“It is a privilege to age….” Phrases like these may make you want to scream. It is not easy being positive about ageing in the face of all that modern society hurls at us over-50s when everything about ageing for women is negative: We are not fertile, not deemed attractive […]
Columnists
by Louise O’Dwyer A natural beauty, exuding calmness, confidence, and a quiet dignity, Fiona Carson grew up on the family farm about four kilometres west of Schull, where she lives today after converting the ruins of an old building where she played as a child into her home. Fiona speaks proudly […]
Cosmeticorexia is an emerging psychological pattern defined by an intense and persistent preoccupation with physical appearance, often driven by unrealistic beauty standards and amplified by constant exposure to curated digital imagery. While interest in appearance and self-care is a natural part of human behaviour, cosmeticorexia moves beyond this into a […]
Globe artichoke, ‘Cynara scolymus’, is a classic bitter herb, as well as a delicious food. The leaves are the part most frequently used medicinally for lipid control, of which the key types are triglycerides (fats/oils), phospholipids, and sterols (cholesterol). It is also used for liver-bile support and digestion. The immature […]






