The Carlow bypass is open and while it may bring relief to the beleaguered citizens of Carlow town who now can cross the road without having to apply for annual leave, it also has provided a wonderful feast for the eyes of the motorists who are in the act of  circumnavigating the town. Or at least the cutaway raised verges of the motorway are.

Irish mammal species are few in number compared to the mainland European total or even the British total. So you'd think that we'd know their breed, seed and generation or at least how many of them we have and their distribution around the country. So imagine the amazement of the two post graduate students from UCC and Queen's University who were conducting run of the mill examinations of barn owl pellets last autumn, when they discovered undigested skulls which didn't match any small mammal known to exist in Ireland.

Eanna Ní Lamhna tells us why we honour St. Brigid with Rush Crosses.

Can you predict the weather from the colour of a frog's skin? Éanna Ní Lamhna investigates

They don't bite. They don't sting. They don't carry disease. All they do is fly around looking for a mate, and occasionally pop into your house by mistake. By Éanna Ní Lamhna