Give the oars a quick rattle in the oarlocks and settle onto the wooden seat before you undertake the 45-minute row from Ross Castle, Killarney, Co Kerry, to a stronghold of early Irish monasticism.

Many of us tend to idealise life beside the ocean and imagine balmy summer evenings with the sea gently lapping nearby and a glorious sunset emblazoned on the sky, writes Dan MacCarthy.

A new memorial on Valentia Island will honour the living and the dead, writes Donal Hickey

RAMPANT erosion along several areas of Kerry’s coastline is set to continue unchecked in 2011 as the council has said it will spend no further money on such work until it receives €3 million it is owed by state agencies for work already carried out.

JUST when we thought there was a happy ending to the Jeanie Johnston saga, she hits choppy waters.