French campsites remain for me the archetypal holiday destination. It’s hard to describe the utter excitement we felt at arriving in France as children. The first time I left Ireland, in the early 1980s, was aboard a ferry which departed from just near my home in Cork. The ferry port was so close that we…
Children’s Corner If you have ever wondered, when strolling through a meadow or forest, how is it humanly possible to know what species of plant and animal live in a certain area, while also being able to scientifically estimate the amount of each – it’s not so difficult. Biologists have studied different areas in…
Picnic time for teddy bears Organised by ADHD Ireland, families are invited to attend their 2019 Teddy Bear’s Picnic in the playground area of Ashtown Castle in the Phoenix Park. There’s plenty of opportunity to meet other families for a fun day out in the sunshine. Organisers say: “Bring along a picnic or purchase from…
Mindful Living Dr Noel Keating We have seen that meditation is a universal practice which has a particular expression and meaning in the Christian tradition. Many who practice meditation have been drawn to do so because of its pragmatic benefits. Indeed, the spread of mindfulness as a secular practice in health and other secular…
Sweet Treats Laura Anderson This is a twist on a classic crumble flavour, that added orange gives it a lovely citrusy kick. Rhubarb is right in season at the moment so now is the best time to enjoy it. Its delicate pink colour makes it a perfect centrepiece for your summer dinner party. If…
I feel a yearning for the wild. I don’t mean I plan to run off and behave badly, I just mean I have a deep desire to go and sit and be in a wild place, listening, noticing and not ‘doing’ anything else. Life has been rather hectic recently. We have just completed our fourth and…
Family-friendly festival offers music and play all day A festival with all the bells and whistles takes place this summer and offers a huge array of exciting spectacles and activities. Playstival is a two-day festival dedicated to play and discovery, fun and excitement, great food and live music, and most of all family time together…
A Parent’s Perspective My eldest daughter is doing the Leaving Certificate this year. It’s been a different experience to the time my two sons did it. They were happy to sit back while I poured over the minutiae of the marking system guiding them in the direction of where best to focus their energies.…
To children, the summer holidays are infinite. Once they begin, their pace of life slows. Mornings no longer involve wolfing down a bowl of cornflakes, followed by frantic searches for hairbrushes and missing parts of school uniforms. Time takes on a looser form, as the normally sharp distinction between weekdays and weekends suddenly disappears. Soon,…
Green Fingers The exceptionally dry summer last year, and a dry winter and dry spring this year will have put a lot of plants under stress – even large mature trees and shrubs that you wouldn’t normally expect to see this on. Trees and shrubs have come into leaf and even flowered and then…
Chai Brady
Bairbre Cahill
Maria Byrne
Paul Gargan