I WAS visiting a friend the other day and he mentioned that he had a well-preserved rath on his farm and invited me to come and look at it.

I WAS UP at the Coronation Plantation in Co Wicklow recently. For anyone who doesn’t know the area, it’s in the valley of the upper Liffey to the west of the Sally Gap and it doesn’t look in the least bit like a plantation.

WORK found me in Co Wicklow for a couple of days recently and I was surprised by the number of deer I saw.

IT’S MORE than six weeks since the solstice and the days are noticeably longer, but I walked around the field and inspected my plantation of trees and there were very few signs that spring was around the corner.

I HAVE a particular interest in eskers because I live on one. Most people know what they are — ridges of sand and gravel snaking across the countryside looking a bit like derelict railway embankments.

ONE of the commonest birds in our cities and larger towns is the pigeon.

IN THE run up to Christmas, holly trees get a battering. It’s not just a few sprigs to decorate the house, there are also commercial collectors who sometimes cut down whole trees.

CALM NIGHTS at this time of year often get rather noisy in my part of the world. The culprits are foxes, which mate between late December and early February.

I LOVE trees but I’m not sentimental about them. In fact at this time of year I enjoy cutting them down, turning them into logs and burning them.

OUR CHRISTMAS traditions often have rather strange and obscure origins.