Donal Hickey takes a look back at the great days 2016 gave us for the outdoors.

Tara McCarthy is to be appointed as the new chief executive of Bord Bia, it was announced today.

Séamus Mac Géidigh was broadcaster and manager of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s northwest service in Donegal

I have very good news here today for all thinking farmers everywhere and, even though I may be cutting my own throat editorially by saying so, this good news contrasts sharply.

Tánaiste Joan Burton has warned Health Minister Leo Varadkar he must address the “really large challenge” of the failing health service after being given a €665m supplementary budget to plug holes in services.

MY COLUMN of February 16 discussed the mysterious moss balls photographed on a west Cork strand by M Didier Le Goff, a Breton visitor. 

My advice is....don’t take no for an answer, says Seán O’Rourke.

The family of an Irishman are at war in New Zealand over his €300m business empire.

An arrogant Church hierarchy has a long history of scapegoating and trying to cover up serious scandals, says Ryle Dwyer

The imposition of short sentences serve no purpose given most of them are not actually being served, a top legal expert has said.

A SERIES of wet summers has impaired the growth of wild flowers in wetland areas along the River Shannon, according to recent research.

THREE-TOES, one of South Dakota’s most notorious outlaws, was easily tracked; having lost toes to a metal trap his footprint was recognisable.

IRELAND and Irishness, whatever that has become, were celebrated around the world yesterday. Often wistfully, sometimes with an indulgence that might make today’s challenges seem more difficult than they are.

IT’S a startling thought – people are at far greater risk from air pollution in their homes than they are from air pollution outdoors.

AS every Irish schoolboy, and schoolgirl, knows, the Burren is one of Europe’s most distinctive landscapes, with a plant life and heritage dating back 6,000 years.

THE little-known Kerry slug, which hit the headlines two years ago after getting in the way of a proposed bypass road in Ballyvourney, Co Cork, is about to get back in the news.

TRIBUTES poured in across the country for businessman Joe Gantly yesterday, who was described as a positive, energetic and talented personality.

THE worst fears people had for wildlife on the Great Blasket Island have been realised, following confirmation that deadly mink have appeared on the island, off the Dingle Peninsula.

UNIVERSITIES here are facing deficits of about €45 million, college bosses have admitted.

ANY budget changes affecting construction or property deals should be backdated to today to stop the market going into paralysis.

Playwright and novelist Thomas Kilroy today received a prestigious award to celebrate a lifetime of literary achievement.

A County Galway priest is to be appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Achonry, it was announced today.

ALMOST anyone who enjoys a walk along the waterways of Ireland or the sound of songbirds in their garden will more than likely have a tale of absent friends to relate.

Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte is to step down today after five years in the position, party sources confirmed.

ATTENDANCES at accident and emergency (A&E) departments have risen twice as fast as the increase in population, new research shows.

Tackling the poor diet of children across Ireland must be made a national priority, it will be claimed today.

A THIRD of the 22,223 people awaiting surgical and other medical procedures have been waiting more than a year for treatment, new national figures show.

A NEW filter designed to reduce the risk of transmitting variant CJD via a blood transfusion has been scrapped by the blood bank after fears were raised by the manufacturer that it might not be working properly.

ATTEMPTS by the Government to thwart University College Cork’s ambitions to be a full university in more than just name led to a vigorous campaign of opposition by the college authorities.

ALCOHOL is responsible for almost a third of all injuries treated in A&E departments, a new study published today reveals.

A SWEDISH academic who believes Ireland is the ancient land of Atlantis flew into Dublin yesterday amid a storm of controversy about his theories.

THE five-and-a-half-year ban on GM foods in the EU was officially ended yesterday with the decision by Commissioner David Byrne to allow the importation of canned GM sweet corn.

THE plan to run a new motorway between the hills of Tara and Skryne in Co Meath is to be challenged in the High Court unless a compromise can be reached within the next week.

BUSINESSMAN Finian O’Sullivan will net €12 million when his exploration company Burren Energy floats on the stock exchange later this week.

IRISH bank customers who claim they were advised to set up bogus non-resident accounts have begun legal proceedings against a number of financial institutions.

AS THE number of discrimination cases against employers — already up by 40% this year — continues to rise, a new EU-backed project has been launched to help employers tackle inequality.

A ship that caught fire off the west coast is now safely docked in Galway bay.

A Cambridge University-educated protestant Bishop, who was at the forefront of sweeping changes which enabled women to be ordained, was elected as the Archbishop of Dublin today.

One in every eleven Irish women will be affected by breast cancer according to the Irish Countrywoman’s Association.

A British expert sent to investigate allegations of a massacre in the Jenin refugee camp has accused Israel of burying evidence about what happened during the military offensive in the camp.