Sports Star of the Year
In April, Rachael Blackmore rode the winner of the Aintree Grand National, the first woman to do so in its 128-year history. She was leading jockey at Cheltenham the previous month, with six winners. At the end of the year, she won a trove of awards, culminating in the BBC World Sports Personality of the Year, first won by Herb Elliott in 1960. Rachael comes from Killenaule in Co Tipperary. You can find the full running of the race at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tDR_OXfpNQ, where you will learn that 10 of the first 11 in the race were Irish-trained horses.
End of an Era
Brown Thomas and Arnotts, the two main high-end retail shops in Dublin have been sold by their owner, Selfridges, to a Thai-Austrian conglomerate. The price was said to be 4.7 billion euro.
Minimum price on alcohol
In 2019, average yearly alcohol consumption in Ireland was 12.75 litres, compared with 9.1 litres in all OECD countries. Against this background, the Irish government has imposed minimum price for alcohol sold in shops, off licences and pubs. Two examples: minimum price for a bottle of whiskey is €21 (approx A$33.20) and for a six-pack of Heineken is €11 (approx A$17). Prices in Northern Ireland are less than these.
Tinteán 