Hair extension breakthrough

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

Flip-In Hair is now available at David Martin Hair Salon’s. Flip-In Hair is the new revolution in hair extensions. It does not damage your own hair in any way, as it does not attach to it, it attaches instead to your head by a thin wire that is hidden by your own hair. No clips, no glue, no weaving, no damage! It takes literally one minute to flip in and one second to remove, and is fine to use with thinning or damaged hair.

Notes for the season

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

A Good Foundation
“The importance of a good foundation cannot be over emphasised”. I read that opening line in an article in National Geographic magazine about architecture but it is equally applicable in the cosmetic world.

Some interesting new eateries in town

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

It is said that a recession can be a good time to start a business and there do seem to be several new food places opening up, restaurants, delis etc. Perhaps it is the lowering in rents, or the fact that we all have to eat, and any new food business that is keenly priced with good to excellent quality and service should do well. The following are a few that caught my eye.

Detox, slim, and lose inches with Annaghdown’s special offer

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

Ann Joyce, proprietor of Annaghdown Seaweed Spa, has over 30 years’ experience in the health and beauty business. She has always kept up with the latest technology, with the result that she has now discovered a brilliant method for cellulite and weight loss.

Get in shape with Unislim

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

Nicola Bleakley
Age: 28

Age: 28

Watery Woodquay

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

Most of the area seen in this photograph was once part of a grant of land to Edward Eyre in 1670. It was all originally outside the city walls and was mostly made up of three islands which included St Stephen’s Island and Horse Island.

Painting tips

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

Flat or matt (also called vinyl matt) emulsion
This paint gives a chalky matt finish, the durability of this water-based emulsion is ideal for walls and ceilings. It leaves a spongeable surface and it can also be used on exterior masonry. On average one litre will cover 18 to 20 square yards per coat of paint. This type of paint can also be called vinyl matt emulsion and usually comes in a low-sheen finish.

The ghost of Sir Walter Scott at Hallowe’en

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

During the first three decades of the 19th century the parish priest of Blarney (north of Cork city) was the affable Fr Mat Horgan. He was the epitome of the traditional scholar-priest. He was a poet and antiquarian, a supporter of Cork university, an advocate for social reform, his hero was Daniel O’Connell, and he spoke Latin and Irish effortlessly. He lived at Ballygibbon (later named Waterloo after a bridge was built there in the month of the famous battle), and built a model of an ancient Round Tower, which can still be seen from the old Limerick to Cork road. But Fr Mat’s great gift was his love and generosity for bringing people of all classes together for dinners, parties and celebrations in a huge barn adjoining his home.

Slapping and children

Thu, Oct 28, 2010

Research carried out on this topic has shown that the majority of parents would prefer to use non-physical ways of disciplining their children. Also, parents are keen to learn about other methods of discipline but often find it difficult to access this information.

Arguments for and against slapping

Lord Dunkellin’s statue

Thu, Oct 21, 2010

In 1873 this imposing statue was unveiled in Eyre Square in honour of Lord Dunkellin, son of Lord Clanricarde and heir to the family estates. He had a distinguished military career before being elected MP for Galway City in Parliament. He held the seat for eight years before being elected for the county in 1865. He died in 1867. There was a very large gathering in the Square on the day of the unveiling with lots of toasts and speeches. The sculpture was a very fine one by the distinguished artist John Henry Foley.

Architects - making their mark

Thu, Oct 21, 2010

Galway prides itself on being a medieval city. Thanks to some good development during the past 30 years or so, much of our ancient city landscape has been highlighted. Yet compared to Kilkenny, we are only at the tuppence-halfpenny stakes when it comes to physical history. But one new building in particular has done more than anything else to highlight the beginning of commercial Galway, and the growth of the town. I am referring to that deceptively simple projection of a 13th century Norman hall into the public domain at Druid Lane, off Quay Street. Designed by Michael Cadden at the Office of Public Works, using clean-lined modern architecture, the archaeological site is left as it was unearthed, and is presented behind a large glass wall. Uniquely the public is offered total immersion. Not only can we view the site, but there is provision for a public walkway over the site. But more of that in a moment.

Doctor, Doctor

Thu, Oct 21, 2010

Medical advice columnists in newspapers and magazines are inundated with queries. People too scared or embarrassed to approach their doctor about some worrying medical problem find it easier to put pen to paper and confide in a total stranger.

The Order of Malta in Galway

Thu, Oct 14, 2010

The Order of Malta was founded in the 12th century in Jerusalem to care for Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land and along pilgrimage routes through Christian Europe. Subsequently they were known as the Knights Hospitallers and when they came to Ireland they maintained hospitals for the sick, the poor, and the needy, and hostels for the use of travellers. The order is involved in many charitable activities, the most important being the administration of the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps.

‘The sharpness of the factory girl’s tongue’

Thu, Oct 14, 2010

In the late 1980s a number of innovative ideas were introduced to industry and business, that cleared the runway for the Celtic Tiger take off. The one that made great sense, and had an energy about it, was the inventory strategy known as just-in-time. A Japanese idea that spread through Europe like a Spanish forest fire in a heat wave. Instead of stockpiling raw products for manufacture or for sale (with all the attendant headaches of storage costs, temperature, accounting, etc, etc,) the management skill was to wait until stocks were low, and then pick up the phone and make sure your supplier gave you exactly what you needed at the right time, in the right place, and the exact amount just-in-time. Suddenly, everyone was doing it. Suppliers were kept on their toes, trucks delivered through the night, and a bit of excitement was injected into the work place.

Excitement of a different kind was felt among the employees on the factory floor. Galway poet Rita Ann Higgins remembers when suddenly there were ‘jobs aplenty in Mervue Industrial Estate’. As a young girl, ‘when the only priority was washing the hair, and slapping on layers of makeup’, she rushed with all the others to join up. Soon she was hooked ‘on the chatter from the girls in the shirt factory, the stories about the boys and dance halls, and what went on in the backs of old cars after dances. The kissing stories, the telling-all stories. Someone was ‘such a ride’, someone else was ‘the town bike’. Factory lore was enhanced with nods and glances, and the internal rhythm of licentiousness was palpable. ‘In reply to the question, “What was he really like?” the ultimate put down was when a little finger was exhibited and crooked into the shape of a worm. The repartee from the factory girls was honed and blade-like. No nearby male was exempt from the sharpness of the factory girl’s tongue’.

College House, a brief history

Thu, Oct 07, 2010

This photograph was originally taken in 1983 as the corporation was preparing to knock down the high wall that ran around St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church and replace it with the railings that had surrounded Eyre Square… one of the better Quincentennial projects that helped improve the face of Galway.

A Yorkshire man in Galway

Thu, Oct 07, 2010

On October 22 1959 an unusual play opened at the Royal Court theatre, London; a theatre never afraid to be different. It had after all presented John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger* three years previously - a play which rocked the establishment, and transformed English drama for ever. The critics adored it, it played to full houses every night, and it made lots of money for everyone concerned.

John Wilson Croker - the Galwegian who invented conservatism

Thu, Sep 30, 2010

The Tory Party in Britain can count among its leaders Winston Churchill, Harold MacMillan, and Margaret Thatcher, and is now led by the Eton and Oxford educated David Cameron, who hails from Berkshire, a traditional Tory heartland.

Notes for the season

Thu, Sep 30, 2010

Accessories addicts out there know that bags always reflect the fashion of the season. This autumn/winter we are looking at everything from a good mix of sixties style ladylike handbags, to sophisticated seventies inspired totes, to cross-body bags, to satchels.

Castlegar Athletic Club, a brief history

Thu, Sep 30, 2010

The Castlegar Hurling Club ladies’ committee decided to hold a parish sports day on National Children’s Day, Sunday June 8 1975. They enlisted the help of Seán Duffy and Patsy Durnin in the organisation of the event, which turned out to be an outstanding success. As a result, they decided to enter a team of 40 athletes in the County Community Games. Seán Duffy organised training sessions twice a week, a banner and a set of green and white singlets were purchased, and there was great excitement as the big day approached. This excitement reached fever pitch when Ann Fahy won the gold medal in the girls’ under-14 100 metres, and Patricia Grealish brought home a bronze medal in the girls’ under-12 200 metres.

Not everybody liked Lady Gregory

Thu, Sep 30, 2010

I find it hard to imagine that not everyone liked Lady Augusta Gregory of Coole Park. What few readers there are of the Diary, I am told, sigh with exasperation when they see her name appear. They know that I will eulogise endlessly about how her home at Coole became a ‘workshop’ for writers, poets and artists during those exciting days at the beginning of the last century, leading to such remarkable talents as WB Yeats, John M Synge, Sean O’Casey and others to stand as giants on the European literary stage. She was the co-founder of the Abbey Theatre, its director and organiser during its shaky early days. She was a substantial playwright, journal keeper, folklorist, scholar, etc, etc, and, in my opinion, this amazing Galway woman never got the recognition she deserved.

E-paper

Read this weeks E-paper. Past editions also available from within this weeks digital copy.