Tots to Teens: Shannon Bear takes off to raise funds

Every Shannon Bear sold will help raise vital funds for The Shannon Airport Group’s 2025 charity partners: Clare Crusaders and Little Blue Heroes. Pictured is Aoibhin O’Connor (8) Ennis. Pic Arthur Ellis.

MEET Shannon Bear, a limited-edition cuddly toy that has landed at Shannon Airport. With its very own travel bag and Shannon Airport-themed scarf, this is a bear ready to join children on all sorts of adventures.

This is also a bear that hopes to raise money for two children’s charities. 

Throughout 2025, the Shannon Airport Group is partnering with Clare Crusaders and Little Blue Heroes, organisations that support children with additional needs and families of children undergoing long-term medical care.

The bear is for sale for €20 at Shannon duty free shop and in WH Smith, located in the arrivals area, with all proceeds going to the charities.

Zoo spectacular

Willow Grall (3 years) pictured at the launch of this year’s night-time spectacular, Wild Lights, with an all-new theme: The Wild Kaleidoscope.

Tickets are now on sale for Dublin Zoo’s award-winning night-time spectacular, Wild Lights. This year’s theme is ‘The Wild Kaleidoscope’ and it will see visitors dazzled by 13 zones of vibrant colour.

Each zone will celebrate the colours of nature and showcase animals ranging from proud peacocks and bright-pink flamingos to shimmering sea creatures. There will also be a new Winter Glow Village serving pizza, mulled wine, crepes, and waffles; a stunning finale that includes one of the largest lanterns in Europe; and even the option of a visit to Santa’s grotto.

Dublin Zoo and Sunway Holidays are celebrating the launch of Wild Nights by offering one lucky family the chance to win a two-night trip to visit Santa, his reindeer, and his hardworking elves in Lapland.

Wild Lights will sparkle at Dublin Zoo from November 6 to January 31, 2026. Admission prices start from €26 per adult and €21.50 per child. Visit www.DublinZoo.ie/WildLights to book tickets or for information on how to enter the competition.

A home away from home

The book ‘Lantern Smoke’ tells a young boy’s story of migration.

We’re living in a time of growing migration. Thousands of Irish people are deciding to live abroad, while thousands of foreign nationals are arriving in search of work or refuge.

Lantern Smoke is a new book by Dublin-based writer and spoken-word performer Dagogo Hart, and it gives children an insight in to what it’s like to have to make a new home in a foreign country.

Featuring illustrations by visual artist Anita Schmidt, this book is based on Hart’s autobiographical poem, which tells the story of a young boy sent away by his family to build a future abroad.

It emphasises the importance of love, family, and resilience, as well as the human ability to create a new place to call home.

It’s published by Gill Books and costs €17.

Stress of being a dad

Groundbreaking research on mental health from Swansea University has prompted experts to share advice on how fathers can cope with the pressure of parenting.

Sharing your feelings with someone you trust can help. So can creating a simple morning or evening routine.

This could include a five-minute stretching session, followed by a cup of tea or bath-time with the baby.

Other tips include making time for exercise, journalling, and staying connected with family and friends. Try sharing night-time duties and taking naps to get enough sleep. Practice deep breathing.

Try a meditation or stress-management app. And don’t be embarrassed to seek professional help.

Mental-health day

Limerick Mental Health Week kicks off with a free family fun day at the Milk Market this Sunday, October 5.

Taking place from 11am to 3pm, its lineup includes children’s gardening workshops, introductory classes in salsa dancing, and a petting station where children can meet bunnies, chicks, pigs, and ponies.

There will also be interactive booths with information on how everyone in the family can take steps to improve their mental health and overall wellbeing.