The biggest sale just got better

Thu, Jan 14, 2010

One of Galway's largest furniture retailers has acted very quickly in response to the recent bad weather. With people unable to travel to the recent sale Curley’s Furniture has extended its sale and further reduced its prices. Offering free immediate delivery on all stock whatever the weather, there has never been a better time to pick up an unbeatable bargain.

2010 style resolutions

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Your resolutions might be related to identifying your own style, understanding what suits you, or acquiring pieces throughout the year; so if you are embarking on a style journey this year, here are some of my fashion and style resolutions for 2010!

New Year, new you

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Make your resolutions last at the Kingfisher Club
January is seen as a time for new beginnings, as everyone reflects on an enjoyable, excessive, festive season! To help you achieve your goals the Kingfisher Clubs are holding open days to welcome all new members on Thursday January 21 — it will only take a few minutes and it could make a life changing experience for you.

What lengths would you go to?

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Clip-on hair extensions are the hottest product on the market this season. Safe to use and available in every colour, you can simply buy off the shelf, take them home and DIY your own hair or have them professionally fitted in salon at David Martin. David Martin has spent the past 10 years researching various hair extension techniques and the stylists are experts in their field.

A good year for Galway’s food sector

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Looking back over a year that has received so much dark and depressing comment it seems to me that the food and restaurant business in and around Galway did a good job in 2009, and in fact expanded in many cases. Also the quality and value available to us the punters has been going in the right direction, lots of early bird menus, mid week offers, free bottle of wine with takeaways over €40, coffees down to a more acceptable €2 in many places, wine list prices being revised downwards, etc. As regards the quality I think that places like The Twelve in Barna, Sheridan’s on the Docks, Artisan in Quay Street, The g Hotel, and Abalone are all producing serious food and most of them have special deals if you give them a call. Places like Basilico in Oranmore, while only in business less than two years, continue to pack the customers in with great prices and great food. Most takeaways are reporting an increase in business.

O’Brien’s to feature Rachel Allen signature sandwiches

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Celebrity chef Rachel Allen has joined forces with O’Brien’s sandwich bars to front a national marketing campaign to promote the O’Brien’s brand.

Ms Allen will be retained as a creative consultant to O’Brien’s and over the course of the year will create delicious signature sandwiches, which will be on sale from January in all O’Brien’s Irish sandwich cafes nationwide. She will also feature in a TV and radio advertising campaign as part of a comprehensive marketing and PR plan.

O’Brien’s to feature Rachel Allen signature sandwiches

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Celebrity chef Rachel Allen has joined forces with O’Brien’s sandwich bars to front a national marketing campaign to promote the O’Brien’s brand.

Astro decor — decorating for your star sign

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Would you like to redecorate a room in your home, or even your whole home, but are at a loss for where to start? Try looking to the stars. Even if you don’t believe in astrology, decorating for your sign may offer you some interesting ideas. Each of the 12 signs has corresponding colours, elements, and personality traits that can have appealing effects on your life when applied to the décor of your home.

New year bargains and more at TG Interiors

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

TG Interiors, Dunkellin Street, Loughrea has announced that from January 11 the company will no longer be trading as Acme Blinds.

Helping your child to overcome shyness

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Parenting a shy child can be frustrating, baffling, and worrying for a parent. If you are shy yourself you will be acutely aware of how your child feels in a world full of seemingly confident people. If on the other hand you are not shy yourself, you will be baffled and often frustrated by your child's behaviour.

Hair flair

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Do you suffer from fine, flat or limp hair? If so, you are one of 7.7 million women in the UK and Ireland battling with these conditions.

Cold comfort

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Are you miserable and hot all over due to a cold or flu? If so Chillow, the only non electrical cooling product on the market, may be a welcome addition to your home.

Ideally shaped for just popping inside your pillowcase and suitable for adults and children once this unique personal cooling pad is filled with water it will remain cool. It is allergy free, wipes clean and the soft surface is comfortable for stuffy heads.

Denim delights

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Tommy Hilfiger’s winter denim range draws inspiration from late 1960s America, an era defined by counter culture, liberated attitudes and political, musical and social revolution.

Wake up to beautiful skin

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Is your skin showing signs of the excesses of Christmas - too many late nights, too much rich food, too little “me” time?

If so, Clarins Super Restorative Replenishing Comfort Mask (€55) may be just what you need to enhance your natural radiance.

Bags of style

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

Ladylike bags with vintage appeal make a key statement this winter, according to Brown Thomas. These are in line with the nostalgia trend that revisit the looks of the 1940s. Styles are largely framed, flat bottomed and handheld.

Fold-over clutches have been a runaway favourite for several seasons and show no sign of losing their popularity. Team them with matching gloves to add a ladylike appeal which will work well with the season’s 1940s inspired looks.

A corner of William Street, c1920

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

This photograph was originally published in Burrows Guide Book which was printed c1920. The main feature is The Medical Hall and Pharmacy which was owned by AP Wallace. To the right of that you can see the entrance to Higgins’ Garage (he was an agent for Ford cars), and to the right of that again, down a little alleyway, was the entrance to the Empire Theatre.

The man who ran the ‘Corofin mile’

Thu, Jan 07, 2010

One of the most dramatic and legendary events in the history of Irish foxhunting took place with the Galway Blazers on December 19 1953 between Cregg Castle, Corandulla, and beyond the Clare river, near Anbally. This is great fox hunting terrain. It’s level going, open and free. When on a good scent the hounds will skim the walls and allow no time for man or beast to make mistakes if they want to stay close to them. December 19 1953 was a clear, frosty day, with similar temperatures to those we are enduring these past few weeks. The hounds were in full pursuit ‘skimming the long low walls the way the swallows do’. After a four mile chase they hit the river Clare about a mile short of the nearest bridge at Corofin village.

Chasing the girls, and hunting the wren

Wed, Dec 23, 2009

Even though mistletoe is not native to Ireland it has long been associated with Christmas here. The tangled green plant, with its soft white berries, has been introduced in some Irish counties (grafted onto apple trees), and was being sold in basket fulls at the Galway market last December.

Galway Gaol, April 1958

Thu, Dec 17, 2009

This photograph of the gaol was taken from the Salmon Weir Bridge in April 1958. It looks very bare with no traffic, and that high wall looks very imposing. The road sign we see was pointing to Clifden. The registration number on the Volkswagen car is ZM 3204. Note the bicycles parked at the entrance. The corporation worker with the barrow is ‘Janie’ Carr. As you can see from the crane and the pile of rubble inside the wall, the construction company Sisks had just begun to clear out the space for the building of the cathedral, which of course is on this site today.

Animals at war, virgins in Loughrea, poitín, and peace at the ‘Augi’...

Thu, Dec 17, 2009

World War 1 is the backdrop for the London box office success War Horse. It’s the story of bravery, loyalty and a mutual bond that grew between a young farm boy and his horse. But it is the highly imaginative and skilful way that the story is presented that has caught London’s imagination. The play is based on a book by Michael Morpurgo; and a recent acknowledgement by the public of the role animals have played in war, from the horse, the mule, the dog, the pigeon, even the humble glow worm used by sappers in No Man’s Land as they drew maps in the dark*. During the merciless, and relatively recent Battle of Stalingrad, (July 1942 to February 1943), 207,000 horses were killed on the German side alone (the human cost was an unimaginable one million). Animals are still used to help solders navigate rough terrain, or for dolphins to seek out mines, and dogs to sniff out contraband.

I was struck at the observations made by U boat commander Adolf KGE Spiegel, as he prepared to attack an allied ship in April 1916. To his surprise he saw long rows of wooden partitions along the deck from which gleamed the shining black and brown backs of horses. His reaction: ‘What a pity, those lovely beasts.’

E-paper

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