Columns - Irish Examiner

Donal Hickey

Our bogs are rich in species

A LONG country roads these days, you’ll occasionally meet tractors towing trailers clamped high with new season turf, being brought home earlier than usual as a result of excellent drying conditions in the bogs.

Mon, 27 Jun, 2016

Piseogs abound for the whitethorn plant

Several people have been in contact regarding the notable profusion of blossoming whitethorn, or hawthorn, since May, writes Donal Hickey. 

Mon, 20 Jun, 2016

Scourge of the midges during an Irish summer

An unseen enemy lies in wait for people making the most of fine weather and long evenings at this time of year. Many people may not have heard of Culicoides impunctatus, but everybody is familiar with a tiny creature called a midge, its name in plain language.

Mon, 13 Jun, 2016

Wonders of our wildflower

Some of the wildflowers that once decked the landscape are no longer seen, except in the remote corners, due to modern farming methods, destruction of habitat and the loss of hedgerows.

Mon, 06 Jun, 2016

Magical summer is here and people are heading toward the coast

Summer is here, at last, and with it comes the magnetic pull of the sea, writes Donal Hickey

Mon, 30 May, 2016

Flood plain mistakes mean expensive lessons have been learnt

NEW housing minister Simon Coveney accepts mistakes were made in the recent past over building on flood plains. Expensive lessons have been learnt, as many people who built and bought houses in such areas would agree.

Mon, 23 May, 2016

Wild deer an issue for State

FARMERS and other private landowners are losing patience over damage caused by roaming wild deer, some of which stray outside the bounds of State property such as national parks.

Mon, 16 May, 2016

The ancient tradition of Bealtaine is still celebrated

THE OLD pagan festival of Bealtaine, marking the coming of summer and the season of fertility, is still celebrated at an ancient stone fort at the foot of the Paps mountains, writes Donal Hickey

Mon, 09 May, 2016