Georgina and Paul Driver bring their little girls on hiking adventures that they hope will trigger a life-long respect for the environment, writes Ellie O’Byrne.

The funeral of the mother of dancer Michael Flatley has taken place in Carlow today.

The Irish Wildlife Trust has logged almost a dozen large wildfires since Tuesday, raging from the Blackstairs Mountains to the Beara Peninsula and from the Knockmealdowns to Killarney National Park, and says most occurred in special areas of conservation.

Glenville Flower and Garden Club will start its winter season with an interesting talk and slide show by Jim Wilson of Bird Watch Ireland on Tuesday September 29 at 8.30pm.

Cork Alpine Hardy Plant Society will host Alan Street of Avon Bulbs to talk on “The Magical Mystery Tour: Why bulbs are so special; Which to choose and how to get the wow”.

Low cloud, poor visibility and mountain wave activity are factors that may have contributed to a fatal air crash in which two men and two dogs lost their lives last May.

Two men died yesterday after their light aircraft crashed into a mountain in Co Wexford.

Lord of the dance Michael Flatley said a final goodbye to his “hero” father yesterday.

Hard times can hit those turfed out of the Dáil but one former TD does not want sympathy when she’s spotted foraging for food.

Step House Hotel, Co Carlow

Duo tackled a vacant farm cluster at the bottom of the Blackstairs and now it’s all fully restored, at a tempting price, Tommy Barker reports.

THERE’S something brilliantly plucky about the snowdrop.

This is the 51st year of the J1 visa, allowing Irish students to work in the US. But what really goes on during those three months of ‘freedom’? Student Nicky Rackard opens his diary on his 2012 summer in Chicago

Wexford native Glenn Jacob has taken up office as president of the Irish Hereford Breed Society.

While there is a certain monastic simplicity and serenity to Peter Cody’s award-winning home located on the cusp of the town, its architectural cues are most definitely in the present.

THE man behind Ireland’s first natural cemetery is planning to open up to eight more burial grounds across the country.

Planners have given the green light for the country’s first natural graveyard banning marble headstones and varnished, hardwood coffins, it was revealed today.

THE recent damage to forests from land fires could reduce the raw material available for timber processors in local areas, according to Minister of State Seán Connick.

A Donegal company is looking to set up Ireland's first 'natural burial ground'.

QUADS, sports utility vehicles and scramblers are using beautiful upland commonage areas for recreational use, the Dáil has been told.

ROLLING countryside and views of the Blackstairs Mountains are the perfect backdrop for the new manse that is Grovine House.

A hillwalker, reported missing in the Blackstairs Mountains, has been found safe and well this morning.

A POPULAR tourist trail used by hill walkers and wind gliders is being destroyed by youths racing cars, particularly at weekends, say residents.

‘MAKE your dreams a reality’ is emblazoned across the top of the brochure for a rather anodyne-looking property at Borris in Co Carlow.