Why are puppies and kittens so adorable?

Young kittens and puppies are cute. Most people find them utterly adorable: they make you smile and feel good about the world. But what is it about them that makes us feel so fond of them?

TV ads don’t make anyone more likely to eat fast food than they already do

Fast food ads targeting parents, not kids

Deborah Coleman - Straight Talking Health campaigners have turned their attention to television sponsorship in recent weeks and have called for an end to fast food advertising during children's programmes.

Why are puppies and kittens so adorable?

Pete Wedderburn - Animal Doctor Young kittens and puppies are cute. Most people find them utterly adorable: they make you smile and feel good about the world. But what is it about them that makes us feel so fond of them?

Photos wanted for new Sligo walking guide

Micheál Ó Domhnaill A new and updated Sligo Walking Guide is being produced by Sligo County Council in conjunction with Sligo Walks. This handy, pocket sized free booklet has, over the years, provided locals and visitors alike with all kinds of information about walking in Sligo.

Five most 'Instagrammable' backdrops in County Sligo

Denise Rushe Seeking out the perfect backdrop for the perfect holiday snap to make your dearest and nearest that little bit jealous is all part of the fun on any trip to County Sligo.

Top Tens - this week in 1993

Scotland's The Bluebells disbanded in the mid-eighties, so this 1993 number one in the UK and Irish charts was a real bolt from the blue.

The best of British?

When Radio X published a new poll of the 100 greatest British songs of all time, they may not have anticipated the backlash from music fans bemoaning the lack of diversity.

Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott in A Quiet Place

Masterclass in old-fashioned scares and suspense

Silence is golden - and imperative for survival - in John Krasinski's nerve-shredding horror thriller about a family battling against sightless otherworldly creatures, which hunt by sound.

Prepare for a hammer-blow of childlike glee as the first few hours of this game unfolds majestically before your eyes

A hollow shell of absurdly repetitive questing

Chris Hayes - Game Review The ever-growing mainstream appeal of online multiplayer gaming has proven to be an incredible boon for many new titles. Once upon a time, multiplayer titles had to fulfil very certain requirements in order to gain a fanbase large enough to justify the incredible cost of maintaining an online game.

The emergence of the Orange Tip butterfly is one of the signs that spring is well underway

Orange Tip butterfly to be on the wing from late April

Jim Hurley - Nature Trail There are no prizes for guessing how the Orange Tip butterfly got its name. Butterflies have four wings and it is obvious that it is the brightly-coloured tips of both the upper and lower surfaces of the...

Free access course in St Angela's for entry to college

Always wanted to go to college but thought you didn't have the qualifications?

Hyde and Markievicz bridges turning blue for Autism Day

This Monday the 2nd of April 2018, the Hyde and Markievicz bridges in Sligo will turn blue in recognition of World Autism Day and to raise awareness in the community.

Couscous likes being on her own for most of the time.

Couscous: my nervous cat with failing kidneys

Pete Wedderburn - Animal Doctor I have written previously about my own pets, and the most common prompt for me to do this has been when my own animals have reached the end of their lives. For me, it has been a type of grief therapy sometimes, with the opportunity to write an obituary for an animal that's been an important part of my life.

The pockets of red squirrels found throughout Ireland today are not well mixed and many of the populations appear to be genetically isolated.

Red squirrels at risk of dying out in the future

Jim Hurley - Nature Trail The Red Squirrel is regarded a native Irish animal. If there were squirrels in Ireland before the last ice age, it is assumed that the ice, snow and cold wiped them out together with their host trees. It is also assumed that when the ice finally melted that Red Squirrels colonised our green and pleasant land under its own steam before...