EDITOR - Public transport in Beara has improved considerably, and that deserves recognition.

Local Link, Bus Éireann and private operators provide important services across the peninsula, while Harrington’s has provided an invaluable connection with Cork City for many years.

The problem is not that Beara has no buses.

It is that the existing services do not always connect, or run early enough, to make a complete journey possible for people travelling to work, college, training or apprenticeships.

Take Cork City.

Harrington’s Route 231 currently leaves Ardgroom at 7.30am and reaches Parnell Place at 10.05am.

It is a valuable service, but it cannot get somebody to Cork for a typical 9am start.

Travelling towards Killarney presents a similar problem.

To make the full journey from Ardgroom by bus and reach Killarney for 9am, a passenger would need to connect with an onward service in Kenmare.

At present, there is no bus from Ardgroom early enough to make that connection.

This is the issue: a route can exist on a timetable without providing a practical end-to-end journey.

Connections, arrival times and interchange facilities matter. In Kenmare, passengers changing buses currently have no bus shelter.

This affects workers, but also students, apprentices and young people who may be able to remain living at home only if they can travel reliably.

It matters to visitors too.

Not everyone wants, or is able, to hire a car.

The National Transport Authority is reviewing the Bantry to Cork City corridor under the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.

That presents an opportunity to look at the whole journey rather than individual routes in isolation.

The answer may not be dozens of extra buses.

Better timetable coordination, useful connections, clearer information and improved interchange facilities could make the services already running far more useful.

Beara has buses.

The next step is making sure those buses can get people where they need to be, when they need to be there.

Name and address with Editor

Take a break from alcohol for Sober October

EDITOR - As autumn sets in and routines change after the summer months, October can be a useful time to pause and reflect on our everyday habits, including our relationship with alcohol.

That is the thinking behind Sober October, which allows adults to take a month-long break from alcohol and explore the benefits of drinking less.

Taking a break from alcohol does not have to mean making a permanent decision.

For many people, it can simply be an opportunity to try something different, see how they feel and consider the role alcohol plays in their lives. 

There is already a clear appetite for this.

Drinkaware’s Barometer 2025 research found that 63% of adults who drink alcohol have either stayed off alcohol for a fixed period or would consider doing so.

Among 18–24-year-olds who drink, this rises to 80%. 

A break from alcohol can offer a range of potential health benefits.

Better sleep, more energy, improved hydration, feeling better in yourself, losing weight and saving money are among the benefits people may notice, although everyone’s experience will be different.

Taking a break can initially feel challenging, especially when drinking is deeply tied to unwinding after work or socialising at weekends.

However, replacing old habits with new routines, whether through exercise, new hobbies, or exploring alcohol-free social spaces, makes the transition far easier. 

Sober October offers an opportunity to experience the potential benefits of taking a break from alcohol, while also giving people space to reflect on their drinking habits.

A month is a manageable amount of time to try something different, notice what changes for you, and consider whether there are any habits you would like to carry forward beyond October. 

Dearbhla O’Brien, 

CEO of Drinkaware

New Zealand stories with a West Cork connection

EDITOR - I am a final year history and Irish student from Ballinhassig studying in UCC.

For my dissertation, I am researching the agricultural links between Irish migration to New Zealand  and am hoping to hear from people in West Cork who may have a connection to New Zealand through family, farming, or emigration.

I am particularly interested in people who emigrated to New Zealand and built a life there over a number of years before returning to Ireland, as well as families whose relatives settled in New Zealand.

While my research has a particular interest in farming and rural life, I would be delighted to hear from anyone with a New Zealand connection.

Family stories, old letters, photographs, memories, or simply putting me in touch with somebody who might be willing to have a chat would all be of great help.

I am interested in long-term emigration rather than short-term seasonal work or working holidays.

If you think you might be able to help, I would be very grateful to hear from you.

You can contact me at: [email protected].

Many thanks for your time and assistance.

Rhea O’Sullivan

Ballinhassig

Rental reforms an abysmal failure by government

EDITOR - The Government’s recent rental reforms have failed to provide certainty and stability in no fault evictions and are instead contributing to rising homelessness, as record numbers are served by landlords with eviction notices to quit their homes and thousands of children remain trapped in homelessness.

We need to change all of this in favour of the renters and not the landlords who charge exorbitant rents. 

Noel.Harrington. 

Kinsale