The Seanad is a gentler place than the Dail, so instead of the Opposition attacking this week's appointments there was some not faint, but real, praise. The FG leader in the upper house, Maurice Manning, said David Byrne had been a very good AG. "He is a person of great ability and great personal probity and decency and I believe he will be a very good commissioner. I should also say that he is a former student of mine which gives me a special interest in wishing him well."
Manning also wished the new AG, Michael McDowell, well. "He is a fine lawyer and a good parliamentarian, although how he will keep to the vow of silence which goes with the office of AG we have yet to find out." Much laughter in the house.
Eireann, the business of the minute, company of the moment will soon change its name to Eircom, indeed the new blue and terracotta (no less) vans are already on the road. The exact timing of the change however was subject to dispute. The Miniser Minister for Public Enterprise, Mary O'Rourke wanted the name change after the flotation in case the public didn't know what they were buying; others wanted it six months ago because in the States US Telecom Eireann got was confused with Telecom Iran and some inquirers actually thought it was based in Teheran. O'Rourke won.