Opinion

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Our seasons are a vagary unto themselves, our reaction to their sudden, often unannounced change even more vagarious: when it’s hot, like of late, it’s “too hot”, and when it rains and the winds come, our reaction is: “Sure it’s a grand country altogether, if only we …

BY CLAIR WHITTY Procydin the new kid on the block. Well, it is new to us here at Natural Health Store but it has been a popular supplement in South Africa for many years. I have to admit that when I saw it coming in, my first thought was, another new supplement! My second was, …

Kilmoganny ( Cill Mocheana) is a place rooted in history. That it is a beautiful place to visit is a bonus. St Mocheana’s church was attached to Kells priory of Kells at an early date. It was dedicated to St Eoghan and the present RC  church is dedicated to this saint also. A Protestant church …

By John Fitzgerald Continuing the story of the days when religion ruled in Callan and Fr. Bob (not his real name) patrolled the district with a blackthorn stick in search of courting couples in the ditches. You can read the previous parts on the Observer website. When the Missioners came to town, they put the …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton How much attention do you really give to your incredible five senses? Your sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch? Sight enables our eyes to detect light and interpret it as images, shapes, colours and distance. Hearing enables our ears to detect air vibrations, allowing us to perceive different …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR If you’re one of the many households with savings parked in an easy-access account, the past decade has taken a quiet but heavy toll. Over that time, the average demand-deposit account has lost more than 21% of its purchasing power to inflation. That’s not a line on a graph. It’s …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON It would put the heart across you is a pretty graphic saying. Racing heartbeat, breath holding and a prickle of alarm about danger are some of the things that describe it. I had the heart put across me the other day as three young lads careered up the …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS With the on/off heatwave this summer, if you think this is as good as it gets, think again. New research shows that Ireland could reach peak temperatures of up to 45C (113F) within the next 30 years. Prolonged periods of heat above 40C would also bring about …

BY CLAIR WHITTY Sustainability is a word you hear a lot about, but what does it actually mean? Simply put, sustainable living is about making choices that meet our needs today without harming the environment for future generations. We can make small changes one step at a time, we can learn as we go. One …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Brian Redmond was on KCLR Radio recently interviewing a guest about possible laws to decriminalise some recreational drugs in Ireland. The guest had much personal and professional insight into the issue and spoke about the easy availability of drugs across the country. He argued that society needs to …