Our thrifty Ceann Comhairle is hardly a celebrity in the greater sense of the word, but he's been living the life of one for quite some time. So, in theory, he deserves a spot on this page.

We don't have an exact list of his expenditures to hand, but The Sunday Tribune came across with a very entertaining (if you're from a different country) list of unanswered questions. It was originally issued on September 20th but, alas, I can be a bit slow off the mark when it comes to proper news, you know, which relates to us getting shafted as tax payers.

Among a slew of questions which Mr. O'Donoghue will no doubt answer in full tomorrow *ahems*, are the following. I've highlighted my favourite ones for your amusement / blinding ire.

1: Was it within departmental guidelines to pay for a €645 meal at the Hotel Cipriani and what official business did this include?

2: Was it within departmental guidelines to pay for sleeping tablets as part of a trip to India by the minister?

3: Was it within guidelines to pay for first-class travel, particularly with regards to a €9,000-per-person flight to China?

4: Was it appropriate to pay for theatre tickets on three successive nights for use by O'Donoghue, his wife and companions?

5: Under whose invitation did O'Donoghue attend race meetings at Cheltenham, Aintree, Ascot and Longchamp?

6: Was it appropriate for O'Donoghue's wife to travel overseas to accompany him to EU committee meetings?

7: Why was it necessary to provide transport for the minister and his wife to take them from one airport terminal to another?

8: Did the Irish taxpayer get a good deal in terms of car hire when in excess of €10,000 was paid for use of a car during the Cheltenham racing festival?

9: Was it appropriate for the taxpayer to pay €180 for hat hire for the minister and his travelling companions to attend a race meeting in England?

10: Was it an appropriate use of the government jet for the minister to fly from Cannes to Kerry for a constituency event and then on to Cardiff for a Heineken Cup match?

11: Under whose invitation did the Ceann Comhairle travel to Paris and did he attend the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp?

12: How many flights have been booked for travel within Ireland for O'Donoghue or travelling companions?

13: Can the Ceann Comhairle explain how the Sunday Tribune has "fundamentally misled" the Irish people in light of his two apologies?

14: Is the Ceann Comhairle prepared to expand further when he says articles published so far were "totally inaccurate, exaggerated and disingenuous"?

15: Why does a second Freedom of Information request regarding overseas travel contain just four pages when a previous one - under the exact same terms - yielded over 100 pages?

16: Does the minister or his wife intend to pay back any of the costs involved in their overseas travel?

You might have noticed, all were highlighted. A quick shout around the office, however, confirms that our favourite one is the €180 on hat hire. Bizzare. Followed swiftly by the one regarding the government jet to cart him to Cannes, Kerry and beyond. Then the one about the sleeping pills, theeeeen...

To quote someone who texted in to Ireland AM this morning (yes, I watch Ireland AM every morning. At the risk of repeating myself, it propells me out of the pitt in a blaze of rage which is helpful when the bed feels especially comfortable. It's not the presenters, it's the shoddy, shoddy camera work. The fashion segments are a particular source of bed-leaping fury - "IF THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SHOES, PAN DOWN TO THE BLOODY SHOOOOOOES!!! RRAARRGGHH!" *bursts through duvet in a flurry of feathers*)... "We should change our national emblem from a harp to a fiddle."