It’s Ireland’s holy mountain, but access may soon have to be cut off, or at least severely restricted, due to worsening erosion, writes Donal Hickey. 

BEING called “bird-brained” should no longer be seen as an insult. Quite the opposite, in fact, for research is showing that wild birds can be intelligent animals, with crows being the brightest of them all — second only to people.

The primal mating cry of Japanese Sika deer is already being heard in the mountain valleys of Killarney, heralding the start of the so-called rutting season.

On a glorious, sunny day recently in the Dingle Peninsula, I met two young German men who were admiring the view from Ceann Sibeal (Sybil Head). They didn’t know they were standing at the location of a Star Wars movie set, earlier in the summer.

How is it that there always seems to be some animal in Ireland singled out for demonisation and persecution asks Donal Hickey. 

A wonder of the natural world is currently taking place.

Foxglove, fabled in folklore not just for its beauty but also for its medicinal properties, is thriving this summer in the warm and, occasionally, sunny conditions, writes Donal Hickey

How is it that so many people dream of seeing the wonders of faraway places while often ignoring gems which are virtually on their doorstep?