What price for lunch in Galway?

Thu, Jan 20, 2011

Having recently been in a very busy pub in Navan that served an excellent chicken a la king with rice at lunchtime at a cost of €5, I decided to walk around Galway city centre and see if there was lunch available to compete with that level of price.

Must haves to update your office wardrobe in 2011

Thu, Jan 20, 2011

Update your office wear with these wardrobe staples that will take you through the year.

Notes for the season

Thu, Jan 20, 2011

Spring is the perfect time to detox your closet. This time of year we start thinking about decluttering and buying a few key pieces to transition into spring. Before you buy a single piece, gut your closet by emptying every single thing out of it. A ‘quick tidy’ is vastly different from a ‘gut’. You will know this because it is more time consuming, creates more anxiety, and is ultimately more satisfying. Not to sound all Joan Crawford-ish, but its time to retire any wire hangers you may have. Store bought hangers are relatively cheap and make all the difference in keeping your clothing in good nick.

Everybody knows in their heart and soul what they need to say goodbye to. To quote Kenny Rogers, “Know when to walk away, and know when to run.” Be ruthless. Now is no time to be sentimental about an old dress an ex boyfriend used to love on you. In with the new! Make a ‘need’ list and a ‘want’ list and carry them around in your wallet. When you are in Brown Thomas, whether browsing with a friend or in on a mission, refer to the list. A few simple questions to ask regarding genuine ‘needs’:

Woolies in Galway

Thu, Jan 20, 2011

In the early 1950s the chain of shops owned by Woolworths was expanding, but it did experience some difficulty establishing a branch in Galway. It appears some councillors and retailers resisted the move, but after several failed attempts, ‘Woolies’ (as it became known), acquired the former site of the old Royal Hotel on the Square. Woolies knocked the hotel and put up a purpose built retail store. As the day of the opening approached, local interest became intense.

Two men of destiny meet on Tawin Island

Thu, Jan 20, 2011

In his interesting biography of Eamon de Valera*, Diarmaid Ferriter reports that in December 2000 gardaí seized 24 love letters from de Valera to his young wife Sinéad, which were being advertised for auction by Mealy’s of Castlecomer. It was believed that the letters were stolen in the mid 1970s from the de Valera family home. The owners, who had bought them in England some years previously in an effort to ensure their return to Ireland, were unaware that they had been stolen.

Need some Therapie after the festive season?

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

Mince pies, brandy butter, chocolates, and mulled wine… Christmas is a time of excess so let’s make New Year a time of redress. This year why not make a resolution to be healthier and happier all year round and start the year as you mean to continue with a host of detox offerings from Therapie Clinic, all available at affordable prices.

If you are tired of diets and want to try something that will help you drop a size quickly, Cho Yung tea may be the answer to your dieting dreams. The Irish are known for loving a cuppa and this miracle weight loss tea is flying off the shelves at Therapie. Cho Yung tea uses an ancient Chinese recipe to help boost your metabolism, remove harmful toxins, and increase energy levels which help speed up weight loss. These powerful antioxidants are essential in removing harmful toxins from the body, mainly derived from years of poor eating habits, or those developed over the festive season. Cho Yung tea is available exclusively at Therapie Clinic.

Acupuncture for pain relief now available at Athenry Holistic Health

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

Athenry Holistic Health is now offering acupuncture and InterX therapy as part of a unique combination for the treatment of all kinds of musculoskeletal pain, ranging from back pain to sport injuries.

Ali’s Fish Shop, Oranmore

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

During the last few days we heard the sad news about the Harvest Wine Shop in Oranmore and my heart goes out to all who worked there. I hope everyone will find a job in the near future. However, there was also some good news in Oranmore as a new fresh fish shop called Ali’s Fish Shop opened. Regular readers may remember I mentioned his other shop in Barna when it opened in 2010, Ali is obviously a courageous man and all I can say is “fair play to him”.

New year, new name for Oscars

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

Another year to look forward to; I wonder if 2011 will be as eventful as 2010 at Oscars? In fact 2010 was a pretty good year in Galway despite the best efforts of the economic environment. The year got off to a great start for Oscars with our inclusion into the Bridgestone Guide’s Top 100 Restaurants in Ireland. It really is a great privilege to make it into the guide as the top 100 also includes restaurants in the north of the country.

Notes for the season

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

The whole point of a make-up bag is that it should act as a kind of security blanket. You hope that the make-up you applied before you left the house (or the car as the case may be) lasts all day, but if it doesn’t you are prepared for any touch ups with the arsenal in your make-up kit. An over-full or disorganised bag brimming with 20 eye shadows and six lipsticks serves no useful purpose. Lots of items could/should stay at home, like your mascara (which should never be reapplied on top of old mascara), and your bottle of foundation (all you need is a smart compact for touch ups).

Style Counsel

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

Do you want to know how to be style fabulous in 2011? Follow my tips for clever thinking when it comes to your style.

Black and white story

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

It is one of the most popular trends from the international catwalks and now black and white is making its presence felt in make-up.

Flower power

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

Spring/summer fashions are full of bright, cheery colours aimed at lifting our moods and conveying a spirit of confidence for the New Year.

Spare your blushes

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

Blusher is a great way to give your skin a radiant glow and balances and links up colour on the eyes and lips.

Hair flair

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

Does your colour treated crowning glory need a New Year boost? If so, the Full Shimmer collection from Shu Uemura Art of Hair promises to do just that.

Leg it

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

If your legs or feet are feeling the chills of winter then what could be better than fleece lined tights?

‘Henceforth Irish is to be the language of Tawin’

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

As letter writers to newspapers know, as soon as you make your point, and satisfied that it is the only salient point worth making, you can be brought back to reality smartly by a riposte! Sir Roger Casement’s letter in the Irish language newspaper An Claidheamh Soluis, in the late summer of 1904, was a hard hitting criticism of the attitude of those parents who favoured that their children learned to speak English, instead of Irish. “The general mass of the Irish speaking parents have kicked the language out of doors.” He fully supported the struggle of the people of Tawin, a small island on the east side of Galway Bay, who had withdrawn their children from the local national school because they wanted their children educated through Irish. As a result the authorities withdrew the schoolmistress, and the school, unused for years, fell into disrepair. They warned the islanders that if they wanted the school to re-open they had to pay for its repair.

Fresh herrings, scibs, and red petticoats

Thu, Jan 13, 2011

This photograph of a very animated open air fish market was taken about 100 years ago, and shows lots of creels, scibs, various types of basket, a wondrous variety of patterned shawls, petticoats, and práiscíns. There seems to be more selling than buying. It must have been very colourful and competitive… just imagine them all calling out, in lovely Galway accents, “Fresh herrings”, “Johnny Dory”, etc.

The fish market used to be on Bridge Street until they opened the original Wolfe Tone Bridge in 1887. The bridge made it easy for Claddagh women to congregate in front of the Spanish Arch to sell their wares. The fishermen never did any of the selling, it was always the women. Not all the women came to this spot, many walked the streets or the roads in the suburbs with a scib full of fish on their head, knocking on doors trying to sell their product.

New year’s resolutions for your home

Thu, Jan 06, 2011

Here are some ideas to get 2011 off to a good start on the home front.

Make 2011 the year you shop for your shape

Thu, Jan 06, 2011

We all have part of our body that we don’t like. We can easily get confused on what shape we are and what to look for when it comes to shopping. Here are some of my top tips and guidelines to make you feel much better when it comes to shopping smarter and finding what is right for you.

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