IT WAS A week when we got some money back on our IMF loans, Ian Paisley passed away, and the oldest married couple in Ireland was revealed.

All that, and more, it’s the week in quotes:

Culpable homicide

There are no victors in this. We, as a family, remain deeply affected by the devastating tragedy … It won’t bring Reeva back but our hearts still go out for her family and friends.

- A statement from Oscar Pistorius’s family, read outside the court upon his conviction for the manslaughter of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. [The Guardian]

AP Photo / Themba Hadebe AP Photo / Themba Hadebe / Themba Hadebe

 

The death of a firebrand

I have lost a friend.

- Sinn Féin Martin McGuinness on the death of his once political opponent Ian Paisley.

Even those who thought the least of his politics, thought the most of him as a person.

- Peter Robinson’s tribute to Paisley.

I don’t want to be remembered as a man of war, I want to be remembered as a man of peace.

- The words of the man himself.

Chris Young / PA Wire/Press Association Images Chris Young / PA Wire/Press Association Images / PA Wire/Press Association Images

War of words

I’m a big boy and I am willing to take a degree of criticism from time to time. But at the same time this isn’t about me, it’s not about my dignity, it’s not about my ego.

- Minister for Health Leo Varadkar on the criticism he received from Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Well I think that [it was the] ‘Sir Humphreys’, if you’d like to call it, that presented the new Minister with a very large document of why you cannot go ahead here.- Some of Enda’s criticism.

Eamonn Farrell / Photocall Ireland Eamonn Farrell / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Sexy dancing

The complainant states that when one of the judges likened the routine to ’a scene from Basic Instinct’ it reinforced her opinion of the programme.

- A BAI judgement on RTÉ’s The Voice of Ireland, which decided that a dance routine was ‘sexy enough’, but ‘too sexy to show without warning’. Read more.

RTÉ RTÉ

This means war (kinda)

Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.

- President Obama wasn’t keen on letting Islamic State get their way.

Charles Dharapak / AP/Press Association Images Charles Dharapak / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

Radio wars

Ms Mullally would do well to look at her own newspaper before commenting erroneously on the radio sector. A simple analysis of 65 bylined articles in Monday’s edition of your newspaper shows that just 13 were by women.

- Today FM CEO Peter McPartlin hit out at The Irish Times journalist Una Mullaly over her criticism of his station for not having enough female voices on air.

It’s not just in terms of women. There needs to be much more diversity in Irish media, in particular the people who are giving us our news and current affairs. The country is changing, and I think broadcasting has to change with it.

- RTÉ broadcaster Áine Lawlor, while calling for more woman on air, said that more diversity should also be a priority.

radio studio radio studio

Love and marriage

When you marry your best friend it is easy to live a long and happy life.

- Margaret Hurley on the secret to her 73-year marriage to James Hurley.

Courtesy of the Catholic Grandparents Association Courtesy of the Catholic Grandparents Association