HIKING and walking are now the most popular activity pursuits by tourists in Ireland, with upwards of two million people, including home and overseas visitors, taking part each year.

THE thought of people in 21st century Ireland buying a bottle of water would surely astonish our ancestors who would have looked on a water as a ‘free’ commodity.

SCHOOL holidays are here and the sense of freedom was palpable on the cheery young faces I saw emerging from classrooms last week.

OUR unenviable reputation for being a rain-sodden country doesn’t take in the slightest from the challenge of ensuring the supply and quality of water here are up to standard in the future.

IS there anything that defines the taste of summer better than freshly-picked, juicy strawberries liberally doused in cream?

SAVING the planet shouldn’t be any big deal.

SOON, the deep red and purple hues of rhododendron will light up the summer landscape but the beauty of the plant conceals the fact that it has become a pest in many areas and literally stifles the life out of other growing things.

THERE’S enough room for everyone, humans and animals, in this country.

WITH summer and, hopefully, prolonged spells of dry, sunny weather ahead, the thought of floods must be the last thing on people’s minds.

IT’S the time of year when, traditionally, hardy men celebrated in song as “peat bog soldiers” would be sharpening the edge on their sleans and heading for the turf banks.