Person: Mary O

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

general

Let’s hear it for the girls: New book celebrates Cork's Scoil Mhuire

A new book celebrates the pioneering educators who founded Cork’s Scoil Mhuire, writes Ellie O’Byrne, where past pupils include actress Fiona Shaw, knitwear designer Bébhinn Marten and TV presenter Clodagh McKenna.

My friend was sexually abused in childhood by a priest. I never knew

business

Zero Waste leads to plenty of opportunity

home and gardens

Giving bees another job

general

FIRST THOUGHTS: Mary O’Malley reveals an affinity for the metropolis with new book

home and gardens

Beekeeping: When swarming causes losses in the trade

Beekeepers are vital to the success of a hive

What marks a queen out from a crowd of other bees? A beekeeper’s skill, says Mary O’Riordan

Sat, 20 May, 2017

Ancient skep beehive making is still used today

Sat, 15 Apr, 2017

Vanquish the varroa mite with vapour

Mary O’Riordan tries out a new method to eliminate one of the greatest threats to the native Irish bee population — the varroa mite.

Sat, 18 Feb, 2017

Making honey: Sweet things in life are hard won

Thomas Quigley and Mary O’Riordan show how much work the little bee puts into producing a single jar of your morning honey.

Sat, 10 Dec, 2016

Mary O’Rourke: Ray MacSharry saved my bacon

Former minister Mary O’Rourke has revealed how ex-finance minister Ray MacSharry came to her rescue at a heated meeting of the Fianna Fáil political party in 1987.

Sat, 01 Oct, 2016

Set-up at honey-house something no Irish beekeeper could aspire to

Beekeeper, Mary O’Riordan is amazed at the amount of honey produced by bee farms in Lower Saxony, Germany, which she recently visited.

Sat, 01 Oct, 2016

A political movement

MOST people might have imagined that Mary O’Rourke was our most revealing politician when she told the nation that she was having a bath when, as Transport Minister, she heard on the radio that the chairman of CIÉ had resigned.

Sat, 23 Jul, 2016

Weeds are important to the lifecycle of the bee

Beekeeper, Mary O’Riordan discusses the importance of garden weeds to the lifecycle of the bee and in the long run, to our biosphere.

Sat, 07 May, 2016

In praise of the humble bumblebees

Mary O’Riordan applauds the insect who puts the buzz into Spring.

Sun, 17 Apr, 2016

Let the weeds grow! They can save the bee population

Tue, 12 Apr, 2016

St Gobnait - the patron saint of bees and beekeeping

Mary O’Riordan traces the mythic history of bees and beekeeping in the early Christian stories of Gobnait.

Sat, 13 Feb, 2016

Looking into the long history of mead

Mary O’Riordan looks at the long history of honey wine — aka mead.

Sat, 23 Jan, 2016

It’s time to put a wax candle in the window

Mary O’Riordan looks at the history of candle-making and describes how it continues to be made, from the precious beeswax produced in the hive.

Sat, 19 Dec, 2015

There's a buzz about the Laline Paull's book on bees

Mary O’Riordan reviews an underground novel that’s all about the bees.  

Sat, 05 Dec, 2015

There's nothing quite like a real beeswax candles

Mary O’Riordan takes time out from honey to discuss that other great creation, beeswax, a commodity which has been traded for millenia.

Sat, 21 Nov, 2015

Mite infestation in the honeybee colony has a long-term impact on hive health

Mary O’Riordan describes one of the worse plagues to befall bees in this country in just over ten years since the negligent importation by some beekeepers of the deadly parasite — the varroa mite.

Sat, 03 Oct, 2015

Preparing the bee colony for winter

Mary O’Riordan continues her bee column with advice for autumn — the year’s true beginning for committed apiarists.

Sat, 19 Sep, 2015

Unlike in the movies a swarm of bees will not pester, chase or attack people

Mary O’Riordan says unlike in the movies a swarm of bees will not pester, chase or attack people.

Sat, 13 Jun, 2015

Lenihan family want to address inquiry

Former Government minister Mary O’Rourke has voiced concerns about the banking inquiry making any allegations against her nephew, the late Brian Lenihan.

Mon, 20 Apr, 2015

One of Ireland’s oldest women passes away at the age of 104

One of the country’s longest-lived women, 104-year-old Mary O’Leary from North Cork, will be laid to rest today.

Mon, 06 Apr, 2015

Mary O’Riordan: The art of beekeeping

Mary O’Riordan, who has a share in over 40 hives, begins a new series of columns introducing the art of beekeeping to our readers.

Sat, 14 Mar, 2015

Father’s claim of bias rejected

A father who claimed a judge was biased because of alleged political interference by former Fianna Fáil TD Mary O’Rourke during family law proceedings has lost a legal challenge seeking to set aside an order granting full custody of his son to his estranged wife.

Thu, 09 Oct, 2014

Fianna Fáil picks Mary O’Rourke’s son for by-election

The former minister Mary O’Rourke is likely to find herself back on the campaign trail after her son, Aengus O’Rourke, was chosen by Fianna Fáil to contest a Dáil seat in next month’s by-election in Longford-Westmeath.

Wed, 30 Apr, 2014