Make-up magic
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
Christmas and the party season beckons so don your finest attire and usher in the festive season in style.
Your make-up is an important element in all this as it provides the finishing touch to your look. You do not want to appear less than gorgeous as you pull crackers on Christmas Day or wait for the fireworks to explode on New Year’s Eve.
Read more ...Great food in Renvyle
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
Renvyle House Hotel has been gathering quite a few awards for its food over the years; the executive head chef Tim O’Sullivan has been the subject of much praise and produced a really good cookery book. All of this seemed a valid reason to spend a weekend there and see if it lives up to the publicity.
Read more ...Christmas cocktails
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
Indulge in some very festive tipple with these great cocktail recipes from Grey Goose vodka.
Read more ...Books on my table this Christmas
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
I have often been intrigued by the stories of German spies parachuted into Ireland during World War II. It was quite an intriguing time. De Valera was anxious to steer the country in neutral waters, despite serious pressure from Britain and America to at least open our ports to the transatlantic convoys which were being hammered by German U-boats. The IRA and its sympathisers, were pro German to such an extent that Germany believed it could foster a lot of trouble in Britain’s ‘back yard’ by encouraging the IRA to make mischief.
Read more ...Galway Rovers soccer teams
Tue, Dec 23, 2008
I am not sure when the game of soccer was first played competitively in Galway or who were the first teams. It seems to have been a popular sport in the Claddagh. In the early 1930s a team called Claddagh Rangers were playing senior soccer which is the equivalent of League of Ireland today. Another team from the area around that time was Old Claddonians, but the club we are concerned with today is Galway Rovers. In their early days, they had no clubhouse, though the Old Malt pub and the Atlanta Hotel could be described as hangouts. One of their earliest teams, as we see in photograph 1, won the Celtic Shield in 1933.
Read more ...Christmas stockings
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
Bring some festive cheer into the bedroom with the new range of Christmas lingerie from ItsAllYouYouYou.com
Read more ...Dress to impress
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
Okinara House of Fashion, recently described as a petite paradise, is a unique boutique in Moycullen offering accomplished fashionistas a beautiful and elegant array of fashions in the most up-to-date taste and trend.
Read more ...A bluffer’s guide to perfume
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
For more than half the adult population Christmas shopping turns into ‘Stressmas’, according to a recent survey. The Royal Mail research found that more than a third of Christmas shoppers would rather visit the dentist! While shopping can be stressful for women, spare a thought for the 25 per cent of all Irish men who will purchase a perfume or beauty product for their loved ones.
Read more ...Dinner parties, the easy way
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
There are many ways to reduce the stress associated with organising a dinner party for friends. You could ask your guests to bring dessert or starters instead of wine; you can cook the main course the day before if it is the type of dish that benefits from 24 hours in the fridge, eg, chilli dishes, curry dishes, or many types of casseroles. There is, however, an even easier way to remove the hassle, and that is to rent a cook for the night. Rentacook.ie was recently launched in Galway; it is the website for a business owned and run by Patricia Begley who has been providing a personal catering service for small to medium sized parties over the last few years.
Read more ...Go online for the tastiest turkey
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
Food safety promotion group safefood has launched new guidelines on cooking times for a safe and tasty turkey, with turkey cooking time calculator available online or via text to ensure your festive dinner is roasted to perfection.
Read more ...Domestic Bliss
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
With the increase in oil prices and the depletion of oil reserves, many people have turned back to solid fuel over the past few years. Wood is becoming a favourite as it is clean, renewable, easy to store, and can give a warm, lasting, fire. Whether you burn wood in a fireplace, stove, or furnace, good quality firewood is the key to convenience, efficiency, and safety. Most stove manufacturers recommend dry hardwood logs. What exactly are dry hardwood logs and where can you get them?
Read more ...Take the work out of wet weather
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
Beat the winter weather with a drying cabinet that will make short work of dripping coats, gloves and soggy shoes as well as the wet washing.
Read more ...Home Ground
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
I know that Christmas, not gardening, is on your mind at the moment but a little gardening is a guaranteed way of working off the turkey and Christmas pudding. I know that the winter weather is not always enticing but we must look for the positives and try to forget, or at least ignore, the negatives.
Read more ...Beat stress this Christmas
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
1. If you are one of those people who has left all your Chrismas preparations until the last minute, do not fret. Begin by compiling a “To Do” list. Include everything from sending Christmas cards and buying gifts to grocery shopping, cleaning the house, cooking Christmas dinner and visiting friends and relations.
Read more ...The Claddagh — the old and the new
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
This photograph was taken in the 1930s and illustrates the huge difference between the old thatched cottages in the Claddagh and the new houses that were being built to replace them. Even though the area was a building site with the new houses going up, people were obviously still living in the old houses if we are to judge from the line of washing we see hanging on the gable in the centre. The two thatched roofs look as if they are about to cave in. The woman and child we see on the right look very forlorn... could it be that their house was the next to be knocked and cleared? It may have been small and not very roomy, but it was home, probably to a number of generations of the family, so it cannot have been easy to see it flattened.
Read more ...A Christmas made in Galway
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
This year in the belief that money spent in Galway goes around Galway, I have concentrated on what I consider would make amazing gifts, by just looking at the wonderful range of crafts, beautiful things, skills, and services actually made in the city and nearby. I had a marvellous time and I thank everyone who showed me what they are doing. It was truly a journey of discovery. I was very impressed with a little boutique in Kirwan’s Lane called Cloon Keen Atelier, and the heavenly smell as I opened the door. Run by Margaret Mangan and her partner Julian Checkly, they offer more than 35 scented hand -poured candles, all made at their larger shop and factory in the craft and design studios, Ceardlann, at An Speidéal. I’ll come back to the Ceardlann in a moment, but I was intrigued by Cloon Keen, named after the village, near Tuam, where Margaret was born. Very professionally wrapped and presented, this is an outstanding product. If you ever wondered what is the smell of Christmas, three particular candles caught my nose and made me smile: Christmas Pomander, Christmas Tree, and Christmas Morning all €14.95.
It’s hard to pass through Kirwan’s Lane without visiting Judy Greene’s beautiful shop. Her Connemara floral designs on her tableware are famous, but check out her new An Dressiúr range which include the popular ‘Malaí Tae Caite’(€17. 50) for the old tea bags, and the cups with ‘An Múinteoir is Fearr (€15), and ‘An Boss Beag’.
Read more ...The Claddagh — the old and the new
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
This photograph was taken in the 1930s and illustrates the huge difference between the old thatched cottages in the Claddagh and the new houses that were being built to replace them. Even though the area was a building site with the new houses going up, people were obviously still living in the old houses if we are to judge from the line of washing we see hanging on the gable in the centre. The two thatched roofs look as if they are about to cave in. The woman and child we see on the right look very forlorn... could it be that their house was the next to be knocked and cleared? It may have been small and not very roomy, but it was home, probably to a number of generations of the family, so it cannot have been easy to see it flattened.
Read more ...A Christmas made in Galway
Thu, Dec 18, 2008
This year in the belief that money spent in Galway goes around Galway, I have concentrated on what I consider would make amazing gifts, by just looking at the wonderful range of crafts, beautiful things, skills, and services actually made in the city and nearby. I had a marvellous time and I thank everyone who showed me what they are doing. It was truly a journey of discovery. I was very impressed with a little boutique in Kirwan’s Lane called Cloon Keen Atelier, and the heavenly smell as I opened the door. Run by Margaret Mangan and her partner Julian Checkly, they offer more than 35 scented hand -poured candles, all made at their larger shop and factory in the craft and design studios, Ceardlann, at An Speidéal. I’ll come back to the Ceardlann in a moment, but I was intrigued by Cloon Keen, named after the village, near Tuam, where Margaret was born. Very professionally wrapped and presented, this is an outstanding product. If you ever wondered what is the smell of Christmas, three particular candles caught my nose and made me smile: Christmas Pomander, Christmas Tree, and Christmas Morning all €14.95.
It’s hard to pass through Kirwan’s Lane without visiting Judy Greene’s beautiful shop. Her Connemara floral designs on her tableware are famous, but check out her new An Dressiúr range which include the popular ‘Malaí Tae Caite’(€17. 50) for the old tea bags, and the cups with ‘An Múinteoir is Fearr (€15), and ‘An Boss Beag’.
Read more ...Whatever happened to Barry’s tea? And other food conundrums
Thu, Dec 11, 2008
Barry’s tea still has that kick-awake taste in the morning when you take the first gulp; but tea in general has changed, and changed dramatically. Just look at the choice of teas next time you reach for a packet. Where once there was only Lyons, Barry’s and PG Tips, now there has to be a choice of at least 50 different blends including herbal, organic, loose or bagged, or the plain ordinary black. And I was surprised to learn that there are at lest two tea blenders in Galway; including Solaris Botanicals, which not only won last month’s Junior Chamber of Ireland Entrepreneur of the Year, but in the same week clinched a deal to supply Harrods of London.
Read more ...