Selling soccer

In July 2002, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced that it had sold the live television rights to all of the Republic of Ireland’s home international fixtures during the period 2002 to 2006 to British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) for €7.5 million. In addition, the rights to delayed coverage of the internationals and coverage of the association’s domestic league were sold to the independent commercial station TV3. The state’s public service broadcaster, RTÉ, was left out in the cold thereby ending a forty-year relationship. Only one fifth of Irish homes had access to Sky Sports and although the announcement was greeted with dismay in almost every quarter the FAI described the deal as ‘too good to turn down’. If the deal had gone ahead fans would have had to subscribe to Sky Sports to watch live coverage of their national team playing in the qualifiers for the 2004 European Championship and the 2006 World Cup

Discrimination against same sex attracted youth: the role of the school counsellor

Beginning with a discussion of current legislation in Australia around inclusion, this paper highlights recent research into the school experience of Same Sex Attracted Youth (SSAY), including the issues faced by students,and the negative outcomes of such experiences. The school experiences of SSAY youth is positioned within a social justice framework. The critical role that school counsellors can play in determining school culture is examined. The role of a school counsellor as part of a pastoral care team within school management is also highlighted. Factors that may influence a more supportive and inclusive school culture are discussed

Could guns and rain spell the end for the Karamojong?

Over one million people live in Karamoja, a region found in the north Eastern part of Uganda. To a visitor passing through from the capital city Kampala, Karamoja may look like any other region in Uganda but appearances can be deceptive. The region is characterised by the worst humanitarian and development indicators in Uganda

Export Performance and Competitiveness of the Irish Economy

This paper reviews Ireland’s recent export performance, with emphasis on the reasons behind the strong gains in market share experienced by the economy over the past 15 years.