Pictured at home with Ben (left) and Joe Styles are Sharon Boyle, GMIT lecturer, Jenny parkes, GMIT technology student, and Noreen Henry, GMIT lecturerA GMIT technology student has helped enrich the lives of twin brothers with Muscular Dystrophy through the use of communications technology.

Mature student Jenny Parkes has helped 24-year-old twins Joe and Ben Styles to communicate with friends and family  through a high quality mouse-operated camera and voice recognition software.

The Castlebar-based brothers, who have limited mobility and are mostly housebound, are now regulars on Facebook

and are Skype-ping friends and family around the world.

Jenny, who is a mature student on the Higher Certificate in Information Technology Support at GMIT Castlebar, worked as a carer prior to returning to college and had an interest in the emerging field of assistive technologies.

A wild minkBACK in the spring the wind brought down a fine ash tree into a neighbour’s field. We struck a deal: if I cut it and split it we could share the wood. Just the job.

Then came an endless succession of other things to do - a bit of gardening, a spot of fishing, exploring the coast. Winter was yet far off, so far that it might never come.

Bumble Bee

BOMBUS. Whoever thought that one up? Yet when we take a look at our bumble bee friends, what other name would fit quite as well?

Having noticed that bees are somewhat conspicuous by their absence, I spent a couple of early mornings and subsequent evenings looking for these valuable insects in the vicinity of my home. I found a few, but I think there are not as many as I would like to see.

When we turned over a rotten log to see what might be living underneath, the last thing we expected to find was a few thousand tiny yellow ants. Now, in my experience, disturbed ants are better left in peace, or day after day of itching and scratching will be sure to follow.

Mayo County Council's arts office invites project proposals to celebrate International Disabled People's Day on December 3.
The arts office has made a considerable commitment to the development of arts and disability activity

EIGHT students from St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Castlebar, trekked to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on Friday, June 10 - the largest female group to ever complete the gruelling climb.