With Dr Catherine Keena,
Teagasc Countryside
Management Specialist
Look out for the first whitethorn leaves unfurling. The leaves are lobed like oak leaves and appear before the white flowers, which is a clear distinguishing difference from blackthorn, where flowers appear before leaves. As whitethorn leaves seem to be unfurling early on hedges planted in recent years, the concern is that such shrubs may have been imported?
While recommended to plant whitethorn of Irish provenance, grown in Ireland, farmers in ACRES can now plant imported whitethorn. Other hedging species must still be Irish grown. Supplies of Irish grown blackthorn, holly, hazel, spindle, guelder rose and dog rose are rare, but ACRES hedges can be fully whitethorn – part of our native Irish biodiversity.
Something to Crow About
A crow sits on its perch
Ready to build,
it’s the first of March
Tradition tells us it’s their
chosen date
To build a nest and
seek a mate
At building nests
they’re highly skilled
They’ll choose a site
where to build
They’ll create a rockery
on the highest tree
They’ll work together on
building spree
The crow is no way musical,
just caw caw
A noisy community
like their cousin Jack daw
They are by nature a clannish lot
They live in a rookery,
a territorial squat
They weave their nest
in a work of art
From twigs and brush
it is a curse
They gather cipeens
and stalks of hay
A quick look round,
then on their way
They’ll hatch a brood
and keep them warm
In their nest secure
from rain and storm
Hours in search
of food they’ll spend
But they are certainly
not the gardener’s friend
Poem written by Paddy Egan, Rambles in Kilcommock, Volume 8
Éala Kenneally checking the latest Neven Maguire recipes for her mammy. Submitted by Micheal Kenneally, Co Cork
In this week’s Meet the Maker, Grace Hanna chats to embroiderer Alice Cummins of Be Alice about her business.
Be Alice Embroidery.
Travel experts predict this summer will be the busiest in years as bookings return to pre-pandemic levels. People are booking earlier than ever with package holidays still a popular choice for many.
Holiday bookings don’t always go smoothly though; unexpected hiccups can arise. The good news is that you have consumer rights when travelling.
Am I covered with a travel agent? It’s true to say your consumer rights and protections depend on the type of holiday you choose. If you have booked a ready-made holiday, your travel agent is responsible for making sure your holiday goes smoothly. A package holiday is a one-price-fits-all trip which includes at least two different travel services (transport, accommodation, car hire, guided tours/waterpark ticket activities, etc).
What kind of circumstances am I
covered for? You are covered in the event of the travel company making unexpected changes to your booking. These could involve:
Changing the price less than 20 days before you leave
Lowering your standard of accommodation
Moving the dates of your trip
Cancelling the trip altogether
If any of these happen, your holiday agent must provide you with a replacement holiday similar in quality, or a lower grade one and a refund in the price difference.
For more information, see ccpc.ie
Read more
Meet the Maker: Alice Cummins
Health: labour of love
With Dr Catherine Keena,
Teagasc Countryside
Management Specialist
Look out for the first whitethorn leaves unfurling. The leaves are lobed like oak leaves and appear before the white flowers, which is a clear distinguishing difference from blackthorn, where flowers appear before leaves. As whitethorn leaves seem to be unfurling early on hedges planted in recent years, the concern is that such shrubs may have been imported?
While recommended to plant whitethorn of Irish provenance, grown in Ireland, farmers in ACRES can now plant imported whitethorn. Other hedging species must still be Irish grown. Supplies of Irish grown blackthorn, holly, hazel, spindle, guelder rose and dog rose are rare, but ACRES hedges can be fully whitethorn – part of our native Irish biodiversity.
Something to Crow About
A crow sits on its perch
Ready to build,
it’s the first of March
Tradition tells us it’s their
chosen date
To build a nest and
seek a mate
At building nests
they’re highly skilled
They’ll choose a site
where to build
They’ll create a rockery
on the highest tree
They’ll work together on
building spree
The crow is no way musical,
just caw caw
A noisy community
like their cousin Jack daw
They are by nature a clannish lot
They live in a rookery,
a territorial squat
They weave their nest
in a work of art
From twigs and brush
it is a curse
They gather cipeens
and stalks of hay
A quick look round,
then on their way
They’ll hatch a brood
and keep them warm
In their nest secure
from rain and storm
Hours in search
of food they’ll spend
But they are certainly
not the gardener’s friend
Poem written by Paddy Egan, Rambles in Kilcommock, Volume 8
Éala Kenneally checking the latest Neven Maguire recipes for her mammy. Submitted by Micheal Kenneally, Co Cork
In this week’s Meet the Maker, Grace Hanna chats to embroiderer Alice Cummins of Be Alice about her business.
Be Alice Embroidery.
Travel experts predict this summer will be the busiest in years as bookings return to pre-pandemic levels. People are booking earlier than ever with package holidays still a popular choice for many.
Holiday bookings don’t always go smoothly though; unexpected hiccups can arise. The good news is that you have consumer rights when travelling.
Am I covered with a travel agent? It’s true to say your consumer rights and protections depend on the type of holiday you choose. If you have booked a ready-made holiday, your travel agent is responsible for making sure your holiday goes smoothly. A package holiday is a one-price-fits-all trip which includes at least two different travel services (transport, accommodation, car hire, guided tours/waterpark ticket activities, etc).
What kind of circumstances am I
covered for? You are covered in the event of the travel company making unexpected changes to your booking. These could involve:
Changing the price less than 20 days before you leave
Lowering your standard of accommodation
Moving the dates of your trip
Cancelling the trip altogether
If any of these happen, your holiday agent must provide you with a replacement holiday similar in quality, or a lower grade one and a refund in the price difference.
For more information, see ccpc.ie
Read more
Meet the Maker: Alice Cummins
Health: labour of love
This is a subscriber-only article
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