THIS time last year one story dominated the news – the appalling weather, especially flooding in the west and south, notably Cork.

THERE’S scarcely a town or village in the country, never mind a city, without a so-called ‘problem estate’ in which houses have fallen into disrepair and the overall appearance is shabby and depressed.

THERE are few things people take for granted as much as they do water.

IT’S as inevitable as death and taxes – we are going to have more wind farms as the Government strives to meet renewable energy targets.

THE primal roar of the stags is echoing around the hills and valleys of Killarney these days, confirming the mating (rutting) season for the area’s native Red deer.

TRAILERS full of timber can be seen moving on roads across the country these days, as people secure their wood supplies for winter firing and the unmistakeable whine of the chainsaw echoes through the land.

IT’S the season of mellow fruitfulness with all sorts of superb wild food available after what has been a good year in terms of both heat and moisture, creating ideal conditions for healthy growth.

ANGLERS are being asked to take part in a project which aims to piece together the life story of the fascinating sea trout, a fish about which not that much is known.

WHEN the late US President John F Kennedy first spoke, in 1961, about his plan to put a man on the moon within a decade, he did not know how it was going to be done.

ASK people if they have ever seen a lizard close-up in Ireland and chances are many will reply in the negative.