My wife and I are like ships in the night –weary ships, that need a long spell in dry dock for repairs. We are incessantly commanded on strange, but urgent, midnight missions by capricious miniature admirals: babies, small children and viruses. From the deepest dream, each night I might awaken to find the bedroom door…
A Parent’s Perspective I’ve already seen the first pictures of snowdrops posted on Facebook and am beginning to notice the ‘grand stretch in the evenings’ and the first hopeful signs of spring. Of course, after last year’s experience we can’t rule out a late fall of snow and I’m sure a few wise people…
Come the end of June I will have completed my fourth Leaving Cert – or at least that is how it feels. Our youngest, Diarmuid, is the one actually doing the exams but, as with his sisters before him, I feel like I am in there with him. Plus, he is also doing the HPAT…
Children’s Corner Rainbows are one of the most beautiful parts of nature’s huge variety of incredible spectacles. Why not recreate your own rainbow and perhaps in the process, discover more about how they work? This experiment requires only household objects and can be done relatively quickly and easily – with some impressive effects. To…
Fun to the Xtreme A travelling fun park will be touring Ireland soon with attractions from family rides to ‘white knuckle’ rides. Xtreme Funfair will be making an appearance around the country from March 2, with the first event being held in Swords, Pavilions Shopping Centre Co. Dublin from March 2-19. It will be open…
Everyday Philosophy On discovering that I study philosophy, scientists (or people who think of themselves as having scientific leanings) often ask passive-aggressive questions about philosophy’s progress. “If science can tell us the age of the universe and give us a pretty good idea of how species evolved on earth, why can’t philosophy come up…
The strangest things happen when you find yourself without Internet connection for weeks on end. That is the situation I recently found myself in thanks to the incompetence of my broadband supplier, and the fact that our old farmhouse in west Cork is down in a valley, and has two-foot thick stone walls which serve…
My husband suffers really badly with the January blues, whereas I don’t. This has an impact on the atmosphere in our house and I’m finding it difficult. What should I do? This is difficult as I am sure you depend on your spouse as do your children, and when he is sluggish or low…
Getting in the zone For Boyzone fanatics this will be a dream come true as the boyband celebrates 25 years as a group, and releases what they say will be their final album, ‘Thank You and Goodnight’. The four remaining members – Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch – have come a long…
Medical Matters Speed is of the essence when faced with a stroke. The latest figures for life expectancy in Ireland have once again improved with the average age of death for males now at 79.9 years and females 83.6 years. This puts life expectancy for males here at higher than the EU average and…
Maria Byrne
Bairbre Cahill
Chai Brady
Ben Conroy
Wendy Grace
Dr Kevin McCarroll