THE third wet summer in succession – rainfall for July alone was more than three times above normal in parts of Munster and Leinster – again sparks fears of landslides.

IT has often been said that Puck Fair, in Killorglin, is a primitive festival, built around homage to a hairy, long-horned goat, not to mention worship, at the same time, of the god Bacchus.

PEOPLE in areas all over Ireland where wildlife has been under deadly pressure for decades and where some species have either disappeared or are under serious threat, are now getting involved in conservation projects.

AS every Irish schoolboy, and schoolgirl, knows, the Burren is one of Europe’s most distinctive landscapes, with a plant life and heritage dating back 6,000 years.

COD, once the staple of fish-and-chippers both here and in Britain, is in danger of becoming extinct in the North Sea, but there’s hope closer to home.

THE little-known Kerry slug, which hit the headlines two years ago after getting in the way of a proposed bypass road in Ballyvourney, Co Cork, is about to get back in the news.

SOME people may have uninvited guests in their houses, without even realising it.

ONE of the most encouraging things about modern landscape photography in Ireland is, perhaps, its integrity.

YOU’VE just arrived at Shannon Airport from Boston on your inaugural trip to the land of your forebears. You pick up your hired car and, within a minute, are facing your first challenge – a roundabout.

ONE of Ireland’s leading archaeological locations, Lough Gur, in Co Limerick, could soon be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.