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BBC News
2 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Caledonian Isles: Arran ferry return delayed by up to four months
An ageing ferry which has not sailed since January last year could be out of service for another four months, operator CalMac has 32-year-old MV Caledonian Isles was forced out of action 18 months ago, leaving a hole in the timetable for the west coast has now said the vessel will return to dry dock for further repairs - which will likely take between eight weeks and four months - prompting a re-think of the winter repair bill for the ferry, which has been side-lined from the Arran route since January 2024, has already risen to nearly £11m. Calmac said MV Caledonian Isles will enter drydock in Leith in the coming days for works to repair an issue with "instability in pitch response".The ferry will have its shaft lines removed for further investigation. This will take a minimum of eight weeks including sea this doesn't solve the problem - the retrofitting of a new system to improve the accuracy of the pitch input will be attempted. This would take four Mackison, CalMac CEO, said: "Based on the current prognosis, we could be in a situation where MV Caledonian Isles returns in September in a best-case scenario or November in a worst-case scenario."However, we intend to publish winter timetables soon and aim to give communities and customers certainty about service levels and vessel deployment during that period."This is a complex process as we need to develop this plan whilst factoring in an annual overhaul schedule that will see a fleet, which is another year older, spend a record of number of days in planned maintenance."The ferry operator's winter timetable runs from 20 October to 26 March 2026, and its entire fleet undergoes annual maintenance between September and May each year.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Ireland's ‘film censor' Ciarán Kissane: ‘My mother told me I watched too much TV and now I watch movies for a living'
How agreeable are you? I've developed my skills over the years to see things from a range of perspectives, which is very useful in my job . When you're making decisions on classifications , seeing things from different perspectives and being open to being persuaded on different points of view is important. What's your middle name and what do you think of it? Francis. I was lucky enough to go to Assisi , and while I wouldn't be a very religious person, it's a very spiritual place. The other St Francis that I came across was St Francis de Sales, who is the patron saint of journalists and writers. I don't know whether it was one or the other who inspired my parents, but maybe it was the premonition of the work I was going to do in the future. Where is your favourite place in Ireland? Anywhere along the west coast I have a real love for, and especially the offshore islands. I've been lucky enough to go to most of them, but if I had to pick one place, it probably would be Kilkee in west Clare . Some years ago, I was lucky enough to get involved in scuba diving, and Kilkee has got world-class dive sites at the mouth of a beautiful bay. Describe yourself in three words. Curious, gracious, affable. READ MORE When did you last get angry? When I think about anger, I think about The Incredible Hulk. In the context of that character, anger is about uncontrollable rage and destruction. I'm much more comfortable with things that I find annoying, frustrating, or that make me sad. [ Ireland used to ban films. Now it's more relaxed than Britain or the US about what's on screen. Why? Opens in new window ] What have you lost that you would like to have back? Youth. The energy and the optimism of it. As you get older, you get more aware of the physical dangers around you, and you certainly can't do as much as you could. Take scuba diving, for example. After a dive, I find it harder every year to haul myself up on to a dive boat. I'm still managing to do it, but I wish I were in my 20s when I was able to just jump up and get straight back on the boat. What's your strongest childhood memory? My mother telling me during an episode of Blankety Blank that my grandfather had died suddenly. He lived with us, so he was a constant fixture. He always had time to chat with you. He used to sit on the couch, read a book, smoke a pipe and watch for people coming into the shop – he had a butcher's shop, but at this stage it was very much winding down. I remember the smell of tobacco smoke, and him reading the Poldark books … Where do you come in your family's birth order and has it defined you? I'm the fourth of six. One of the things about being part of a large family is that there was never any sense of somebody else trying to steer your direction or your career path. My mother, who loved books, television and cinema, often told me that I watched too much TV, and here I am watching movies for a living. She'd get a laugh out of that if she were still with us. What do you expect to happen when you die? I expect to be scattered at sea with the Saw Doctors' song Carry Me Away playing in the background. There's a lovely line in it where it says, 'Scatter me forever where I've felt most alive'. To be left to the sea would be great because, for me, the underwater environment is a magical place. When were you happiest? One of the places where I find the most peace is if I'm underwater and there are perfect climate conditions. You don't often get that, but sometimes, when people ask you to envisage a perfect moment, for me it generally comes from some time when I was underwater. Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life? I know how hard it is to get money together to make something, especially something that's non-commercial, so if anyone were to make a biopic about my life – and I don't think anyone would – they would surely struggle to raise the budget. What's your biggest career/personal regret ? I don't really do regrets because I'm a glass-half-full person, and you can't change the past. We have a lot of agency to tell ourselves our own stories, and while you've got to be aware of the negatives, in my view it's critical to focus on the positive. Have you any psychological quirks? My children say that I can't stay still. They may be right – I'm constantly trying to do too much rather than do one or two things. In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Four dead, 1,300 evacuated as heavy rains hit South Korea
Four people have died and another 1,300 evacuated as torrential rains pound South Korea, with authorities warning that the unseasonal deluge will continue. Among those killed were two men in their 80s. Authorities believe one of them was trying to drain flood waters from the basement of his home. A third victim was crushed when a wall collapsed onto his car. Moments before, he'd called his wife to say the vehicle was "being swept away", authorities say. The fourth victim died of a cardiac arrest. The record rainfall has prompted South Korea's government to raise the weather-related disaster alert to its highest level. More than 400mm of rain poured down in just half a day in Seosan, the worst-affected city, along the country's west coast - the weather agency described it as a once-in-a-century event. Photos and videos on social media show vehicles and homes submerged, with pieces of furniture floating in the water. "Everything is covered by water except the roof [of my house]," a resident in an affected area wrote online. Several injuries were reported across the country, including two people suffering from hypothermia and two others who sustained leg injuries. As of 16:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Thursday, more than 1,300 people had been evacuated. Authorities have urged people to stay away from riverbanks, steep slopes and underground spaces, warning that the risk of landslides and flash floods remains high. Dry air from the north-west mixed with hot and humid air from the south to form especially large rain clouds, South Korea's meteorological administration says. But forecasters expect high temperatures to return next week, with the possibility of a heatwave.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
South Korea: Four dead, 1,300 evacuated as heavy rain drenches country
Four people have died and another 1,300 evacuated as torrential rains pound South Korea, with authorities warning that the unseasonal deluge will continue. Among those killed were two men in their 80s. Authorities believe one of them was trying to drain flood waters from the basement of his home. A third victim was crushed when a wall collapsed onto his car. Moments before, he'd called his wife to say the vehicle was "being swept away", authorities say. The fourth victim died of a cardiac record rainfall has prompted South Korea's government to raise the weather-related disaster alert to its highest level. More than 400mm of rain poured down in just half a day in Seosan, the worst-affected city, along the country's west coast - the weather agency described it as a once-in-a-century and videos on social media show vehicles and homes submerged, with pieces of furniture floating in the water. "Everything is covered by water except the roof [of my house]," a resident in an affected area wrote online. Several injuries were reported across the country, including two people suffering from hypothermia and two others who sustained leg injuries. As of 16:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Thursday, more than 1,300 people had been evacuated. Authorities have urged people to stay away from riverbanks, steep slopes and underground spaces, warning that the risk of landslides and flash floods remains high. Dry air from the north-west mixed with hot and humid air from the south to form especially large rain clouds, South Korea's meteorological administration forecasters expect high temperatures to return next week, with the possibility of a heatwave.
Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Times
20 best coastal properties to buy in Ireland now
For anyone dreaming of an idyllic holiday home with the sea on their doorstep, to facilitate a summer of swimming, sailing, surfing, lying on the beach and coastal walks, the best properties also provide a glimpse of the shimmering blue water. These come at a price and they're in demand — from Irish and international buyers. John Daly of Sherry FitzGerald Daly Kenmare points to a strong interest from American buyers that he says wasn't there 12 months ago. 'This is happening in all the Sherry Fitz offices up along the west coast,' he says. 'A huge number of Americans are coming in looking at holiday home-type properties or even full-time homes in nice locations.' • Revealed: 100 Great Places to Stay in Ireland for 2025 Maeve McCarthy of Charles McCarthy Estate Agents in Skibbereen, also notes high demand from Irish buyers, including those living overseas who want a base here. 'They want a foothold in Ireland, but not necessarily where they're from originally,' she says. Top of the list of priorities for these buyers are typically location and views, as well as a high level of finish. 'People are looking for good-quality, turnkey houses,' McCarthy says. 'They want the same standard of finish as they have in their home, or maybe a little bit down from that. If it needs a bit of work they're more reticent. They also want something that is low-maintenance to run.' We've picked out twenty coastal properties around the country that should tick plenty of boxes for even the most discerning buyers. On the outskirts of Carlingford village in Co Louth, Seascape is a stunning four-bedroom bungalow set on a 0.8 acre site overlooking the lough and the Mourne Mountains. Built in 2008, it has a B2 energy rating, 192 sq m of living space and a luxury finish throughout. Nowhere more so than in the Parkes Interiors-designed bespoke kitchen, which has quartzite worktops and backsplashes, a hidden breakfast station, and high-end appliances including a Bora induction hob and Fisher & Paykel fridge/freezer and dishwasher drawers. Inside, the best of the views are from the double-height kitchen/family room, the living room and the dual-aspect main bedroom. Outside, a large composite deck with integrated lighting is the perfect place to drink in the surroundings — and whatever else takes your fancy. Agent Set into a slope, this split-level house in Kinnalargy, near Downings in Co Donegal, has been upgraded in recent years to make the most of the light and the spectacular coastal backdrop. On the upper level, the L-shaped kitchen/dining/living room has distinctive timber panelling on the ceiling, with three floor-to-ceiling windows framing the bay on one side, plus sliding doors to an all-glass solarium and rooftop terrace on another. Three of the four bedrooms — there are two upstairs and two downstairs — also face the water. Other features include porthole windows in the utility, a concrete staircase, landscaped gardens and a separate, two-storey recreational building. Agent The decor at Bunker Lodge in Co Clare reflects the three-bedroom property's near-seaside location — the house is about 2km from both Doonbeg village and White Strand, a sandy blue flag beach. The property's showstopper is its triple-aspect first-floor living room, which has a white-painted timber-vaulted ceiling, wall panelling, a built-in window seat and glazed double doors with views of the sea, access to a deck with a fireplace and an external staircase to ground level. In addition to the 200 sq m, B3-energy rated house, there's a separate chalet with three rooms, including a wet room with double shower. The house is listed on Airbnb with a rental price of €950 a night during the summer months. Agent The Old School House in Collorus, Co Kerry, has views across Ardgroom Harbour and Kenmare Bay as well as calm and elegant interiors, luxury bathrooms, a bespoke kitchen with premium appliances and a hidden wine and cocktail bar. Run as a school for 99 years, the property was converted into a holiday home in 1967 and fully renovated last year by its current owners. The accommodation includes an entrance hall with white oak stairs, kitchen/living/dining room with two 2.8m sliding glass doors facing the views, three bedrooms, including one at ground level, a utility room, an office and three bathrooms. There's plenty more outside with nine acres of land that includes seating areas, mountain streams, a waterfall and a small lake, plus a garage. And, as far as turnkey goes, this one completely knocks it out of the park — all the contents are included in the sale. Agent On the other side of Kenmare Bay and just a few hundred metres from the N70, aka the Ring of Kerry, this detached home in Coad is within easy striking distance of the Iveragh peninsula's many outdoor activities and scenic spots. It's a short drive from Castlecove and Caherdaniel on either side and just 1.5km from Westcove Pier. The 250 sq m house has a large, triple-aspect and open-plan kitchen/living/dining room with huge picture windows and French doors delivering fabulous water and countryside views, plus access to a gravelled outdoor space where there's lots more of the same. The rest of the accommodation includes five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a utility room. An additional detached building comprises two large spaces that are separated by a drive-through arch and currently used as games and storage rooms. Agent Between Cleggan and Letterfrack in Connemara and about a ten-minute walk from Ross Beach, Inish Reach is a charmingly refurbished and extended stone cottage with panoramic sea and mountain views. The sitting room, which has partly exposed stone walls and a solid fuel stove, accounts for the lion's share of the original cottage and, like most of the rooms, has vaulted ceilings. The other main living spaces — sunroom and gorgeous triple-aspect kitchen/dining room with exposed beams — have huge windows facing out to the views at their gable ends. The 160 sq m house has three bedrooms, all with en suites, a guest WC and a utility room. Agent Spectacular and rugged countryside and coastline surround this sandstone brick-clad contemporary bungalow, which sits on an elevated 1.1 acre site on Crohy Head, Co Donegal, and was built on the site of a derelict cottage. Size wise, it's relatively modest for a new-build, with just over 140 sq m of living accommodation, but it is full of high-end features, including underfloor heating. It has three bedrooms, one with an en suite and walk-in wardrobe, and a family bathroom. The main living space is open-plan and includes a streamlined kitchen and a sitting room with a vaulted ceiling and glazing on four sides, including floor-to-ceiling windows pointing towards the views and the sunsets. The property is close to numerous beaches and is less than 10km from Dungloe. Agent At the foot of Croagh Patrick and within walking distance of lovely Bertra beach in Co Mayo, this single-storey property in Gloshpatrick was built in 2009 and renovated to a high standard in 2023. Some of the upgrades included underfloor heating and insulation, an air-to-water system, and new windows and doors. The 265 sq m house has four double bedrooms, each with an en suite, along with a guest WC and a utility room. Its kitchen/living/dining room has a wood-burning stove, huge picture windows and gorgeous Croagh Patrick vistas. The eye-catching Next 125 kitchen in anthracite and saffron is the star of the show and includes a double larder cupboard, an island unit with induction hob and a range of Kitchen Aid appliances. The house is on an acre of land with patio, lawn and a tarmac driveway, along with an 89 sq m garage with its own underfloor heating and a separate air-to-water heat pump. Agent On an elevated site overlooking the ocean and Sherkin and Cape Clear islands in west Cork, Laguna on Cove Hill offers the best of both worlds — glorious views and easy access to popular and buzzy Baltimore village. Built in the late 1970s, the house has been extended and upgraded over the years and now offers 278 sq m of B2 energy-rated space. The kitchen, dining area and living room face the stunning seascape and open to a lovely terrace. The dual-aspect main bedroom suite, which has a vaulted ceiling, reading nook/dressing room and en suite bathroom, has the sea views on one side and French doors to the garden on the other. Also on the ground floor are another sitting room, two more bedrooms and family bathroom. A fourth bedroom and a WC are upstairs. The 0.7 acre property has landscaped gardens, a boat shed and a garden room. Agent The main living spaces at Stella Maris are in a single-storey block at the back of this 335 sq m home in Myrtleville and connect via huge sliding doors to a patio, the garden and sea views beyond. In this space are the kitchen/dining area — packed with Siemens appliances including a bean-to-cup coffee machine — and an adjoining triple-aspect living room, plus a lounge that's currently used as a gym. There's another sitting room, three bedrooms, bathrooms and a utility at this level. Upstairs, the main bedroom suite and an office benefit from the views and a roof terrace. Agent Built in the late 1800s, the Links in Rosses Point, Co Sligo and its semi-detached next-door neighbour operated as a hotel before being converted into a single home and, in the 1990s, divided in two. It now has 150 sq m of accommodation — including four bedrooms — set out over four floors. The main living spaces — a reception room with reclaimed wood flooring, solid fuel stove and a bay window facing out towards the water, Oyster Island and Coney Island, and a kitchen/dining room with a cast iron fireplace — are on the ground floor. A basement, with direct access to a front courtyard, is used as a utility space and for storage. The house is next to the Yeats Country Hotel and the County Sligo Golf Club, and is close to shops, cafés and bars. The centre of Sligo is about 7.5km away. Agent Spectacular views of Cork Harbour are among the selling points at No 4 Lighthouse Terrace on Roches Point, which was built about 200 years ago and used as a post office and telegraph station before being converted into a home. Its four bedrooms include one with a vaulted ceiling, exposed rafters and a bay window with a built-in seat facing the harbour. Also upstairs are a family bathroom and a dramatic glass-floored walkway. Downstairs are a living room with another bay window and French doors to a courtyard, a smart kitchen, a utility room and a guest WC. The property's main outside space is across the road at the front on the water side and includes a patio and a decked area. Agent A former boys' school, the School House on Corbally Road in Kilkee has been restored and converted into a lovely — and quite quirky — home. In a recent project, a conservatory was added with windows on either side that links the main house to the original master's cabin, now a self-contained guest wing with bedroom and en suite, sitting/dining room and kitchenette. The rest of the accommodation includes a kitchen, living room and four more bedrooms. The house is on about an acre of land that's surrounded by stone walls and includes Liscannor stone patios and elevated gardens at the back that provide views of the countryside and down to the sea, which is a couple of fields away. Agent Built in the 1980s and extended in 1994, this detached home in Toe Head near Castletownshend stands out for several reasons, not least its 10m heated indoor swimming pool. The house spans 404 sq m, including the pool area. Four bedrooms are on the ground floor and the kitchen/living/dining room with fabulous views of the countryside is upstairs. Also at this level is a self-contained studio with a small kitchen and a fold-down wall bed, plus a bathroom and access to a terrace and exterior steps. Internally, the house has a lift as well as two staircases. It's on half an acre that includes patios and lawn, plus a kitchen garden with raised beds set in the ruins of a pre-famine cottage. Agent The clue is in the name at Dune Watch in Co Louth, a three-bedroom bungalow on a 0.3 acre site that's right next to Seapoint beach. The most dramatic space in this 172 sq m house, which is 2km from Termonfeckin, is the sitting room, which has timber-panelled, vaulted ceiling, a stove, corner windows facing the beach and glazed doors to a deck. The kitchen also has a corner of glazing and access to the deck. The house has another reception room and three bedrooms, along with two en suites, a bathroom and a utility room. Agent Carraig Aenain on Cliff Road offers up the heady mixture of full-on, close-up sea views and proximity to a range of amenities — it shouldn't take much more than five minutes to walk to Ardmore's Main Street or the beach in one direction, while the Cliff House Hotel is the other way and even closer. This 102 sq m semi-detached cottage has been fully refurbished in recent years right down to a new roof and windows. It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and an L-shaped kitchen/dining room with a rooflight and French doors to the outdoor space at the side. The living room is at the front and has a solid-fuel stove and cute half-opening stable doors facing on to Ardmore Bay. Agent A large conservatory with three sets of doors opening a raised terrace is probably the best spot at Heywood from which to enjoy the up-close-and-personal views across Galway Bay, the north Clare coastline and the Aran Islands. On Pier Road in Barna, this is a giant of a house with 717 sq m of living space. Apart from the conservatory, notable features include a self-contained one-bedroom guest unit with its own entrance, a sauna, detached garage with an office/gym, a cobble-lock driveway lined with shrubbery and beautiful, mature gardens at the back. Agent Properties don't come too much closer to the sea than at the Boat House on Coast Road in Blackrock, Co Louth. The 258 sq m house, which was built in the 1990s and looks on to Dundalk Bay and the Cooley Mountains, is set on 0.6 acres of land with direct access to the beach. The house has four bedrooms, various reception rooms and a lovely, tiled conservatory. One of its most special features is its 85 sq m boathouse, which operated as Blackrock's lifeboat station for several years until 1935. Agent No 4 Cliff Manor is the middle unit in a terrace of seven homes built on the site of a former hotel and in a most spectacular location on the southern slopes of Bray Head looking out towards the Irish Sea and down along the Wicklow coastline. Downstairs, the living space is pretty open-plan and has large windows on two sides facing on to a front terrace. Upstairs, the three bedrooms include a main suite with the most fabulous sea views, as well as access to a private balcony. Cliff Manor residents have exclusive access to seven acres of private gardens; No 4 also has its own private outdoor space at the back. Agent Firmly in wildcard territory as an option for a holiday home is Connemara Isles, a 56-acre property on Annaghavane Island in Co Galway comprising — among other things — a nine-hole golf course, its own natural harbour, an 1850s-built thatched house and a small island that's linked by a causeway bridge. The thatched house is now used as a bar within the 344 sq m clubhouse, which also has a function room, catering kitchen and changing rooms and could potentially be converted into a private home surrounded by the most ridiculously beautiful scenery. Agent
