Touched by the last rays of the sun, the grey mud of the estuary is dimpled with silver pools. Above them, rooks fly in their thousands, rooks uncountable, on different levels of the air.

The setting’s the star at this Lislevane, West Cork headland home on acres, says Tommy Barker.

Set at the coastal town’s Desert Heights, this bright, well-proportioned Inis Cuain property oozes West Cork class, says Tommy Barker.

The rain definitely played spoilsport when Mary and David O’Keeffe were married in St Finbarr’s Oratory, Gougane Barra nearly four decades ago. Despite exchanging vows in a church located in one of the most photogenic locations imaginable, you’d never guess it from their wedding album which is filled with indoor shots only.

There's a fine amount of space, and lots of bathrooms to boot, at this 2,800 sq ft modern four-bed dormer West Cork coastal district home, just above the main Timoleague to Courtmacsherry road and old railway walking route, less than an hour’s commute from Cork city and airport.

The challenges facing the media industry and opportunities and potential of digital technologies were some of the issues discussed during a visit of a group of Japanese students to the Irish Examiner.

West Cork sound system creator Toby Hatchett has put his furniture-making skills to good use for a special listening lounge at Body & Soul this weekend, writes Ellie O’Byrne.

A killer whale attacking a group of dolphins was witnessed by a charter boat operator off the coast of west Cork in what experts say is a very rare event in Irish waters.

A new history trail, The Cork Rebel Way, which highlights locations of immense historical significance in West Cork from the 1916 rebellion through to the Civil War has been launched.

A variety of local and succulent seafood is on the menu for the second annual Courtmacsherry Seafeast in West Cork on Sunday afternoon.

Food news with Joe McNamee

Here are all the latest headlines this morning...

Have a bird's-eye view of the West Cork village of Timoleague as seen from this drone video.

Timmy Murphy will lead the Munster team in the third All-Ireland series in Boston in October following his bowl of odds win over Michéal O’Sullivan in the Junior C final at Clondrohid.

A pork factory was discharging effluent at “fish-kill level” into a stream that leads into a special area of conservation on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Rapidly growing satellite town Carrigaline could be divided into two local election areas.

A €10m scheme aimed at bringing an end to the discharge of untreated wastewater into a prominent bay in West Cork is under way.

A bearded seal has re-appeared in Courtmacsherry Bay and yet again it was the O’Driscolls, farmers at Kilbrittan who were the first to see the big, white animal hauled up on a sandbank.

The number of winged insects in Germany has fallen by 75% over the last 27 years, writes Damien Enright. 

Here, on the side of Courtmacsherry bay, where there’s so much unimpeded space in front of one’s nose, the world is lit with an overwhelming brightness after storms or rain, amazing not simply because of the contrast with the non-view of the last time one looked, but because it can be brighter than summer.

Not part of the bay but part of the view of the bay was this elderly man, springy of step and healthy of complexion, forging along with his walking stick at a lively clip and no-nonsense gait, in latter years wearing an overcoat in late autumn and winter and, only in the last few years or so, companioned by a daughter or son.

ON THESE bright winter mornings, when the tide is out, the sand of Courtmacsherry Bay is carved by cobalt rivers, flowing toward the surf line in the distance. 

IN Timoleague, west Cork, where the famous 13th century abbey overlooks the sea, there may be seen, these evenings, one of the most extraordinary displays of coordination and swarm behaviour in nature, a murmuration of starlings, says Damien Enright.

West Cork was one of the first areas to bear the brunt of Ophelia and a huge clean-up operation will continue today for the biggest storm in living memory.

Clare O’Sullivan and Emma Fitzpatrick will contest the Gretta Cormican Cup final in a bid to secure a semi-final place in next month’s Queen of the Roads.

The discovery of a bearded seal at Timoleague recently, prompts renewed interest in early records, writes Richard Collins

Fáilte Ireland to consider west Cork spot for Wild Atlantic Way.

THE theme song for the 1960s TV sitcom Green Acres had as its opening line “Green Acres is the place to be. Farm livin’ is the life for me. Land spreadin’ out so far and wide, Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.”

A ‘mega rare’ sighting of a seal usually found on Arctic sea ice has stunned wildlife observers after being spotted in Ireland for only the second time on record, writes Linda McGrory.

A ‘mega rare’ sighting of a seal usually found on Arctic sea ice has stunned wildlife observers after being spotted in Ireland for only the second time on record.

Bryan O’Reilly will contest his first All-Ireland final following his bowl of odds win over his cousin Paul O’Reilly in the Ulster senior final at Madden on Sunday.

Fáilte Ireland is to examine the possible inclusion of a West Cork peninsula on the Wild Atlantic Way tourist trail.

Campaigners in West Cork are stepping up their efforts to have a picturesque peninsula parish included on the Wild Atlantic Way route.

THE Wild Atlantic Way tourism initiative is obviously a success, well planned and executed, paying dividends to the geographically marginalised communities through which it passes, writes Damien Enright.

A man who overtook more than eight cars at speeds of up to 150kph has avoided jail. 

Damien Enright visited an EFDA project in Ethiopia, and saw it was doing genuine good work