There’s a lot of silly blather going on about how ‘empowering’ it is to show off your ‘assets’, so says Colette Sheridan in her weekly column

A healthcare worker made a trip to the Covid-19 testing centre a positive experience for Kathriona Devereux and her family

The pilot of the new primary school curriculum is going well for one Cork school. JENNIFER HORGAN catches up with the Principal of Scoil Bhríde in Crosshaven to find out more

Brief encounters with strangers can often lead to friendships, so says Trevor Laffan in his weekly article

The National Council for Curriculum Assessment is asking the public for their views on the next primary school curriculum

We should all take time out to register the fact the vaccines are saving lives every single day, says John Dolan

The younger generation can take the lead in the debate on Irish unity, says Orla O’Leary, a Cork member of Sinn Féin, and Cork too can play a pivotal role in bringing it about

Dickie Rock has retired from singing aged 84. John Arnold looks back at his career, as great memories linger

Plans for a €100m retail outlet village at Carrigtwohill sound good right? But what impact will it have on the city, asks Colette Sheridan

Planning, forward thinking and innovation are not strong characteristics of the Department of Education, so says Kathriona Devereux

Munster Technological University (MTU) aims to become the first White Ribbon University on the island of Ireland, writes Professor Margaret Linehan, Head of the School of Humanities

Our 'togetherness' during the pandemic has started to crack, so says John Dolan in his weekly column

If we are serious about wanting to increase female participation in politics, we need to identify the barriers in place and work to remove them, says Holly Cairns, Social Democrats TD, Cork South West

It's a busy weekend on the GAA front, says John Arnold, as he wonders what aliens might make of it all!

The soaring cost of living is impacting the most vulnerable in our society, says THOMAS GOULD TD, Sinn Féin, Cork North Central, who has called for the introduction of a Living Wage

Society has a problem with ageing women who are in the public eye, said Colette Sheridan in her weekly column

It is hard to be positive about the future in the face of such human stupidity and corruption, so says Kathriona Devereux as she reflects on COP26

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen more of us moving away from using cash and using our our banking cards instead. But what are the consequences of this, asks NICOLA DEPUIS

People are constantly complaining about the lack of garda presence in their community and this lack of engagement is contributing to the general lawlessness, so says Trevor Laffan in his weekly column

Cork-based Psychologist Dr Gillian Moore Groarke raises her concerns about the levels of burn-out among health professionals, and what needs to be done to help support them

Vera O'Riordan was part of the UCC delegation for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26

John Dolan has reservations about a world where cash becomes extinct

Farming can and will continue, but we cannot continue, lemming-like, in just producing product for cash, so says John Arnold

Mary Walsh, Executive Scientist in the Sports and Sustainability Department, part of the Community , Culture and Placemaking Directorate at Cork City Council, talks about moving towards a Circular Economy

To castigate young people for protesting is, quite frankly, insulting, says Colette Sheridan in her weekly column

Take action to ensure men live healthier, happier and longer livers, says leading men’s health charity Movember, as research shows nearly 6 out of every 10 men don’t share how they are feeling.

The government continues to prioritise landlords over struggling tenters - but at what costs? So asks Deputy DONNCHADH O LAOGHAIRE, Sinn Féin TD for Cork South Central

We need to think and talk about what future we want to live in, so says Kathriona Devereux in her weekly column

A chance encounter eight years ago many miles from home led to an unlikely friendship for TREVOR LAFFAN

We need to spark an interest in STEM at a young age, says ANNE MARIE O’DONOVAN, HR Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Currabinny, as Science Week 2021 gets underway

If we are to address climate change it’s our politicians who will do this, at the behest of us: The voters, so says John Dolan in his weekly column

RHODA JENNINGS is part of a UCC delegation attending COP26. Here she reflects on the history of climate change and the annual conference, which is currently underway

In his weekly column John Arnold recalls his friend Brendan Barry who died this past week

Paul O’Brien, owner of Bunnyconnellan Coastal Restaurant and The Lodge Bar and Kitchen, Myrtleville, outlines the huge challenges facing the restaurant industry in finding staff, as we continue our series on the issue

In day three of our series on the struggles facing the hospitality industry in securing staff, we hear from BRIAN FOLEY, Communications and Public Affairs Manager with the Vintners Federation of Ireland

Teaching our kids to put rubbish in the bin should be one of the first civic responsible things we teach them.

Food writer and regular Echo contributor, KATE RYAN shares her opinions on the hospitality staffing crisis, as we continue our series this week on the challenges facing the sector

The new series of 10 Things to Know About began this week on RTÉ - and Echo columnist Kathriona Devereux is one of the presenters

Staff shortages continue to affect the hospitality industry. In the coming days we talk to people about the challenges the sector faces. Today we hear from Dr Donagh Davern, Department of Tourism and Hospitality at Munster Technological University

Trevor Laffan ponders Deipnophobia - a fear of dining and dinner conversations and other unusual phobias

Covid sure does to hoover up your mojo, so says Ailin Quinlan who has thankfully recovered from the virus

Why are so many parents happy to allow their children to open social media accounts without giving their consent and free to post what they want? So asks John Dolan

We need to change how we redefine ‘the family’ in modern Ireland, so says Chairperson of the Labour Party, Cork South Central, Shane O’Meara, ahead of an online meeting next Monday

A regular visitor to Lourdes, the pandemic had kept John Arnold away... until now

There are almost 272,000 people in Ireland living with sight loss - on November 6, Fighting Blindness will host a public engagement day to support these people and their families

If childhood obesity is not tackled, we face losing a generation of children to obesity-related diseases, says Colette Sheridan

Kathriona Devereux looks at the impact our habits are having on data collection - and in turn the environment

Trevor Laffan reflects on the case of Adam Terry, aged 10, who is in constant pain and has faced multiple delays to important surgery

The most important relationship we have in this life is with ourselves. Foster it. Nurture it. Go easy with it. So says CATHAL O’REILLY, author and campaigner for greater mental health supports

After almost two years of conscientious social distancing, hand-sanitising, mask-wearing, supermarket-trolly wiping, carrying tubes of hand sanitiser and being vaccinated - Ailin Quinlan was diagnosed with Covid.

Businesses should be compelled to offer the same inducements to customers who aren’t online as to those who are, says John Dolan in his weekly column

Cork County Public Participation Network (PPN) has launched a new campaign to encourage local groups to get involved. Here Liam McCarthy of the PPN tells us why it’s important

There’s nothing like the feel of a book in your hands, says John Arnold, an avid reader.

The government decided in Budget 2022 to give free contraception to women aged 17 to 25. Was it the right thing to do? So asks Colette Sheridan in her weekly column

UCC student of Government and Politics, PHILLIP BRENNAN outlines the hardship that third-level students are enduring and asks why the government is turning a blind eye

As new murals pop up around Cork City as part of the Ardu Street Project, Kathriona Devereux welcomes the bursts of colour, but asks what more we can do to clean up our city

Dads have called for more equality and engagement in their parenting role, so says CELINE MORAN, Parenting Specialist and ‘Being Dad’ report author, at the Childhood Development Initiative

ACCORDING to the Bible, the amount of time allocated to us here on Earth is three score years and ten. That’s 70 to you and me.

As MyMind celebrates a major milestone this year, 15 years in operation, Gráinne O’Rourke, Head of Communications at the registered charity, tells us about their work and encourages the public to mind their mental health

It's 25 years since the movie Michael Collins aired. John Dolan says it was the greatest Irish film ever made

It’s time to get your nominations in for the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Community Food Awards, writes KATE RYAN, of Flavour.ie. Previous winners include Cork Penny Dinners

John Arnold hopes that a return to Lourdes is on the cards soon, so he can honour dearly departed friends in a simple 'stone casting' ceremony

Colette Sheridan doesn’t really buy into the self-importance of some of my fellow Cork dwellers.

Who will support and educate our younger generation on how to live in a world run by social media, in a safe and confident way? So asks parent coach and teen mentor EILEEN KEANE HALY

Kathriona Devereux is shocked at the volume of decorations on sale for Halloween and Christmas

A new campaign surrounding consent is running across universities and colleges, now that students have returned. Dr Avril Hutch, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at UCC, and Professor Louise Crowley, School of Law, UCC, tell us more

The Minister for Justice, has secured Cabinet approval to amend the provisions in the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009. Pat Ahern, partner, RDJ tells us more

Trevor Laffan reflects on job satisfaction and people who have some unusual careers, in his weekly column

Why can't the government make a decision, quickly and decisively on the Covid bonus, so asks John Dolan in his weekly column

A powerful and evocative piece of writing by an Irish Volunteer has been turned into a song by a relative, set for release this week, writes John Arnold

We are almost beyond being shocked, such is the ongoing war on women, says Colette Sheridan

This week is National Breastfeeding Week and Kathriona Devereux reflects on Ireland's breastfeeding rates and what needs to be done to boost them

Ahead of Budget 2022, Director of the National Women’s Council Orla O’Connor outlines their key asks for women - from childcare to pensions and social welfare reform. Their full budget submission is available on nwc.ie

Trevor Laffan recalls a bout of man-flu in his weekly column

A new campaign urges men to Watch, Talk and Act for their prostate health to ensure survival rates remain high. Here a spokesperson for the Marie Keating Foundation tells us more

In his weekly column John Dolan reflects on soaring energy prices and other financial pressures on the Irish consumer

Have we become very selfish? So asks Ailin Quinlan in her weekly column

Seán Ó Riada was an enigma wrapped up in the cloak of a genius, so says John Arnold in his weekly column

What a terrible indictment of our society that half of us are afraid or, at best, attuned to the dangers of being a woman alone after dark, says Colette Sheridan

The Government recently publisheda strategy to tackle adult literacy. Here Chief Executive of NALA, Colleen Dube, says significant funding and strategic implementation is needed to improve literacy levels

Balancing public health against educational attainment and children’s wellbeing will be tricky in the coming months, so says Kathriona Devereux in her weekly column

Many families in Cork and across the country know the pain and heartbreak of addiction, says Sinn Féin spokesperson on Addiction, Recovery and Wellbeing Thomas Gould TD. Here he tells us about the party’s recently launched Gambling Policy

From fashion to naturism... read Trevor Laffan's weekly column here

September has been overwhelming for many people - with back to school, people re-entering the workplace and facing into winter. Here Dr Yvonne Barnes-Holmes and Dr Ciara McEnteggart from Perspectives Ireland share tips on how to deal with the overwhelm

John Dolan felt our 80-year-old head of state came across as immature in his recent actions, when he refused an invitation to an event marking the centenary of the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland

West Cork writer Alice Taylor has a new book, called Tea for One, which is full of wonderful life lessons, says Ailin Quinlan

Director of the forthcoming production of Philadelphia Here I Come, Geoff Gould talks about how he’s delighted to be finally back in the director’s chair, after a difficult time for the theatre industry, during the Covid-19 pandemic

Cork pantomime supremo CATHERINE MAHON BUCKLEY pays tribute to Billa O’Connell, the legendary Cork panto and stage star, who died yesterday

John Arnold has a fascination with tracing relations... turns out he's related to Miriam Mullins, who has 1.6 million followers on Tik Tok

The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has launched a campaign encouraging men to take care of their hearts, writes Director of Health, Information and Training, at the IHF, Janis Morrissey

In her weekly column Colette Sheridan asks how we will cope if licensing laws are amended to allow nightclubs stay open until 6am

As the Everyman prepares to put on its first production in over 18 months this Thursday, Artistic Director SOPHIE MOTLEY reflects on the difficult time suffered by the entertainment industry and her hopes for the future

This Friday is ‘Make Way Day’, a campaign organised by the Disability Federation of Ireland. Kathriona Devereux tells us more

It's three years since Trevor Laffan was diagnosed with cancer and life has pretty much returned to normal

In his weekly column ahead of Budget 2022, John Dolan says we can't have it all