My view of the world around me. Perched high on the hill the Yellow Steeple reaches out to catch the sun as it sets for the evening. To be fair though, the photo worked out well enough and credit must go to the good lady wife Lorraine. It was her who spotted this was about to happen and she dragged me running across Porchfield to get into position. The Yellow Steeple catches the sun.

Your personal guided-tour through the best of Ireland, Irish culture, and history. Rekindling a Passion for Irish Rugby. The recent Rugby World Cup reminded me how much I love rugby, and used to enjoy attending international matches at the old Lansdowne Road stadium in the pre-Celtic-Tiger days of the mid-1980s.

Life Enhanced by science and babywipes. And Then There Were Three! January 10, 2017. As the sun rose on Christmas Eve, our third little bundle of joy and snot had finally joined us. 9 days after we had mentally occupied the stable. Normality, I remember thinking as a first time parent, is a relative thing. Its the sense of coping well with a sense of familiarity with the challenges that are thrown.

Friday, June 21, 2013. The Sale of Coillte Harvesting Rights - Kudos to Simon Harris TD. When it comes to politics and politicians in Ireland, I am as disillusioned as anyone out there. The post-election performance of the occupants of Leinster House - most of whom very quickly forget who put them there and who pays their wages and outrageously inflated expenses - typically leaves a lot to be desired. However, I am a strong believer in credit where credit is due.

Adoption, Red Herrings and the Marriage Referendum. I want to stress from the outset of this piece that adoption has absolutely nothing to do with the Marriage Equality referendum. I am co-founder of Adoption Rights Alliance, we have issued a statement on our position here. And are calling unequivocally for a Yes vote. This evening, Ben has supplied his answer here. And notice, if you will, the absence of the Iona Institute.

All spelling and grammar mistakes are my own! Family Days near Cork. They are also locked up in prisons far away from the countries of their birth. Cold, fast, brutal.

A Year of Festivals in Ireland. A quest to attend 3 festivals in Ireland, every week, for a year! About festivalmonkey aka Mark Graham. Slurping Snails and Searching for Invisible Gondolas. It was particularly cruel to run Body and Soul and Sea Sessions on the same weekend. I managed to get to both, but in the process, may have.

It has been a hectic fortnight. Planning, cutting, planning, laminating, reflecting, planning, researching and planning. I found it a struggle. It was a beautiful day and I cycled.