‘GALWAY! THE DIRTIEST TOWN I EVER SAW!’
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
In 1833 the novelist and educationalist Maria Edgeworth and some friends set out on a horse and open carriage tour of Connemara in considerable style. Happily for us because she was an inveterate letter writer, we have today her amusing and sharply observed picture of her adventure, as travel 175 years ago was pretty rough and ready.
Read more ...Poor Father Moloney and Greek purity
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
I was always of the opinion that WB Yeats was a rather serious, impractical, pedantic man, sometimes lost in the unreal world of the fairies. However, Roy Foster’s epic biography of the famous poet *shows that like many of his contemporaries, WB was a very witty conversationalist.
Read more ...The Luther Christmas tree
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
I always thought that the Christmas tree, which gives a special pleasure in any home, was a Victorian thing, introduced by Prince Albert in the early 19th century. But reading Niall Mac Coitir’s fascinating book Irish Trees - Myths, Legends and Folklore* I learned that legend has it that the idea of the Christmas fir tree first came to Martin Luther. After walking one Christmas Eve under a clear winter sky lit by 1,000 stars, he set up for his children a tree with countless candles as an image of the starry heaven whence Christ came. However, the first known record of a modern Christmas tree comes from Strasbourg in 1605 when fir trees were set up and decorated.
Read more ...Saying the Rosary together...
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
Donall MacAmhlaigh was one of those tens of thousands who took the boat to Holyhead during the 1950s. Born in Knocknacarra, Galway, in 1926 into an Irish-speaking family, he worked in a series of jobs after leaving school aged 15, before joining the Army in 1948. Unable to find work after three years in the Army he emigrated to Britain where so many of his friends and neighbours had gone before him. His first job was a live-in stoker in a hospital in Northampton until low pay tempted him to swap security for the higher wages of life as a navvy.
Read more ...Patrick Kavanagh and his great expectations...
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
When the poet Patrick Kavanagh first came to Dublin in 1939 it was with great expectations. What better city could there be for a poet than one so rich in famous writers. AE (George Russell), always kind and encouraging towards new poetic talent, took him under his wing, and, as Kavanagh appeared to him to be the peasant-poet of Irish tradition, he was initially accepted by the establishment. That idyll did not last, and, for one reason or another, he spent most of his life as a loner.
Read more ...A Christmas Song
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
Why is the baby crying
On this, his special day,
On this, his special day,
Read more ...The mistress of the Fine Gael party?
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
In 1966, the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising, Eamon de Valera confidently put himself forward for re-election. Fine Gael decided to contest the election and put forward Tom O’Higgins. The idea of Fine Gael opposing ‘The Chief’ in the same year as the golden jubilee of the Easter Rising greatly irritated many within Fianna Fáil. Some members of the party blamed The Irish Times, which had insisted that the electorate be given a choice of candidates. In November 1965 it had declared that ‘the spirit of 1916 would be well borne out if next year were to see a Fine Gael President. For the other side of the old Sinn Féin house has still its part to play and that party is not lacking in men who could with dignity and vigour fill the office.’ It also welcomed O’Higgins’ candidacy by noting that the electoral contests were ‘the essence of a healthy democratic system’.
Not everyone saw it that way, and Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Ó Moráin denounced the paper:
Read more ...Galway Rovers soccer teams
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
I am not sure when the game of soccer was first played competitively in Galway or who were the first teams. It seems to have been a popular sport in the Claddagh. In the early 1930s a team called Claddagh Rangers were playing senior soccer which is the equivalent of League of Ireland today. Another team from the area around that time was Old Claddonians, but the club we are concerned with today is Galway Rovers. In their early days, they had no clubhouse, though the Old Malt pub and the Atlanta Hotel could be described as hangouts. One of their earliest teams won the Celtic Shield in 1933.
Read more ...Detox your life
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
What are your priorities for the New Year? To move house, save money, take up a new sport, lose weight or to find more me-time?
Read more ...Make-up magic
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
Christmas and the party season beckons so don your finest attire and usher in the festive season in style.
Your make-up is an important element in all this as it provides the finishing touch to your look. You do not want to appear less than gorgeous as you pull crackers on Christmas Day or wait for the fireworks to explode on New Year’s Eve.
Read more ...Great food in Renvyle
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
Renvyle House Hotel has been gathering quite a few awards for its food over the years; the executive head chef Tim O’Sullivan has been the subject of much praise and produced a really good cookery book. All of this seemed a valid reason to spend a weekend there and see if it lives up to the publicity.
Read more ...Christmas cocktails
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
Indulge in some very festive tipple with these great cocktail recipes from Grey Goose vodka.
Developed by global brand ambassador Dimitri Lezinska, these cocktails use seasonal produce and winter store ingredients to create the world’s best tasting winter cocktails. From a classic punch to cocktails using advanced mixology techniques and luxury ingredients there is a cocktail to suit all occasions when entertaining this winter.
Read more ...Books on my table this Christmas
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
I have often been intrigued by the stories of German spies parachuted into Ireland during World War II. It was quite an intriguing time. De Valera was anxious to steer the country in neutral waters, despite serious pressure from Britain and America to at least open our ports to the transatlantic convoys which were being hammered by German U-boats. The IRA and its sympathisers, were pro German to such an extent that Germany believed it could foster a lot of trouble in Britain’s ‘back yard’ by encouraging the IRA to make mischief.
Just before the outbreak of war the German legation in Dublin, headed by an old Nazi Eduard Hempel, had a powerful wireless transmitter installed, well capable of communication with Germany. The British urged the Irish Government to confiscate the transmitter. Dev felt he could not make demands on what was happening inside a foreign embassy. Then in February 1942, the British went ballistic claiming that weather information transmitted from the German legation in Dublin helped the battleships Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau to break through St George’s Channel. Dev still hesitated to take action. In December 1943 the arrest of two Irish nationals in Clare, John Francis O’Reilly and John Kenny, with a transmitter in their luggage, convinced Dev there were spies a-plenty. He demanded the German legation to hand over their wireless immediately. It was deposited in a Munster and Leinster Bank on December 21 1943 for safe keeping.
Read more ...Galway Rovers soccer teams
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
I am not sure when the game of soccer was first played competitively in Galway or who were the first teams. It seems to have been a popular sport in the Claddagh. In the early 1930s a team called Claddagh Rangers were playing senior soccer which is the equivalent of League of Ireland today. Another team from the area around that time was Old Claddonians, but the club we are concerned with today is Galway Rovers. In their early days, they had no clubhouse, though the Old Malt pub and the Atlanta Hotel could be described as hangouts. One of their earliest teams, as we see in photograph 1, won the Celtic Shield in 1933.
Read more ...Christmas stockings
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
Bring some festive cheer into the bedroom with the new range of Christmas lingerie from ItsAllYouYouYou.com
Read more ...Dress to impress
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
Okinara House of Fashion, recently described as a petite paradise, is a unique boutique in Moycullen offering accomplished fashionistas a beautiful and elegant array of fashions in the most up-to-date taste and trend.
Okinara has introduced many exclusive brands to the Irish market including French label Cop.Copine and Dutch label Mark. These stunning brands will tempt you to make a slight departure from your comfort zone but will leave you with the ultimate feel-good factor.
Read more ...A bluffer’s guide to perfume
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
For more than half the adult population Christmas shopping turns into ‘Stressmas’, according to a recent survey. The Royal Mail research found that more than a third of Christmas shoppers would rather visit the dentist! While shopping can be stressful for women, spare a thought for the 25 per cent of all Irish men who will purchase a perfume or beauty product for their loved ones.
Read more ...Dinner parties, the easy way
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
There are many ways to reduce the stress associated with organising a dinner party for friends. You could ask your guests to bring dessert or starters instead of wine; you can cook the main course the day before if it is the type of dish that benefits from 24 hours in the fridge, eg, chilli dishes, curry dishes, or many types of casseroles. There is, however, an even easier way to remove the hassle, and that is to rent a cook for the night. Rentacook.ie was recently launched in Galway; it is the website for a business owned and run by Patricia Begley who has been providing a personal catering service for small to medium sized parties over the last few years.
Read more ...Go online for the tastiest turkey
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
Food safety promotion group safefood has launched new guidelines on cooking times for a safe and tasty turkey, with turkey cooking time calculator available online or via text to ensure your festive dinner is roasted to perfection.
The group has teamed up with award-winning chef Neven Maguire to launch the guidelines for electric, fan assisted ovens to produce the safest and tastiest turkey this Christmas.
Read more ...