I’m always partial to stories from Kerry, my ancestral homeland. Lately, there’s been a run of unusual stories about animals.

• Giant seagulls have reportedly attacked and killed mature mountain ewes in south and west Kerry; and a swimmer was bitten near the beach at Fenit, “part of a pattern of unusual behavior by gulls.”
• Animal rights activists are raising concerns about the welfare of the wild male mountain goat selected to reign over the annual Puck Fair at Killorglin.
• Gardaí in north Kerry say 20 cattle, mostly cows and their calves, died after ingesting lead from batteries thrown into a field near Tarbert.
• Two new species of amphipods, small shrimp-like creatures, have been discovered in deep waters off the southwest coast of Ireland.