to make it happen last year.

This is the neo-liberal arm of SF in action, while during the week, Padraic Mac Lochlainn TD was in the Dail putting forward the opposite left-wing view on the cost of energy.

A right-wing popular voice for Buncrana and a left-wing popular voice for the rest of the country, that is the definition of populism.

Pretend to give with one hand and take it back with the other. No change there.

It is all about vote-catching, and don't let them tell you otherwise.

Tony Grant, December 2025

27/11/2025

Moyne Family

On a recent visit back to Buncrana for many of the Moyne family, I came across them as they enjoyed a walk along Castle Bridge. We wandered through the open gates of The Big House, known locally as The Castle.

It is a very impressive building up close, and people are mystified as to why it has been lying idle and decaying all these years.

It is the most iconic and historic building in Buncrana; its history is the history of Buncrana, and they cannot be separated. It is part of us, which is why, when people return to Buncrana to visit family and friends, they go down to have a look at The Castle. They see a part of themselves there as they admire it.

Surely it could be put to good use; it is not beyond the great people who own it and others to come up with a plan to bring it back to life, for the benefit of the owners, the people and the town.

Firstly, it will require a generosity of spirit to get things moving in that direction.

Anything is possible when the right people get together.

We live in hope.

Tony Grant, November 2025

26/11/2025

Final Show Thursday 27th November at 16:00

Old men can't go to war, so they stay at home in Yorkshire and sing in the Choral Society; it beats going to war to get your head blown off.

Life is full of choices.

Life was simpler back then, but the choices remain the same.

The digital sound at Buncrana Cinema did credit to the exquisitely crafted soundtrack of choral music, the best I have ever heard onscreen.

It is a very civilised film about an uncivilised event: the First World War.

Our job is to ensure that we don't get involved in something like that again. (officially or as individuals)

Final Showing: Thursday 27th November @ 16:00 in the afternoon.

Tony Grant, November 2025

20/11/2025

YES / NO

Michael Martin put on the gloves, and he went out there to COP30; he stepped up where others dare not go, not even Trump.

He "socked it to them" as he lambasted the rest of the world for not reaching their greenhouse targets.

It was a world-class knockout!

Yes, he was indeed a superhero.

OR was he?

Because back home on Terra Firma, in little old Ireland, targets are being missed every day by the government in almost every sphere of their broken promises.

Missed greenhouse targets will result in enormous fines being paid by the public to the EU.

Missed water quality targets result in "boil water" notices and "Do Not Swim" notices, as we well know.

Missed Scoliosis targets for children have led to a fatal tragedy and lifelong health problems for many children.

Missed housing targets have led to 5,000 homeless children and a crisis in mental health.

How dare he go in our name and lecture the rest of the world on missing targets with his track record at home?

It was embarrassing beyond cringe to listen to the dribble coming from this neo-liberal puppet, supported by his government.

When is this government going to get real and deliver for the people?

Tony Grant, November 2025

07/11/2025

Transition

I am ok with dying
Because I know it is my destiny
I surprise myself with that realisation
Yet I’m glad I have reached that plateau

When young was in me
Death was a big black hole
To be avoided at all costs

Life was sunshine
Beautiful,
Fresh green grass
Crystal water
Sweetness

Somewhere in between Now
and the sublimity of youth
A haze took my soul
I slumbered in the emptiness

Maybe I was just in the queue
Waiting on my time to awaken
Now, I am detached from materialism
Detached from the power of ego

Is that spiritual awareness
Or resignation

I can smell the green grass
Taste the crystal clear water
See the beauty
Sunshine and sweetness live in me
Again

Nmar, November 2025

06/11/2025

Later Will Do !

People from outside the country are amused at how the Irish handle their problems, big and small.

Even at work, management will instruct staff to start fixing a problem next Monday. (not today, no matter what day it is)

Today (Thursday 6th November), our government has announced that from next Monday, all birds held by owners should be kept indoors to protect them from bird flu.

The same directive was given in Northern Ireland, but it is operational from today. (I wonder why?)

You might ask, on which Monday are they going to start fixing the housing crisis or the HSE?

Don't try to answer that, because they won't.

Tony Grant, November 2025

03/11/2025

DJ goes to prison, trackers go to Hell

On the same day that DJ is sent to prison for fraudulent behaviour, RTE is showing a documentary about the fraudulent behaviour of Banks towards their customers, resulting in catastrophic effects in some cases, only to be rewarded for their commercial efforts with a bailout from us, the Irish taxpayer.

How can it be that the present Taoiseach, Michael Martin was in the government when this occurred and he is still running the country.

Also, Charlie McConalogue is still here in Donegal all these years later, and we have not held either of them to account.

I think it says more about us than it does about them, we are that type of people, we take pride in taking a good battering and we are even prouder to come back for more.

The banks are "still looking into" the request for them to suspend mortgages and the interest of the victims of defective blocks while they are not living in their homes and are under reconstruction. We love the "mighty Banks" and we love the "even mightier politicians", they can do no wrong.

It is indeed "a great wee country."

Tony Grant, November 2025

The Wee Paper

10/01/2026

18/12/2025

03/12/2025

03/12/2025

01/12/2025

01/12/2025

27/11/2025

26/11/2025

20/11/2025

07/11/2025

06/11/2025

03/11/2025

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