Clik here to view.
Society | Inside Kosovo ‘A glimpse at Europe’s youngest country eager to...
It was bridging the 40 degree mark as we hitch-hiked along the Albania-Kosovo highway. Albania is hot in September, nearing the unbearable. At the end of the highway we get dropped off in the northern...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Society | Passivhaus: The house of the future?
There is growing concern among many about the rise in living costs. This probably explains the rising popularity of the “Passivhaus”, a home which basically generates and retains its own heating. For...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | The Art of Public Surveillance
During the week I needed to drive back to Dingle. It was a beautiful morning, just a hint of winter but yet with the sun shining and the sky a light blue. It’s a journey I do regularly, a truly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | The Daily Vigil
Driving through town the other day I noticed a big, hand-painted sign tied to the railings of a church near a busy intersection. The sign was announcing a weekly vigil beginning that Saturday and for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | The Beard Trim
Last weekend I went to get my beard trimmed. It’s something I treat myself to every couple of months or so. There is a barber just up the road from me, a one man operation who only opened before the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beauty News | Sanctuary Spa closes its doors on 60,000 women per annum
Covent Garden, an area in London lusted after and admired for its creative and artistic ambience, is also the home to renowned ‘Sanctuary Spa’, a destination many celebs often commended and tipped to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Society | The forgotten children – Living on the edge in Siberia
We walk up a broad Lenin Prospect away from the city centre, towards a popular park where the city’s chess players congregate and compete. The outdoor board game is a setup I find unique across...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | A Different Kind of Friend
My late, wonderful mother-in-law used to talk a lot about her friends. Not her close friends, gathered over many years of being the warm, welcoming lady who loved to share a story or two. Those were...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | A Mother’s Experience
Yet again I was in a queue this week. This queuing seems to have become a part of life once more; we can’t ignore it, whether it’s a traffic jam or, as I was, in a line at the bank, hours of a life...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | The Prisoner
As I drove across town this week, I noticed a couple of prison vans outside the local Garda station. There is something upsetting about prison vans and their necessary function in our society. They...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | The Basement Cafe at Temple Street
For about a year now we’ve been making a monthly trip to Temple Street hospital, in fact we’ve done it twice this month. It’s not the worst trip for us to make and so far the results have made it all...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Society | One man’s view on the Irish language
“I studied Irish for the first two years of secondary school but then dropped it in favour of French. I enjoyed Irish but at the time, French had a much stronger appeal – it offered sunnier climes and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | Staring at the Forecourt
Last weekend I had to take my daughter and friends Christmas shopping in Cork city. When I say had to, coercion didn’t come into it; I actually like driving the girls about, listening to them laugh...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | Christmas Past
The thing I love about Christmas is the genuine excuse to do nothing. However by the 27th I hadn’t been outside the front door since lunchtime on the day before Christmas Eve, over four days. It was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | Back To Normal
Today the sun is shining, the mountains are snow-capped and there’s a feeling that it’s all behind us. All back to normal. Christmas has gone and the novelty of the New Year has worn off. This morning...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | Walking Across Town
On Tuesday morning I was walking across town. Just an ordinary day in an ordinary Irish town in the first full week of a New Year. Nothing exciting to be seen or heard, though the oddest thing can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | The Wrapping Paper Lady Story
During the week I was in my local Eason’s, browsing the magazines when I remembered a booklet my daughter had spoken about. The title was something along the lines of ‘Less Stress, More Test,’ a sort...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the Ordinary | Passengers on a Train
This week I had to take a couple of trips on the train, both times to Dublin. On Tuesday I caught the 7am and on Friday the 5.55am. It wasn’t a struggle to get either train; I presumed it would be but...
View Article
