BY CLAIR WHITTY Are you studying for exams and struggling to retain what you are learning? This is a common problem that many students experience. There may be several reasons why this is happening. Start with a healthy diet and include complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Include meat, fish and dairy if …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS The exceptionally high level of engagement in the national Primary School Survey, with more than 200,000 parents and guardians submitting responses, alongside strong participation from school staff and boards of management, surprised even Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton. This significant response marks an important step in ensuring …

Loneliness, social isolation and the war in the middle East. Everything is connected. We are all inter-dependent and I always think of Edward Norton Lorenz’s “Butterfly Effect” or Chaos Theory. A small action like a butterfly flapping its wings in one place can cause massive eruptions in another part of the world. If a butterfly …

By John Fitzgerald Looking over the Big Bridge in Callan today, you can admire the scenic beauty of the Moat, or the rolling green sward of the historic meadow. But you won’t see a single boat navigating the serene or choppy waters of the King’s River. How different from the scene that would have greeted …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Last week we all woke up to near-empty petrol pumps and businesses on the brink. What began as scattered complaints on social media after the Easter bank holiday exploded into a full-blown national crisis. Fuel depots were blockaded, along with the country’s only oil refinery at Whitegate in Cork. For …

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran And so the list goes on… That illustrious sporting list, the list (and this is just a sample) that goes: where were you when Packie saved and David O’Leary scored? Where were you when Katie won Gold? When Kelly won Gold twice? And now: where were you when Rory won back-to-back …