The Wee Paper, Buncrana (2026)

15/02/2026

Waiting Around The Corner

Have we noticed that all the major speeches by world leaders are concerning war, the preparation and future planning for war.
A crescendo of bully boys distracting from the perils of human destruction by man-made erosion of our world through environmental exploitation and the exhaustion of resources.

The oligarchs are dictating the narrative to preserve their status while the rest of us will perish in the melee.

In this Holocene time ,we are gifted with the perfect condition for this planet to flourish, yet we are dominated by a ruling class that see fit only to service their own needs.

The digital manipulation of our economy and our political systems throws a smoke screen over our lives , so much so, that we are blinded.

We are heading rapidly into a dystopian world.

Ireland now fast tracking our neutrality down the drain and stealthy joining a Europe army that will enrol our nation into planned future conflicts without it being the democratic will of our nation.

Silent voices are a submission.
We cannot say that , “oh we didn’t know”, and plead ignorance when we are enslaved and restricted , remember Covid.
2 kilometres
5 kilometres

Can’t travel here , can’t travel there.
It’s all still there just waiting.
Only next time it will restrict ,not only your movement, but your access to your money and your resources.
Democracy will be suspended for your own good.

Everything will be for YOUR own good.
After all ,who knows best, surely not you.

Noel King, February 2026

05/02/2026

What Glory War

I am a proud black father
Of a one legged veteran
I bring him everywhere I go
I am here to show you bastards
What sacrifice really is

His scars
Are My scars

When he deployed
I clapped him on the back
I stood up in the pub
And saluted his valour
I Gloated !

But now
Now I want to cry
I want to give him my leg

He sits in the silence of pain
I squeeze his hand
I stare into the empty eyes
Of his dying soul

It’s Ripping my heart
Enduring ,
Witnessing
His never ceasing
Silent screams

Why couldn’t he have died
A hero
No
Now He is my burden
He is your burden

A pity spurge
A reminder
A blemish

His mother pleads
Lord !Lord!
She despises me

She wants
Her baby back

Resting his head
On her once nourishing breasts
Beseeching
Living in the shadow of ignominy
A wretch

Noel King, February 2026
(Nmar)

03/02/2026

Stitch Up

Clare Byrne started back in Newstalk Radio this morning after an absence of 15 years. She moved from RTE Radio 1 and started off at the top by interviewing the Taoiseach, Michael Martin, and what an easy ride that was !

She said to him, people say that there was more houses built in Ireland when the country had less money. She made it sound like it was only gossip on the street, and who would listen to that anyway? It is a FACT, and because it is a FACT, it is a disgrace on the government of which he is the leader.

She let him of the hook

She also said, after he promised to do better on housing, at the tail end of the interview.

Sure we will have you in here again next year to see how you got on. She endorsed him for another year as Taoiseach on an income of €251,261

He got off with a very good School Report from the teacher.

There is, of course, something a lot more sinister going on here; all radio stations are being controlled by the government by handing out financial support for programme making etc. "he who pays the piper calls the tune"

It is a stitch-up by the government to control the information that we, the public, get to see and hear.

We are being controlled by the media; they need to do this because the Church has lost its power and is no longer able to do that job.

Lets make a new year resolution, NOT to let these people in the Media take control of our thinking.

We were controlled before and we got out of that one finally, but lets NOT let them do it again, this time through the media.

Tony Grant, February 2026

31/01/2026

Until Saturday, 7th February

The fun continues for another week in the Buncrana Cinema with Cinderella playing to wonderful crowds; it is nearly sold out for the last few nights.

Nicholas Crossan has found his feet on stage and has also provided a lot of belly laughs; the punters love it.

The music is modern, and it is a showpiece for lots of new young talent.

We are all delighted.

Tony Grant, January 2026

22/01/2026

50 Years Celebrating

The Buncrana pantomime has had and amazing history. This year, it celebrates 50 years of entertainment, where local talent has graced the boards to bring laughter, wit and banter to the community.
This format has embraced the energy that has seen the same people return year after year , giving selflessly, while also giving an opportunity for many young people to find their first experiences on the stage.
Life long friendships have been established ,down through the years, from the casts members and the dedicated back room staff.

It definitely deserves the support of the town and the Inishowen populace.
Get out and book your tickets to avoid disappointment.
Kudos to all you hard working people and volunteers.👏👏

Noel King, January 2026

17/01/2026

Shoot to Kill

Ireland had its George Floyd moment when Gardai took the life of George Nkencho, carrying a knife in the working-class area of West Dublin.

Many of us remember being horrified at the "Shoot to Kill" policy of Margaret Thatcher in N.I. People who could have been arrested and brought to justice in the normal way were shot with the intention of killing them.

Fast forward to modern times, when the Gardai, on a number of occasions, have taken the lives of people, when they could have been arrested and brought to justice in the normal way.

The Irish State has decided to put less value on the lives of the mentally ill; they kill them rather than save them from doing harm to themselves and others.

In George Nkencho's case, the Gardai treated him like an animal out of control and not a human being out of control.

Their only answer was to kill him rather than treat him with dignity and respect.

We are all de-valued when the State does this in our name.

More violence is what we can expect from our leaders with this type of thinking.
Tony Grant, January 2025

Tony Grant, January 2026

13/01/2026

Electric Shock

The Irish “executive government” has been shown once again to have failed the people of Ireland by its lack of proper adherence to the interests of our nation.

Quotes from reports

✓ “New analysis from the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) shows power prices have undergone a “massive divergence” from other consumer costs over the last decade. t has found Irish households pay around €360 more per year than the western EU average. This underinvestment “remains an issue”, the report added.

Ireland moved from having some of the cheapest electricity in the EU15 in 1990 to being one of the most expensive countries for nearly all domestic consumption bands by early 2025 in euro terms.

In its current formulation, the Irish energy system is set up to fail Irish households,” Goldrick-Kelly said.

The research – titled Ireland’s Electricity Prices Over Time – shows that between January 1996 and September 2025, Irish electricity prices increased fourfold, more than double the increase in inflation for consumer prices during the same period.”

Are we forever to be the most mismanaged economy by self-serving politicians who ignore the genuine needs of the people?

Noel King, January 2025

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

The Wee Paper

15/02/2026

05/02/2026

03/02/2026

31/01/2026

22/01/2026

17/01/2026

13/01/2026

10/01/2026

18/12/2025

03/12/2025

03/12/2025

01/12/2025

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