Helping men fight skin ageing

Thu, Oct 02, 2008

More than 45 per cent of men in the 20 to 30 year age group say their skin suffers from fatigue.

Stress, lack of sleep, irregular eating habits and an aggressive environment can visibly upset its balance. Natural skin exfoliation slows down and dead cells build up on the surface making it look rough, dull and fatigued.

A May procession in the Claddagh, c1935

Thu, Oct 02, 2008

This photograph was originally taken from the top of the high wall which fronted the town dump in the area of the Claddagh still known as ‘The Swamp’ in 1931. In the early years of the 20th century Galway’s Parliamentary Representative Stephen Gwynn prompted the Government to award a grant of £450 for the reclamation of this marshy ground between the Claddagh and the seashore, which was prone to flooding, and as a result a half-mile racing track in the shape of a rectangle with rounded corners was built around the perimeter of the area. It cannot have been very successful, because some time afterwards the area became the site for the city dump. In 1931 the Carnegie Trust presented the city with a grant of £500 to help develop part of the site into a number of playing pitches. This development was a gradual process and eventually, in the early fifties, the whole area was converted into a municipal park devoted entirely to sporting activities. The high wall was largely knocked and reduced to its present height. It took a while to completely clear the ground... many who played matches there at the time remember taking lumps of glass or tin out of the surface of the playing pitch and leaving them on the side wall.

Lady Gregory’s ‘missing’ grandson

Thu, Oct 02, 2008

Following the success of the publication Me and Nu - Childhood at Coole published in 1970,* it is sometimes forgotten that Lady Augusta Gregory had three grandchildren, and not two as is often assumed. Written by Lady Gregory’s granddaughter Anne, Me and Nu is a charming account of life at Coole, as the children watched with amusement (and disillusionment at their human foibles), many of the great figures of the Irish literary movement of the 20th century as they came and went.

Managing your anger

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Do you get angry easily and tend to overreact to small things such as someone leaving the cap off the toothpaste, delays in the supermarket queue or minor traffic congestion?

If so, you may be more hotheaded than others and have a low tolerance for frustration or inconvenience.

The Aga experience

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Many people who have an Aga today lived in houses that had an Aga in the kitchen when they were children. There seem to be lots of pleasant memories from childhood that are associated with having an Aga in the kitchen, and for many such people it is top of their shopping list when setting up home. One friend of mine used to sit up on the shiny lid that is on top of the range (not recommended) when she was a child, and believe it or not she does the same thing some 30-plus years later. I was not brought up with an Aga in the house but both my grandparents and parents had solid fuel ranges and I still remember cooking breakfast in a big black cast iron pan on my grandmother’s red hot range. I also remember the constant need to get logs and logs and even more logs!

Tomato and basil soup

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

This delicious, hearty soup is the perfect counterfoil to the cold days ahead.

Sheridan’s launches new duck confit

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Sheridan’s Cheesemongers has introduced a delicious new duck confit to its artisan range of foods. Expanding beyond its fantastic range of farmhouse and European cheeses, the duck confit is a welcome addition for fans of the quality Irish cheesemongers. Sheridan’s premier range also consists of a variety of wines, cured meats, pastas, and olive oils among other specialities for cooking and eating. Sheridan’s was awarded Food & Wine magazine’s Hall of Fame award alongside Richard Corrigan at the annual Food & Wine awards in August.

Bags of style for breast cancer

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

This October designer Orla Kiely will launch a new exclusive accessories collection in Ireland to support Fashion Targets Breast Cancer in aid of Action Breast Cancer, a programme of the Irish Cancer Society and Europa Donna Ireland.

Greater Harmony for acupuncture clinic

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Harmony Acupuncture Clinic, formerly located in Flood Street, Galway has recently moved to new premises. The modern, custom designed clinic is now located in Charter House, Liosban Business Park, Tuam Road, Galway.

Get dressed for the new season at GM2

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Catch the latest trends in menswear for autumn/winter with a visit to GM2 in Liosban.

Visit Santa in Lapland

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Lapland promises fun for all ages. It's not just Santa Claus that makes Lapland so exciting — there is fun for all ages and a whole host of activities to enjoy in a snow-covered winter wonderland.

You can meet with Santa Claus, visit Santa's village, and Santa's post office, cross the Arctic Circle, take a trip on a skidoo, and see the reindeer and huskies. Lapland is the winter experience of a lifetime.

Buy beds and get free duvets and pillows at Better Bedding

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

A Galway bedding company is making sure that its customers are as snug as a bug in a rug this winter by offering free duvets and pillows with all beds that are sold.

New range as Gaeilge for Judy Greene

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

World renowned potter Judy Greene celebrates 26 years in business in Galway this year. To celebrate this incredible achievement, Judy Greene is currently producing a new range of pottery featuring the use of the Irish language in association with Gaillimh le Gaeilge.

Free composting demonstration in Clarenbridge this weekend

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Clarenbridge Lifestyle and Garden Centre will host a composting demonstration this Saturday. The event, organised in association with the Galway County Council and Clarenbridge Tidy Towns committee, follows a previous very successful composting event at the centre.

Have you ever wondered how to compost food waste? If you have failed in the past do you wonder why? The demonstration will be presented at 12 noon and 2pm this Saturday by Mark Molloy from the environmental section of the Galway County Council.

gardening with Anne McKeon

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

The winter garden can be a very peaceful garden offering a break from the routine gardening chores of summer lawn mowing, hedge cutting, weeding, etc.

Location and climate has a major effect on the ‘winter look’ of plants. Take for instance plants clothed in snow. These can look very picturesque and, contrary to belief, when heavy snow falls it can be a benefit to plants rather than a danger. The snow becomes an insulator, keeping the plants below it warm, and protects them from the severe cold. Snow should be knocked off branches as its weight can cause branches to break off. This is particularly important in the case of conifers.

The Spanish Arch, one hundred and seventy years ago

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Antique paintings can be very important documents of social history, giving us an insight into what life must have been like when the picture was painted. They can recreate for us the streets and scenes and buildings where our ancestors may have lived or worked, show us how they dressed, the games they played, etc, before the Famine or before photography was invented. Such images of Galway are rare, so it is a pleasure to come across this descriptive watercolour of the back of the Spanish Arch, which is in a private collection.

Some of the awful things George Moore said...

Thu, Sep 25, 2008

You might think that those at the core of the Irish literary renaissance at the beginning of the 20th century, were one big happy family beavering away in their rooms at Lady Gregory’s home at Coole, Co Galway. In those early days it was a house full of voices and sounds. Sometimes you heard WB Yeats humming the rhythm of a poem he was cobbling together; or the click-clacking of Lady Gregory’s typewriter as she worked on another play for the Abbey. There was the sound of the Gregory grandchildren playing in the garden; the booming voice of George Bernard Shaw, as he complains that he is only allowed to have either butter or jam on his bread, but not both to comply with war rations (He cheated by the way. He put butter on one side of his bread, and when he thought no one was looking, piled jam on the other!); or the voices of the artist Jack Yeats and JM Synge returning from a day messing about on a boat calling out to a shy Sean O’Casey to come out of the library for God’s sake and enjoy the summer afternoon.

And then there was the flamboyantly Bohemian Augustus John, who was her son Robert’s best man at his wedding. John was a bit wild, and loved to pinch maids’ bottoms as he swept by (“Oh! Mr John!”). It was unlikely, however, he ever pinched Marian. She was the kindly but formidable Lady Gregory’s right-hand ‘man’ in all domestic arrangements. Marian saw that guests dressed properly for meals, which were always served punctually. Despite his wickedness, she had a soft spot for Augustus. Augustus would climb to the top of the highest trees at Coole, and lie on the uppermost branches swaying in the breeze. Marian’s voice could be heard shouting up to him to come down or he’d be killed, and that dinner was on the table.

The time trap

Thu, Sep 18, 2008

“Oh, look at the time, where has the day gone?” or “How am I going to get all these jobs done before bedtime?” are familiar moans.

Introducing Coole Desserts

Thu, Sep 18, 2008

A selection of signature sweets created exclusively for Coole Swan

Gourmet dinner on a budget

Thu, Sep 18, 2008

A lot of people are complaining that they cannot afford to eat out as often as before, prices are too high, less money in the home budget, cost of babysitting, etc. The cost of eating out is indeed high and that is why I recommend that you take great care when planning a meal out.

E-paper

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