Dandelion is one of the first herbs to flower in southwest Ireland. Blooming from February onwards, the flowers are a very valuable source of nectar for bees. Belonging to the Asteraceae family and in Irish is called ‘caisearbhán’, the dandelion derives its English name from the French, ‘dents de lion’ […]
Columnists
It’s like there is a switch in the middle of January which kicks everything into action again. Those few more minutes of extra daylight give out a message that even our geriatric chickens respond to. Suddenly we have eggs and all the green things in the garden perk up. We […]
There’s some good news on farm this month with a clear TB test this time out. There will be another test required 60 days from the latest one and if that is clear then restrictions on the herd will be lifted. The weather has been excellent too and, I hate […]
Far from being the expensive dish we know it as today, in the 17th century lobster was viewed as a disgusting, shameful food, only to be consumed by the poorest of the poor. Shane Daly shares the history behind this contemptible reputation. In a previous article titled ‘Caribbean Credit Union’, […]
Have you ever pondered, whether there is a point on the human evolutionary ladder, that will be our absolute zenith? If there is a peak in our evolution, then what follows must be a crash. For 2.5 million years, our ancestor’s progression had been miniscule. Yet in the last 500 […]
Cattle have been domesticated in Ireland since the fourth millennium B.C. They were of paramount importance in Irish society, which is reflected in medieval stories concerning cattle and cattle raiding. The celebrated brown bull of Ulster lies at the heart of the tale of the ‘Táin Bó Cuailgne’, which led […]