Hugh Dorrian of Stoneware Studios tells Kya deLongchamps how old stone and brick walls that have been coated in cement render, benefit from the re-introduction of lime render on the outside or lime plaster inside.

This stunning Cobh home has hen run, and pigs, on the property sale menu, writes Tommy Barker

Cork County Council has been told to prepare plans to get a number of harbour forts, Martello towers, and what was once the largest gunpowder factory in the world added to Unesco’s world heritage status list.

A postman helped a man deliver a shark to safety while on his rounds in Cork Harbour yesterday.

Angling restrictions on parts of the River Lee have been extended as investigations continue into the devastating outbreak which has killed over 1,000 carp and wiped out Cork’s landmark Lough amenity.

This large family home has some stunning features that lift it out of the ordinary, writes Tommy Barker

Forts and Martello towers dotted around Cork Harbour and what was once the biggest gunpowder factory in the British empire could soon be designated as Unesco World Heritage sites.

Calls have been made to reactivate a campaign to get island designation for Cobh, so it could be eligible for grants to improve its connectivity.

THE owners and builders of Hunters Crest didn’t exactly rush into building their dream home: in fact, they owned the land for over 20 years, before getting around to putting a house on it. And, what a property mix it has all turned out to be.

Tommy Barker reports on a superb family home which has road, rail and river access for commuting.

Serious concerns have been raised over the future of a bridge which is a main route into a Co Cork coastal town.

SMOKED fish is a handy food, and it’s cheap and nutritious too.

There was great excitement in Midleton on the Bank Holiday weekend. The Midleton Farmers Market was joyfully celebrating its 15-year anniversary.

Having tweaked their house design to suit their preferences 11 years ago, now that it’s time to sell and move on, the owners of No 6 Cois Fota are bound to have mixed feelings.

Two young men with high-visibility vests were caught carrying out an unauthorised collection for Victory Outreach from cars near a busy roundabout and yesterday a district court judge criticised the organisation for encouraging vulnerable people to engage in such illegal collections.

The customers of a well-known pub/restaurant were hoping for a lock-in as the storm raged, but as its owner surveyed the massive damage being inflicted outside his premises there was only one option: evacuation.

The eastern part of Co Cork suffered most from flooding and storm damage and with high tides peaking during morning rush-hour yesterday, there was chaos for commuters.

Frank Hederman’s Belvelly smokehouse is also a hard-working, food- producing and tasty family home. Tommy Barker goes to visit

The owners of a family-run shop have presented the local community with a defibrillator.

Golf fans unable to get to Royal Portrush this week for the sold-out 2012 Irish Open will be able to see some of the game’s stars of the future in action next week when the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour returns to Fota Island Resort.

It’s what Cobh might have looked like 150 years ago.

PAUL REED of the Bristol and Clifton Golf Club was celebrating yesterday after winning the PGA EuroPro Tour Audi Cork Irish Masters at Fota Island Resort.

GRAEME McDOWELL has pointed out another potential problem for Rory McIlroy when he returns to action at the British Open next week.

Thomas O’Flynn pro golfer; Danny Nickless, Operations Manager, PGA EuroPro Tour and Kevin Morris Director of Golf, Fota Island Resort all set for Audi Cork Irish Masters today in Cork.

FOTA ISLAND’S Belvelly course can offer EuroPro Tour golfers a very good test when the Audi Cork Irish Masters gets underway at the resort tomorrow, says director of golf Kevin Morris.

FOTA ISLAND’S 27-hole golf complex is ready to host another Irish Open, says the Cork resort’s Director of Marketing Seamus Leahy.

With its rural idyllic setting near the city, Bracken Lodge offers the best of both worlds, writes Rose Martin.

Everybody can’t win the race, but everyone can try.

THE grieving relatives of a father and his two daughters who died in tragic circumstances in Ballycotton, Co Cork, last week have been asked to remember the “good times” the trio shared before their lives ended so prematurely last Tuesday morning.

A RETIRED Department of Defence engineer was bound to the peace for 12 months after a court heard he told a victim support worker he had hired thugs to harm his neighbours.

Tommy Barker says you can buy Belvelly Castle for €375,000.

BLOODIED, naked but serene, baby Sophia’s wriggling caught the eye of kitchen porter Matt Shields.

History oozes from an unusual home, Tommy Barker reports

POLITICAL party canvassers didn’t make it to the door of this unusual home, a rounded Martello tower with the ‘For Sale’ boards going up, just as the election posters come down.

THE Board of Irish Fertiliser Industries and shareholders are to discuss the possible closure of the Co Cork plant

A middle-aged man died in a house fire in County Cork this morning.