INTERVIEWS - West Cork People

The bard of Butlerstown

Mary O'Brien July, 2026

While it’s many moons since the clanging of the hammer on the anvil last rang out around the village of Butlerstown, it’s a sound that Michael O’Brien, 81, tells Mary O’Brien, he still hears as clearly as if it were yesterday. The small coastal village between Courtmacsherry and Barryroe once […]

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. […]

Dialogue and dreams

Mary O'Brien June, 2026

There’s a heavy drizzle falling on the country road. Framed by the lush green of the softly humming hedgerows, a man sits on his bicycle in the mist, waiting to greet the farmer coming his way. “Soft,” remarks the cyclist with a smile, acknowledging the weather. “Soft indeed,” replies the […]

Connecting past to present through flax

Mary O'Brien May, 2026

The how and why will always be more important than the finished product to process-driven artist Kathy Kirwan. In fact the end may never be reached, as demonstrated by her most recent and ongoing passion for flax and its many threads writes Mary O’Brien. Kathy Kirwan’s interest in flax – […]

Crème de la crème of milk at farm shop on the Old Head

Mary O'Brien April, 2026

If you’ve walked the Old Head of Kinsale loop this past year, you will have passed by the McCarthy family farm and Old Head Milk shop. If you’re a daily milk drinker then undoubtedly you will also by now be a regular customer. The Atlantic ocean offers a spectacular backdrop […]

INTERVIEWS

Bandon community urges Council to ‘dig in’ to save gardens

Mary O'Brien March, 2026

With much of the world experiencing rapid and extensive urbanisation over the past few decades, authorities have been confronted with various problems, not least the significant pressure that urban sprawl is putting on green spaces like community gardens and allotments. Ireland’s ongoing housing crisis has resulted in new developments increasingly […]

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