The heron that was regular feature in our garden since we raised it from a lost fledgling to adulthood has been absent for three weeks, presumed dead.

It seems our ‘domestic’, but still wild, heron, Ron, has ‘gone west’ and we find we miss him, scanning skies, balconies, rooftops and canopies of trees in our local wood (those still standing after the multiple storms) for his familiar, elegant profile cut out of the heavenly blue.

Meet Ron, the garden heron.

I apologise in advance for this column as there is considerable decadence ahead. I was lucky enough to visit Adare Manor for one of their prized wine evenings recently, the good news however is that these evenings are open to anyone for approximately €75 to €85 per person — excellent value given the wines being served.

"Sea lions literally everywhere, you’ve to be careful not to step on them, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, sea turtles.”

The ravens have built their nest at their traditional site at Coomalacha, on the Seven Heads in West Cork, as they do every year. I’m glad to hear this, writes Damien Enright.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime event — we hope — Hurricane Ophelia, roaring across Ireland on October 16, and it wasn’t until five days later that we could enter our local woods with any degree of safety, writes Damien Enright

Twenty years since the debut of JK Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ series, William A Gleason says it’s difficult to recall a day when audiences weren’t spellbound by the young wizard.

An abandoned day-old seal pup has inspired the creation of a Go Fund me page to pay for his rehabilitation.

One morning three weeks ago, in the Okanagan Valley in the Canadian Rockies, my wife and I woke in our son’s makeshift but comfortable camper van and looked out to see, between us and distant snow-capped mountains, a vast lake glittering and winking in the sun.

As Donald Trump’s offspring feel the glare of world attention, Andrea Mara looks at the fortunes of the other progeny of previous White House occupants

If you fancy waking up in a tower then this Kells home is ideal, writes Trish Dromey.

When Mark Hayes moved from Cork to LA for fame and fortune, he ended up hanging out with Robbie Williams — on a yacht in the Caribbean.

IT’S BEEN a long time since a script has topped the bestsellers list, but that’s just the kind of magic JK Rowling and her boy wizard can create.

An Irishman, whose sister and niece were killed in the 9/11 attacks, has told of his fear that the terrorists responsible for the atrocity could one day walk free.

We all know that Ron Swanson has a distinct disdain for Europe.

US presidents vary between authoritarian figures and nappy changers, writes Olivia Kelleher

Through her acting and production work, Susan Sarandon is happy to help challenge the Hollywood patriarchy, writes Helen Barlow

All the week’s entertainment news

Great excitement on the phone last Sunday morning, communicated via Skype from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by two friends of ours, British long-term residents there.

THE title of this novel appears generic and forgettable and almost indistinguishable from hundreds of others in the same field. 

Our tinkering with cycles that had stood the test of millennia has left entire populations, cultures and ecologies marooned on extinction’s floodplain, writes Damien Enright

IN ALMOST every email I’ve received from Ireland, the UK, or Scotland for the last three months, my correspondents mention somewhere that the rain is beating on the windows as they write, writes Damien Enright

Our grey heron weathers the storms, but then he is much better equipped to do so than we are, writes Damien Enright

Fernando Alonso, Formula One’s two-time world champion, insists he will be on the grid for the 2016 curtain raiser in Australia.

Last week, giddy after Piggy’s last-minute bacon-saver at Watford, I allowed myself to write hopefully that a “qualification-clinching evening against PSV would cap five days of United hugely cheering us all up”. Sigh. When will I ever learn?

A nine-year-old girl's answer to a maths question is going viral.

Ron Sexsmith talks to Joe Dermody about why he is grateful to his dedicated fan base for keeping his career on track in an industry that often demands commercial success.

An Irish survivor of the 9/11 terror attacks, whose sister and niece were on one of the hijacked planes that were flown into the World Trade Center, is set to play a key role once the trial of five suspects gets underway.

A Cork man, whose sister and niece were killed in the 9/11 attacks, has said he is “bitterly frustrated” that five suspects, who were captured a decade ago, have still not been tried.

Tom Hardy puts in a double powerhouse performance as both Ronnie and Reggie Kray, in

Yesterday was September 1 - and as you may know, that’s the day that the Hogwarts Express leaves Kings Cross, full of happy students heading back to school.

Your guide to tonight's TV.