There is obviously some sort of fitness epidemic sweeping across the country. How else can the proliferating road races, duathlons, triathlons, half marathons, marathons and – for those with perhaps more fitness than sense – ultra marathons be explained Well, […]
People living in a multicultural society owe it to one another to make some effort to learn about their neighbours. While no doubt true that doing so promotes mutual understanding and helps bridge the gaps between people of disparate backgrounds […]
Most people have a favourite film or TV programme. Some can quote a few lines from articular scenes. A select few can even manage a passable impersonation of the actors in question. But how many people can perform their impersonations […]
Summer surely can’t be the breezy, carefree season for dogs that we think it is. Not only do they have to sweat through their tongues, but to combat the heat, they also have to shed hair. Lots of it. Those […]
We all like things to be convenient. From our foods to our shopping to our entertainment. It has simply become easier to leave it to someone else to provide the solutions to our problems. But in doing so, we have […]
Is it possible that our imaginations could enhance our real-life performance levels According to a study conducted by a team of academics from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (whose findings were published in the journal Neuropsycholgia), simply imagining making a movement […]
If you are reading this blog, then you, like several billions of others, are an internet user. This means that you are part of a global online community that can shop, game, research, browse, download and upload, market and advertise, […]
It may seem unlikely, but Ireland is slowly making good on its ambitions to become a world leader in the provision of digital skills. The Dublin-based Digital Marketing Institute recently announced that it had signed a 1.6 million euro contract […]
‘A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world.’ So said the American poet and academic Wendell Berry. The sentiment implies that no matter how small your space, learning […]
The ongoing development and continued growth in the areas of science, engineering and technology has generated an overwhelming sense of urgency among students to commit to the difficult and abstract world of mathematics. In order to incentivise putting in the […]
Enjoying your food is one thing, but knowing it is another thing altogether. The difference is that those who know it enjoy it too. Maybe more than we think if recent research is to be believed. If you’ve ever thought […]
This week saw the launch of Dublin Writer’s Festival 2013 – replete with fascinating talks, readings, book launches and creative writing workshops. Given Ireland’s reputation as a nation of scribes and scholars (for such a small island our literary contribution […]
Sun, sand, sea and sangria – it’s not difficult to understand the reasons behind Irish people’s love for holidaying in Spain. The climate there – generally speaking – is not too rough on our delicate Irish skin, and because it […]
There are myriad ways that we can communicate with one another. We have the complexities of language, of gesture, of facial expression and so on – so why is it that so many of our social occasions and most devout […]
Photography is one of the most popular pastimes in Ireland, boasting dedicated enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds. The reasons for this are many, but the easy accessibility offered by digital devices is surely a central driving force in making […]
Speaking in public isn’t easy, and we all know it. TV presenters make it look easy of course, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. They deliver their lines and follow the director’s orders with such […]
We Irish are a stolid, stubborn lot. If we have to suffer, then we’d often prefer to do it in silence. An ailment will have to knock us clean off out feet before we’ll even consider having it looked into. […]
Saying that further education is the key to career progression and personal fulfillment is all well and good, but it assumes that everyone is fortunate enough to have the basic literacy skills to avail of further learning opportunities – something […]
The incentives that are regularly bandied about when it comes to further learning are typically employment-related: how skills can be used to service industry needs; how learning plays a major role in advancing the ongoing commitment to creating a knowledge […]
Print media is struggling right now. Its position is like that of an elder lion that has led its pride for years but now faces the challenge of a younger, more powerful rival. In the world of advertising and marketing, […]
