A GREY adolescent seal and two pure white adult spoonbills in front of Timoleague Abbey in the falling light of a mid-January Sunday were only two of the delights of west Cork this winter.

SO a satirist is hired to write a sketch for a TV show about the European Parliament. As potential comedy material goes, the parliament isn’t really considered up to much.

IRELAND has the highest death rate from heart disease in Western Europe, new figures show.

TOURISM Minister John O’Donoghue said VAT increases in the recent Budget will not affect the numbers of visitors next year.