Slimming tea craze has hit Galway

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

The tea everyone has been talking about is now available at Therapie Clinic on Shop Street, Galway. Many celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria, and Courtney Love are known to rave about this tea as part of their daily diet.

Survive festive overindulgence with milk thistle

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

One in seven adults drink more than they mean to over Christmas, but for all those revellers there is a solution to Christmas overindulgence. A Vogel Milk Thistle Complex is a cleansing herbal remedy that restores your body to full function after too much Christmas cheer.

Stay healthy and happy this Christmas

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

Christmas is a time when our digestive and immune systems come under attack from rich foods, excess alcohol and, in the run up to the big day — stress.

Cold comfort

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

Colds are one of the most common ailments of the winter months. Almost 90 per cent of adults get a cold at least once or twice a year, according to the latest research.

Shantallow House

Thu, Dec 09, 2010

Our photograph today shows two young girls, Marie Scanlon and her sister from Shantalla, standing in front of Shantallow house in the mid 1940s. Prior to the building of the council houses we know as Shantalla, this house was more or less surrounded by green fields. At one time the house was owned by a distinguished engineer named William Blood, who was related to the Maunsell family from across the road in Fort Eyre. Blood’s nephew was George Johnson Stoney who was professor of natural philosophy in Queen’s College, Galway, from 1853 to 1857, and who lived in this house during that time. He was a distinguished amateur scientist who worked for a time as Lord Rosse’s astronomer at his large telescope in Birr. Stoney was the person who coined the name ‘electron’. He later became the secretary to the Queen’s Colleges, so he made a significant contribution.

There is no need for a £250 Heston Blumenthal pudding this Christmas

Thu, Dec 09, 2010

While most of us will be readying ourselves for the tried and tested turkey/ham/spuds Christmas Day combination, there are now more alternatives available in Galway than ever before. Our markets – both the St Nicholas' weekly market and the 'Christkindlmarkt' in Eyre Square – our restaurants and food emporiums now offer a broad array of options for those of us not brimming over with joie de vivre at the prospect of a week of heavy duty turkey consumption.

Bagging Christmas bargains

Thu, Dec 09, 2010

Picture the scene. It’s late November. You are busy refurbishing your home. Everything is in disarray, even finding two matching killer heeled shoes in the morning is a mammoth task.

As you walk home from work one evening the strains of “Winter Wonderland” suddenly intrude on your reverie. In seconds, you are hit by a wave (of tidal proportions!) of unrelenting panic.

Forty years of Highfield Park

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

The area we know today as Highfield Park was originally a place of green fields and rocky granite outcrops and it was ‘out in the country’. There were very few people living there. Mostly situated in the townland of Rahoon (Rath Ún or Ún’s Fort), it was bordered by two of the main roads into Galway, the Taylor’s Hill road and the Rahoon road. There was a small granite quarry there, (near the grounds of St Helen’s) and a couple of stone turrets which probably served as watchtowers.

Forget our woes, it’s Galway markets that pay dividends...

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Thanks -be -to -the -hooky that when we speak about markets in Galway we are not talking about the financial markets that have us all singin’ the blues, but about our successful food, and craft markets that are money winners for the city. The Galway Christmas Continental market on Eyre Square is an astonishing success. On the weekend it opened more than 70,000 people walked through it. Those high numbers have kept up. Last Saturday the clickers counted more than 25,000, and admit they only managed to count about 75 per cent.

Party dresses for your shape

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

As the party season kicks off, here are some tips to help you find a fabulous dress that will make you feel fantastic over the festive season and beyond. Identifying your shape is essential to find out what cut of dress will flatter you.

If your tummy is the main area of concern then opt for an shift dress or empire line style. These styles are great to effortlessly create shape at the waist while camouflaging the midsection. Try to use accessories on your top half, such as neckpieces, a headpiece or brooch, and earrings. A beautiful pair of statement heels will work very well to accentuate your legs.

Stocking stuffers for €50 or under

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

When choosing Christmas gifts you don’t always have to blow the budget, even when shopping in Brown Thomas. You just need to have a clear idea who you are buying for. We have done all the legwork, and below is a list of fabulous gifts to suit everyone on your list. The best part is, they all come in at €50 or under. It is never a bad idea to grab something you do not think you will need either. Someone always shows up Christmas Day bearing gifts that you invariably were not expecting.

Magic knickers at Elegant Undies

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Shapewear has become a staple item in most women’s wardrobes with many women discovering you may drop a dress size with the right foundation, without the dreaded diet. Elegant Undies, located on the lower level of Corbett Court Shopping Centre, is fast becoming known as a lingerie measuring specialist. It is where women in the know have been heading to get measured for their perfect bra, and now Elegant Undies also boasts the widest selection of shapewear.

Il Porcetto, Loughrea, and McCambridges Food & Wine Fare

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

There was an amazing sense of nostalgia as I had dinner in this relatively new restaurant on the main street in Loughrea. The building was originally a private house owned by the O’Loughlin family and on many, many, nights in the early seventies I practised all my best moves and chords as we played hits by people like Rory Gallagher, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and many more in what we thought was the best rock band on the planet. The band had the rather unusual name of Skab Law. How the neighbours put up with the deafening levels of guitars and drums is a credit to their tolerance.

Plug in to your personal power

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Aonacht, an Irish word, means “oneness”, but not aloneness. It is the ability we all have to stand strong and independent, in full ownership of ourselves, but still strongly connected through our innate energy with everyone else. Aonacht is about getting back in touch with your personal intuition. It is about peeling back all the layers of negativity that have built up over the years, gradually obscuring your individual energy. It is about rediscovering who you are.

Mairéad Heagney, a successful Athlone business woman, believes that the time is now right for people to look inside themselves to find the strength to continue through these painful times. She believes that difficult changes in the world around us are inevitable, but in the long term they will open the doors to a much more transparent era, where corruption and falsehood will become things of the past.

Mind, Body, and Soul fair in aid of Foundation Nepal  

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

The inaugural Mind, Body, and Soul Fair will take place at the Harbour Hotel on Sunday December 5 from 2pm to 7pm. The event is the brainchild of Galway woman Nicky Deasy, CEO of the Galway based Irish registered charity, Foundation Nepal, to raise funds for the charity. Foundation Nepal works in some of the most impoverished parts of Nepal. The fair will also gather like-minded individuals together and offer a great day out to visitors and practitioners.

Get your water woes sorted with Grant Water

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Water hardness, protection of household appliances, rainwater harvesting, or simply having a drink of nice tasting water, these are just some of the main concerns for Galway households and businesses, but Grant Water has the high quality and professional services which will have your water flowing in tip top shape.

The finest floors and doors from Timeless Floors

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Timeless Floors specialises in supplying and fitting wooden floors and doors. The company also provides a dust free sanding and restoration service.

Since it was established in 2003, the company has expanded substantially. It now has showrooms open in the N17 Superstore, Terryland Retail Park, Galway, and N17 Superstore, Milltown, Co Galway, where you can view the extensive range of solid, engineered, and laminate flooring, as well as a collection of pre-finished interior doors.

From Galway to New York in 1952

Thu, Nov 25, 2010

The Aisling was a rig kedge which was built in McDonagh’s Boatyard in 1946 by John McNally to a design by AA Pemberthy, who was a district engineer with the ESB. It was intended for Mediterranean cruises. Most of the vessel was of timber cut in County Galway and it also included part of the recently demolished stand at Ballybrit. John McNally unfortunately died before the boat was built, and a man called Tony Jacob from Rosslare bought the half finished vessel. He had gone to school with Fionn and Christopher Darby from Killiney, with Anthony Blyth from Athenry, and with David Webb from Nenagh.

That strange English passion for Ireland

Thu, Nov 25, 2010

In the early years of the 20th century the Irish language increasingly was associated with poverty and backwardness. In the national school system, which was established in 1831, children had been beaten with what became known as a ‘tally stick’ if they were caught speaking Irish. Apparently every time a child was heard speaking Irish, a notch was cut on the stick, and the poor child received the same number of blows.

Far from being upset by this, many parents enthusiastically endorsed it. They felt that the future of their children depended on their ability to speak English. Understandably, Ireland experienced a steady decline in native Irish speakers*.

The power of the dress

Thu, Nov 25, 2010

The party season is around the corner and now is the best time to think about your party dress. At the Glamour in Galway event which took place recently in the Radisson Hotel, I had a little chat with Brendan Courtney from Off the Rails. When I asked him what was his top tip for women in Galway he quickly answered, “Wear a dress!”

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