It is truly amazing that the Minister for Justice should propose to abolish the stamp duty provision. But then, what would one expect from the leader of a party whose sole aim is to enrich the well-heeled in our society? If the Minister feels the State does not need this money, could I respectively suggest that it be put to good use in the elimination of poverty, which is all too prevalent in our society?

A scarce and localised member of the crow family, now more or less confined to our western and southern coasts, the Chough is a species for which Ireland is of particular importance in a European context. The Irish population currently stands at just over 800 breeding pairs, making it one of the most significant in Western Europe.

Not only delicious with a bit of bacon, fungi provide an invaluable service in the cycle of life, says Éanna Ní Lamhna

I refer to the 'Thinking Anew' column in the Irish Times on Saturday 9 September. I am a regularly mass-attendee in Clondalkin, where we have a wonderful mass as gaeilge each Sunday morning. The answer to the above question – whether the Church is really on the side of the poor – is a resounding NO. The Church didn't back the worker lock-out in 1913 and it has demonised workers' representatives ever since. The Church has tried hide the scandal of child sexual abuse for so many years.

Common throughout Ireland year-round, though much more numerous in the winter with the arrival of migrants from Iceland and northern Europe, the Tufted Duck is really the only wild duck we have, apart from the Mallard which is comfortable visiting small ponds and parks. They can become quite tame around humans, and some will come to feed on bread where habitually offered, though our migrant visitors are warier.

One of the best public photo and image websites, Flickr (www.flickr.com), describes itself as an online photo management and sharing application. Now in its "Gamma" version, Flickr is a cross between an online photo album and a blog, and features the best of both applications. Anyone can create a free or a paid "pro" account to start uploading, storing and sharing their digital images. Ludicorp, a company based in Vancouver, Canada, developed and launched Flickr in February 2004. In March 2005, Yahoo! acquired Ludicorp, so new users need to create Yahoo!

I refer to the Taoiseach's comments as reported in the media on 6 September: "Education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of a fire." Can I respectively suggest to the Taoiseach that to enable young children to be creative, they should have the possibility of doing this in surroundings that they are comfortable in. Here in Gaelscoil Na Camogie in Clondalkin, we have way above the national average child-teacher ratio and sub-standard classrooms (pre-fabs). Put your money were your mouth is, Taoiseach.

A widespread bird in Ireland, the handsome Bullfinch is with us year-round. At home in woodland and dense hedgerows, it will often visit gardens to feed on wild berries, seeds, etc., though it will only fly to bird tables on rare occasions. Its favourite foods are tree and flower buds, which in the past served to make them very unpopular with orchard owners.

Fresh from judging Tipperary and Meath's hedgerow competitions, Éanna Ní Lamhna is thrilled with all things bushy

Although mocked by pundits and opposition players for his flamboyant appearance, Ciaran McDonald has emerged as one of the saviours of the Mayo football team. By Ciarán Murphy