“If I had known this before 2008, Ireland wouldn’t have suffered. I can blame only myself”

Bertie Ahern advises Poland to keep its financial institutions under control

“Since the ’90s we took many steps forward, we are now only taking one step back”

Brian Lenihan looks on the bright side of life

“Things are very bad. When I was doorknocking a couple of months ago, people were angry but the anger is nearly gone out of them. Now they think there is no hope of recovery”

Fine Gael finance spokesman Michael Noonan on the national mood

“Other governments have made mistakes but this must be the only one where the opposition is expected to come up with the solutions while they stay in power”

Eamon Gilmore on why the government should be the first to feel the pain of recovery

“We just want to be normal kids”

One of the six children at the centre of the Roscommon child abuse scandal, to whom the HSE, the Western Health Board and the Minister for Children apologised for failing to remove them from their abusive parents

“I have a date for the evening – Aoibheann”

Ryan Tubridy declines to elaborate about his relationship with ex-Rose of Tralee Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin

“What struck me was pictures of left-wing intellectuals on the walls. We went into his bedroom, there was a large picture of Che Guevara above the bed, and we had a shag”

Ex-News of the World columnist Anvar Khan to the Tommy Sheridan perjury trial

“Octopuses all look the same. It is impossible to tell the difference”

Film maker Jiang Xiao says she is 60-70% sure that Paul the Octopus (RIP) died in July and had been replaced