Science of Life I awoke this morning to the radio announcing that the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education has recommended that vending machines that dispense junk food and sugary drinks in schools should be banned. We are constantly bombarded with advice through the media on how to foster and maintain good physical and mental health…
A family harvest festival Where can you go to experience agriculture, fashion, and sculpting all in one place? The Claremorris Agricultural Show may be just the thing for you. Hosted in the Claremorris Athletic club, it’s been run every year since 1904, only interrupted three times. Taking place on Sunday, August 5, there will be…
I’m struggling with parenting. Why? I think it is because I now find myself in the strange position of parenting adults. Our youngest turned 18 recently so we now have a family of adults and last weekend we had them all home. Not only that, but our three daughters had their boyfriends home with them…
Sweet Treats When my family get together, there is usually a lot of cake involved. From apple tart, to meringues with cream, you can guarantee something sweet will be centre stage on our table. One of our family favourites is coffee cake. Ingredients Sponge cake -200g plain flour -225g caster sugar -227g butter, softened -1…
Soar your way to Bray for the display With summer comes long days and warm nights, and what better way to enjoy a summer night than watching the sky come alive with planes and acrobatic feats? At the Bray Air Display at the Bray Seafront, the whole family can sit and enjoy a dazzling display…
A Parent’s Perspective We’ve all been enjoying the recent, uncharacteristically hot, weather. It’s not the typical Irish summer when you can breakfast in the garden, head to the beach several days in a row and, instead of a rainy few weeks in Ballybunion or Bundoran, it’s been more like the Costa Brava. The glorious…
I would hesitate to plot a graph projecting the expansion of my belly. However, my wife, a doctor, has no such qualms. When, last Friday, she carefully plotted the dimensions of her late-pregnancy belly on a graph, they were slightly less than they should have been. This can mean the baby is not getting quite enough…
Green Fingers If our heatwave persists until August, the amount of jobs you can do in the garden will be down to the bare minimum, but there is still work to be done. Don’t be tempted to do too much at once, take breaks, drink fluids and remember, “no man ever drowned in his…
Durrow’s scarecrow hay day heyday For those who’ve only seen scarecrows at a distance or in classic movies like the Wizard of Oz, the Durrow Scarecrow Festival is sure to offer an interesting and educational experience. Taking place in Durrow from July 29 to August 6, the festival will host the All-Ireland Scarecrow Championship, in…
Medical Matters Do you keep an eye on your blood pressure? High blood pressure (hypertension) is one the biggest contributors to heart and stroke disease and premature death. While having high cholesterol is often talked about, its negative effect is much less significant than hypertension. Last year saw new guidelines being introduced by several…
William Reville
Bairbre Cahill
Maria Byrne
Paul Gargan
Dr Kevin McCarroll