CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton I have visited many big cities in the world. Polluted, overpopulated, frenzied, noisy, crazy places where everything is 24-hour flashing lights and whatever your over-stimulated brain wants is just a phone-tap away. I couldn’t wait to get the hell out and return to some modicum of sanity; always …

By John Fitzgerald (Part two) (Continuing the story of Billy Boland of Glenmore, who himself had a thousand stories to tell. Part One from last week can be read on the Observer website) On a memorable day in his youth Billy helped to convey milk to the creamery for a neighbour who had fallen ill, but the …

BY CLAIR WHITTY When we think of diarrhoea, we might think of it more in relation to illness or to food poisoning, but most of my experience has been talking to customers at the shop where it is related to the food we eat. Many of you will have been to your GP and maybe …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton All the spirits, good and evil, fairy and pixie, witch and wizard, on this night will sure be stirring!” Cultures around the world honour their ancestors and the dead, and Ireland’s distinctive traditions have spread worldwide. Before the Catholic Church, Celts and ancient Britons celebrated Samhain to mark …

By John Fitzgerald (Part One) There was a time when every town, village, and stretch of road in Ireland had a character that enlivened the district around him or her. Billy Boland of Glenmore was one such individual. He was known and loved across the length and breadth of South Kilkenny, and in neighbouring counties …

BY CLAIR WHITTY This is a common complaint from many of you and I hear you, you are not alone. Depending on your age and your lifestyle the answer will be different. But the basic advice will remain the same for most people. A healthy balanced diet, good quality and quantity of sleep, managing stress, …