Rural Life
Stress on supply for water as a result of the dry weather, agriculture, tourism and domestic water usage has prompted a hosepipe ban.
Minster Martin Heydon has urged farmers to take necessary steps to protect animals during the current spell of hot weather.
This weekend will see the weather gradually move away from the sweltering conditions of the past few days.
Met Éireann is forecasting dry weather and increasing temperatures for most of this week, before more unsettled conditions develop.
Based on the survey carried out by the Western Development Commission, 47% of us in Ireland are actively engaged with the diaspora.
The weekend will see fairly dry spells of weather for most, but there will be some outbreaks of rain and drizzle as well.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that changes to the rural housing rules will come before cabinet "in the next number of weeks".
Séamus Boland, former CEO of Irish Rural Link and president of the EESC, has highlighted his concerns over rural depopulation in Ireland.
Ireland's Minister of State for European affairs has defended what he called Ireland's "old school" understanding of the CAP.
The majority of currently vacant GP panels in the country under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme are in rural areas.
Rural pubs are a "social anchor" and the government must do all it can to support publicans, according to Aontú Senator Sarah O’Reilly.
The European Commission has referred Ireland to the EU Court of Justice for allegedly failing to comply with rules on peat cutting.
Countryside Alliance has raised concerns over a new law in Northern Ireland that it claimed could see dog walkers "criminalised".
Weather this June Bank Holiday Weekend will turn cooler and more changeable, with showers and spells of rain to return.
Environment
A new initiative to test how regenerative farming practices perform in Irish conditions is now underway across 20 farms nationwide.
Fine Gael and the Social Democrats have won Dáíl seats following by-elections in the Galway West and Dublin Central constituencies.
Next Friday (May 22) will see voters in the Galway West constituency go to the polls in one of two by-elections in the country that day.
The weather over the next couple of days is set to be unsettled in general, with rain or showers forecasted, Met Éireann has said.
The bank holiday weekend will see mixed weather, with spells of rain and showers, and cooler temperatures, according to Met Éireann.
Weather
The weather will start off largely dry and sunny this week, but it will turn unsettled again later in the week, Met Éireann has said.
The weekend and coming week will continue to see mostly dry weather as high pressure dominates, Met Éireann has said.
Agri Politics
An MEP has said that "dismissive rhetoric risks deepening divisions" between those in urban and rural Ireland.
A farm organisation has said that recent comments by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar are "deeply misguided and risk creating a false and damaging divide".
