Admire or abhor him, there are few people who have had as much influence on Irish life as Éamon de Valera, writes KATHRIONA DEVEREUX

I have a small, framed photograph at home that I glanced at last week and it set me off, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

A Cork programme offers students a great opportunity to develop new ideas and foster entrepreneurship, says Carole O’Leary, Programme Manager of Student Inc. at MTU

In his weekly column, JOHN DOLAN shares the story of a Cork man who completed an extraordinary challenge to show solidarity with the people of Gaza. 

Last month, John and Fionnuala Desmond, of Inniscarra, went to Tanzania with World Vision Ireland to meet their sponsored child. Here, they recall the deeply moving and eye-opening experience

Imagine if Napoleon was a hurler on the ditch when the Ballybricken Estate team played Kilmoney of Carrigaline in December, 1829, writes JOHN ARNOLD. 

An event next month will celebrate a century of great reading material, says Sinéad Neville, Head of Publishing at Cork University Press

Recent research found that more than one in three first-time mothers were being given drugs to artificially accelerate their labour, when there appeared to be no requirement for it to be used, writes ÁILÍN QUINLAN. 

Vaping in childhood is a ‘gateway’ to cannabis and cigarettes – further restrictions of marketing and sales of vapes are an urgent priority, says DR CATHERINE CONLON

A ‘Know Your Rights’ update from South Munster Citizens Information, focusing on renewing your driving licence

Far from thinking the city is broken, I think Cork is thriving, albeit with plenty of room for improvement, writes KATHRIONA DEVEREUX. 

There is an Irish woman who would be great for the Áras, just like Jacinta Ardern was for New Zealand, says CATHERINE CONLON

While sleeping apart has traditionally been seen as a sign of marital trouble, some experts suggest it’s time to revisit that outdated thinking so we can all get a good night’s sleep.

Paying under €300 for the length of the Premier League season, as I am, is a reasonable deal - and I know this because I wrote an article about how much I was paying to watch Premier League soccer 18 years ago on this very page... and it was much more. 

A summer placement at PepsiCo in Little Island was a great way to expand the knowledge of UCC student Rachel Burke. MARGARET DONNELLAN finds out about the programme

I’m old-fashioned and I do accept that many people nowadays only get their ‘news’ digitally, but does this mean that in another decade or three, conversation - the actual art of talking - will be largely forgotten?

ÁILÍN QUINLAN has details of a dog agility contest at the Clonakilty Showgrounds this weekend. 

Ahead of the Leaving Cert results on Friday, MICHELLE FLYNN, Career Guidance Counsellor and Career Advisor at www.careerhub.ie, has tips on what to do and the next stage for students

As the final céilí of the season takes place at The Lough tomorrow, KATHRIONA DEVEREUX pays tribute to the weekly event where teens dance with grannies and everyone has a ball

The Government must put the health and safety of the people ahead of money, and remove VAT on SPF products, says Peter Horgan, Labour councillor for the Cork City South East Ward

Nationally, there are 5,552 inmates in a prison system with a capacity for 4,672 prisoners... how do we resolve this, asks TREVOR LAFFAN

The Japanese don’t tolerate big cars that put children and pedestrians at risk, so why should we, asks DR CATHERINE CONLON, a public health doctor in Cork

The government simply cannot allow any delay to the four-year apprenticeship to be normalised, writes JOHN DOLAN. 

With grocery prices going up, DR CATHERINE CONLON shares ideas on how to reduce food bills, tackle obesity, and improve health

From an early age, Clare was an extrovert with her radiant smile and bright and bubbly personality. Though from a Catholic family, she herself admitted the ‘practise of the faith’ was not uppermost in her mind, writes JOHN ARNOLD. 

To mark World Relaxation Day this week, Dr Heather McKee, one of Europe’s leading behavioural science experts, shared some tips on how you can have a calmer life

Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book became famous and, to this day, believe it or not, is viewed not only as an early classic but also as a still fabulous guide to life, politics, and relationships.

Cork has a bright culinary past, present, and future - and the Cork On A Fork festival starting tomorrow is just one taster of that, says Cllr Fergal Dennehy, Lord Mayor of Cork

Is the right of airports and airlines to increase their profits greater than the right of citizens and residents to a quiet environment, asks KATHRIONA DEVEREUX.

Cork Heritage Open Day this weekend is a chance to celebrate the city’s past and remember its diversity and community, says Niamh Twomey, Heritage Officer in Cork City Council

Covering a book in human skin is a gruesome thought and, thankfully, my mother never went to that extreme, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

We’ve all seen the statistics, but they still have the power to stop us in our tracks: Cork has lost more than 360 pubs since 2005 - more than one in three licensed premises - and there is no sign of an end to the decline.

Cork’s EU Commissioner has the power to switch off internet algorithms that endanger our society, says Dr Johnny Ryan, Director of Enforce, a unit of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties

In this prize-winning essay, Rachel Barry, a student at Bruce College, Cork, marks the 250th anniversary yesterday of the birth of ‘The Liberator’ Daniel O’Connell

Around 1915, along with a cousin, Johnny Murphy decided to emigrate, to ‘take the boat’ to England in search of more lucrative employment. Both men walked to Cork city with their bag on their back with plans to board the Innisfallen on the quayside.

Some may take them from granted, but libraries remain a keystone of Cork society, says JOANNE DWYER

Bear with me, says ÁILÍN QUINLAN, as she writes about the cowboys and the ranch. 

Living in Cork city, we are fortunate to be surrounded by plenty of others who see the crucial importance of good food as a core component of health and happiness, writes KATHRIONA DEVEREUX. 

Rising food prices must be addressed, not ignored, by government, says Dr Tom O’Connor, a Cork economist and former Head of Department at MTU

As the warmer months arrive and Cork residents turn their attention to home and garden improvements, local gardaí are urging householders to stay vigilant against bogus traders who target unsuspecting home-owners, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

It’s time for a new approach to finances, says Joanne Keane, CEO of LIA - the Centre of Excellence for the education and development of finance professionals in Ireland

What a time to be alive and in Cork that must have been, writes JOHN DOLAN. 

Maybe, just maybe my big ‘break’ might come in beautiful West Cork on Tuesday or Wednesday, writes JOHN ARNOLD. 

Under EU and Irish law, you have certain rights when travelling by air with European airlines. These are set out in this Know Your Rights article by Cork Citizens Information. 

Think twice before you slap a label on somebody, man or woman, writes ÁILÍN QUINLAN. 

What you do - and don’t do - in your thirties can have a huge effect on later life, says Robert Whelan, of Rockwell Financial

If you happen to be on the roads of West Cork this summer, and pass by another person, it’s tradition - indeed, it’s nigh on compulsory - to give ‘The Salute’, says TINA PISCO

There’s something off about a gang of lads lashing into bottles of booze beside toddlers lashing into sandcastles, writes KATHRIONA DEVEREUX. 

Going through airport security is a bit of a chore at the best of times, but the process can be confusing due to changing rules in the various airports, says TREVOR LAFFAN

As the centenary race launches today, JOHN DOLAN reflects on how Fastnet Rock off the coast has become legendary in the annals of Cork - and sailing - history

A North Cork school wants parents to sign up to a pledge to keep smartphones away from primary school children, says JOANNE DWYER

11 years after they were abolished, there is a compelling case to restore Town Councils, says Dr Aodh Quinlivan, of the Centre for Local and Regional Governance at UCC

Despite feeling the pain of defeat on Sunday, JOHN ARNOLD was uplifted by the tributes to the late Tipperary hurler Dillon Quirke in the aftermath

Ireland is caught in a crossfire of international opinion on Gaza - and Áilín Quinlan wonders which direction the country will take

As she reflects on her first year as a student, AMY O’BRIEN, of Mitchelstown, has advice for anyone about to start college

The second best place to be to watch the All-Ireland hurling final on Sunday was the Páirc Uí Chaoimh fanzone. KATHRIONA DEVEREUX relives her experience there with her family on a chastening day for Rebel fans...

The school runs I had with our grandkids before they moved Down Under were unlike anything I had experienced previously, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

Cork man NEIL VAUGHAN reports on his successful trip to Ukraine last month, with a group of 11 people, to deliver various vehicles to the war-torn country loaded with medical supplies

Next week marks 40 years since the beginning of the moving statue of Ballinspittle phenomenon. 

The Government needs to act to tackle a future shortfall in tax income, says Dr Tom O’Connor, an economist based in Cork and previously a Head of Department at MTU

This year’s Cork Pride celebrations will draw large crowds, as the LGBTQIA+ community marks ten years since marriage equality, says MIA POLAND

I don’t know if we need a miracle but here’s hoping, writes JOHN ARNOLD. 

It’s difficult to describe the grief of losing a truly beloved pet to somebody who has never lost one, but it’s visceral, writes ÁILÍN QUINLAN. 

A new campaign aims to champion inclusion in Irish communities, says Claire O’Toole, Co-ordinator, Cork and Kerry Children and Young People Services Committee

Elaine Clifford, Regional Manager of South Munster Citizens Information Service, reflects on the formation of the groups in 1975, and the work they have done ever since to keep people informed of their rights

Last month, Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Government would be establishing a taskforce on Cork, after promising during the election campaign that Fine Gael would seek its creation within 100 days of Government – a deadline that passed in early May. CATHERINE CONLON writes that significant groundwork for such a taskforce is already complete.

Cork craft is thriving, and this August we are celebrating 20 years of Cork Craft and Design, says Ava Hayes, Festival Director, who reveals some of the highlights of the 2025 event

"I suspect my grandmother, and Margaret Lynch, would have had little sympathy for our TikTok friend’s long commute," writes TREVOR LAFFAN

If this damp squib of a race continues in this vein, there is a real danger the turn-out at the polls in November will be on a par with the ratings for Oireachtas TV, writes JOHN DOLAN. 

Education and community are the cornerstones of empowerment, says Toni McCaul, Social Inclusion Programmes Manager, SECAD Partnership CLG. 

The well-known and highly regarded lensman ended his career as a photographer with The Echo and Irish Examiner “on a high”. 

Ahead of the Cork Trans and Intersex Pride march this Saturday, Caz Koopman, of Mammies For Trans Rights, says Irish society needs to shake off old, outdated attitudes, and embrace inclusion

JOHN ARNOLD recalls the story of Frances Taylor, who set up a convent in Carrigtowhill 150 years ago. 

But can’t anything be done about pinpointing exactly why we’re all paying so much for basic foods, and why the price keeps rising, asks ÁILÍN QUINLAN. 

Certain issues relating to our kidneys can arise as we age. Here are some easy ways to keep the vital organs happy and healthy, says CAMILLA FOSTER

Cork City Council has exciting, innovative plans for a village within the historic core of the city. But the plans need to retain their ambition to achieve their full potential, writes CATHERINE CONLON. 

Key challenges must be addressed in Budget 2026 to protect the vibrancy and sustainability of business in Cork city, says Dave O’Brien, President of Cork Business Association

Trevor Laffan recalls visiting the Louvre and seeing the Mona Lisa. " As a picture, it was nice, but it didn’t strike me as being anything special - then again, what do I know," he says. 

Whose footpath is it anyway? ROBERT FOURIE, a blind resident of Cork, reflects on shared civic spaces in our city, and says that urgent action is required to make them safer for pedestrians

The Tour de France cycling race has been running since 1903, but when this year’s event begins in Lille today, it will represent a little piece of history for Cork, writes JOHN DOLAN. 

We need to address the rise of mental health disorders among young people, says Dr Tom O’Connor, an economist and education/training consultant, previously a Head of Department at MTU

Irish children’s books authors and illustrators take centre stage at West Cork Literary Festival. Eimear O’Herlihy, Festival Director shares details on just some of the events you can expect.

Ahead of the Cork V Dublin game this weekend, John Arnold shares the tale of the three hurlers from Cork -including two from Bartlemy-who came to the aid of the Dubs back in 1935. 

The mind has a way of sometimes connecting completely unconnected events, writes ÁILÍN QUINLAN. 

A new group at UCC is reaching for the stars, says James O’Mahoney. Communications and Public Relations Officer of the newly-established Rocketry and Space Exploration society

You would think this would be a priority for a wealthy country with a booming economy. Yet Ireland continues to struggle to feed its children, writes CATHERINE CONLON. 

Information and advice on the regulation of residential care for older people, compiled by South Munster Citizens Information

Citizens of the State who don’t have children are being discriminated against by our current Inheritance Tax legislation, say James and Sheila Sexton, of Model Farm Road, Cork, who are calling for reform

When it comes to luggage, there’s always a worry in the back of the mind: Where will it all end up, and what condition will it be in when it gets there?

As frustrating as that might be for us journalists who love a good story - and a good news story in the current climate is certainly worth its weight in gold - you have to give kudos to the anonymous recipient of the largest ever jackpot in Irish history, says JOHN DOLAN. 

Girish Nama, urology specialist at the Mater Private Network, Cork, says it’s time we broke the silence and normalised conversations around urinary incontinence.

If a John Arnold could become Archbishop of Westminster, and if John Arnold from Dallas could become the world’s youngest billionaire back in 2007 - aged 33 - well, why couldn’t John Arnold from Cork become President of Ireland?

It can be a stressful world, but these simple changes can make you more contented, says Christopher Paul Jones, phobia expert on London’s Harley Street, and author of ‘Face Your Fears - 7 Steps To Conquering Phobias And Anxiety’

A career revolution is taking place, says Dr Tom O’Connor, an economist and education/training consultant, previously a Head of Department at Munster Technological University

Clutter can be a real problem, writes ÁILÍN QUINLAN.