IT used to be one of the life’s simple, taken-for-granted pleasures to stand outside in the blackness of night and just gaze at the star-speckled heavens.

HARD times will make for hard choices in the coming years.

THE little Kerry bog pony, which has itself been saved from extinction, is now doing its bit to aid the survival of some bird species.

Donal Hickey on the role of trees in Irish history.

IRISH creative minds are coming up with ideas to cope with the changing global environment, and, as we mentioned last week, there are huge opportunities for job-creation in green technology.

A SPECIALLY designed weed-cutting machine, which has been introduced to Lough Corrib to tackle an invasive plant, may yet be seen in other parts of the country.

IT was the animal that ploughed the fields, brought milk churns to the creamery, and took the country family to church by trap on Sundays.

EEL stocks in Ireland and Europe are now so depleted as to be under threat, and radical action is needed to ensure the survival of the species.

ONE of the many critical challenges facing the country in the immediate future is the shortage of water, especially in Dublin and other major urban areas.

Donal Hickey says cutbacks are a threat to forest land