Dress for your shape and save money — part two

Thu, May 28, 2009

In last week’s column I emphasised the fact that knowing what suits your body shape is the key to look your best and save you money.

Enjoy some retail therapy at rock bottom prices

Thu, May 28, 2009

Number 34 Shop Street is the shop to visit this week. Whether you are a woman or man, looking for something casual or dressy, you will not beat the fantastic value at the Galway Hat Shop sale shop. Proprietor of the Galway Hat shop, Sandra Divilly, is opening a special sale shop for one week only. Sandra will be the third generation of the Divilly family to trade from Number 34 Shop Street. Both her grandfather Martin Divilly and her father Brian Divilly ran Divilly's Butchers from the premises. Suzanne's Boutique, run by Sandra's mother, was the first ladies’ fashion store on the premises followed by Sasha boutique.

Sandra Divilly has been successfully running her accessories business, The Galway Hat Shop, from the Corbett Court shopping centre for the last nine years. Business there will continue as normal during the week, while in the sale shop there will be casual hats for ladies, gents, and children all half price or less. This will be the biggest ever millinery sale seen in the country with more than 100 wedding hats reduced to half price and less. There will be wedding hats for sale starting from just €20! There will be designer headpieces by Catherine Cooke, Suzanne Bettley, and many others with up to 50 per cent discounts, along with handbags, wraps, and jewellery all half price.

Relax, revive, rejuvenate at Devon Holistic

Thu, May 28, 2009

Devon Holistic Health Clinic is located in Devon Park House, 108 Lower Salthill, an excellent location with free parking and on the No 1 bus route. The clinic has therapy rooms, a yoga studio, and a room for weekend workshops. Proprietors Deirdre Irwin and Sinead Murphy offer a range of therapies.

The journey to Abalone

Thu, May 28, 2009

Alan Willliams was born in the heart of the traditional music area that is Doolin/Lisdoonvarna in County Clare. He is one of five children and grew up on a farm. One of his early influences was his grandmother, who regularly cooked his favourite meal of bacon and cabbage. They had five gardens, they killed their own pigs, and were self sufficient in many respects. This seems to be a common thread with good chefs, honest home grown food from an early age.

Connemara lamb pie to be launched at Conamara Bog Week

Thu, May 28, 2009

Conamara Bog Week, the annual festival which takes place in Letterfrack, will this year celebrate its 25th birthday.

Galway cookbook tantalises the Volvo Ocean Race Stopover

Thu, May 28, 2009

Take 10 very talented local chefs, add one Euro-toques organisation, mix in a dollop of creativity and generously sprinkle with passion, to create one very tasty and impressive pocket-sized recipe publication entitled The Galway Ingredient. The book is crammed full of mouth-watering recipes, each one carefully designed with delicious local produce in mind. Teagasc sponsored the book, which marks the milestone that is The Volvo Ocean Race Stopover. At the forefront of this project are chefs Gerry Galvin, editor and former owner of the renowned Drimcong House Restaurant, and Michael O’Meara, responsible for photography and owner of Oscars Bistro. The remaining, equally artistic, chefs are all Galway locals. The delectable recipes chosen for the book are a testament to the hundreds of prestigious awards with which the group have collectively been accredited with. “ Each of the contributors to The Galway Ingredient have worked exceptionally hard to ensure that the end result is something that, not only they, but that Galway can be proud of, and I believe they have surpassed all expectations” said Gerry Galvin. “Teagasc was our perfect partner for the project, which has enabled us to present food of the locality at its freshest and best,” added Galvin. Gerry Scully, programme manager of Teagasc, also expressed his pleasure on, working with Euro-toques International, describing the organisation as “undisputed leaders in the promotion of best quality food and safeguarding culinary heritage”. The Galway Ingredient is available at the Galway Tourist Office and on all Fáilte Ireland promotional stands in the Volvo Ocean Race Tented Village. For more information on Euro-toques, Galway, visit www.eurotoquesirl.org

Choosing the right

Thu, May 28, 2009

Granite, marble, tiles, and concrete are all countertop choices, and depending on your budget and usage they all have upsides and downsides. The first step in getting the right countertop for you is to make a detailed evaluation of the one you use now. The more you can articulate about what you like and hate about it, the more you will know what to choose next.

Developing communication skills in young children

Thu, May 28, 2009

Speech is just one facet of communication. Other equally important facets of communication are listening skills, comprehension, attention, gestures, and facial expression. Communication is quite a complex business and communication skills are being learnt from baby’s first moments of life.

Galway Hot Yoga Ltd — burning in Briarhill

Thu, May 28, 2009

With the recent rise in summer temperature in Galway you might think that it is getting warm, but if you want healing heat you should go to Briarhill. In the Briarhill shopping centre on the second floor, directly above the Ulster Bank, is the recently opened Galway Hot Yoga Ltd.

Getting to grips with summer sneezes

Thu, May 28, 2009

It is the most common allergic disease in Ireland, affects one in 10 people and is most prevalent between May and September.

Countdown to the exams

Thu, May 21, 2009

It’s that time of year again. Examinations are looming and study, pressure, frayed tempers and insufficient sleep are the order of the day.

The sea, the lifeblood of the town

Thu, May 07, 2009

In the 13th century the Anglo-Normans settled here and built their castle and town and called it Baile na Srutháin because of its many streams. They later changed the name to Galway after the river on which it stood, and from then on water was a major asset to the town’s development. These streams were to supply many fish, turn many mill wheels, and give access and egress in ages before roads were built, canals dug, or railways laid.

China has its own Andrew Lloyd Webber (Week II)

Thu, May 07, 2009

A geological phenomenon in southwest China is more than 400 kilometres of towering limestone rocks covered in vegetation. It’s a spectacular landscape. Thousands of these hills soar into the sky, weathered and carved by the wind and rain, often taking on the shape of a man fishing, an elephant drinking water, or a woman feeding her baby, or eager friendly creatures looking down at you (the Chinese are wonderful for encouraging you to look at natural shapes in caves and mountains and say; ‘use your imagination, what do you see?’). These cone-shaped wonders become in effect a ‘forest of hills’, and their beauty is doubled as they are reflected in the River Li, which winds though them like a blue silk ribbon.

Another characteristic of the Chinese is their love of having their photograph taken. It is very hard to get an Irishman to stand in front of a camera and smile; and point a camera at an Irish teenager and he would rather leap out the window of a speeding train. But a Chinese man, woman, teenager or child will happily strike the most gushing pose, and hold a smile for ever as cameras click, clunk and whirr. My colleague Dr David O’Sullivan and I were the only Europeans on a flotilla of boats gently moving down the Li. Water buffalo looked up from the shore as we passed, and fishermen, in light bamboo boats, encouraged their black-winged cormorants to bring silver fish back to their hands.

Coping with iron overload

Thu, Apr 30, 2009

John (not his real name) accidentally discovered he had haemochromatosis after having a melanoma removed at University Hospital Galway.

Eating in season

Thu, Apr 30, 2009

Eating only what is in season has many advantages, some quite obvious and some not so. The obvious advantage is that it is sourced locally and perhaps direct from the producer. This allows you to enquire whether chemicals were used in its production; it may even allow you to taste it first. Very importantly, it means your money is being spent locally. There are several Galway restaurants focusing on sourcing the very best local produce and they are the ones that deserve your support; they will usually list the producers in the menu and it shows a dedication to quality.

Chef’s Corner

Thu, Apr 30, 2009

Cooking experience: Scotty, originally from Columbus, Ohio, started off as a dishwasher in a steakhouse and went on to work in five star French restaurants and hotels in the US and in Europe. He met his wife Jenny Silke in chef school in Boston and followed her to Galway 20 years ago, together they set up a deli in Munster Avenue at the back of a fruit and veg shop which belonged to Jenny’s father. Following from the deli’s success they set up Scotty’s Casual Gourmet in Middle Street. They then moved to a restaurant at Glasan near GMIT before setting up Scotty’s Steakhouse. “This steakhouse is the culmination of a lot of dreams. We cook to order using quality ingredients in an impeccably clean environment and with friendly service,” says Scotty.

Steak — restaurant style

Thu, Apr 30, 2009

You want to cook the finest, juiciest, and best tasting steak of all time. Steak being so simple to cook in a funny way leads it to a great steak being difficult to perfect. The English and French approach the seasoning of the meat in completely different ways. In France the meat is seasoned when raw; this allows a better penetration of the salt into the meat, which will increase flavour. The English argue that the meat should be seared and then seasoned as not to draw out any excess moisture, leaving the meat more on the juicy side and with a better caramelised surface. I follow both rules, seasoning one side when raw and the other (the side I will be presenting the meat) seared.

The single most important part of cooking a steak is getting the best possible beef. In my case that’s prime Irish grass fed Hereford society heifer beef. Aberdeen Angus is also good, as is Wadakin. Good quality beef should be bright red (not dull, as this poor colouration is caused mainly by oxidation) and slightly firm to the touch with a pleasant sweet smell. Good fat distribution, or marbling, is also important. Now that you have you beef right, onto the cooking.

Nano Nagle’s Galway legacy

Thu, Apr 23, 2009

Nano (Honoria) Nagle was born in County Cork in 1728. She was educated there and in France, where she eventually entered a convent as a postulant. She felt her mission lay in Ireland so she returned to Cork where she taught lessons in Christian doctrine. She sought out needy cases and established an asylum for aged and infirm women. In order to perpetuate this work, she formed, with ecclesiastical sanction, a religious community known as the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Later this title was changed to The Presentation Sisters. They received a set of rules, were approved by the Pope and finally, in 1800, raised to the dignity of a religious order.

Accessorising an event outfit

Thu, Apr 23, 2009

We often wonder what is the best way to accessorise, whether to match the shoes to the bag, or match the headpiece to the colour of the dress. It all depends on which look you wish to create. There are no definite rules but I believe in the adage “less is more”.  Remember that the outfit should enhance your beauty, and for that you need to focus on the woman, not the dress.

Áibhéil of Adare annual May weekend sale

Thu, Apr 23, 2009

The annual May Bank Holiday sale at Áibhéil Bridal Wear in Adare, Co Limerick, starts this year on Friday May 1 at 10am, with late opening on Friday until 9pm and open right through the bank holiday including Sunday and Monday.

E-paper

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