Some time in the next few days I will become a grandfather for the first time and, like all grandparents and parents down the ages, I worry what kind of world this young miracle of biology will come bursting into.
Blog
Events
Live from the Lough Down Bureau: A Fiscal Wonder as The Moodie Tipster picks the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby results
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, The Moodie Tipster is currently self-isolating in Lough Down, a pretty little lake in County Galway.
Read More
People
Hope it won’t be long till this trouble is gone
In just three months, Pray has been viewed 25,514 times on YouTube, played on 20 radio stations in Canada, and featured on Dubai radio, courtesy of Dubai Duty Free. And, of course, it has been heard many times as the intro to our Podcast series In Crisis: Travel Retail Voices.
Read More
Events
Bunnahabhain and Duty Zero turn virtual into reality
Last night when I finally brought a long, long day to an end, I poured myself a small glass of the 40yo, cut it with a dash of water, took in the treasure trove of aromas, looked out over my garden through the still dark night and thought everything was good in the world.
Read More
Lifestyle
Mr Happy and Mr Grumpy battle for control in the Lockdown Bureau
“Martin, this will be the first time so many of us have exhibited at a ‘cancelled’ Expo. Now that’s what I call virtual!”
Read More
Miscellaneous
Scaling the mountain and remembering those beginning the ascent
I suppose the fact that this is now June 2020 means that I did scale that mountain. Others I know and care about are just at the foothills, a long and difficult ascent ahead.
Read More
Miscellaneous
Pointing out the Wights and wrongs of UK offshore duty free
I’m pretty confident that my Dufry Isle of Wight Offshore Duty Free store, paying a healthy rent (variable of course) to the local authorities, could add a whole lot to tourism and spending numbers.
Read More
Lifestyle
Green shoots, red poppies and plane spotting in the Lockdown Bureau
There is always North Korea, where not a single case is reported, but I am just a little worried about the reliability of that number and also Pyongyang’s appeal as a holiday destination.
Read More
Events
Arise you Freeman of Sweny’s
My mother broke my heart and ruined my career aspirations at an early age when she told me, “Son, with a face like your’s, it has to be radio.”
Read More
Events
Pivoting fast and turning virtual in the Lockdown Bureau
Never before have I been so entranced by the rich colour of my roses, the yellows, whites, pinks and blood reds. Never before have I watched with such wonder the daily routine of the birds taking their daily sustenance from their feeders.
Read More
Miscellaneous
Climbing Mount Difficulty and Piercing through Clouds
The name Aoraki means ‘Piercing through clouds’, a singularly appropriate phrase for what we sought to achieve, in attempting to scale new business heights and break through the dark clouds of COVID-19.
Read More
Miscellaneous
A dram of Writers’ Tears and a drop of James Joyce to banish the COVID-19 blues
I was excited to receive a package in my Lockdown Bureau a few days back from Writers’ Tears that appeared to be a book, accompanied by a bar of soap. Were they trying to tell me something?
Read More
Lifestyle
Losing track of time in the Lockdown Bureau
This government constantly urges us to clap for our carers while it carries direct responsibility for killing so many of them.