Varadkar was willing to enjoy some Wexford strawberries — when in Rome, after all

A reader wonders if Michael Healy-Rae TD has enough time to devote to An Post's plans to close its unit in Listowel

Cork South West TD Michael Collins demanded an apology and asked that Pippa Hackett correct the record of the Dáil after she commended him for being an organic farmer during a debate on land restoration

It was, no doubt, a matter of happy coincidence that West Cork’s Dursey Island cable car reopened in the same week as an upbeat government strategic report — the first for 27 years — into the future of the islands of Ireland.

Trying to package rural Ireland into one neat little box will fail and deep down those vying to establish a rural party must know that.

The following is a political statement issued this week by the Rural Independent Group of TDs in the Dáil. The headline went: Government Secret Plot to Massacre Our Precious Cows.

Town-centre properties present a huge opportunity to create housing in climate-friendly conditions, writes  Marc Ó Cathasaigh

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is to release €13m to give rundown properties "a new lease of life and repurposed for 21st-century use".

Junior minister had said the dairy sector 'must take responsibility for its unwanted calves'

New legislation aims to modernise the country's patchwork of laws governing alcohol sales in pubs, restaurants, and off-licences

The average pass rate across all centres last year was 53%

In small rural parishes, the loss of a priest through retirement or death is keenly felt, says Conor Capplis, with the Catholic Church slow to react to a problem they have known about for many years

Green Party leader says some TDs are 'more interested in TikTok likes than legislation'

Dramatic rise in amounts forked out, with ads placed across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and YouTube

'There was 11 lambs crammed into a corner and I never want to see what I saw there again — they couldn't escape'

Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton said that the funding is 41% higher than last year's allocations

Whole community objects to location of proposed 15m-high mast in Knocknagoshel

The cable car has not operated since the start of last April and access to the island has been severely curtailed since then

Discussions on December's Cabinet reshuffle — which will see Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar switch positions — are due to get underway in the coming days

It is the Holy Grail of farming and country life festivals, and for three years its absence has been keenly felt. For Nora Power though, the return of the Ploughing Championships after its Covid-enforced absence is bitter sweet.

The report found that there is a 'crisis in all types of housing in Clare — social, rental and privately owned'

Drop in passenger numbers since Covid, increasing fuel costs, and need for investment in EVs made it 'unsustainable' for company to keep operating

Farmers urged to group together to purchase emergency equipment such as generators

The retirement of Bernie Murphy after 29 years as postmistress in Cill na Martra  sees the doors close at the only general shop in the village

When AIB announced it was to stop cash services in 70 branches it was interpreted as another assault on rural Ireland

Why is Eamon Ryan, in demanding a 30% reduction in agriculture emissions, being painted as the lunatic and others as the moderate sensible ones?

An Post will allow bank's customers to access cash at its 900-plus network across the country

Rural woes will fester during the summer break

Clonakilty, Kenmare and Westport are all tourist magnets which are protecting their past and resisting the temptation to become tacky

Farming groups lobby for 22% reduction, which they maintain would still be challenging

If agreed, the multi-million euro plan would succeed the €8.5m support package fully funded by An Post

The climate minister tells Pádraig Hoare he is not out of touch with rural Ireland but we are in an ecological crisis and there is an urgency to what must be achieved

Until State-driven environmental initiatives learn to appreciate ‘public’ concerns, official policies are doomed and popular support will wither away

What's local is global — and the threat to rural post offices highlights a national issue that we need to address now

As the 'Irish Examiner' launches a new focus on drug abuse in rural Ireland, Justin Campbell says we have taken our eye off the ball 

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has yet to respond to an urgent request for a subsidised ferry service for an island off the south-west coast about to lose its cable car connectivity with the mainland.

The broadband network is community-owned and managed by Broadband for Our Community, a locally-based, not-for-profit company with a board of volunteers

Nine in 10 people are in support of pedestrianisation in Ennis. The prospect of pedestrianisation in Ennis is popular among the public, with more than 90% showing some form of support for the process.

Envisaged to have a hand in everything from transport to enterprise, policing to aviation policy, the Limerick mayor is a real chance to deliver major change to the city and county

Bid to rejuvenate town centres, drive economic growth, and help combat dereliction

Waiting for essential services has become one of the necessary evils of living in a rural area — but there should at least be some certainty, writes Seamus Boland.

A former hotel that has been the subject of arson attacks and has lain idle for a number of years looks set to be regenerated. Mallow-based developer Pat Shine is to lodge plans with Cork County Council to redevelop the town's former Central Hotel.

By the end of the project, 70% of rural dwellers will have access to a public transport service that provides at least three daily trips to a nearby town

Among all the social activities put on hold during Covid-19 restrictions, spare a thought for the residents of a Cork village who for 20 long months have been unable to take their Tart home from the pub.