New Year’s resolutions for foodies

Thu, Jan 06, 2011

New Year’s resolutions are a bit like cooking a perfect soufflé, lots of thought and preparation go in to the making but the result is often less than hoped for. However, on the assumption that some good might come from said resolutions, then it is perhaps worth putting pen to paper. I am listing here some which might be worth consideration and also my fantasy resolutions for 2011.

Your health is your wealth in 2011

Thu, Jan 06, 2011

We all treated ourselves to deserved excess during the festive period, but the dawn of a new year offers everybody the chance to make amends and plan for a better lifestyle in 2011.

Need some Therapie after the festive season?

Thu, Jan 06, 2011

Mince pies, brandy butter, chocolates, and mulled wine… Christmas is a time of excess so let’s make New Year a time of redress. This year why not make a resolution to be healthier and happier all year round and start the year as you mean to continue with a host of detox offerings from Therapie Clinic, all available at affordable prices.

Achieve a healthy weight in 2011

Thu, Jan 06, 2011

Dr Eva Orsmond is probably best known for her role as RTE’s hugely popular Operation Transformation diet and nutrition expert. Her battle to re-educate people on health and fitness is changing hundreds of people’s lives every day.

Connacht Railway Cup team, 1947

Thu, Jan 06, 2011

In 1947 the Railway Cup crossed the Shannon for the first time. The team were all from Galway. They had beaten Leinster in the semi-final by a score of 2 – 6 to 2 – 5. The man of the match in that game was Paddy Gantley. He gave another memorable display on Easter Sunday when he lined out against Munster in the final. His name used to appear on match programmes as ‘P. Gardiner’ because he was a priest, and not supposed to play hurling.

Sir Roger Casement’s support for a small island in Galway Bay

Thu, Jan 06, 2011

Sir Roger Casement was a notable humanitarian and a British consul by profession but, ironically, an anti -Imperialist by nature. He over-stepped his diplomatic role to fiercely condemn Belgium for its brutalisation of the people of Congo*. His report, published in 1904, was however, well received by the British establishment, perhaps because it feared that little Belgium was getting too big for its boots, and too wealthy from its African ventures. Casement received a knighthood.

Twenty-five ways to lead a stress-free life in 2011

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

1. Learn to identify what causes you stress and recognise the telltale signs that you are under pressure. These may be shallow breathing, increased headaches, a dry mouth, muscle tension, irritability, sleep disturbance, poor concentration, memory lapses, palpitations and panic attacks.

Was 2010 good or bad for food and restaurants in Galway?

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

The answer to this question is like many other questions, it depends; it depends on which side of the counter you are. For consumers, I think it has been a good year, prices for most items are better than before and I don’t believe quality has suffered. For business owners, it has been tough; however most have survived and hopefully most will survive through 2011.

Notes for the season

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

When you work at Brown Thomas you are virtually spoiled with all the experts and begin to take all the advice for granted. I wander around safe in the knowledge someone will let me know if I am wearing the wrong blush or ill fitting trousers. They do, and I take it all on board. Below Brown Thomas experts offer some of the top tips that will make a difference in any woman’s life.

Energy saving tips from B&Q

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

Why not make it your New Year’s resolution for 2011 to take steps to improve the energy efficiency of your home, a move which brings financial as well as ecological benefits.

The Christmas Cards

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

My great aunt Annie Dunne spent the last few years of her life in a nursing home, on Longford Place in Monkstown. It was just beside where we lived, on Longford Terrace. It was literally a stone’s throw. She was a precious person for me, I had known her as a little boy in the townland of Kelsha, near Kiltegan in Wicklow, where she had shared the little subsistence farm of her cousin Sara Cullen. My sister Siuban and I had been sent down there for a whole summer, lengthening into autumn, while our parents tried to set themselves up in London.

Poor Oscar Wilde, he died as he lived – beyond his means

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

Before his untimely demise Oscar Wilde was one of the most successful authors and playwrights of his generation, but he managed to leave only a paltry will, according to documents just released online.

The Story of the Bells of St Nicholas

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

The Collegiate Church of St Nicholas, dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of children (better known as ‘Santa Claus’) and of mariners, is the largest medieval parish church in Ireland in continuous use as a place of worship. Though there is some disagreement about when it was built, it was finished by 1320. The building was extended by the Lynch and ffrench families when the 14 tribes were at the peak of their power during the 16th century. Christopher Columbus prayed there during a visit to Galway in 1477, and the building suffered the iconoclasm of Cromwell’s troops, who used the church as a stable after the siege of Galway in 1652. Today it occupies the centre of the city, renowned for its annual Christmas carol service, which is attended by the mayor and members of the city council, and members of the corporation, all in robes, preceded by the symbols of the city; its silver sword and mace.

The Holy Night Statue in Manchester’s great cathedral -

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

Mary Johnson is a frequent reader of the Old Galway page, and at times makes some good comments. She was not impressed at my description of the first ‘crib’ set up by St Francis of Assisi at Greccio, on a snowy December night in 1223, more than 780 years ago. She felt the description of the Virgin was as sweet as barley sugar. Instead she wrote about her visit to Manchester’s cathedral and Josefina de Vasconcellos’ moving sculpture. Here is what she had to say:

No Recipe

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

Gerry Galvin was born in Drumcollogher, Co Limerick in 1942 and now lives in Oughterard, Co Galway. He is a chef and former restauranteur at the renowned Drimcong restaurant, and is the author of two cookbooks, The Drimcong Food Affair and Everyday Gourmet. He is a columnist for Organic Matters magazine. His poetry and short stories have been published widely in newspapers and magazines in both the UK and Ireland. This poem is from his latest collection No Recipe (Doíre Press, €12).

The Irish Boycott

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

The preservation and the teaching of the Irish language has often provoked a passionate defence, no more so than on the island of Tawin. At the beginning of the last century a fierce row erupted when local people felt that Irish was not being taught in their local school, and took matters into their own hands. Children were kept away from the school, and money was raised to have them taught separately in their own language. It became a cause celibre attracting the support of such nationalist figures as Roger Casement. The story has been well told by Nollaig Mac Congáil in the current issue of the Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society (Volume 62) which I will come back to next year.

The Wild Banker - Gilles McBain

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

Last October 7, the renowned playwright and short story writer John Arden celebrated his 80th birthday. The occasion was commemorated in the Town Hall in the appropriate way. Actors read extracts from his plays, musicians played, and John, with his valiant partner Margaretta D’Arcy, performed. It was a memorable evening. Film director Bob Quinn could not contain himself. He brought the house down by singing the following ditty, which would make a good party piece this Christmas.

A royal tribute to the 'Poet of the Piano'

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

Every Sunday evening during the month of August, a pianist is invited to play Chopin's piano. The piano is not a shiny, black grande, but an honest-looking, workman-like upright. The sort you'd see in any home where someone was learning to play this majestic musical instrument.

CA Lejeune, the Observer's first film critic, enjoys a very brief encounter with Marlene Dietrich

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

My friend John Kilkelly from Ballina gave me this beautifully observed article on the difficulties endured by journalists and the film studios trying to placate a famous star.

The challenge of Crusheen Bridge

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

Not everything was wasted during the Celtic Tiger years. Galway has benefited greatly from the motorway to Dublin, as well as the Gort by-pass, which gives motorists a clear run to Limerick on the impressive M18. No one will be sorry to see the end of the Crusheen right-angled turn under an impossible railway bridge. Artics needed the whole road to make the turn, causing delays and gasps of incredulity at the narrowness and the danger of it all.

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