As An Taoiseach Brian Cowen hits Washington today to present the traditional bowl of shamrock to US President Barack Obama, one presumes that he will continue to spread the "positive message of hope and confidence about Ireland" that he foretold as he left our shores last week. However, Irish people heading into the national holiday might rightly have hoped that he would have told us what this message of hope and confidence was based on before he left, so that we could toast our future success rather than drowning our national sorrows today.

As An Taoiseach Brian Cowen gets set to confirm today that Galway has secured the final stop in the 2011/2012 Volvo Ocean Race, he will be just one of many jumping on the good news bandwagon. However, it is the tireless Let's Do it Galway team that have to be congratulated for their enduring efforts in securing the second and final stop for Galway.

Despite his claim to be well aware of the concerns and priorities of the Irish Hotels Federation's members, An Taoiseach Brian Cowen's pit-stop address to the Federation's annual conference on Monday fell short of providing any real hope to a sector in crisis. In a speech that brushed on the topic at hand, An Taoiseach seemed more interested in expounding the virtues of the National Assets Management Agency.

It used to be that road signage read 'Caution, road works ahead' or 'Warning, men at work', but, perhaps in a sign of the times we now live in, a flashing sign on the Galway to Limerick road reads 'Caution, potholes on N18.' It seems the Government has taken the McCarty report to heart and taken the recommendations a step further, with road sign warnings of dangers ahead in lieu of any actual efforts to repair said dangers.

The run-up to Valentine's is always a dodgy time for couples, especially ones whose relationship may already be on the rocks, and so it came as some shock but no surprise to hear that George Lee had unceremoniously kicked Enda Kenny to the curb on Monday afternoon, citing irreconcilable differences.

Minister for Mental Health and Disability John Moloney is to be congratulated for adding his name to the list of brave high-profile individuals who have recently spoken out about suffering from a mental health issue. Mr Moloney's revelation at the weekend that he suffered from stress and depression two years ago, which forced him to take four weeks out of his job, adds weight to a national campaign that aims to reduce the stigma associated with mental health treatment.

As Haitian authorities begin relocating homeless survivors from their earthquake stricken capital Port-au-Prince this week, the Galway Independent has launched its Haiti Appeal in association with aid agency GOAL and the house building agency Haven.

If like me you can't bear to hear another word about our financial woes or theories or criticisms of the moves that got us to this point, you will welcome the Government's decision to hold the enquiry into the country's failed banking system behind closed doors. Having finally conceded that an enquiry into the banking system may indeed be needed - if only so that justice can be seen to be done - the Government has announced this week that it will now hold an enquiry into the banking system using a similar system to the Murphy Commission.

There is only one thing worse than a government that repeatedly makes mistakes and that is a government that repeatedly fails to learn from previous mistakes. While everyone will admit that it has been one of the worst times to be in government with the global economic situation, the failure of the banking system, the revelation of the extent of the abuses in the Catholic Church, the flooding etc, one might have hoped by now that the Government, at the very least, would be getting accustomed to responding to a crisis.

Provisional road safety figures for 2009 that indicate there were 39 fewer fatalities on Irish roads in 2009 as compared to 2008 show that the road safety message is finally hitting home with Irish people. A total of 240 people lost their lives in 2009 – 40 of the fatalities were pedestrians, 128 were drivers, 38 were passengers, 27 were motorcyclists and seven were cyclists – a 14 per cent decrease on 2008, when 279 people lost their lives on Irish roads.