A pony was lost at sea this afternoon despite the best efforts of search and rescue services to recover the animal from the base of a cliff in Co Clare.

Overshadowed by its giant neighbours it may be, but the smallest of the main Blasket islands, Beginish, is no less impressive in its own right.

The victim had been fishing with another man at Castle Point near Kilkee in the west of the county when the tragedy occurred at around 2.30pm.

A charity rower had to be rescued from the River Shannon in Co Clare this afternoon after he got into difficulty in the strong currents.

A major search and rescue operation was mounted this afternoon after a young man was reported to be stuck in mud amid rising water in the Shannon Estuary.

Rowena Walsh talks to Tipperary fire officer Dave Carroll who discovered he had a serious heart condition following two strokes

Three men were forced to abandon their lake boat and jump into the River Shannon after they collided with a bridge.

As an introduction to our islands, this heritage week programme has a selection of lovely islands and a wide range of activities to entice you.

A man and two children have been airlifted to hospital after they got into difficulty while swimming in Co. Kerry this afternoon.

A man has died following a swimming incident in Co. Clare this morning.

Valentia Island is the spectacular setting for a festival of chamber music this weekend that brings musicians from far flung destinations.

State makes just €3.3m from sale of stations following recession

Former Garda stations have been converted into everything from a tourist centre, an ambulance base, and the offices of the State pathologist.

The surprise U-turn by the new council came after the new office of the Planning Regulator intervened and warned that "the substantial parcel of lands" was outside the core area of Knightstown

A multi-agency rescue operation was mounted at around 9.35am after the Irish Coast Guard received a call from the occupants of a 26ft yacht who reported they had a fire on board.

The Irish Coast Guard received a report at around 11pm of a person in difficulty in the water off Ballybunion beach. It was also feared that there may have been a second swimmer in trouble.

Pressure is mounting on Bishop of Kerry Dr Ray Browne to retain a priest in one of the biggest Catholic parishes in the country.

Swimmer Ned Denison has become the first person to swim around Cork city.

The casualty was rescued from the Queen Mary II this morning 80 miles off the Fastnet Rock on the Cork coast.

A search for a swimmer reported missing off the Kerry coast this afternoon has been stood down.

Famous Kerry footballer Mick O’Connell and a neighbour are battling with county council and department of local government planners opposed to land on Valentia Island, Co Kerry, being designated for low-density housing

An island off Cork has launched a bid to become one of the world’s few officially-recognised dark sky sites - areas dedicated to stargazing.

Two American tourists were rescued yesterday after their car plunged off a slipway into the sea on Valentia Island in Co Kerry.

A Co Kerry island is aiming to produce clean energy which could be used to power public lighting and propel its ferry service, among other uses.

An RNLI lifeboat rushed to assist four adults and three children after their boat lost steering and ran aground this afternoon on Lough Derg.

Abbey Island can be reached in just a few steps across the beach at Derrynane, Co Kerry.

The charming village of Portmagee, Co Kerry, is known as the gateway to the Skellig islands and it hosts tens of thousands of people annually who take the 45-minute boat trip to the Unesco world heritage site.

Four people, including a young child, had to be helped by an RNLI lifeboat this evening after their cruiser got into difficulty on Lough Derg.

A teenager is recovering in hospital after sustaining injuries in a surfing accident in Co Clare this evening.

A body was located and recovered from the sea this afternoon about a mile off the Galway coast.

Coastal erosion fears on Valentia Island are putting, at risk, a joint Irish-Canadian bid for Unesco world heritage status for the historic sites of the first transatlantic cable link.

Applications have opened for commercial permits to operate boats to Skellig Michael, the World Heritage sixth-century monastic site off the coast of Kerry, made more famous globally by the movie series Star Wars.

We ‘fish’ for fish but we don’t ‘deer’ for deer or ‘rabbit’ for rabbits, says marine biologist Helen Scales in Eye of the Shoal, a Fishwatchers Guide to Life the Ocean and Everything, her latest book.