by Melissa Byrne & Gillian Hegarty

One of the tastes of summer is most definitely that of a fresh strawberry, eaten in the (hopefully!) West Cork sunshine. In West Cork, we are so lucky to have Union Hall and Bushby’s strawberries on our doorstep. What makes our local strawberries special is not just our rich West Cork soil, but the way they are grown. Instead of using harmful pesticides to manage pests that might damage the crop, Bushby’s uses other beneficial insects in a preventative role. This means what ends up on your plate is as clean and natural as it gets. Hotels, restaurants and food lovers across West Cork all make local strawberries their preferred choice, for that exact reason. And if you’ve ever tried them, you’ll know what we mean. 

Strawberries are packed with Vitamin C, so one small bowl gives you more than your daily dose. They are also full of fibre, which is great for your gut, and they have natural sugars that give you energy.

This summer, keep an eye out for the Alpine strawberry, a tiny wild strawberry, which you might know as sú talún fiáin in Irish. It grows in hedgerows, along woodland edges and on grassy banks .These are much smaller than the ones you buy, but the flavour is intense and sweet in a way that is hard to describe until you have tried one. Top tip: you might find some near the playground in Dunmanway! Wild strawberries are perennial, meaning they come back every year in the same spot once established.  

Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow at home: in a garden bed, a pot on a windowsill, or even a hanging basket. They like sunshine and well-drained soil. Plant them in spring and you could be picking your own by June or July. Once the plant finishes fruiting, it sends out runners, which are long thin stems with a baby plant at the end. You can pot those up and they will grow. So one plant can become many.

Strawberry frozen yoghurt pops

We have a tasty – and healthy – recipe for you! These frozen strawberry pops are brilliant on a warm day and they could not be simpler to make. You will need ice lolly moulds, which you can find in most supermarkets or hardware shops.

You will need:

•  250g strawberries

• 120g natural yoghurt

• 1 tablespoon of honey

There are two ways to make these: You can either just blitz the strawberries in a blender and freeze in moulds – these are delicious on their own, and great for teething babies, too.

Or, combine with the ingredients above. If you don’t have fresh strawberries, frozen is fine! Mix in the yoghurt and honey and stir until combined. Pour into your lolly moulds, insert the sticks, and freeze for at least four hours, or overnight. To release, run the outside of the mould briefly under warm water.

Tips: Strawberries freeze beautifully on their own too. Take out the stems, and freeze in a bag. Frozen strawberries are perfect for smoothies, porridge toppings, or blitzing into a quick sauce for pancakes.

Fruit skewers with chocolate dip

Thread chunks of strawberry, banana, apple, and whatever fruit you have, onto wooden skewers. For a dip, melt a bar of good dark or milk chocolate in a bowl set over hot water, stirring gently until smooth. Dip and eat immediately.  

Chocolate-covered strawberries

Wash and dry a punnet of strawberries and set aside. Line a baking tray. Melt good quality dark chocolate (we like 70pc cocoa). Dip strawberries into it and lay out on a baking tray to harden. Pop in the fridge or freezer and enjoy once chocolate has set.

Did you know?

Unlike most fruits, the seeds of the strawberry are on the outside. If you’ve ever bought a packet of strawberry seeds, you’ll know that they are tiny: those tiny yellow specks you see on the skin. A strawberry is not actually a berry at all, in the botanical sense. Bananas and avocados are true berries. The strawberry, meanwhile, belongs to the rose family, which perhaps explains why it smells so good.

We love the surprises Irish holds: ‘sú’ is from Old Irish, meaning juice or berry, and ‘talún’, comes from ‘talamh’, meaning earth or ground. So strawberry means ‘berry of the ground’ or ‘ground berry’.

Fun Facts

• The average strawberry has around 200 seeds.

• Strawberries were used in medieval times to treat everything from fevers to sore throats.

• The world’s heaviest strawberry on record weighed 289g, roughly the same as a small tin of beans.

• In Japan, strawberries are so precious that a single perfect fruit can sell for several euros.

Follow us for more news about our cooking and gardening workshops in West Cork schools: Instagram: @kidsfoodrevolution. Newsletter: kidsfoodrevolution.substack.com. Website: www.kidsfoodrevolution.com.

I was recently shown a photograph of something from a local beach that I hadn’t noticed before. It resembled a giant honeycomb growing over a mussel-covered rock. The thing was a colony of Sabellaria alveolata, the honeycomb worm. The individual worms are only about four centimetres long, but each builds a tube made of sand grains and tiny pieces of broken shell, all stuck together with mucus, which is attached to neighbouring tubes, forming an extensive colony that looks like something a bee or wasp might have made. At low tide, the worm hides inside the tube, but when the tide comes in, it extends its tentacles to catch microscopic food particles. Most Sabellaria reefs are found between tide marks, although the largest one in Ireland, the Wicklow reef, is sub-tidal.

The word ‘worm’ doesn’t apply precisely to any one group of animals. Some creatures are called worms that are not worms at all – I wrote before about the shipworm, which is a bivalve mollusc. A woodworm is a beetle, so is a glow-worm; an inch-worm is a type of caterpillar, a slow worm is a legless lizard. Several other unrelated creatures, most known only to zoologists, are called worms too, such as arrow worms, acorn worms, bootlace worms and tongue worms.  

The worms that ordinary people are most likely to encounter belong to the phyla Platyhelminthes, Nematoda and Annelida. The platyhelminths are the flatworms, tapeworms and flukes. Flatworms are mostly free-living. Some are brightly coloured sea creatures; others are invasive garden pests such as the Australian and New Zealand varieties. Tapeworms resemble very long strands of tagliatelle, made up of dozens of units that are actually bags of eggs. They are all parasitic, living in the digestive systems of many vertebrates from fish to pigs, and humans too if you don’t cook your meat adequately. Flukes are also parasitic; the best known in Ireland is the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, which infects sheep and cattle. The serious tropical disease, bilharzia, is caused by a fluke called Schistosoma.

The most abundant worms are the nematodes or round worms. There are many thousands of species, mostly microscopic, living in every known ecosystem from the Arctic to the ocean floor; in some soils, there might be a million nematodes per square metre. Many roundworms are parasites; those of the family Anisakidae are common in fish; eating raw fish can lead to anisakiasis which, not surprisingly, is common in Japan. In the tropics, other nematodes cause more horrible afflictions, such as elephantiasis and river blindness. 

The annelids are segmented worms; their bodies are divided into many sections, each with copies of all the important organs. There are three classes of annelids: Oligochaeta, the earthworms; Hirudinea, the leeches; and Polychaeta, the marine worms.

There are about 10,000 species of oligochaetes, most living in soil, some in freshwater. Common earthworms, Lumbricus terrestris, are vital to soil quality, because their burrowing carries nutrients such as leaf litter, as well as air and water, from the surface down into the soil; Charles Darwin’s last book was on that subject. The worms that live in your compost bins – you all have compost bins of course – are brandlings, Eisenia fetida.

The longest earthworm in Europe is Lumbricus badensis from the German Black Forest, which grows to 60 centimetres, but the real monsters belong to the family Megascolecidae, e.g. the giant Gippsland earthworm from Australia, which can reach two metres.

Leeches are similar to oligochaetes, except that they have a sucker at both ends, used for locomotion (they move in the same manner as inch worms) or for attachment to a host. There are over 600 species, three-quarters of which are blood-suckers, the rest free-living predators. Fishermen might be familiar with a large leech called Pontobdella muricata, which lives on skates and rays. The medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, has been used for centuries for the spurious cure-all of ‘blood-letting’. Today, doctors use them to reduce swelling and restore circulation after microsurgery, and also to treat varicose veins. When I was doing a frog survey in Malawi, I spent most evenings wading around at the edge of a small lake, and when I got back to my hut and took off my boots, there were often leeches inside, sucking away at my blood.

The last group of annelids are the polychaetes. There are also about 10,000 species, divided into two sub-classes: Sedentaria and Errantia. The lugworm is one of the former. It leads a dull life in a U-shaped burrow in muddy sand, above which, as every shore angler knows, is the cast – that coil of sand that has passed through its digestive system. Other sedentary polychaetes live in tubes made out of mucus and sand or fragments of shell, e.g. the peacock worm and the sand mason worm, both common on the lower shore. The honeycomb worm belongs to this group.

Some sedentary worms make calcareous tubes: Spirorbis, whose tube is coiled like a tiny snail shell, lives attached to rocks and seaweed; Pomatoceros, which makes long, white wiggly tubes, is  often seen on rocks, shells and fishermen’s buoys.

Many tube worms have feathery, fan-like tentacles that can resemble beautiful flowers. The Christmas tree worm, Spirobranchus giganteus, found in tropical seas, has two fans made of several whorls, each looking like an artificial Christmas tree. 

The Errantia contains active, predatory worms. Ragworms, also used as bait by anglers, have “parapodia” or false legs growing out from each segment, with which they crawl or swim. Unlike lugworms, they have tentacles, eyes and, in some species, big sharp jaws. The sea mouse, Aphrodita aculeata, which you might find at extreme low tide, looks more like a drowned mouse than a worm, being short, fat and hairy, but its bristles shine in gorgeous iridescent greens and purples. Another group, the gossamer worms, are specialised for life in the plankton, where they paddle about emitting a yellow bioluminescence at night.

Most annelids are harmless, though there are exceptions. The Mongolian Death worm from the Gobi Desert can kill humans by squirting a deadly poison; just touching this worm is fatal. Fortunately it only exists in the minds of cryptozoologists. But fireworms, found on tropical coral reefs, have bristles which contain a toxin that can cause pain, irritation and nausea. The larger errant polychaetes can give you a nasty bite. One species is especially scary –  the trap-jaw worm. This creature, which can grow to nearly three metres in length, spends its time buried in the sand around Indo-Pacific coral reefs. When it senses a fish nearby, it lunges up out of its burrow, and its huge open jaws snap shut on the surprised fish, which is then dragged down into the sand. A reef fish called Scolopsis affinis has learned how to retaliate by squirting jets of water at the worms.

Zoologists are forever changing the classifications that I learned years ago. Beard worms, for example, once in their own phylum, Pogonophora, are now classified as annelids. The best known of these is Riftia pachyptila, a giant tube worm that can also grow to three metres. It lives around hydrothermal vents deep in the Pacific, part of a community of animals adapted to darkness and temperatures as high as 380 degrees Celsius. Also now placed among the annelids are the sipunculids. I was once very pleased to be able to identify a plateful of these unimpressive worms in a restaurant in Xiamen, China, where they are a local delicacy. They came in a sort of jelly, and like so many odd things the Chinese eat, tasted only of soy sauce, garlic and ginger.

The Chinese are not the only ones who eat worms. The palolo worm, similar to a ragworm, is very important in the South Pacific. Cork-born writer and artist Robert Gibbings, in his book ‘Over the Reefs’, described their capture in Samoa. On just a few nights in October or November, when the moon is in its last quarter, the palolo rise to the surface in great writhing masses and release their reproductive segments, which are the edible bits. They apparently taste better than oysters but smell like the reef at low tide.

To the average person, worms are disgusting, squirmy things, and parasitic worms are so unpleasant that anyone without an understanding of natural selection must surely wonder why they exist at all. Sir David Attenborough (who is 100 years old this month) uses the nematode that causes river blindness to explain his agnosticism – how can a merciful god have created a worm which lives only by burrowing into a child’s eyeball?

But the majority of worms are unobtrusive, some are quite beautiful, and many are important environmental engineers; even the nasty ones have ingenious life-cycles. We should be fascinated by worms, not be disgusted by them.

A dry backend to 2024 and the lovely Spring of 2025 allowed stock on most farms to graze from March onward up to late Autumn before any weather upset to what was a lovely farming year. 

Unfortunately, Spring 2026 has not been so kind: While weather has started to improve at last, work is well behind time. Heavy rainfall and wet soil conditions have delayed the planting of tillage crops, potatoes and grass reseeding; and the on-off grazing of livestock has resulted in the ground getting poached with the addition of fertiliser going out late likely to delay silage cutting. 

No year is ever the same but farmers sometimes forget that the Springs of 2023 and 2024 were nearly just as bad as this Spring. Three of the last four springs have had elevated levels of rainfall from January to April. Is it perhaps time for beef farmers to reflect and accept that this may happen more often in the future? Beef farmers will always aim to get stock out if a spring allows, but oftentimes they are left with their hands hanging after a series of rain deluges when their stock should already be out in the fields. Those blessed to have drier, free-draining soils don’t have as much of an issue but the farmers on heavier soils have not been able to take advantage of the odd dry day, as it can take anything from four to seven days for those soils to drain. 

Teagasc Beef specialists have suggested that heavier soil farms and more typical beef farms should try to prioritise some farm management decisions in 2026 to help mitigate against these weather effects, which are more common than not.

This spring, beef farmers with six months of slurry storage spent less time worrying about slurry appearing up through the slats and trying to find dry ground to spread. Investment is worth it if it is a pressure that is happening annually. A new slatted tank may not end up costing as much as anticipated. There are grants of up to 60 per cent available subject to DAFM terms and conditions, with a two-year tax write-off for farmers in the high tax bracket. 

Similarly, suckler herds that depend on straw-bedded housing had little or no livestock turned out by mid-April. Investing in adequate lie-back areas and calving pens is therefore worthwhile, as it can help reduce veterinary costs when issues like calf scours or pneumonia arise.

Silage quality is always important, but if wetter years become more common, prioritising the harvest of high-quality leafy grass in mid-May – followed by strong second cuts – becomes even more critical. Silage cut in early to mid-June is generally suitable for dry cows up to calving. However, after calving, silage should exceed 70 per cent Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD) and have a high protein content to prevent loss of body condition before the breeding season. High-quality silage is equally important for weanlings and finishing cattle, with a target of around 75 per cent DMD being even more beneficial.

To produce high-quality grass, farmers need to understand their soil fertility and maintain a strong proportion of perennial ryegrass, which can efficiently use nutrients from fertiliser to maximise growth. It’s also worth remembering what happened in 2022, when rising fertiliser prices led many farmers to cut back on fertiliser. The result was lighter crops, poorer-quality silage, and a negative impact on soil fertility.

Improving soil fertility through reseeding is another investment that can deliver strong returns for the farm business. One of the most cost-effective ways to boost soil health is by correcting acidity with lime, which helps unlock key nutrients and supports grass growth. Lime is a cornerstone of soil fertility and was widely used by previous generations of farmers, long before modern fertilisers – but somewhere along the line farmers stopped using it!

If we have finally turned the corner with the weather, this could be great opportunity to reseed old and poor-quality fields. Over the past three years there has been good results coming from farms that have reseeded silage ground with red clover swards. 

Identifying what is putting pressure on the farm system this spring and taking measures against it now will help mitigate against the stress of what will happen if mother nature decides to repeat the heavy rainfall next year!

Talking about a repeat of last year, calf prices were high again this spring, with dairy farmers scratching their heads wondering how beef farmers can make a margin with the price of calves being sold at the mart. 

According to Teagasc beef specialist David Argue, it is important for farmers to complete a budget now to understand their total cost of production. On Teagasc’s Beef podcast, he gave an example of an Angus or Hereford calf bought in February costing €460 plus the input costs, killing out at two-years-old, with Teagasc approximating costs to equal €1400, coming to a breakeven price of €1860. 

An expected target of 310/312 kg carcase weight divided into €1860, means a farmer would need to make approximately €5.98 a kilo to just cover the costs of the system. So, for a farmer to earn a €100 margin on the carcase, 32c per kilo would be required on top of the €5.98. 

Assuming a calf has had a good healthy start to life, calves that have a higher CBV value and good genetics, will return value.

We would need a crystal ball to know what way prices will go but what is known is that input prices for 2026 are already going up. Nitrogen fertiliser is up €200/250 per tonne with meal and contractor prices looking likely to go up as well. Getting grassland and animal health right to reduce costs should be a priority. Aim to graze correct covers and take out strong paddocks to maximise daily weight gain and monitor animal performance throughout the year. 

A date for your diary: The BEEF2026 open day takes place on Wednesday, July 1 at Teagasc Grange, Dunsany County Meath. It will showcase systems and technological advances that can be utilised by cattle farmers to increase production and drive income in a sustainable way.

And rightly so: unless you are fortunate enough to be a cash buyer, getting AIP’d by a mortgage lender is a crucial step on the road to home ownership, and one that should be celebrated. However, it is only that – a step! – and to be frank, perhaps the most important words in the term Approval in Principle are the last two: ‘in principle’. 

Indeed, while it sounds very official, and looks quite fancy when printed neatly on the bank’s headed paper, the AIP does not actually commit the potential lender to anything, nor does it mean that the prospective borrower can suddenly relax and start spending without a care in the world, or stop that carefully-planned savings regime, which has been in place for the last six months. All the AIP really means is that a bank has looked at an applicant’s income and savings at a specific point in time, and agreed that for a particular period (typically six months or a year, depending on the lender) they would in theory … all else being equal … but only if nothing significant changes, and the cost of living stays broadly the same … and the house being purchased is up to their standards, be willing to consider lending the money required to buy it. 

This last qualification is an important one and emphasises that the mortgage assessments conducted by banks have two main targets: the applicants themselves and the property they are hoping to purchase. Bank of Ireland, for example, may think that recent applicant John, with his strong income, consistent savings, and absence of short-term debt, is the ideal candidate for a mortgage, but if he returns two months post-approval, having gone sale agreed on a ‘doer-upper’ which sits in an area prone to flooding and on land whose boundary is disputed by neighbours, his AIP won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on. Bank of Ireland, along with any other Irish mortgage lender, will be incredibly wary of this house because if they ever need to repossess it, they themselves won’t be able to easily sell it on and thus get their money back. Getting paid is ultimately what matters to the banks, understandably enough. 

What an AIP ‘will’ do, however, is allow recipients to go house hunting, meaning they can view homes in their preferred area, engage with estate agents, and crucially place bids. Should they then go sale agreed on a house that the bank approves of (a valuer will be sent by the bank to assess the property), and no significant changes to the applicant’s circumstances have occurred (such as a marriage, the birth of a child, a promotion or demotion at work, or a change of employment altogether), they will be well placed to receive a Loan Offer from the bank, which is a much more meaningful document than the AIP. Also known as a Letter of Offer, this is a formal, legally binding document from a lender outlining all the mortgage’s important details, such as the term-length and interest rate, and it will also list the requirements/conditions which need to be met in order to eventually draw down the funds. 

While Loan Offers do sometimes include ‘special conditions’ specific to more complicated cases, many of them will simply include the requirements typical for any mortgage, such as the need to have both home and life insurance in place for the term of the loan. Of course, even this standard small print can sometimes cause issues, namely when people belatedly discover they cannot get either home or life insurance for one reason or another. Both scenarios can be very difficult for prospective borrowers to navigate, and banks are rarely, ‘if ever’, willing to waive this condition or compromise on it. The house insurance, for example, really needs to have all the main perils — fire, flood, subsidence — covered to satisfy the bank, and there are parts of West Cork and the wider county where both flooding and subsidence have caused issues in the past. Subsidence, where there is movement of a building’s foundation caused by the loss of support from the soil beneath it, tends to be more of an issue in Cork City, but flooding has historically occurred in West Cork towns such as Skibbereen and Bandon, so if house hunting in these areas it’s worth asking yourself “will I be able to insure this home to the bank’s satisfaction?” Getting ahead of potential pitfalls like this can prevent heartbreak down the line and ease the drawdown process for all involved. 

Issues with life insurance (known in broker-speak as ‘mortgage protection’) can be even harder to navigate. Once upon a time, banks were sometimes willing, in certain cases, to waive the requirement for life cover, but since the 2008 financial crisis they have become much stricter about this, as they have about many other things. Essentially, if your income is being used as part of the mortgage assessment, either as a single or joint applicant, you will ‘need’ to have life cover in place to draw down the funds, without exception. The policy will be legally assigned to the bank, meaning they essentially own a policy on your life, and this is designed to protect the lender should a mortgage holder pass away or become unable to work during the term of the mortgage. 

In sum, if you are hoping to apply for a mortgage at any point in the future but also have reason to believe you may struggle to get life cover, perhaps due to an ongoing medical condition, it is worth investigating your options now, even prior to getting AIP’d. This can be done in numerous ways, but one is to speak with a life insurance expert at somewhere like Moneytree Finance – (We don’t just do mortgages you know!)  — who will be advise you on the best way forward. 

If you are a potential mortgage borrower and you have questions about any of the topics discussed above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Moneytree Finance today.  

Why is it inevitable? Simply put – what makes an empire, breaks it. An empire is built on the manipulation, suppression and exploitation of other peoples. It is only a matter of time – it could be decades, even millennia – before the suppressed will no longer put up with those injustices. From that friction, come the sparks that will burn red; the hot passions of resistance.

The Irish road for independence took many forms over eight centuries: diplomacy, politics, boycotts, monster meetings, economic wars, and outright rebellions. The War of Independence was all the more remarkable given the size of the opponent that the Irish had to overcome and lack of resources they had at their disposal. It was a David versus Goliath tussle. We must be careful not to underestimate just how inspiring that victory was for so many countries, who themselves were under the yoke of foreign rule. India is often cited as an example of one such country who took their inspiration from the Irish. Sir Henry Wilson, British general, imperialist and chief tormentor of the Irish rebels during the War of Independence, declared, ‘If we lose Ireland, we lose India’. How prophetic those words were. A prominent Indian nationalist, called V.J. Patel travelled to Ireland four times throughout the 1920s and 1930s, as he was a keen follower of the Irish independence movement. Not only that, he also formed part of an Ireland-Indian independence league who met in Dublin in 1932 and with De Valera. One British diplomat observed that ‘the Congress Party (the main Indian Party during British rule) are largely founding themselves on the methods by which the Irish Free State secured practical independence of Great Britain’. This type of relationship continued with the official visit of another Indian nationalist, Subhas Chandra Bose, who sought to learn from Ireland the methods to break the chains of their imperialist jailers. 

However, what is lesser known is the story of Pedro Albizu Campos, another revolutionary influenced by the daring resistance of the Irish. This Puerto Rican fought one of the mightiest empires of all – the United States of America. He met Eamonn De Valera and both influenced each other. Yet there was no fairytale ending for Campos, and Puerto Rico today is as far away from Independence as it ever has been, partly down to systematic years of making it too reliant on the USA, as well as the erosion of its identity and development of economic dependency. It’s part of the imperialistic playbook. Ireland itself was on a similar course to be subsumed as a province of the UK until the formation of the Gaelic League, the GAA and the significant development of the Irish Parliamentary Party, all in and around the 1870s and 1880s. The zenith of British colonial rule had been reached – the Irish language was on its knees. Education of the masses was conducted through English. Cricket (I kid you not), was the most popular sport in Ireland. Local governance was in the hands of the aristocratic unionists, while national politics was firmly ensconced in Westminster, in London.

Today Puerto Rico feels and smells like a piece of America: big cars, ubiquitous American chain stores, the American dollar. Baseball is their number one sport. (brought in by the Americas after occupation in 1898).  It has territory status, and thus is not a State. The US district courts operate in English though the primary language spoken by most residents at home is Spanish. The people have been given American citizenship since 1917, yet strangely they can’t vote in the Presidential elections or even be represented in Congress, yet are subject to their laws. Puerto Ricans don’t pay federal income tax, but neither do they benefit from federal funding in key areas such as Medicare or food stamps. The country’s largest party is the pro-American statehood status PNP (Partido Nuevo Progresista) whose candidate for governor won with over 50 per cent of the vote against an alliance party that includes the sovereign seeking, Independent Party PIP (Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño) on about 30 per cent. Is Puerto Rico past its moment in history where independence no longer matters? Or, is it at that point of its journey that Ireland faced in the 1870s/80s from where it sought to break from its Britishness or remain pacified and tamed.

Most Puerto Ricans like the idea of being able to work and travel in the USA and the separatist question is not an issue – depending on who you speak with. A younger generation are beginning to look into their past and connect to their Taino indigenous ancestors, though the language they spoke, sadly has become extinct. They are the generation similar to many people in Ireland who struggle to get on the housing market, made even harder by it becoming a holiday destination for wealthy mainland Americans who can benefit from ‘ACT 60’. This is a tax break on investment income, which is great for investors and people with excess money, but it means young people on local wages cannot compete and are driven out of the market. Now I know Ireland has faced its own housing problem, but without representation in Congress, how can the average Puerto Rican make their voice heard in the American Congress, which after all can overrule any laws made at a local level by the island’s parties? The aforementioned Alliance party [with the PIP] have at least made some groan in getting investors to legally invest more in local employment. 

Never has the need to know one’s history been so important, and perhaps the strongest indication of Puerto Rico becoming just another State was brought sharply into focus by a chance meeting I had with an 83-year-old Puerto Rican man. Sometimes it sounds cliché to say can we really know who we are if we don’t know our past? After striking up a convivial conversation, I was hungry to delve into the island’s past. I asked him what he thought of the ‘Ponce Massacre’ of 1937 where sixteen men, one woman and one child, were shot dead, and 200 more wounded, by police acting on the orders of the Military Governor Colonel Winship, who was appointed to the role by president FD Roosevelt. He stared at me as if I had slapped him in the face. “What is the ‘Ponce Massacre’?” He beckoned his family over, and three generations of puzzled eyes wondered how an Irishman might know more than them.

The answer was found in a corner book store, on a narrow street in San Juan, after another conversation with a guide in the local museum. When I asked her why the museum has such little information about Puerto Rico modern history, she asked me if I had read ‘Guerra Contra Todos los Puertorriqueños: Revolución y Terror’? With some luck I found the English translation ‘War Against All Puerto Ricans Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony’. It was here I learned about The Ponce Massacre, Pedro Albizu Campos and Eamonn De Valera, the economic exploitation of the sugar croppers for American companies, the laws that banned Puerto Ricans from speaking Spanish or even possessing a Puerto Rican flag, the mass round-ups, the inhumane incarcerations, the torturing of prisoners and the destruction of any revolutionary fervour. Perhaps the most terrifying thing is that the Americans even buried the history so deep, that the desire for independence has been forgotten by generations. This deserves its own telling and I intend to bring it to life in next month’s issue To do it justice, it needs a deep delve, but I had to paint the context of this most astonishing history. Its author, by the way, is not some underground radical. Nelson A. Denis is a writer, editor, film maker and served as an elected assemblyman for New York in the state legislature. It’s a remarkable story made all the more remarkable that it was the Irish Revolution that inspired Alibizu Campos in his attempt to overthrow an empire.

Kinsale is preparing to mark a historic milestone on Saturday, May 23, as the community gathers at the Kinsale Campus for ‘A Thriving Future’, a mini-festival celebrating the 21st birthday of Transition Town Kinsale.

While now a global phenomenon with thousands of initiatives worldwide, the Transition movement traces its roots back to 2005 at this very campus. It was here that the first ‘Energy Descent Action Plan’ was authored, sparking a practical, community-led response to climate change that soon spread across the globe through the efforts of figures like Rob Hopkins.

The festival invites attendees to connect offline and explore the essential pillars of a resilient community such as local food systems, renewable energy, zero-waste living, and the restoration of nature.

The event promises a rich programme of experiences, from hands-on skill-sharing workshops to live music and local cuisine and brings together a distinguished group of visionaries who have shaped the sustainability landscape, led by Rob Hopkins, the co-founder of the Transition Network. Joining him is Mary Reynolds, the acclaimed “reformed” landscape designer and founder of ‘We Are The Ark’, a movement urging people to return their gardens to the wild.

The speaker line-up also features Thomas O’Connor, a regenerative farmer and community activist from Transition Kerry, and artist, filmmaker and environmental activist Lisa Fingleton. Local expertise will be represented by Donal Chambers, the Chairperson of Transition Town Kinsale and also a teacher of permaculture and horticulture in the Kinsale Campus, as well as specialist in renewable energy, agroforestry and rewilding, alongside Maria Young, a coordinator with Green Spaces for Health.

Whether you are a long-time sustainability advocate or simply curious about building a more resilient future, this unique celebration offers a welcoming space to learn and grow. Tickets are currently available on Eventbrite, and the community looks forward to sharing this landmark day in the birthplace of the Transition movement.

In keeping with the movement’s core values, this is a strictly zero-waste event, and organisers kindly ask all visitors to bring their own reusable cup, plate, and cutlery. 

John Coughlan reviews ‘The Greatest Show on Earth: The Inside Story of the Legendary 1970 World Cup’ by Andrew Downie.

The cover of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ by Andrew Downie shows Pelé with a raised fist, held in the arms of his teammate Jairzinho. It is one of the most iconic images in football, taken after Pelé scored the first of Brazil’s four goals against Italy in the final of the 1970 World Cup. 

That World Cup, hosted by Mexico, was the first to be televised in colour. It was also the first to feature red and yellow cards and to permit up to two substitutions which previously were only permitted in the case of injury. 

The Brazil team that won the final used none, with the same eleven players starting and finishing the 90 minutes.  

The 1970s with Pelé, Cruyff, and Beckenbauer, to name a few of the luminaries of the time, may well have been the heyday of football. I was not around for that World Cup in 1970 (I was born in the 80s), but it seems that for many who were, that competition was the very apogee of the sport. 

Andrew Downie is one such person. 

His book is an unusual one in many ways. It describes every single game in the 1970 World Cup. It was a tournament of memorable matches and moments, but some games – take for example the nil all between hosts Mexico and the USSR in the first game of the tournament – don’t necessarily warrant much description at all. 

The author adds descriptions here and there, helping the reader understand the context of each game. But for the most part, the action is described by the participants – players, coaches, hangers on. The accounts can’t have been given directly to the author, rather it seems he extracted them from other accounts – books, magazines, or whatever. 

The book is a real challenge to something I have come to realise when reading books about football – the football itself is rarely the most interesting part. But this book is all about the football, with little of the off-field colour that usually brings football books to life. 

But it does make for interesting reading, especially when the accounts of players from opposing teams contrast and contradict each other. In Brazil’s intense and dirty encounter with Uruguay in the semi-final, Pelé not only got away with an elbow on Uruguayan defender Dagoberto Fontes, he got a freekick himself for doing it. 

Downie quotes Fontes as saying Pelé caught him in the eye with a deliberate and very violent act. For his part, Pelé says he did it in self-defence, a kind of Minority Report situation, anticipating that he was about to be fouled, he lashed out, landing an elbow on Fontes for intending to foul The King. It seems the ref agreed with Pelé.

If you were to read this book in isolation, it might be a little on the dry side, but with Youtube allowing you to watch the matches being described by the participants, their accounts really do come alive. 

The television producers behind the broadcast of that World Cup seemed to have been so excited by the arrival of colour that they made the surprising choice of really – and I mean really – enhancing the colour. This is not the colour of the ordinary world, there is some pre-Instagram filter that really makes it pop. 

Brazil look beautiful in their luminous canary yellow. The pitches are greener than any grass I have ever walked on. Even England look swish in their all-white kit, a la Real Madrid. 

I found this book interesting because it gave me the opportunity to look at matches and moves, I wouldn’t have otherwise. I had seen Carlos Alberto’s goal in the final many times, but I hadn’t seen Tostao’s assist for Clodoaldo goal in the semis. It’s magic. I had seen Gordon Banks famous save from Pelé, but I hadn’t seen Felix, the Brazilian keeper, pull off an almost equally impressive save from a Franny Lee header in the same game. 

If you are interested in a deep dive into the most lauded of all the World Cups, the book is worthwhile, just make sure you have your phone to hand so you can watch the action in all its technicolour glory. 

John Coughlan co-hosts the Dynamo Football Bookclub, available wherever you get your pods.

Herbal Healing by Rosari Kingston

April is the month we become very busy in the garden and notice gaps in borders and beds that need to be filled in. ‘Leonurus cardiaca’, or motherwort, is one plant that will return year after year and is usually available at markets or garden centres. It belongs to the mint family, and it has square stems, pinkish flowers, and deeply cut leaves.

Motherwort is an old European medicinal herb that, not only deserves a place in the garden, but is also useful in the home pharmacy. The Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products of the European Medicine Agency approved its use in 2010 for the relief of symptoms of nervous tension and “symptoms of nervous cardiac complaints such as palpitations, after serious conditions have been excluded by a medical doctor”.

Norway disagreed with the latter point, so we must wait to see if the EMA will consider their dissent in this year’s review of Leonurus.

Many women find this herb helpful during menopause because it has traditionally been used to ease tension and heart palpitations.

It was used throughout Europe to treat menstrual and menopausal symptoms, such as anxiety, irritability, and cramps, as well as anxious palpitations, moderate cardiac problems, and “weakness of the heart”. By the 17th century, English herbalists were referring to it as a herb that “comforts the heart” and relieves childbirth pangs. 

Nicholas Culpeper wrote in 1652’s ‘Complete Herbal’ that motherwort is the best way to treat “melancholy vapours” that affect the heart, make people happy, and make the spirit stronger. He says, “There is no better herb to drive melancholy vapours from the heart, to strengthen it, and make a merry, cheerful, blithe soul.” He calls it “Mother’s Herb” because it “makes women joyful mothers of children and settles their wombs as they should be”. 

He suggests using it to ease painful periods, and he sees it as a herb that warms and dries.

Culpeper suggests using it as a syrup or preserve, which makes it a staple in the store cupboard.

Its reputation has a significant “mother” component. According to monastic and cottage herbalists, it helps with postpartum recuperation, painful or short periods, and the anxious nerves of overworked mothers. It was considered a guardian against “heartache”, both physical and emotional.

Using motherwort at home

A simple home tea can be made by infusing about 1-2 teaspoons of the dried aerial parts in a cup of boiling water for 10-15 minutes, taken up to three times a day for short periods such as a few days around a stressful event:

Some people feel like their heart is “thumping” or have palpitations when they are stressed, but only after a heart problem has been ruled out.

Tension during or before your period that is accompanied by worry, restlessness, and a tight feeling in your chest. 

General “frazzled” feelings, especially when worry is felt in the chest instead of as thoughts that are going fast.

European guidance usually limits self‑care use to a few weeks before taking a break. The taste is distinctly bitter and slightly aromatic, so many people combine it with gentler herbs such as lemon balm or lime blossom to make it more palatable.

As Leonurus is quite bitter, I think Culpeper’s syrup suggestion is excellent.  It is easy to make a simple herbal syrup for any herb, including Leonurus, as follows:

To create a herb syrup, combine equal parts of sugar and water (e.g., 1 cup each) in a saucepan, bring to a simmer, and stir until dissolved. Add one to two cups of fresh herbs, simmer for two to five minutes, then let it steep for 30–60 minutes before straining, cooling, and refrigerating for up to four weeks

You can also make a herbal syrup by making a strong decoction (boiled infusion) and sweetening it with honey. 

Ingredients: 30 grams dried (or 60 grams fresh) motherwort aerial parts, 450 ml water, 225 ml honey.

Decoct: Combine the herb and water in a non-reactive pot. Bring to a simmer over low heat.

Reduce: Cover partially and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half (down to roughly 1 cup).

Strain out the herbs through a fine mesh strainer and discard the plant matter.

Sweeten: While the liquid is still warm (but not over 110°F to protect the honey), stir in the honey until fully dissolved.

Bottle & Store: Let it cool, bottle in a clean container, and store in the refrigerator.

Shelf Life: Four to six weeks, or up to six months if one part brandy is added as a preservative.

Dosage: 1 tablespoon added to water or sparkling water once or twice daily. 

Some caution is needed when taking motherwort.

According to new research, motherwort is mostly safe when used in small amounts for short periods of time. However, there are some important things to keep in mind as to possible side effects if used for too long or at high doses.

It could cause digestive problems, like loose stools or slight stomach pain, especially when the dose is higher.

If you are sensitive or use it too much, it can make you dizzy or cause your blood pressure to drop. 

Skin sensitivity or dermatitis has been linked, but very rarely, to touching the plant or high intake of it as medicine.

Motherwort should be avoided or taken only as directed in the following instances:

Pregnancy: it may stimulate the uterus and is considered unsafe in pregnancy.

Breastfeeding: there is not enough safety data, so it may be unwise to take it.

You already know you have low blood pressure, a slow heart rate, or heart disease that you are being treated for.

Use  of blood thinners or anticoagulants (like warfarin) because they may make you more likely to bleed.

Use of sedatives, including benzodiazepines, as motherwort can theoretically add to their effect.

Kids Food Revolution by Niamh Cooper, Melissa Byrne & Gillian Hegarty

Did you know you can make real butter just by shaking a jam jar? You don’t need any fancy equipment, and you don’t need special ingredients. Just cream, a clean jam jar, and your best shaking skills. And once you’ve made your butter, you’ll have leftover buttermilk just waiting to go into a loaf of beautiful brown bread. These two recipes are made for each other, and together they make one of the most satisfying things you can eat: warm, fresh bread spread with butter you made yourself.

The Kids’ Food Revolution is a West Cork initiative working with schools to run cooking and gardening workshops. The children in Barryroe N.S. and the Gaelscoil Clonakilty had great fun recently, making their own butter, using paddles which were on loan from the butter museum!

Recipe 1:
Make Your Own Butter

Ingredients

• Heavy cream (double cream works best)

Method: Fill a clean jam jar one-third full with cream. Seal the lid tightly.

Take turns shaking the jar. First the cream will turn to whipped cream. Keep going!

Eventually a yellow lump (butter) will separate from the liquid (buttermilk).

Pour off the buttermilk and save it. You’ll need it for the brown bread.

Note: The buttermilk needs to sit for at least three days before it sours and you can use it.

Remove the butter from the jar and place it in a bowl of cold water.

Knead gently to remove as much of the buttermilk as possible. This helps the butter keep fresh for longer.

Add salt for flavour, and to help preserve your butter.

Roll into balls or shape into a rectangle and wrap in parchment paper.

Recipe 2:
Easy Peasy Brown Bread

Ingredients

• 225g / 8oz brown flour

• 225g / 8oz white flour

• 1 level tsp bread soda

• 1 level tsp salt

• 1 egg

• Buttermilk, to bring the wet mix to 500ml / <1 pint

• Seeds

• Oil, for the tin

Method: Preheat the oven to 230°C / 210°C fan. Oil a loaf tin.

Place the brown flour in a bowl. Sieve in the white flour, bread soda and salt. Stir well.

Crack the egg into a jug and whisk with a fork. Pour in enough buttermilk to bring the total to just under 1 pint / 500ml.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined. Be sure not to overwork it.

Pour into the prepared tin and scatter seeds on top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce to 200°C for a further 45 minutes.

Remove from the tin and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes.

Place on a wire rack and leave to cool fully before cutting.

Enjoy!

Did you know?

Brown bread has been a staple in Irish homes for generations.

At peak of milling, there were 7000 flour mills in operation across Ireland – and they were all water-powered.

There is only one industrial flour mill left in Ireland, in Portarlington. It’s run by Odlums.

Eating brown bread is so good for you, because brown flour is a slow release carbohydrate, which makes your energy last much longer. 

Brown bread uses bread soda / bicarbonate of soda, which reacts with the acidity in the buttermilk. All it needs then is heat to make it rise, resulting in a delicious loaf. 

You can add all sorts of things to your brown bread, such as seeds or dried fruit. Seeds add crunch, healthy fats and extra goodness. Dried fruit like raisins, dates or apricots are packed with iron, fibre and natural energy. Best of all, your kitchen will smell absolutely incredible while the bread bakes in the oven.

Here is something you might not know: At its peak in the 19th century, Cork was the largest exporter of butter in the world, bigger than any city in Europe or America. At the height of butter production in Ireland, 30 million pounds of butter were exported from Cork every year, travelling by ship to the West Indies, America, Brazil and Australia. In 1835 alone, one third of all butter exported from Ireland left through the Port of Cork. The Cork Butter Exchange, established in 1769, became the place where the global price for butter was set, a bit like a stock exchange. You can discover the whole story at the Cork Butter Museum – well worth a visit! www.thebuttermuseum.com

In the early 19th century copper mining was prevalent across West Cork with miners brought in from Cornwall in the early part of the century to supplement the workforce. While back then landowners owned the mineral rights below the surface of their land and no government licence was needed to mine copper, today a government licence issued by The Geoscience Regulation Office (GSRO) is needed to even prospect for minerals. At the end of 2025, a total of 18 Prospecting Licences (PLs) were issued in West Cork – to ‘Aurum Discovery Ltd’. These licenses each relate to a portion of land outlined and mapped in the GSRO document. While copper is one of the most useful metals in the push for clean energy, mining it can cause tremendous destruction of the environment, therefore Innovative solutions are needed and are being developed writes Fiona Hayes.

Copper increased in industrial importance in the 19th century with the invention of the electric battery in 1800 and electromagnets two-and-a-half decades later. Commercial telegraph introduced in 1837 further increased reliance on copper as a conductor and traditional telephone landlines continue to be made of copper wires today. Indeed, a single iPhone contains around 6gms of copper.

In West Cork, copper mining started in Allihies in 1813, Ballycumisk and Horse Island in 1814, then opened in Balllydehob, Cappagh, Gortavallig, Kilrohane, Bantry, Scart, Derryinagh, Dereenlomane, Mount Gabriel, Dunbeacon, Gortycloona and Skeagh. 

With ‘Aurum Discovery Ltd’  was granted a licence in 2025 to prospect in West Cork, it’s important to note that this doesn’t imply a licence to mine for minerals. Such a licence would require a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to support applications to the Local Authority for Planning Permission and to the Environmental Protection Agency for an Integrated Pollution Control or Industrial Emissions Licence. A period of time would then be allowed for statutory consultation with a wide range of Government bodies and public scrutiny of the EIS along with public comment.

There have been prospecting licences continuously covering these geographical areas for at least the past decade. Prior to Aurum being granted licence on these particular land blocks, they were held by ‘Adventous Exploration Limited’ (AEL), who engaged Aurum to manage exploration projects and provide technical expertise. In fact (AEL) held 100 per cent of the 114,000 hectares West Cork licence block. 

AEL have a Joint Venture Agreement with the Canadian-based mining company ‘First Quantum Minerals’ and have identified areas for secondary follow up prior to potential drill testing of targets and exploration of base metals. First Quantum Minerals specialise in copper mining. 

The areas of West Cork being considered occur along up-plunge folds of land between the Sheep’s Head and Glandore. The initial investigations have identified sediment-hosted copper and silver (Cu-Ag) deposits comparable to several other world-class sites. To determine whether these sites would yield a profitable level of mineral extraction, it is likely that further work, including some drilling, will need to be done. This will require landowner permission and Environmental Screening Assessment. 

The GSRO considered 48 submissions opposing the grant of these licences, however practically all the submissions focused on mining rather than prospecting; thus were discounted as reasons for withholding the licences. 

Mining, rather than prospecting however, requires three separate consents obtained from three different agencies: Planning permission from the relevant Local Authority; An Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) or an Industrial Emissions (IE) Licence from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These licences contain strict conditions on how a mine must operate to protect the environment from pollution; A mining lease or licence issued by the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment .

If a mining licence were to be considered, a public consultation period would be published in a local newspaper and at experience.arcgis.com.

All of this however, raises serious questions for people interested in environmental protection and climate change. 

The prospecting company is interested in copper because it is one of the most useful metals in the push for clean energy. Renewable energy systems use four to six times the amount of copper as do fossil fuel or nuclear plants. A photovoltaic solar power plant contains approximately 5.5 tons of copper per megawatt of power generation. A single 660-kW turbine is estimated to contain some 800 pounds (350 kg) of copper. Industry is predicting a 70 per cent increase in copper mining to meet the 2050 climate decarbonisation goals.

Mining copper however can pollute the atmosphere with dust and contaminate the water table with chemicals used to extract the mineral. Some modern mines fear having to pump contaminated wastewater around the mine forever to prevent it entering the water table.

Innovative solutions are needed. As materials scientist Prof Mary Ryan of Imperial University, London said, “The world needs to electrify its energy systems, and success will absolutely depend on copper. The metal is going to be the biggest bottleneck in this process.”

Prof Mary Ryan heads up the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials opened in 2024 and based at Imperial College London, in partnership with several international university groups. 

The centre’s first project is looking for responsible ways to source copper. Of course, ensuring improved recycling of copper from batteries, cables and so on will be important, but the centre is looking at questions such as, can the mineral be extracted without disturbing the rocks at all? For example, could viruses and bacteria be used to harvest copper?

The team have also been searching for underground sites where copper-rich brines, created by volcanic systems are still in liquid form. The volcanic systems could provide geothermal energy to pump the brine to the surface via boreholes. Sites in New Zealand and Japan have been identified as possibilities for this technology.

Franklin Keck and Ion Ioannou co-founded the company RemePhy Technologies, a spinout from Imperial University PhD research. RemePhy are pioneering the use of GM technology to develop plant-bacterial systems that have an enhanced ability to extract metal from the soil. They state, “We’re building plant–microbe systems that clean contaminated soil and recover critical metals as the plants grow. Thereby reducing disruption, versus dig-and-dump approaches; and unlocking stranded brownfield and mining-legacy sites.”

The Irish Government, in response to the latest energy crisis precipitated by war between USA/Israel and Iran, has stated it will pursue energy sovereignty focusing more on renewables. This will require copper.

Possibly, technical solutions such as the ones RemePhy are developing, hold the key to finding the quantities of copper we need for this transition. Perhaps new prospecting licences will not lead to new mines but, by using innovative technologies, will nevertheless enable our 80 per cent renewable electricity target by 2030. Let’s hope so.

Farming in West Cork by Cadhla Ó Conchobhair

I’m writing this in the final throes of March heading into April and down to the last five cows left to calve: The cows are out day and night. With no vet calls all season, the relief of not having to clean cow cubicles morning and evening was a pure joy. 

Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived: I had a cow that was behaving unusually while trying to calve and, after putting on my midwife gloves to investigate dilation, I soon realised a professional was needed. To cut a long story short, the cow ended up having three vets (not at the same time) and I had to make the gut-wrenching decision to have her put to sleep due to complications. The circle of life can be heartbreaking. When the vet went out to their van to get the medicine, I knelt down beside my lovely cow in the same shed where I welcomed her to life seven years earlier – now to say goodbye – and gave her a last rub behind the ears. I’m still not the better for it but, after having experienced giving birth myself, I am only too well aware of how things don’t always go to plan, despite everyone’s best efforts.

Nobody can truly prepare you for the kind of emotional decisions that have to be made in farming. They are incredibly difficult. However, being part of a farming community – one that understands the reality of losing an animal and the weight of that loss – offers a level of emotional support that often goes unrecognised and deserves far more credit.

Our farming neighbour called in the next morning to drop back a piece of borrowed farm equipment and ended up hearing my sorrowful tale. We probably stayed talking for the best part of an hour about how scenarios like this is one of the hardest parts of farming. Even though I’m sure he had plenty of work waiting for him on his own farm, he instinctively knew that giving me his time that morning would help. I think that no matter what walk of life you come from, we all need a community that understands what we need – and is there for us when we need it.

This brings me to the success of farm discussion groups. While they were originally intended as peer-to-peer learning networks for sharing technical knowledge, for many they have also become an important source of social support and a way to reduce isolation.

While the majority of farmers are male, thanks to mechanisation and technology, one doesn’t have to be built like an ironman to farm today and all systems of farming are seeing more women taking part.

When it comes to farm succession, the main consideration is now which offspring – male or female –has the strongest interest in farming, rather than their gender. Not so long ago, it was typically the eldest son who was expected to take over the farm and carry the family into the next generation, sometimes whether he wanted to or not. In the past, preserving the family name was a top priority. Now, with many farms restructuring as companies and adopting business-style names with ‘Ltd’, the focus seems to have shifted – placing more importance on the farm’s viability than on maintaining the family name as a requirement.

I chatted with Mona Concannon, the Chairperson of the Women in Agriculture Stakeholder Group (WASG), about a recent event held by the group at Bandon Mart. WASG are not a pink balloon and photo opportunity type of group. They have had their sleeves rolled up since 2021 representing the voice of female farmers at policy level and holding the state to task on farming issues like pensions, TAMs grants, education access and the lack of state recognition for work done by the thousands of ‘invisible’ women who work full- or part-time on the family farm. 

Last year WASG and DAFM co-funded three regional National Dialogues Events for women in agriculture to give these women young and old an opportunity to voice their challenges and their successes in the Agri-sector.

One of the recurring themes at these events was that attending marts can be daunting. Many women said they felt out of place or lacked confidence in their buying and selling skills in that environment. The group decided to do a pilot run of a mart event that would be practical, educational and confidence building.

Bandon Mart manager, Sean Dennehy, was approached to see If he would host the trial event for WASG; and Teagasc West Cork, which runs a female discussion group, were asked to partake. Invitations were also extended to Bandon Secondary School students studying Ag Science in order to collect feedback on the experience before similar mart events are rolled out throughout the country in 2026. 

That Monday, mart day in Bandon caught the usual clientele by surprise with women landing in from all angles. Mart manager Sean welcomed the ladies, giving a brief history of the mart and the services provided and ICBF’s Christopher Daly and Aoife Downes gave an excellent presentation on understanding CBV’s, DBI, and utilising the ICBF web-portal, as well as talking about apps for checking stock and assessing traits.

Seán then brought the ladies on a tour of the mart. He explained the mart process, starting with calf intake and finishing up at the sales ring, where the last few sales of the day were being completed. Sean explained the buying and sell procedure and how to use the Mart-Eye app and the ladies got an opportunity to test their bidding skills with a mock-up sale ringside on a Lot of four Angus calves. Some ladies used the app to bid while others raised their hands. The lively bidding created much banter with the auctioneer and a lot of laughs from the crowd. With the fall of the hammer, a student from Bandon’s Coláiste na Toirbhirte came out as the highest bidder. There was plenty of opportunity throughout the event for Q&A and WASG was delighted with the feedback received. 

Attendee Jean O’Suillivan (a full-time farmer in partnership with her parents) and Chairperson of the Teagasc Ladies Discussion Group, said the informative and confidence-building event was enjoyed by the group. She highlighted the lack of exposure to marts from an early age, which has an impact on confidence levels, and she gave credit to parents who bring their children, particularly daughters, to the mart.

The event was a resounding success and WASG received great feedback from all involved. As a result the group is now in the process of rolling out these events all over the country this year, which also happens to coincide with the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer.

It is wonderful to see groups of farmers, be it males, females or mixed groups, coming together, combining the educational and social aspects of farming. 

I hope this month’s farming article highlights the importance of finding a network that offers ongoing learning opportunities – connecting you with farm friends who support your journey. Whether you’re facing challenges and hardships or celebrating the good times, having that support makes all the difference.

Email me at Cadhla.wcp@gmail.com if there are any farming events happening in your area so I can share them here. 

An archaeological survey at Cape Evans, Antartica, has uncovered a ski pole belonging to explorer and Courtmacsherry native Patrick Keohane. As reported in The Explorer Newsletter, the remarkable discovery was made by archaeologist Emma St Pierre. The ski pole has Keohane’s hand-carved initials on them.

Born at Barry’s Point just south of the village of Courtmacsherry, Patrick Keohane was a Petty Officer on Scott’s Antarctic ‘Terra Nova’ expedition between 1910 and 1913.

St Pierre told The Explorer that “Finding this ski pole was the highlight of my season on the ice. It is rare to uncover an item that can be directly linked to an individual, so this felt incredibly special. To find it amongst all the bamboo scattered around the site was a real moment. Thinking that this pole may have been used during Scott’s journey to the Pole is both exciting and deeply meaningful.”

Keohane was one of 15 men chosen to set out with Scott from their Cape Evans base on the 900-mile journey to the South Pole.

Keohane initially assisted with the ponies before moving into the man hauling sled teams once the ponies had been put down. Although disappointed to be turned back 350 miles short of the Pole, this decision ultimately saved his life, as the small polar party that continued sadly never returned. Keohane later joined the search party that found the bodies of Scott, Dr Edward Wilson and Lieutenant Henry Bowers in their tent.

Keohane’s ski pole has been stabilised for interim storage and will be scheduled for conservation work in the upcoming season.

A statue of Keohane erected between Broad and Blind Strand in Courtmacsherry, shows him looking across the water at the place of his birth.