Trying out Google Insight this evening and did a search on Lidl and Aldi. As already ready reported widely, both retailers have seen an increase in custom as people seek out better deals. Just interesting to see it reflected in Google searches as well. Look how far they have come since 2004 and how the graph has risen sharply since October.

Pump in the term saving and you will find see a section called rising searches which shows the following all on the up.

Here’s how Christmas Parties look. Big decline this year. The search volume last year was 59 in September, 68 in October and 80 in November. This year it’s 49, 55 and 61 (so far for November).

And finally. Here’s the regional interest for Life Insurance searches.

Roll your own insights here.

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If you were thinking of applying for RTE’s Dragons’ Den, you might want to give a little pause for thought. A tiny piece in the Irish Daily Mail yesterday caught my eye.

“Gavin Duffy, one of the Dragons in the forthcoming series Dragons’ Den, said he did not know whether funding novice entrepreneurs is a sensible investment given the current recession.

The Irish version of the the hugely successful reality show will see hopeful entrepreneurs pitching their business plans to a set of five investors, including Mr. Duffy, who will offer capital in return for a stake in the project if the candidate can convince them of its worth.

Duffy, a media consultant, and a founder of LMFM radio, who made millions from the Irish property market, claimed that he will have to invest somewhere in the region of €300,000 as capital over the 8 episodes in the series.

He said : ‘It’s been in the pipeline. I was approached a good while back to see if I was available. At the time I thought it was a great idea. I’m now quite worried because the way the economy is going… do I have the money? There are going to have to be some good ideas.”

This is a joke. People are expected to go in front of someone like this on national television after he wonders aloud if he has the money? He wonders if now is the time to fund entrepreneurship in Ireland? Surely there is no better time than now to invest in entrepreneurs. I’m sure there was some point in his own career where someone took a chance on him and lent him some money or gave him an opportunity.

RTE’s blurb says that “The Irish Dragons are successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who have been there, done that”. Has Mr. Duffy forgotten the definition of entrepreneurship?

Any real entrepreneur out there reading this ought to ask themselves do you really want to go in front of someone like Mr. Duffy who, it appears, would prefer to sit on his money and wait for the ideal time (like when investing in property was mistaken for entrepreneurship) to take a risk.

Shame on him. If Shinawil/RTE had any cop on, they’d deliver the famous line “I’m out” to Mr. Duffy.

(Photo above is from stock photo site and does not depict an actual homeless person)

This has to be story of the week. Forget about global financial meltdown and come along the road to Carlow for something far more interesting.

Former Miss Ireland, and current actress, Yvonne Costelloe was in court recently over an unpaid debt. She was sued by an agricultural contractor when she failed to settle a bill for work he carried out.

The contractor billed Costelloe for €2,400 for spraying weeds on 30 acres of land and re-seeding 9 acres but he only received €400.

Her justification in court for not paying the bill? She was dissatisfied with the work as the reseeded field had grown thistles, nettles and ragworth.

In what seems like ignorance of the laws of nature and the requirements of keeping a field free of weeds, she added :

‘He knows very well I’m an actress. I have no idea about sprays and compounds. I asked him to do a job and he didn’t do it successfully. Various people have come to see the land, and have said it is a disgrace,’

The actress also got a dressing down from the judge for the forcefulness of her delivery of evidence.

‘You are in a court now remember, not on the stage,’ he said.

Before finding against Costelloe and directing the outstanding €2,000 be paid, the judge advised :

‘Those lovely green fields you see require sustained farm work.’

You couldn’t make it up.