The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently reported a sharp increase in the incidence of measles in the WHO European region in the first half of 2018 compared to 2017. This increase also occurred in Ireland. The ironic thing is that measles is a disease preventable by simple vaccination and the current resurgence of the disease…
Category: Family & Faith
Spiced toffee apple loaf… perfect for Hallowe’en!
Laura Anderson To get your mouth watering this Halloween, try out this alternative take on the festive classic that will fill your kitchen with the sweet scent of autumnal spices. And don’t be scared off by the toffee sauce: this version simply involves melting down some shop-bought toffees for drizzling over the top of the…
Family News and Events
Mayo – give it a go! For those who have haven’t explored the beautiful county of Mayo, the three-day Mayo Dark Sky Festival is your opportunity to discover the hidden treasures of the area. This is the third year of the festival which provides ample opportunities to learn about astronomy, and the all the wonders…
A rich history of social justice
A Parent’s Perspective My daughter is studying history for the Leaving Certificate and was quizzing me recently about the differences between communism and socialism. I was just about to settle down to watch a film so I took the easy option of playing a few YouTube videos and referring to George Orwell’s Animal Farm…
Family News and Events
Garden of Ghosts and Ghouls October is the month of frights, spooks and scares, and so there’s no better way to spend this time than by experiencing an ominous Hallowe’en tour. Wexford’s Wells House and Gardens is welcoming the return of the acclaimed ‘Dare to Scare’ Hallowe’en tour, taking place in its beautiful old country…
Dad’s Diary
It was a proud moment this week, watching my eight-year-old son tog out as captain of his school football team. He looked smart in his kit and even had an easy authority, as he casually directed his teammates, as he walked up to take the kick off. It seemed only yesterday that I was kicking…
Your garden should be a haven for native wildlife
Green Fingers During the month of October your garden performs the quickest and most dramatic change of all, from cool greens to fire reds, oranges and yellows, to bare branches. Go through your shrubberies/borders, remove all weeds so they don’t get an early start next spring. Give them a gentle tidy up, removing only…
Time to consider getting the flu vaccine
Medical Matters The winter is soon approaching and it may be time once again for you to get the flu vaccine which is now available. Reports from Australia and other countries so far this year suggest that the infleunza strains are not as viruent as last season but viral mutations can occur and so…
Your eyes can deceive you sometimes…here’s why!
There’s are old phrase that goes, ‘What you see is what you get’ – and while this might be true sometimes, it’s not always the case. Often, we can be deceived by what see, and our brains might not be able to fully process what’s right in front of us. One way to demonstrate this…
Faith in the Family
Diarmuid is doing his Leaving Certificate this year and recently had a very interesting Irish essay for homework – ‘Will young people in the future have Faith?’. They were asked to explore a number of questions including the impact of the Pope’s visit, the scandals that continue to rock the Church and whether young people…

William Reville


Maria Byrne


Paul Gargan
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Colm Fitzpatrick
Bairbre Cahill