FOLLOWING large-scale destruction of the countryside by fires, last year, action is being taken to prevent a recurrence before the annual gorse- burning gets underway.

IRISH people’s obsession with the weather, and what ‘it’s going to do’, is not unique.

YOU might think that, in a time of recession, people would make an effort not to waste food.

I HAVE rediscovered the joys of cycling, after decades out of the saddle.

GIVEN our national penchant for destroying the world, it should not come as a surprise to learn that 18% of our native butterflies are in danger of extinction.

TRUST the Americans to come up with novel ways of getting rid of unwanted and wilted Christmas trees in an environmentally-friendly way.

WITH most of the spotlight on the restoration of water supplies, following damage done during the freezing spell, it would be easy to overlook a paramount issue — the quality of the water we drink each day.

SLOWLY, but ever so surely, moves are being put together to develop the 368km River Shannon as one of the country’s greatest natural amenities.

ONE of the expected results of the use of domestic water meters, due to be installed in all households in the coming years, is that people will use less water, already a costly resource that could become scarce before we realise it.

THE Celtic Tiger helped destroy the character of many old villages, but efforts are underway to preserve what’s left and again make villages attractive places in which to live.