This month Andrea Reichstein, a member of the Save Murragh Action Group committed to protecting the Bandon River Valley, discusses the importance of fresh water pearl mussels. They’re not wearing capes, but they might as well be. Freshwater pearl mussels are quiet superheroes of our waterways. They can clean water […]
Environment
Pádraig Whooley of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) and the ‘Save our Sprat West Cork’ campaign explains why sprat, along with a handful of other forage fish, are critically important keystone species and the detrimental effect their decline will have on coastal communities in West Cork. Sprat feed […]
When I was young, I often sat alone by the beacon at Wood Point, looked out across Courtmacsherry Bay, and day-dreamed. The sea then seemed infinite and clean, unspoiled by Man. One day, I would sail away, over the horizon; (I never did). But now, if I can even find […]
The heritage council defines traditional buildings as those constructed before World War II. There are estimated to be 270,000 traditional buildings in Ireland that were built prior to 1945. A traditional building doesn’t necessarily indicate that the property is of particular architectural or historical merit (i.e a listed or protected […]
Have you ever eaten shark? Perhaps you have, unwittingly, if you’ve tried rock salmon or huss, because they are names given by fishmongers and chippies to various species of small sharks; few people in these islands would eat them otherwise. In many parts of the world, however, shark meat is […]
This month West Cork Branch committee members Fiona O’Neill and Damaris Lysaght share their ‘best bird experiences’. Fiona’s best experience in Ireland was In the winter of 2017/18. “During the autumn of 2017, small groups of Starlings began to meet up over farmland near Timoleague, before roosting for the night […]