Opinion

By John Fitzgerald For decades one of the first lessons that every Callan schoolchild learned was that a great Ard Ri (High King of Ireland) drowned here in the mid-ninth century, which is how the King’s River got its name. The fact that a community in another part of Ireland also laid claim to the …

BY CLAIR WHITTY If you’ve ever shopped for a magnesium supplement, you’ve probably wondered why there are so many different types. Bisglycinate, citrate, malate, taurate and L-threonate all promise different benefits, but what do those names actually mean? The answer is surprisingly simple. Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in hundreds of processes throughout the …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR The latest figures from the Department of Finance tell us something we have heard before. The State is still taking in huge amounts of tax, but that does not necessarily mean the public finances are as strong as the headline numbers suggest. Tax receipts for the first seven months were …

As the threat to food security posed by climate change and war hits the headlines, what can be done to help protect Irish consumers from the rising price of the weekly shop? The answer to preventing cost-of-living shocks for fresh foods could lie at home, helped by a change in policy. Our food production is …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Out walking the other day, I spotted a local man I know by sight. Just before Covid on December 27, 2019, having drunk 15 pints throughout St Stephen’s night, this man knocked down a younger man walking home from celebrations. He was jailed for five-and-a-half years. In …

By John Fitzgerald A three-hour feast of storytelling, verse, and historical reminiscence will unfold at Fennelly’s of Callan on August 15th. Historian Philip Lynch will join Joe Kennedy of Callan Heritage and other luminaries to present talks, recite poetry, tell folk tales, and display a collection of vintage local maps. An extensive question and answer …

BY CLAIR WHITTY There’s something special about summer self-care when it’s simple, natural and feels good for both your skin and your wellbeing. We’re delighted to welcome the new Weleda Hair & Body Mists to the Natural Health Store. It’s a gorgeous collection designed to refresh and uplift. They are made with 100% natural fragrances …

I often look at others and wonder what is going on in their lives, and the truth is that no matter how well we know another person, there are always hidden thoughts, emotions, memories and struggles that remain unseen. Human beings carry invisible worlds within them, and because of this, we can never fully know …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON How much tragedy does it take before action is taken to curb the harm done to victims? It took an outcry over the number of brain-injured children to look at stricter measures to be taken on e-scooters, but these have yet to be implemented. It took the death …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS A drought is generally defined as a prolonged period of abnormally dry weather that can lead to water shortages, crop damage, low river flows or depletion of soil moisture. In Ireland, droughts usually occur in spring and summer when a persistent high-pressure system results in such weather. …