Features - West Cork People

Building a barn house in West Cork

Mary O'Brien September, 2026

If you’ve been following Brian Colgan and Jordan Veloso’s house-building journey (@ouririshbarn) on Instagram, you’ll know that the charismatic couple have just broken ground on their dream home in West Cork. After making the move from London, the couple are managing the self-build themselves through direct labour – a 2,000-square-foot […]

Seizing the day

Mary O'Brien September, 2026

An impending hip replacement might cause most people to slow down a bit in life, but for Kevin Ogden, 68, it was the impetus to do the exact opposite writes Mary O’Brien. The retired American airline captain is just back from a three-month solo bike trip that took him across […]

Making a difference

Mary O'Brien September, 2026

After spending four decades helping countries and organisations to rebuild after communism, Steven Kelly and Mari Novak finally hung their hats in West Cork. Partners in life and business, the couple, who celebrate 42 years of marriage this year, moved to West Cork from Prague in 2012 with the intention […]

Getting to the heart of life

Mary O'Brien September, 2026

After going into heart failure at the age of 40, Martina Conroy was told she had 18 months to live unless she underwent surgery. In that moment her life changed forever. “You learn what fear really feels like and you stop taking life for granted,” she tells Mary O’Brien. Handed […]

Catching the wind in her sails in Kinsale

Mary O'Brien July, 2026

“If it scares you, you should probably do it,” Éidín Griffin tells Mary O’Brien, laughing. It’s an outlook that has served Éidín well throughout her 53 years, during which time she has taken more than a few leaps into the unknown across two continents, with humour always as her compass. […]

A distressing skin condition

Dr Paula Stanley June, 2026

I’m not a dermatologist but, as a GP with 30 years experience, I have seen one skin condition commonly affecting the face that can be particularly distressing for women: Rosacea can have a significant impact on confidence and quality of life. What exactly is rosacea? Many people think that Rosacea […]

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