I hope it won't seem immodest to point out that my play, Allegiance, performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, merits inclusion in your report by Jessie Collins: 'Irish success at Edinburgh' (Village, 31 August).

The female spider lives up to her reputation as a dangerous date, says Éanna Ní Lamhna

"This is the best day of my life": John Bruton on the day of Prince Charles' visit to Dublin. Now Gay Mitchell suggests a future role for a British head of state in Ireland. Over my dead body!

Often confused with its close relative the swallow, the House Martin is the bird that builds its cup-shaped mud nest under the eaves of houses in towns and villages all over Ireland. Strictly summer visitors, they start to arrive in April and depart again by October; it is known that they winter in sub-Saharan Africa, but, amazingly, the exact location of their main wintering grounds is still unknown.

We give wasps a raw deal – after all, we're the ones masquerading as flowers, says Éanna Ní Lamhna

So, many of today's students fail to make the grade in the working world, top business chiefs have claimed. According to them, too many of the so-called text generation have little interest in learning on-the-job, they take no pride in their work and they struggle to turn up on time. This is an appalling and outrageous slur on all young people and I demand that Ibec apologise for, and withdraw, these disgraceful remarks immediately. Maybe if these allegations are true, Ibec should ask theselves why this might be the case.

One of Ireland's most familiar birds, the magpie needs no introduction. A member of the crow family, it is an exceptionally intelligent bird which, coupled with its ability to eat just about anything and adapt to new surroundings, helps to explain its success.

If our patron saint really did drive out the reptiles, he left one important one behind. Éanna Ní Lamhna on Ireland's native viviparous lizard

I have some modest proposals for Dáil reform. In future, if a TD is absent from their Dáil seat, a blow-up sex doll should be placed in their empty seat with the name of the absent TD displayed on the doll. As the TV cameras span across the possible circus of inflatable TDs this should insure the debating chamber will be full in future.

Found along the banks of rivers, canals and lakes throughout Ireland, the Kingfisher is one of our most colourful and celebrated birds. Smaller than most people expect, at just 16cm in length it is only marginally bigger than a sparrow, but with a far longer bill and more robust build.