Galway’s ‘splendid human spirit’

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

The people of Galway were shocked and excited by the arrival of 430 survivors who were brought ashore from the Athenia which was sunk by torpedo off the Donegal coast only hours after war was declared on September 3 1939. The town was galvanised into action. An impressive and practical plan was put into place to receive the survivors, to ensure they were comfortably accommodated, and to care for the wounded. There were 10 stretcher cases, numerous minor injuries, and distressed children. The passengers, who included Americans and Canadians, and refugees fleeing a deteriorating political situation in Europe, were bound for Montreal.

Helping men dress for success

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

Some men effortlessly exude style. Everything they wear looks good on them be it denim jeans, a casual jacket and trousers combination or a sharp suit. Sartorial elegance is their middle name.

Is your metabolism stopping your weight loss?

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

There are three main keys in genuine weight loss — food, exercise and correcting your metabolism faults. Your metabolism refers to a complex series of chemical processes that convert food into energy as well as establishing the rate at which your body burns calories.

Acupuncture relieves anxiety and depression

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

Acupuncture can relieve feelings of anxiety and depression, and can give a person a feeling of wellbeing and self-confidence. Acupuncture can provide a safe and effective tool for stress. It will not, of course, change the circumstances of a person's life, but it will usually produce a feeling of wellbeing. The practitioner can help restore balance and thus protect health by identifying each individual's unique energy profile to see where the weak spots are and where support is needed to restore balance. Acupuncture can open a window of opportunity. As the heavy feelings of stress are relieved, a person feels more confidence in his/her ability to cope with unpleasant aspects of his/her life situation and make necessary changes.

New venue and new ventures in yoga at the Yoga Shala

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

David and Laragh Cunningham, who run yoga schools in Galway city and Barna, are among Ireland’s most respected yoga teachers. They are now opening a third venue at Ocean Fitness in the Salthill Hotel. Their work with the Connacht rugby team and Galway footballers has encouraged more men to try yoga, and their commitment to staying at the cutting edge of yoga and health has paid dividends as the Yoga Shala is the only yoga school in Europe to teach a style of yoga called yoga synergy.

Yoga synergy is traditional hatha yoga with an understanding from modern medical science devised by physiotherapists and yoga teachers Simon Borg-Olivier and Bianca Machliss from Sydney. “We spent four months with Simon and Bianca last year, a month this year, and convinced Simon to come over here to teach his first classes in Europe last week,” David Cunningham explained. “We are excited that our seven experienced teachers are the only teachers of this style of yoga in Europe, and with 25 teachers in training, next year we’ll have quite a team of teachers to develop our yoga with sports teams, kids in schools, and regular students.”

Galway man honoured at prestigious RDS crafts competition

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

Oranmore resident Fergal Costello was awarded second prize in the furniture category at the RDS crafts competition. He also received the Duff-Tisdall award for innovative design and construction, which came along with a €500 cash prize. Costello’s winning entry, Tree chair, was the product of more than 200 hours of design and craft work. The chair was exhibited in the RDS during the Dublin Horse Show, and will be travelling around the country with the exhibition for the rest of the year.

Farm tour to explore cooking and gardening in the Burren

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

Clare Farm Heritage Tours will present the fourth walk in its series of summer events on Harry Jeuken's farm on Sunday September 11. Harry Jeuken will show his own garden on the day, where most years he is able to successfully grow a wide variety of crops outdoors, and he will also explain prehistoric cooking practices with two fulachta fiadh on his land. The meeting point for this walk is Gortlecka Cross near Mullaghmore and refreshments will be available at the end of the tour.

Harry Jeuken and his family came to Ireland and took up traditional farming in the Burren in 1997. Just a year after their arrival they set up two kitchen gardens, which have since brought the family a steady supply and wide variety of vegetable crops and a lot of experience in gardening and the conditions in the Burren. “While many people may think that it is very different to garden successfully here, I believe that the principles are the same all over the world,” he said. “The most important thing is to look after the soil properly by replacing every year what you (or your plants) have taken from it. This can be done by applying manure, compost, and even seaweed in the autumn time after the harvest.” He has been very successful with this concept so far and all of his gardening is done outdoors without the use of polytunnels or greenhouses. “We have had many good outdoor crops over the years and we accept also if some years a crop fails – this is all part of nature,” he added.

Pallas Foods and a great value dinner menu in The Lady Gregory Hotel

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

I am sure many of you have seen the trucks with ‘Pallas Foods’ on the side, and if you pass the cold storage depot in Oranmore any weekend you will see 10 or 20 of them all parked together with the back doors wide open. It has more than 100 trucks on the road so that will give you some idea of how big it is.

Scallywags opens in Barna tomorrow

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

Scallywags the company which sells a top range of children’s clothing in stores in Mayo and Galway, has just opened a new store in Barna.

A step in the right direction at Born footwear

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

It is fair to say we did not have much of a summer this year so it is no surprise that autumn has crept into our lives without any radical changes. But there has been a shift — the days are growing shorter and in the last week or so temperatures have certainly dropped. With this change we will also see an adjustment in our wardrobe — the sandals and flip flops will be packed away for another year and we will all reach for our sturdy boots and cosy footwear.

Galway minor hurlers, 1965

Thu, Sep 01, 2011

Hurling is more than just a game, it is the most Irish thing we have apart from our language, a national passion which is woven deeply into the social fabric of Irish society, an icon of Irish culture, a game that is played for pride, not money.

The day war came to Galway

Thu, Sep 01, 2011

On Monday morning September 4 1939, the Galway harbour master Capt T Tierney was listening to a radio message from the Norwegian freighter Knute Nelson to say that it was steaming to Galway with 430 survivors from the Athenia, which was sunk by torpedo 250 miles north-west of Inishtrahull Island, off the Donegal coast. There were injuries among the survivors. Many were distressed and suffering from hypothermia. It requested urgent assistance.

The Augustinians and Forthill

Thu, Aug 25, 2011

The Augustinians have been associated with Galway since the year 1500. Their first convent, or priory, was built on Fort Hill between 1506 and 1508. Its patroness was Margaret Athy who was the wife of the then mayor, Stephen Lynch. He sailed for Spain in search of a cargo of rich wines, and when he returned, he was astonished to see the graceful outline of a new church, with tower and tapering spire, on the elevated promontory that was Fort Hill. Not one stone of it had been laid when he left the city.

Old postcards from Connemara

Thu, Aug 25, 2011

Week II

Galway’s military museum

Thu, Aug 18, 2011

Our photograph today was taken in Eyre Square in 1922, and shows the Connaught Rangers parading through the city on their last day in Galway. It is interesting to see them on horseback, on foot, and with bicycles. As you can see in the foreground, there is a long line of soldiers standing in front of the crowd, and there is what looks like a temporary reviewing stand on the far side of the street.

Notes for the season

Thu, Aug 18, 2011

MAC’s colour corrector, in radiant rose, can be used as undereye concealer. Alona, MAC make-up artist in Brown Thomas Galway, taught me this. If you are naturally very pale and have a tendency to get blue bags under your eyes as I do, this is the dream product. If you have yellow undertones, and your under eye area looks red, use the Light Boost in yellow. I love when a product is clever and you can use it for a purpose other than what it was originally intended. I have had a love affair with concealer for over three years, and ditched it in a heartbeat for this product, never looking back. Alona is a genius make-up artist who gives great individual tips; she told me to bring my corrector further down my eye area than I think, and my blush higher up than I think , and this made a huge difference. March into the Mac counter and ask her anything about your make-up routine. It’s like she has taken the Hippocratic oath, except for make-up artists, first doing no harm — she assesses what needs correcting and sets about doing that while explaining what she is fixing. She is amazing.

The sunglasses cleaning kit. I’m serious; I’m not just saying that in a moustache-twirling, trying-to-get-you-to-spend-your-money kind of way. You worship at the altar of Tom Ford, you spend all that money on an amazing pair of shades, why balk at spending an extra €10 on a cleaning kit? It comes with a mini screwdriver to tighten the frames, a washable cloth, and a silicone based spray that puts a protective coat on your glasses to prevent nicks and scratches. At Brown Thomas we even refill the spray for free.

Autumn/winter trends at Born

Thu, Aug 18, 2011

Colour blocking has been a huge trend so far this year and this is set to continue as we move into autumn/winter. Here at Born the store is awash with 'boozy colours' — our new arrivals feature burgundy, mustard and berry tones that give you a lovely warm comforting feeling, a necessity with the weather we have been having of late.

Terrific terroir at Aniar

Thu, Aug 18, 2011

I think many of us could take a lesson in optimism from restaurants; it is the one area of business which is continuing to expand in Galway. Just witness any premises that has closed during the past 12 to 15 months and every one of them has been reopened with a new owner and often with a complete change of style and food.

One example is the premises that was previously Abalone Restaurant in Dominick Street and now has the name ‘Aniar’ over the door. The premises have been totally redecorated and the internal layout changed to give a fabulously airy and relaxed atmosphere that seats just about 30 diners. It has a Scandinavian feel to it and if you are curious you can look in the very large window that fills the space with light.

Fifteen per cent off for three days only at La Maison Chic

Thu, Aug 18, 2011

Laurent Billiet, one of the west’s leading interior designers, launched his long awaited and much anticipated interior design boutique on June 30. La Maison Chic’s La Boutique, located at No 11 Lower Abbeygate Street, is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sundays 1pm to 5.30pm. To celebrate, La Maison Chic is offering 15 per cent off everything on Thursday August 18, Friday August 19, and Saturday August 20.

Galway Antiques Fair this weekend

Thu, Aug 18, 2011

Antique dealers from all over Ireland will be at the Galway Bay Hotel this Sunday for the Galway Antiques and Collectables Fair.

E-paper

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