Gardens and history roll into one at Woodville

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Once off the duel-motorway at Athlone, the traffic on our main roads is often so heavy that if I have time, I will take a country road home. Loughrea’s welcome new by-pass makes a visit to that old busy town now worthwhile, and easy. Its difficult to pass St Brendan’s Cathedral, and its magnificent Celtic stained glass windows and sculpture, without a visit. And then, take the Gort road to Galway. On a glorious summer afternoon, the hedgerows are bursting with white blackberry blossom, wild irises, fuchsia, honeysuckle and foxglove. I was looking for Woodville House and its newly opened walled garden, but ruined cut-stone walls, and high gates reminded me that here, in this corner of Galway, poor tenant farmers stood up to the powerful Marquis of Clanricarde to own the land they worked on. The so-called Land War was fought nowhere more fierce, nor attracted more world wide publicity than on the Clanricarde estates in Portumna, Woodford, Eyrecourt and surrounding areas.

Not all landlords were bad, but Clanricarde was the archetypical landlord scoundrel. He was described as having a miserly personality, eccentric and reclusive, with a fundamental inability to compromise or adapt to changing circumstances in Irish society at the time. He lived in London. It was said that he only once visited his Portumna castle, and that was for his father’s funeral in 1874. Even for the time his estates were vast. They stretched from Lough Derg to Galway. He was ruthless in dealing with any tenant who couldn’t pay his rent. There is a famous letter he wrote on January 29 1881 in reply to the argument by his land agent John Blake* that some tenants were simply too poor to pay. Clanricarde refused to allow any leniency. He pointed out, that: ‘Unless husbandmen can afford to plant something better than stones (or bad potatoes which are as useless as stones) they are not fit to be tenant farmers.’

Dress for success

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Are you searching for the perfect debs dress? If so, check out Dresscode, the Irish eveningwear brand recently launched at Anthony Ryan’s store in Shop Street.

Shaving graces

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

If shaving is a chore for the man in your life a new gift set from REN skincare may help. The kit features some of the company’s best selling unisex products in addition to the exclusively designed men’s “Perfect 3 Step Shaving System” product range.

Sneeze no more

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

If you suffer from hayfever - the most common allergic disease in Ireland - and are looking for a natural treatment check out Allerclear, a herbal remedy which costs less than €10.

Skin deep

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Men suffering from tight, sensitive skin are advised to avoid soap or products not formulated for sensitive skin.

Getting lippy

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Lip gloss is perfect for the ultimate feminine pout but sometimes women want more shine to bring their lips to life.

Banish stretch marks

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

A new cosmetic treatment promises to help reduce stretch marks on the breast, abdomen, thighs and hips.

2009 trendiest bathrooms

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

The bathroom has recently undergone a radical transformation. Previously regarded as a purely functional room, it has now seen a real shift in value to that of a living area and place of sanctuary. The technical and functional aspects of the bathroom are now being extended by emotional factors. The design factor is therefore of vital importance, as both functional aspects, and the presence of a calming emotional atmosphere need to co-exist.

Blooming brilliant ideas for little green fingers

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Now that the school holidays are upon us, the time is ripe to get your children hooked on the joys of the room outdoors. The cool, wet, month of May this year has meant that the growing season is running a few weeks late, which means there’s still plenty of time to start growing flowers and vegetables. This summer could be your chance to help the younger members of your family develop a love affair which could last a lifetime.

“The trick is to start small,” says Paddy Cunningham of Dangan House Nurseries. “The concept of tackling a whole garden can be very daunting to an adult, never mind to a child. You could allocate a small piece of space, maybe around the size of the kitchen table. Get them planting a wide variety of vegetables and flowers, while keeping the quantities small.”

Tantrum-free travel with Trunki

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Wave goodbye to tiring travel, tears, and tantrums with a boredom busting Trunki, the world’s first ride-on children’s suitcase. Designed for family holidays, children can pack, sit-on and ride their own luggage, while parents can keep them in tow.

Make your own cocktails

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Thanks to television shows and movies, cocktails have made a big revival in the past few years. The last big cocktail phase was during the fifties and sixties when every fashionable hotel had a cocktail bar with lots of starched collars, crisp white uniforms and bow ties. In 2009 the typical uniform for a cocktail barman seems to be black, although usually with the addition of a very flashy tie. The use of the word cocktail dates back to 1806 in New York so they have been around a long time, yet many have stood the test of time and have the same ingredients today as they had 100 years ago. A typical cocktail contains about 30-40 per cent high strength alcohol with the remainder being flavourings of one kind or another.

Strawberries

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

The weather over the past week has forced me into a difficult decision. Is it barbecue time, or possibly a piece on the versatility of salad? But a delivery of fresh Irish strawberries into the restaurant quickly made up my mind. Is there any fruit to herald the beginning of summer superior to a fresh sun ripened strawberry? In the middle of winter it’s not uncommon to come across, in the shops, these hard lumps of things that look like strawberries but taste of something far removed from a sweet Irish-grown berry. Especially when topped off with a little whipped dairy cream, no chef can better strawberries and cream. Strawberries grow particularly well in Ireland, and more so during the rare sunny summers. They ripen a little slower than on the continent, developing high sugar content.

Achill to celebrate the sea with Féile Bia Na Mara

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

TV master chef and author Clodagh McKenna will be the star attraction when Achill Island revives its traditional Féile Bia Na Mara from July 9 to 12. The Achill Seafood Festival is supported by Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the Irish Sea Fisheries Board, and Údarás na Gaeltachta.

Packing for your holidays

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

When packing for holidays we are easily tempted to bring half our wardrobe and end up having a suitcase full of stuff that we probably will not wear during our stay.

Successful and stress-free packing relies on good preparation. Packing only what you need will help you to enjoy your holidays while looking and feeling great.

Bella Baby summer sale now on

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Bella Baby, Ireland’s premier supplier of baby products, is now holding a summer sale with up to 30 per cent off main line products and up to 50 per cent off some lines.

Golden rules for the perfect tan

Thu, Jul 02, 2009

Get your summer tan right with this advice from tanning experts St Tropez.

Buttermilk Lane, 1838

Thu, Jun 25, 2009

William Evans (1798 – 1877) was an accomplished English painter who was the drawing master at Eton College. He exhibited widely including with the RHA and in Paris and, judging by the prices on his work, was held in high esteem. A number of his paintings were used as illustrations in books. During 1836 and 1837 he showed 14 Irish subjects at the Old Watercolour Society, all of counties Galway and Mayo. These consisted of a mixture of landscapes, street and quayside scenes, indigenous peasant structures, and peasant portraits. For an English artist, his choice of terrain was highly adventurous, and it could be said that his paintings brought a new area of inspiration to the attention of artists in the UK.

Ross Castle - A labour of love

Thu, Jun 25, 2009

I have always had great respect for the Irish yew tree. Because of its association with sanctuary and protection in mythology, you often see the yew in old graveyards. But its strength and bulk in old age, (it can live for hundreds of years, fertile to the last bearing red berries and new growth every spring), it is also associated with love and protection. It is considered a great gift to have yew in your garden. If you are fortunate to have yew trees of a great age you are doubly blessed. Its branches are traditionally used in the Palm Sunday ritual.

Living with a rare condition

Thu, Jun 25, 2009

“When he was born he was a healthy nine pounds and was 10 days overdue,” says the mother of two who lives in Rahylin Glebe, Ballybane. “He got pneumonia when he was 11 weeks old and was in hospital for a week. It was thought he had meningitis originally so pneumonia was a good diagnosis after that. He got over it and developed normally. If anything he was ahead of what was expected - he walked at 11 months. He was a chatty child who loved to go out.”

Trends in eating out

Thu, Jun 25, 2009

I have noticed that the traditional types of customers in many restaurants have changed over the past few years. The most noticeable is that women are now a serious force to be reckoned with and any restaurant which does not focus on their needs will suffer. On every single occasion that I have eaten out in the last 12 months there have been large tables of women’s groups dining, committees, hen nights, group of friends, groups from work, etc, and the same cannot be said of the men folk. What does this mean? I have not got a clue, but it is certainly good for the restaurant trade. Yet I have not seen any restaurant aiming its marketing directly at this group, eg, free cocktail for any group of more than X, or some such enticement.

E-paper

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