Five star Cullen ‘for security reasons.’

Expenses incurred by Sports Minister Martin Cullen’s Olympic appearances were ‘unavoidable,’ a Department spokesperson has said.

The Minister’s flights alone cost €17,000. This may seem a large sum, but a thirty second advertising spot on this year’s Late Late Toy Show will cost the same amount.

Mr Cullen travelled first class for every leg of his visit and all Government officials were booked into the five star China World Hotel on the advice of the Olympic organising committee. ‘I was merely following orders,’ the Waterford-man said.

Ministerial trend continues

‘Buildings speak of us as a society and define us,’ said Minister for the Arts Martin Cullen this week, announcing Ireland’s entries in this year’s Venice Biennale.

‘We don’t know what they say, or how exactly they define us, because they speak with the voice of bricks, steel and glass, which can be difficult to decipher. But all of our daily lives are affected by architecture, because everywhere we go, we are surrounded by things that have been built. Architecture can bring all sorts of emotions, and make us happy, uplifted or sad - something all great artistic people can do.’

The Ministerial habit of referring to ‘artistic people’ in the same respectful, vague tone as they refer to ‘members of the Jewish faith’ was begun by Charles Haughey.

The Minister promised that the new Abbey Theatre would ‘go ahead in my time’, but would not be drawn as to whether that meant his time as Minister or his time in the more general sense.