Christmas shopping without the tears

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

Christmas has crept up again. A time for joy to the world, and peace among men or, conversely, of panicked late night shopping, and the anxiety that accompanies the realisation that you have exactly seven minutes before shops close. It's Christmas Eve, and you are empty-handed (aside from, if you are like me, a few little presents that you accidentally got for yourself). That perfect gift has eluded you once more, and all the time you thought you had, as you browsed nonchalantly, has vanished into the ether. Aimless wandering is one thing, but the real challenge comes when setting out with a specific, particularly hard to please person in mind. This can lead to blind panic, often resulting in decidedly bad choices. I aim to, at best, give something of practical use to the recipient, preferably something that they wouldn't buy for themselves, or, at the least (and this is perhaps the last refuge of the desperate), to knock a laugh out of them. Some notable failures include impulsively bought jewellery, assorted DVDs (which now lurk, mockingly, on the shelf, still clad in their original cellophane), and a festive geansaí, which, upon opening, was immediately earmarked for return. One year out of frustration and laziness I bought a friend a book that I suspected she would never open, but that I wanted to read. After an appropriate waiting period I 're-gifted' it to myself, and everyone was happy – I got the brownie points and the goods. This year I hope to avoid the blunders of the past, and furnish my nearest and dearest with things that will, without hyperbole, change their lives for the better.

How to dress for your party age

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

It can be difficult to decide what to wear for the party season when the shops are awash with everything from one-shoulder jewelled cocktail numbers to embellished shift dresses. The little black dress is the easy option, but if you want to try something new here are other style ideas that can be mixed with high street and designers pieces.

A most important test

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

We live in a colourful world with rainbows of colour everywhere we look. The hair colour business is no different, with an array of shades available to the client. Blondes, coppers, browns, brunettes, or reds in highlights, lowlights, slashes or splashes of colour or all over — clients are spoilt for choice.

Notes for the season

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

If you find yourself with your hands covering your ears and looking like that deranged subject in Edvard Munch’s famous painting, you have probably left your tricky gifts for last. Brown Thomas has six solutions below:

Christmas presents for foodies and cakes for everyone

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

In the aftermath of the boom times, most people have all kinds of toys in the kitchen, many of which remain unused and perhaps even unopened. So many gadgets seem like a great idea at the time, but do you really need 50 cookbooks, or three different types of garlic crusher, or a beetroot slicer? The first thing to consider if buying such an item is, would I use this myself, and also to ask the shop it if can be returned after Christmas if the recipient wants to do so.

Slimming tea craze has hit Galway

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

The tea everyone has been talking about is now available at Therapie Clinic on Shop Street, Galway. Many celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria, and Courtney Love are known to rave about this tea as part of their daily diet.

“We have not been able to keep Cho Yung Tea in stock since it's arrival,” said Therapie manager, Deirdre O'Dowd. “We've clients coming in all the time telling us their search for Cho Yung Tea in Ireland was in vain until they were told about Therapie.”

Survive festive overindulgence with milk thistle

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

One in seven adults drink more than they mean to over Christmas, but for all those revellers there is a solution to Christmas overindulgence. A Vogel Milk Thistle Complex is a cleansing herbal remedy that restores your body to full function after too much Christmas cheer.

Stay healthy and happy this Christmas

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

Christmas is a time when our digestive and immune systems come under attack from rich foods, excess alcohol and, in the run up to the big day — stress.

Cold comfort

Thu, Dec 16, 2010

Colds are one of the most common ailments of the winter months. Almost 90 per cent of adults get a cold at least once or twice a year, according to the latest research.

Some will catch several and will be laid low for days by this infection which affects the upper respiratory tract.

Shantallow House

Thu, Dec 09, 2010

Our photograph today shows two young girls, Marie Scanlon and her sister from Shantalla, standing in front of Shantallow house in the mid 1940s. Prior to the building of the council houses we know as Shantalla, this house was more or less surrounded by green fields. At one time the house was owned by a distinguished engineer named William Blood, who was related to the Maunsell family from across the road in Fort Eyre. Blood’s nephew was George Johnson Stoney who was professor of natural philosophy in Queen’s College, Galway, from 1853 to 1857, and who lived in this house during that time. He was a distinguished amateur scientist who worked for a time as Lord Rosse’s astronomer at his large telescope in Birr. Stoney was the person who coined the name ‘electron’. He later became the secretary to the Queen’s Colleges, so he made a significant contribution.

There is no need for a £250 Heston Blumenthal pudding this Christmas

Thu, Dec 09, 2010

While most of us will be readying ourselves for the tried and tested turkey/ham/spuds Christmas Day combination, there are now more alternatives available in Galway than ever before. Our markets – both the St Nicholas' weekly market and the 'Christkindlmarkt' in Eyre Square – our restaurants and food emporiums now offer a broad array of options for those of us not brimming over with joie de vivre at the prospect of a week of heavy duty turkey consumption.

Bagging Christmas bargains

Thu, Dec 09, 2010

Picture the scene. It’s late November. You are busy refurbishing your home. Everything is in disarray, even finding two matching killer heeled shoes in the morning is a mammoth task.

As you walk home from work one evening the strains of “Winter Wonderland” suddenly intrude on your reverie. In seconds, you are hit by a wave (of tidal proportions!) of unrelenting panic.

Forty years of Highfield Park

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

The area we know today as Highfield Park was originally a place of green fields and rocky granite outcrops and it was ‘out in the country’. There were very few people living there. Mostly situated in the townland of Rahoon (Rath Ún or Ún’s Fort), it was bordered by two of the main roads into Galway, the Taylor’s Hill road and the Rahoon road. There was a small granite quarry there, (near the grounds of St Helen’s) and a couple of stone turrets which probably served as watchtowers.

Forget our woes, it’s Galway markets that pay dividends...

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Thanks -be -to -the -hooky that when we speak about markets in Galway we are not talking about the financial markets that have us all singin’ the blues, but about our successful food, and craft markets that are money winners for the city. The Galway Christmas Continental market on Eyre Square is an astonishing success. On the weekend it opened more than 70,000 people walked through it. Those high numbers have kept up. Last Saturday the clickers counted more than 25,000, and admit they only managed to count about 75 per cent.

Party dresses for your shape

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

As the party season kicks off, here are some tips to help you find a fabulous dress that will make you feel fantastic over the festive season and beyond. Identifying your shape is essential to find out what cut of dress will flatter you.

Stocking stuffers for €50 or under

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

When choosing Christmas gifts you don’t always have to blow the budget, even when shopping in Brown Thomas. You just need to have a clear idea who you are buying for. We have done all the legwork, and below is a list of fabulous gifts to suit everyone on your list. The best part is, they all come in at €50 or under. It is never a bad idea to grab something you do not think you will need either. Someone always shows up Christmas Day bearing gifts that you invariably were not expecting.

Magic knickers at Elegant Undies

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Shapewear has become a staple item in most women’s wardrobes with many women discovering you may drop a dress size with the right foundation, without the dreaded diet. Elegant Undies, located on the lower level of Corbett Court Shopping Centre, is fast becoming known as a lingerie measuring specialist. It is where women in the know have been heading to get measured for their perfect bra, and now Elegant Undies also boasts the widest selection of shapewear.

With an array of choices to solve every leg, boob, bum, and tummy issue and with light, medium, and firm control support, Elegant Undies can help to create a perfect silhouette. Staff can instantly transform your figure by sucking in the flab and hoiking up the sag. Elegant Undies knows that a good pair of well fitting magic knickers will hold in and flatten out your wobbly bits, shape and lift your bottom, help your clothes to hang smoothly, and will give you extra confidence in your appearance.

Il Porcetto, Loughrea, and McCambridges Food & Wine Fare

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

There was an amazing sense of nostalgia as I had dinner in this relatively new restaurant on the main street in Loughrea. The building was originally a private house owned by the O’Loughlin family and on many, many, nights in the early seventies I practised all my best moves and chords as we played hits by people like Rory Gallagher, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and many more in what we thought was the best rock band on the planet. The band had the rather unusual name of Skab Law. How the neighbours put up with the deafening levels of guitars and drums is a credit to their tolerance.

Plug in to your personal power

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

Aonacht, an Irish word, means “oneness”, but not aloneness. It is the ability we all have to stand strong and independent, in full ownership of ourselves, but still strongly connected through our innate energy with everyone else. Aonacht is about getting back in touch with your personal intuition. It is about peeling back all the layers of negativity that have built up over the years, gradually obscuring your individual energy. It is about rediscovering who you are.

Mind, Body, and Soul fair in aid of Foundation Nepal  

Thu, Dec 02, 2010

The inaugural Mind, Body, and Soul Fair will take place at the Harbour Hotel on Sunday December 5 from 2pm to 7pm. The event is the brainchild of Galway woman Nicky Deasy, CEO of the Galway based Irish registered charity, Foundation Nepal, to raise funds for the charity. Foundation Nepal works in some of the most impoverished parts of Nepal. The fair will also gather like-minded individuals together and offer a great day out to visitors and practitioners.

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