Richardson’s pub, Eyre Square

Thu, Apr 03, 2014

The first reference to Eyre Square, or ‘The Green’ as it was then known, was in 1631 when it was planted with ash trees by Sir Valentine Blake. It was located outside the East Gate of the medieval city. “The square plot at the Green was set apart for the purpose of public amusement and recreation; it was enclosed with wooden rails and handsomely planted around.” The 1651 map of Galway features a row of small buildings which ran the length of the east side of the square.

Irish Cancer Society launches bowel cancer awareness month

Thu, Apr 03, 2014

The Irish Cancer Society has revealed the counties in Ireland which have a high bowel cancer incidence rate at its launch of bowel cancer awareness month which takes place in April. The society is urging people, particularly those in bowel cancer ‘hotspots’, to reduce their risk of bowel cancer by making some small lifestyle changes.

According to data from the National Cancer Registry of Ireland, Cork has the highest rate of bowel cancer in Ireland with an incidence rate of 57.9 per 100,000 per year. This is closely followed by Leitrim (rate of 56.39), Louth (rate of 54.97), Dublin North (rate of 54.49), Westmeath (rate of 54.23), Dublin South (53.87), Cavan (53.44), Mayo (52.98), Waterford (52.29), and Sligo (52.28).

Awareness week to highlight Raynaud's and scleroderma

Thu, Apr 03, 2014

In just under three weeks, Ireland will host its first Raynaud’s and Scleroderma Awareness Week. Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Ireland (RSI) is organising a full programme of promotional, educational, and information activities to educate the nation on both conditions and inform the Irish population of the symptoms and treatments associated with each, as well as encouraging those suffering in silence to reach out to the resources available to them.

Raynaud’s is a condition that affects the blood flow, occurring usually during periods of cold or stress. The condition causes loss of blood supply to the extremities, usually fingers and toes, leading to a series of colour changes to the hands and feet. The affected areas generally turn white first, with loss of sensation and loss of dexterity, then blue as the oxygen is used up, and finally red as the blood supply returns.

The lonely boy who landed on our shore

Thu, Apr 03, 2014

It is possible that when the 16 years-old Orson Welles embarked from the SS Baltic in Galway Bay in August 1931, he visited the Taibhdhearc theatre. In any event, he struck up a friendship with a Galway actor. Two months later he visited the Gate Theatre in Dublin, and went backstage to see his friend. Clearly impressed by what he saw, he left a note for its founding partners, Mícheál MacLiammóir and Hilton Edwards, boldly proclaiming ‘Orson Welles, star of the New York Theatre Guild, would consider appearing in one of your productions, and hopes you will see him for an appointment.’

Exciting range of spring products at G Furniture

Thu, Mar 27, 2014

G Furniture and carpets in Northpoint on the Tuam Road has some really exciting new products to brighten up your home this spring. It guarantees the best value for money in Galway in carpets and furniture, with a brilliant selection of three piece suites and rugs just arrived at special promotion prices.

Take a trip down memory lane with Green Monkey Designs

Thu, Mar 27, 2014

From TK Lemonade and Jacob’s Kimberly biscuits to Brennan’s Bread and Barry’s Tea, there are certain iconic products we will always associate with growing up in Ireland. New Irish brand Green Monkey Designs, based in Co Meath and new to the Kilkenny Shop, has created a range of quirky retro homeware accessories using prints of some of these traditional Irish brands, designed to stir up nostalgia and take you down memory lane.

Aniar Cookery School

Thu, Mar 27, 2014

When it comes to cookery classes, I have to admit I am a bit of a veteran. I have more than a couple of stints with the Allen family in Ballymaloe under my belt, I have had a nose around Paul Flynn's Tannery School in Dungarven. I have even tucked my knees under the bountiful table at River Cottage HQ with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, still possibly the happiest day of my life (sorry kids).

Nearer to home, and if you like to do things in style, we have Aniar Cookery School, which is now firmly established in the Michelin-starred restaurant. As such, this is no ordinary cookery school. Aniar Restaurant is counted among one of the best in the country, and owner JP McMahon with head chef Ultan Cooke has created a terroir-based menu focusing on fresh, foraged, and wild ingredients sourced locally, and still retains the only Michelin star in the west. The school is run in the restaurant kitchen and all classes are taught by the apparently inexhaustible JP.

Siobhán McKenna - A legend in Irish theatre

Thu, Mar 27, 2014

French soldiers in World War I carried Joan of Arc’s image into battle at Ardennes, at Charleroi, at the Marne. They wore medals bearing her face around their necks, and tucked her picture into the pockets of their uniforms.

The Presentation Convent

Thu, Mar 27, 2014

One hundred and ninety five years ago this week, the Presentation Sisters opened their convent on Presentation Road, on March 25 1819 to be precise. Some years before that, Doctor ffrench, the warden of Galway, went to Kilkenny to ask the sisters there if they could found a convent here. He had a fund for the purpose, and so, on October 27 1815, three sisters arrived to a house in Kirwan’s Lane. This building was not large enough for them and the 30 girls of the school which had been handed over to them by a committee of ladies, so they moved into a larger house on Eyre Square where they remained for three years.

Dr Eva Orsmond -a leading expert in her field

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

Dr Eva Orsmond is a leading expert in her field and remains Ireland’s sole private medical practitioner exclusively treating overweight and obesity in adults and children.

Are you tired of being tired?

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

Do you suffer from low mood and lack the stamina to get things done? Food can be your greatest medicine, or the slowest poison if you do not eat the right foods for your body.

Nutrition for fertility at Glenville Nutrition Clinic

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

Are you hoping to conceive? Getting pregnant is not as easy as we might think. A healthy couple at prime reproductive age have about a 25 per cent chance of conceiving each month. Only about half of all couples get pregnant within six months of trying, about 80 per cent become pregnant within a year, and approximately 90 per cent at the end of two years. This means that, even if there is nothing wrong, it can take up to two years to conceive. Over the age of 35, it can take even longer.

Tackling hay fever with Chinese medicine

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

Care Cure Acupuncture believes that hay fever and sinus problems are caused by an imbalance in the lung and kidney meridians/channels.

Exciting range of spring products at G Furniture

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

G Furniture and carpets in Northpoint on the Tuam Road has some really exciting new products to brighten up your home this spring. It guarantees the best value for money in Galway in carpets and furniture, with a brilliant selection of new season rugs just arrived at sale prices.

Some like it hot

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

If you are touring round the Spanish Arch, the sign will catch your eye. Lime green, gold with a graceful font announces the name of the restaurant, Thai Garden. As one of Galway's long-established restaurants, it is attractively located in a modern building overlooking the iconic scenery of the Claddagh. A smart, heated terrace at the rear is very appealing in the summer, and the spacious interior has an adjoining room ideal for private parties with pleasant views out over the fish market and the River Corrib. If you are looking for Thai cuisine in the heart of Galway then this is your go-to place.

Have you brunched yet?

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

Brunch – a late morning combination of breakfast and lunch — is about taking a time out with family or friends and letting a little decadence into your day in the form of an early cocktail or late breakfast.

Making-up for summer

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

You wake up in the morning bleary eyed, blotchy skinned and looking less than radiant. But within minutes you are transformed into a ravishing beauty (well, we can always hope!).

What is the secret of this transformation? Make-up. Beauty in a jar, tube or elegant applicator. Maybe all that is required is a slick of lipstick, a touch of foundation, or a lash building mascara to breathe back life into jaded skin. Or, like most of us, you may require a little more cosmetic assistance to accentuate your good points and play down your imperfections.

Donnellan’s of Shop Street

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

This drawing of the facade of John J Donnellan’s business on Shop Street appeared in the Connacht Tribune of April 9, 1910. The accompanying text said: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I say you cannot do better than call at Donnellan’s, the popular Drapery House for your millinery, your mantles, your blouses, your dresses. Men, for your suitings, your outfittings etc. All goods marked one price – The Lowest. All departments crammed full with the latest novelties”.

An Taibhdhearc - becomes ‘pathway to success’

Thu, Mar 20, 2014

For three years after the opening of the Gate Theatre in Dublin Mícheál MacLiammóir continued to work for An Taibhdhearc. He travelled to Galway as often as three times a week. Despite the Gate's rave reviews for its first play Peer Gynt, for which Mícheál designed its 'symbolic' scenery, money was slow to come in. Mícheál needed the salary that An Taibhdhearc offered. The Minister for Finance, Ernest Blythe (who was soon to take over the running of the Abbey Theatre), and who had taken such interest in the fledgling Galway project, urged its directors to offer MacLiammóir full-time employment. But MacLiammóir felt that his destiny was in Dublin. The Gate opened later in 1928, the same year as An Taibhdhearc, offering Dublin audiences the best of European and American theatre, and rapidly becoming a venue for a new wave of talented Irish writers.

Updating your wardrobe on a budget

Thu, Mar 13, 2014

As we settle into a new season many people are looking at their wardrobes and shaking their heads.

E-paper

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