There were sparks in Westport last week when posters for certain election candidates appeared around the outskirts of the town.

The local GAA club undertook on a major litter pick of the roads of our rural parish in recent weeks. It was organised as a pre-season team-building exercise but what a shame they should have to do such a job.

Noo Chocolates has become an instantly recognisable brand. Mary Corrigan is the brains behind the artisan chocolate company, based at The Quay in Ballina.

In the not too distant past, tents were an item of potential pleasure and glee as users looked forward to a cheap and different way to spend a holiday.

Mayo Day made its debut in Belmullet this year and anyone fortunate enough to be there will testify it was a success. It chimed perfectly with the town’s 200th anniversary celebrations and the town was a hive of activity on May 4th.

Why would anyone want to be a politician in Ireland? The late John Kelly, a Dublin TD and UCD academic, once justified his own obsession with politics by suggesting it originated out of a desire to serve his country.

Firstly, I apologise to any Christian readers not of the Catholic faith. I can only write from experience and hope that the issues outlined over the past weeks find resonance and resolution in their own spiritual journeys.

A beautiful tiny place exists off the west coast of Ireland. Hidden out in Galway Bay secluded between its two sister islands is a place called Inis Meain, meaning the middle island.

Like a lot of people who participate in voluntary organisations or support groups, Maria Moylett has found herself involved in helping birth mothers who had their children adopted because of her own experience.

Just as the wild Atlantic gales lash our western shores in and out of season, a foreboding storm of a different nature appears to be sweeping across the country.