NATURE The ever-giving blackthorn offers bountiful blossoms, astringent sloes and strong shillelagh stems
Outdoor Living
Lie still, lie still … run like the wind
NATURE John Shelley ponders the perilous life of the Irish hare after a close encounter with a young leveret
Litigiousness and the great outdoors – a risky mix
HEALTH Physio Andrew O’Brien shares his opinion on a recent case whereby a woman sued the NPWS after a fall
Shaping your tree for more fruit
GARDENING Good air and light circulation, which helps to ripen fruit and minimise disease build-ups, writes Hans Wieland
Imperilled by a prized pelt
NATURE John Shelley has a close encounter with a great crested grebe, once hunted to near extinction for its skin and plumage
Great white hope
GARDENING Intrepid gardener Venetia McEllin reports on her efforts to grow flowers for her son’s February wedding
Planting and pruning fruit trees
GARDENING Hans Wieland shares his tips for planting fruit trees and bushes, and pruning the them once they’re established
The snipe’s delight
NATURE John Shelley gets close to some snipe, elusive birds that seek out wild pasture with partly flooded plains
The privilege of Pongo and Peaches
NATURE John Shelley pulls out all the stops for special visitors – two pine martens, Ireland’s rarest native mammals
Break for the border
OUTDOORS Part 9 of Martin Dillane’s guide to the 200km Western Way covers the final section between Ballina and Bonniconlon
Signs of spring push through the freeze
OUTDOOR LIVING Back from the Algarve, John Shelley’s damp-induced despondency is driven off spring sunlight and the promise of the rod