All of the latest entertainment news.

Blackwater Valley Makers, which incorporates an arts centre and creative hub in Fermoy, was born from the necessity of providing a shopfront for the many artisans in the Fermoy district and was a very welcome event following some high-profile closures in the the town, writes Susan O’Shea.

A farm in the rich and fertile Blackwater Valley, near the village of Knockanore in West Waterford, is currently for sale with Dungarvan-based auctioneers Harty & Co.

Presentation Convent is about to leave the order’s hands, after almost 100 years in their ownership.

IT USED to be said in olden times that a squirrel could travel from Cork to Killarney, Co Kerry, without once touching the ground, such was the extent of woodland, writes Donal Hickey.

The Government has been urged to buy Micheal Flatley’s mansion, which is also the ancestral home of the first president of Ireland.

Bord Pleanála has refused planning permission for a wind farm in east Cork for the second time in two years.

There’s a whole lot of house and home on offer here at Coolroe, a detached West Waterford property on an acre, by the pretty Aglish village which takes its name from the old church.

Coillte spends €450k a year cleaning up litter. We meet the contractor who’s out to bust the dumpers. Are bin charges to blame? asks Donal O’Keeffe

Pilot scheme aims to highlight heritage potential of lesser-known villages and boost visitor numbers

THERE are few properties where you can look down (topographically at least) on Lismore Castle and its ducal family. 

Lismore is gearing up for its seventh opera festival, with the hotly tipped Rachel Croash starring in a production of Così Fan Tutte, writes Cathy Desmond

The estate agent has sold the sumptuous Ileclash three times before. It’s easy to see why, writes Tommy Barker.

Operation Mayday aims to help refugees settle in their new surroundings in Ireland, writes Joe Leogue.

Ray Ryan looks forward to the West Waterford Festival of Food, which promises to see a wealth of talent food producers gather in Dungarvan

Mikel Murfi brings his one-man play to Co Cork as part of a new fit-up festival, writes Alan O’Riordan

More than 12 months after a tiny creature caused mayhem for builders along the Blackwater Valley in Co Cork there is still no solution to marry the needs of protecting it with future development.

Nine months after Cork county council was warned by the EU to protect a tiny river creature, no solution has been found.

ANY person who walks the length of the Munster Blackwater deserves an accolade, writes Donal Hickey

 

Having regarded cider as a second division drink for some time, Caroline Delaney is slowly changing her mind as she beings to appreciate the work and skill behind a glass of craft cider

Sam Watson is as confident as the capricious sport of eventing will allow that he will give a good account of himself when defending his CIC three-star title at Camphire International Horse Trials this weekend.

I was to express deep misgivings and concerns of the majority of anglers in the Blackwater Valley have regarding the future of the river as a salmon river.

The Immrama festival of travel writing was a hugely enjoyable event, writes Juno McEnroe

SET against a rural Blackwater Valley backdrop is this smartly upgraded four-bed bungalow, with a vaulted ceiling in its large added-on kitchen/dining area - an ideal room for out-of-town parties.

THE sixth Lismore Music Festival takes place at the weekend. It’s Ireland’s only summer opera festival, competing with the well-established English Glyndebourne and other mid-European events.

Irish Water has confirmed it is ready to go ahead with a €22.8m project which should significantly improve water quality at one of the country’s premier beaches.

Cattle are being trained to pump water for themselves as part of a unique project which could lead to clean rivers and the green light for further residential and industrial development in North Cork.

A multi-agency taskforce is to be set up to ensure the health of protected freshwater mussels, otherwise their demise could have a serious impact on future economic development in the North Cork region.

Bill Linnane meets up for an exclusive interview with members of the Hennessy dynasty and finds out why the Irish connection is still strong with the famous brandy producing family.

With similar winsome references to the 300-year-old cottage it replaced, this millennium-built recreation on two acres in East Cork marries the old with the new with a host of modern features and four en-suite bedrooms, writes Tommy Barker.

You have to have a nose for these things — but three householders in Cork were unable to find their septic tanks when council officials came a calling. The officials couldn’t locate them either.

The beach closest to Cork City and a well-known one in East Cork could be closed next summer due to an EU directive on water quality.

One of the country’s leading planning consultants fears Mallow’s "hub town" status may be revoked if a quick solution is not found to improving water quality in the River Blackwater.

Major housing and industrial developments along the Blackwater Valley in Co Cork are likely to be put on hold due to an EU directive aimed at protecting the freshwater pearl mussel.

There was once a country called Ireland, known as the Emerald Isle.

Almost all Coalition TDs living in constituencies along Eirgrid’s proposed GridLink in the South and East of the country want a cost-benefit analysis done on running parts or all of the extension underground.

Up to 170 people attended a meeting in an East Cork village as opposition mounts in the south of the country to Eirgrid’s proposed €500m overhead powerline.

The Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte is to be told by a county council that Eirgrid’s plans for a major overhead powerline will be a blight on the landscape and may lead to serious health and economic implications.

I am amazed that when it comes down to money, principles and responsibilities are suddenly forgotten.