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  • LUCINDA'S GASTRO GONGS FOR 2013

    LUCINDA'S GASTRO GONGS FOR 2013

    31 December 2013

    THIS year it has been wonderful to see a huge number of new restaurant openings -- both big and small. Also worth noting, as I looked back over this year, the standard and pride in food overall in restaurants and hotels has improved more this year than...

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Bakestone

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Bakestone

    27 December 2013

    As an inveterate shopper who drags the better half around every store and retail outlet in the country, I am always looking for something delicious to revive us both after our efforts. What a joy it was to happen upon Bakestone at Ballyseedy Home & Garden

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  • HERE COME THE GIRLS - MEET SOME OF IRELAND'S FEMALE CHEFS

    HERE COME THE GIRLS - MEET SOME OF IRELAND'S FEMALE CHEFS

    24 December 2013

    THE restaurant industry is predominantly run by men. It's all about this, that and the other celebrity chef, shouty chef, pouty chef and idiot macho chef, some gazing from professionally posed photos looking as if they had discovered the atom rather than

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Veda Indian Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Veda Indian Restaurant

    19 December 2013

    Believe it or not, one of the hazards of being a food critic is that every time you sit down to review a restaurant you have to ‘go the distance’ with three courses, three tapas plates or whatever, otherwise you disappoint someone.

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  • Restaurant Review - Two new Gastropubs

    Restaurant Review - Two new Gastropubs

    18 December 2013

    It’s always great to see new restaurants and eateries opening. I recently visited two new gastropubs, which have more than one thing in common. Both hostelries have been opened by Irish guys who have lived and worked for a considerable length of time in

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  • Festive Food Traditions Abroad

    Festive Food Traditions Abroad

    17 December 2013

    AS YOU prepare to douse the pudding with brandy and set it alight on Christmas Day, did you know that the plum pudding goes back to Roman times? It began as a pottage of meat and vegetables prepared in a cauldron to which dried fruits, sugar and spices...

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - The Monastery Inn

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - The Monastery Inn

    17 December 2013

    We spend a lot of time on the road travelling around the country and consequently always on the lookout for somewhere to stop and have a bite to eat. This was how we discovered the atmospheric Monastery Inn, a thriving local pub and restaurant...

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Aprile Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Aprile Restaurant

    13 December 2013

    Situated on the Lower Kilmacud Road, opposite the Stillorgan Shopping Centre in Dublin, you will find Aprile Restaurant, a wonderful asset to the Stillorgan restaurant community. Beautifully decorated with a cool contemporary look, Aprile’s has a

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - dela

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - dela

    11 December 2013

    The City of the Tribes is always an exciting place to visit with events and festivals happening it seems almost all year round. There is a tangible buzz and a vibe and, over the past couple of years, it has also become a foodie destination with the

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Pepper Brasserie & Grill

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Pepper Brasserie & Grill

    10 December 2013

    Peter Clifford is a young chef with the Twitter handle of @pistolpete1991who has used this medium to raise his profile very successfully. He has now taken up the reins at the new Pepper Brasserie & Grill, at the Bram Stoker Hotel in Clontarf....

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  • ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A BREAK

    ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A BREAK

    09 December 2013

    CHRISTMAS and New Year are times when a lot of people like to get away from it all. Some hotels are already booked out. I am told this is often by people who work right up to Christmas Eve, perhaps in the hospitality or retail business, or those whose

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Marco Pierre White Courtyard Bar & Grill

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Marco Pierre White Courtyard Bar & Grill

    06 December 2013

    The sometime enfant terrible of the kitchen, Marco Pierre White, has expanded his empire by opening a second restaurant in Dublin.

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  • Restaurant Review - Etto

    Restaurant Review - Etto

    04 December 2013

    Etto, a really chic little wine bar, has joined the coterie of eateries and bars that make up Dublin’s Merrion Row, smack in the heart of what is known as the golden mile. It is located in long narrow premises that were for over twenty years an Indian re

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  • Elena Arzak Judges at Eurotoques Young Chef of the Year 2013

    Elena Arzak Judges at Eurotoques Young Chef of the Year 2013

    02 December 2013

    LAST Sunday week saw five young hopefuls reach the finals of the Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year 2013, held at a 'secret' location of which guests were notified the day before.

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  • Christmas Shopping Lunch Spots

    Christmas Shopping Lunch Spots

    02 December 2013

    The shops are decorated to the hilt, you can't escape the Christmas jingles – we are now seriously into Christmas shopping time! December 8 was traditionally the big day for people to come to Dublin for present buying.

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  • RESTAURANT REVIEW - FOREST AVENUE

    RESTAURANT REVIEW - FOREST AVENUE

    26 November 2013

    There is a stark Nordic ‘Wallander’ feel to the new Forest Avenue restaurant, accented by a floor to ceiling glass frontage, offering vistas of acres of sky. A faux white stags head hangs on an urban grey wall, as a cute little ‘antlers’...

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  • Hospitality ascends to new heights at Aghadoe

    Hospitality ascends to new heights at Aghadoe

    25 November 2013

    IN 1965, just around the time the Aghadoe Heights Hotel was being built overlooking the Lakes of Killarney, American novelist Arthur Hailey wrote the best selling blockbuster Hotel.

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  • Thanksgiving Dinner in Youghal

    Thanksgiving Dinner in Youghal

    21 November 2013

    Thursday November 28th is Thanksgiving, America’s favourite holiday, which is destined to be celebrated most sincerely in a bar on the beach in the seaside heritage town of Youghal.

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  • Restaurant Review - Pepper

    Restaurant Review - Pepper

    19 November 2013

    Twitter is a mighty marketing tool if used properly but, unfortunately, it does allow what were known in the old days as ‘poison pen’ writer’s free rein. However, it also facilitates people who have a common interest to find one another and I

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  • TAKE 4 GIRLS

    TAKE 4 GIRLS

    18 November 2013

    TAKE four girls, take four ideas – and hey presto, you have four businesses. I recently met four such young women whose ideas really took my fancy. Their products are all innovative, stylish, and would make anyone happy on Christmas Day.

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  • Restaurant Review - Franchini's

    Restaurant Review - Franchini's

    12 November 2013

    The opening of the eponymous Castlemartyr Resort in East Cork in 2007 was the talk du jour. The magnificent house, which had for many years been in the hands of a religious order, was exquisitely restored and refurbished, whilst the grounds and gardens

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  • LUCINDA IN FLANDERS FIELDS

    LUCINDA IN FLANDERS FIELDS

    11 November 2013

    Fiv years ago coincidentally the 90th Anniversary of the Armistice, I wrote here in Life magazine the story of my uncle, Billy Morris, a young man from Kilkenny who like many other young Irish men of his generation had felt honour bound to go off to war

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  • "I Died Smiling as I Lived" - Kilkennyman Billy Morris Story WW1

    11 November 2013

    When Lucinda O'Sullivan was given a cache of letters, sent by her uncle Billy Morris from Kilkenny while he served with the British army in World War One, it set her off on a wonderful, and deeply moving journey of discovery that ended with Billy's final

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  • Cookery Book Launches - Rick Stein, Chapter One, Lynda's Table......

    Cookery Book Launches - Rick Stein, Chapter One, Lynda's Table......

    11 November 2013

    YES, 'tis the season to be cooking – but it also seems to be the serious season for launching new cookery books.

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  • Seven Social  -  Ancient Irish Feast

    Seven Social - Ancient Irish Feast

    11 November 2013

    Don't miss out on Seven Socials fab 10 Course Tasting Menu next Sunday 17th November.The night is putting the spotlight on genuine Irish cuisine, our food history and traditions both current and ancient.

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  • Restaurant Review - House

    Restaurant Review - House

    05 November 2013

    ‘House’ is not the American medical TV series, nor is it a reality TV show but, I guess, you could say there will certainly be a lot of ‘people watching’ within its walls. Rather, ‘House’ is the sibling of 37 Dawson Street’, Dublin’s hot, hot, bar/eatery

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  • Designer Leathergoods in Dingle

    Designer Leathergoods in Dingle

    04 November 2013

    CONOR Holden and his wife Clare are this year celebrating 25 years of Holden Leathergoods, their quality handcrafted designs business.

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  • KILKENNY, KILKENNY, KILKENNY

    KILKENNY, KILKENNY, KILKENNY

    04 November 2013

    OVER the bank holiday weekend, we were in Kilkenny for the seventh Savour Kilkenny food festival, which proved a tremendous success. We stayed in the Pembroke Hotel and on Friday night we were guests of Savour Kilkenny at Zuni's Restaurant where, followi

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  • Restaurant Review - Marco Pierre White Courtyard Bar & Grill

    Restaurant Review - Marco Pierre White Courtyard Bar & Grill

    29 October 2013

    The sometime enfant terrible of the kitchen, Marco Pierre White, breezed into town recently for the opening of his second restaurant in Dublin. Unlike many of the ventures by English celebrity chefs, MPW’s restaurant in Dawson Street, in partnership with

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  • Knitting & Stitching Show

    Knitting & Stitching Show

    28 October 2013

    when it came to sewing, I didn't get off to a great start. I grew up looking at my mother's black and gold electric Singer sewing machine – it was a treasured piece of 'high tech' equipment and carried warnings to be extremely careful about threading bobb

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  • Restaurant Review - Zaragoza

    Restaurant Review - Zaragoza

    22 October 2013

    Everybody it seems wants to be a restaurateur. However, I must confess the latest convert to the hot steamy cut throat world of the professional kitchen certainly surprised me. The ex deputy leader of Fianna Fail, Mary Hanafin, is one of ten people...

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  • Meet Helen & Brian Heaton of Castlewood House Dingle

    Meet Helen & Brian Heaton of Castlewood House Dingle

    21 October 2013

    Everywhere I go in Ireland, I meet hoteliers who say that they've been having a great year. I have tremendous time for these people who, through good times and bad, have had to keep the best front out, maintain their premises and try to keep their staff

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  • Hayfield Manor wins Conde Nast Readers' Choice Award 2013

    Hayfield Manor wins Conde Nast Readers' Choice Award 2013

    20 October 2013

    The staff & owners of Hayfield Manor hotel have been honoured with one of the most prestigious awards in the travel industry. The readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine, a collection of some of the most discerning travellers across the globe, voted for

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  • Restaurant Review - Platform

    Restaurant Review - Platform

    15 October 2013

    When a restaurant is hopping on a Monday night, I guess you can take it they are doing something right. So it was when we arrived sans reservation to Platform Pizza Bar on the seafront in Bray, Co. Wicklow. Aptly named as it backs onto Bray Dart Station

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  • 'This is Cavan'

    'This is Cavan'

    14 October 2013

    'THIS is Cavan' is the new branding for marketing all that Cavan has to offer. The county recently hosted 'A Taste of Cavan' where I met some enthusiastic food producers from Cavan and surrounding counties. The fact that Richard Corrigan....

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  • Restaurant Review - Veda

    Restaurant Review - Veda

    08 October 2013

    Believe it or not, one of the hazards of being a food critic is that every time you sit down to review a restaurant you have to ‘go the distance’ with three courses, three tapas plates or whatever, otherwise you disappoint someone. When off duty....

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  • The Local Shop

    The Local Shop

    07 October 2013

    FOR generations, the corner shop was very much part of the local community. It was where housewives bought their daily bread and milk, their bacon and newspapers, had a chat with the shopkeeper, perhaps ran a little monthly account or put it 'on tick'.

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  • Restaurant Review - Sr Frango

    Restaurant Review - Sr Frango

    03 October 2013

    Sr Frango ‘Modern European Cuisine’ is the latest eatery to join the plethora of reasonably priced spots in the Camden and Wexford Street area of Dublin. Its rustic Tex Mex wood panelled shopfront didn’t initially strike us as the most appealing

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  • A Whirl Around Brittany With Some Wine Buying As Well

    A Whirl Around Brittany With Some Wine Buying As Well

    01 October 2013

    FOR many years now, we have taken ourselves off to France for an autumnal break. It's a lovely time to travel, being still generally warm, and it is also a great opportunity to stock up the wine cellar for the long winter ahead.

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  • Michelin 2014

    Michelin 2014

    29 September 2013

    MICHELIN Guide announced its much vaunted Michelin Stars 2014 last week with editor Rebecca Burr saying, "We have never produced a GB & Ireland guide that provides our readers with such diversity and variety.

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  • Autumn Food Festivals

    Autumn Food Festivals

    23 September 2013

    It's very seldom that we slide gently into autumn, but this summer has been a real cracker, which has raised our spirits and given us all more positive thoughts. We have had a summer of food festivals countrywide and now, as we approach the season of mist

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  • Restaurant Review - The Greenery

    Restaurant Review - The Greenery

    23 September 2013

    Tucked away in the corner of a little strip of shops in Donnybrook Village is The Greenery. With a candy stripe awning over a couple of outside café tables, the ambiance is light bright and relaxed with pretty young girls flitting around.

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  • Restaurant Review - Marcel's

    Restaurant Review - Marcel's

    20 September 2013

    It’s funny how some new eateries manage to hit the ground running whilst others make excuses for their failings for weeks. Located in what was the former Espresso Bar on St. Mary’s Road in D4, facing the Dylan Hotel, the new Marcel’s Restaurant exudes

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  • Honest2Goodness really is Honest To Goodness

    Honest2Goodness really is Honest To Goodness

    19 September 2013

    FOUR years ago this coming November, brother and sister team, Colm and Brid Carter took the risky step of launching Honest 2Goodness, an artisan food market, in a warehouse on Slaney Close in the Dublin Industrial Estate in Glasnevin. Since then, H2G has

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - La Dolce Vita

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - La Dolce Vita

    12 September 2013

    La Dolce Vita is a popular Italian restaurant, which was previously in Sandyford Village and is now in a super new contemporary premise, complete with an outdoor terrace, in the Sandyford Industrial Estate.

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  • Restaurant Review - Beeftro

    Restaurant Review - Beeftro

    11 September 2013

    Is it mere coincidence that in a recession people love to snuggle themselves up beside the security of a humongous steak? Certainly we are seeing plenty of new beef eateries hitting our streets.

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  • THAT APPALLING PHOTO

    THAT APPALLING PHOTO

    10 September 2013

    Can you imagine how you would feel if you saw a picture of yourself, decapitated, blood dripping down, your hair being grasped by an angry looking man, whilst his companion, clutching the offending cleaver, stared angrily out of the photo? This is what I

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  • Lucinda meets Vivien Walsh - Jewellery Designer

    Lucinda meets Vivien Walsh - Jewellery Designer

    10 September 2013

    THERE is nothing to put a glint in a girl's eye more than the sight of a nice little jewellery box!

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  • Restaurant Review - Breakfast is King

    Restaurant Review - Breakfast is King

    05 September 2013

    “Breakfast like a King, lunch like a Lord, and dine like a pauper”, is an old adage. Perhaps it’s not a bad one for, having cast aside our Celtic Tiger ways and returned to many old traditions, we are realizing that perhaps Granny did really know best.

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  • Restaurant Review - Cleaver East

    Restaurant Review - Cleaver East

    29 August 2013

    What is it about men and their weapons? Thirty years ago, Marco Pierre White launched his cleaver clutching, tousle haired, moody, sexy-chef image –- today he promotes stock cubes and steak houses! Now Michelin starred chefs, Oliver Dunne of Bon Appetit,

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  • SABA Lobsterfest is back!

    SABA Lobsterfest is back!

    29 August 2013

    Lobsterfest, the annual shellfish shindig at Saba, is back from Monday 9th until Sunday 22nd September. Diners can enjoy exquisite lobster fresh from the waters of Inisboffin or freshly shucked Carlingford Lough oysters to sip, slurp and sup!

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  • Chefs and limelight are a recipe for trouble!

    Chefs and limelight are a recipe for trouble!

    28 August 2013

    EGO – three little letters for a very powerful word that can destroy people and their families. Other ways we have of describing misplaced supersized ego is 'losing the plot', 'believing one's own publicity', 'carried away with themselves' or

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - The Cloister Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - The Cloister Restaurant

    28 August 2013

    Dermot and Noreen Fetton are two of the most experienced people operating within the hospitality business in Ireland today. Both spent many years working in 5 Star establishments; the legendary Dromoland Castle and the Castlemartyr Resort in East Cork.

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  • END OF SUMMER FAMILY HOTEL BREAKS - GRAB THEM!

    END OF SUMMER FAMILY HOTEL BREAKS - GRAB THEM!

    19 August 2013

    AS AUTUMN leaves approach, many families like to seize the moment and head off for a last precious few days of fun before the school year begins.

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  • RESTAURANT REVIEW - REUBEN'S RESTAURANT AT THE STEP HOUSE

    RESTAURANT REVIEW - REUBEN'S RESTAURANT AT THE STEP HOUSE

    19 August 2013

    It was a scorching Sunday morning as I decided to hit the road for somewhere, rather than the road to nowhere around the house! I am a last minute traveller defined by my family of men as bonkers for, on a previous impulsive Sunday a few years back,

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  • Restaurant Review - La Dolce Vita/Village Bistro

    Restaurant Review - La Dolce Vita/Village Bistro

    16 August 2013

    Early Bird and Value Menus are the midweek mainstay of many restaurants, so it is in a restaurant’s own interests to make them as inviting as possible. We took in a few recently, during the lovely summer evenings.

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  • Makers & Brothers

    Makers & Brothers

    14 August 2013

    RIVERDANCE brought Irish dancing into today's world giving it a modern edge – and brothers Jonathan and Mark Legge are aiming to do the same with Irish crafts and design...

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  • A Caviston's Greystones now open for Dinner

    A Caviston's Greystones now open for Dinner

    08 August 2013

    Amy Caviston of A Caviston's in Greystones is now opening her brilliant seafood cafe restaurant for dinner.....

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  • MARBELOUS CITY FOR ARTS, CRAFTS AND FOOD TRAILS

    MARBELOUS CITY FOR ARTS, CRAFTS AND FOOD TRAILS

    05 August 2013

    FOOD tourism is a huge industry around the world and something that has been growing in Ireland in the past few years. There is no doubt but that when businesses in a region or town band together it proves to be to everyone's advantage.

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  • Restaurant Review - Copper Bar

    Restaurant Review - Copper Bar

    05 August 2013

    Will it be third time lucky, we wondered, as we arrived at the new Copper Bar in Sandyford Industrial Estate. Certainly the signs looked good. The place was busy and had life about it, but this is a building with a story. The Sandyford Estate was....

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  • Restaurant Review - Clodagh's Kitchen

    Restaurant Review - Clodagh's Kitchen

    30 July 2013

    A decade or so ago a young lady from Cork sent me a recipe for chicken liver pate which she was selling in Midleton Farmer’s Market. Since then she has moved rapidly up the foodie ladder so it was good to see that she has been true to her origins...

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  • New businesses at  Cabinteely Park Market

    New businesses at Cabinteely Park Market

    29 July 2013

    In the midst of all the doom and gloom there is a veritable boom in small-business enterprise. It's a 'we can do it' philosophy and, as small-time entrepreneurs soon find out there is absolutely nothing like working for yourself in business.

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  • Hot Dining in Holiday Hot Spots

    Hot Dining in Holiday Hot Spots

    24 July 2013

    We all like to try the local restaurants when we are on holiday whether home or abroad. Maybe you go to the same part of Connemara or West Cork each year,visit old favourites and know them all by heart, but then again maybe you don’t,and places do change

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Asian Tea House Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Asian Tea House Restaurant

    24 July 2013

    Galway, the City of the Tribes, is always an exciting place to visit. Its ancient streets are vibrant and buzzy, but like all cities it's always good to know where you will find great food in a great ambiance.

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  • The Dublin Flea

    The Dublin Flea

    23 July 2013

    WE CAN'T all make it to the world famous two-day Braderie de Lille on August 31 and September 1, or indeed the famous flea markets of Paris, but we do have our very own Dublin Flea Market, held on the last Sunday of every month at .....

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  • Restaurant Review - Perfect Pitstops

    Restaurant Review - Perfect Pitstops

    16 July 2013

    Many years ago, when planning our first trip driving around the North of France, I found a book which followed the ‘B’ roads, leading us up highways and byways of delight, with recommendations for eateries and places to lay our heads. I am not going to

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  • Meet the guy behind the Bunsen Burger

    Meet the guy behind the Bunsen Burger

    15 July 2013

    “What I loved about New York is that you have a guy that does the best chips, a guy that does the best sushi, a guy that does the best baguettes, ….the best coffee, and they can all trade independently whereas here there is a rush to satisfy everybody....

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  • Restaurant Review - Town Kildare

    Restaurant Review - Town Kildare

    09 July 2013

    Arguably one of Dublin’s most talked about restaurants, Town Bar & Grill, was re-launched recently as a “high end casual restaurant” with the owner, Gillian Ronan, dropping the ‘Bar & Grill’ moniker for ‘Town Kildare Street’, and wheeling in a brace

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  • A Kerry Odyssey

    A Kerry Odyssey

    08 July 2013

    'THE windows have been painted for the first time in 27 years and new boilers installed," said Tony Daly, managing director of the consortium of investors who bought Parknasilla Resort & Spa in Sneem, Co Kerry, at the start of this year.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Torrino's

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Torrino's

    03 July 2013

    Westport is one of the great destination towns for tourism and weekenders. It is a thoroughly attractive place with lots to do and see for the visitor. It also has some great shops and restaurants.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Bang Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Bang Restaurant

    02 July 2013

    Located in the hub of what is known as Dublin’s Golden Mile, on Merrion Row just off St Stephen’s Green, Bang Restaurant is right where it’s at when it comes to chic contemporary dining.

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  • New Head Chef at Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa

    New Head Chef at Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa

    01 July 2013

    The Lake Room Restaurant and Heights Lounge have a refreshing new look menu created by Head Chef Sebastian Schulze.

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  • Nobo Dairy Free Icecream

    Nobo Dairy Free Icecream

    01 July 2013

    DUBLINERS Brian Nolan and Rachel Flynn will become Mr and Mrs Nolan this coming October, but, notwithstanding the excitement of wedding plans, they have just established a new food business, Nobo, which is ice-cream with a difference.

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  • Kids Cookery Bootcamp at Ryeland House

    Kids Cookery Bootcamp at Ryeland House

    01 July 2013

    All great chefs and foodies say they learned to cook at their mother's knee and, from my own experience, it is a skill you never forget. Nowadays not everyone has as much time to spend cooking with their kids as they might like and, as we all know,

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  • Restaurant Review - 1826Adare & Dunraven Arms Hotel

    Restaurant Review - 1826Adare & Dunraven Arms Hotel

    01 July 2013

    A visit to Rick Stein territory in Cornwall proved a defining moment for Wexford born chef Wade Murphy and his wife Elaine.

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  • Heiko Riebandt joins The Lodge at Doonbeg as Executive Head Chef

    Heiko Riebandt joins The Lodge at Doonbeg as Executive Head Chef

    26 June 2013

    The Lodge at Doonbeg is delighted to announce that Heiko Riebant has been appointed Executive Head Chef. He joins Doonbeg from The Sheen Falls Lodge Hotel in Kenmare, Co. Kerry where he has been Executive Chef since 2009.

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  • WATERFALL FARM ENNISKERRY

    WATERFALL FARM ENNISKERRY

    24 June 2013

    Michael and Hannah Keegan are a young couple who farm pedigree Lleyn sheep on 170 acres in the shadows of Powerscourt Waterfall in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, aptly named Waterfall Farm.

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  • Restaurant Review - NEDE

    Restaurant Review - NEDE

    24 June 2013

    Since departing Noma, the legendary Copenhagen restaurant, Yannick Van Aeken and Louise Bannon have caused a flutter in the foodie arena and divided the Critics....

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Adrift @ Dunmore House Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Adrift @ Dunmore House Hotel

    21 June 2013

    Clonakilty in West Cork is definitely worth exploring. With its colourfully painted houses and Georgian Squares, it is lovely little town to stroll through, bursting with blooming flower baskets in the spring and summer.

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  • Restaurant Review - Las Tapas de Lola

    Restaurant Review - Las Tapas de Lola

    19 June 2013

    Rule No. 1 in any business is not to leave potential customers hanging on a phone for 15 minutes before they hang up, as happened when I called up to book at table at Las Tapas de Lola. It is enough to make you tear your hair out, as is being told that,

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  • Dermot & Noreen Fetton open The Cloisters Ennis

    Dermot & Noreen Fetton open The Cloisters Ennis

    17 June 2013

    WHEN visiting the splendid Castlemartyr Resort in East Cork three or four years ago, I met the delightful Dermot and Noreen Fetton. At the time they were both on the managerial team of The Dromoland Collection, which had taken over the management of...

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Brasserie On The Corner

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Brasserie On The Corner

    14 June 2013

    The City of the Tribes has been raising its head in the foodie arena in the past couple of years with some really good eateries and one of those is undoubtedly Brasserie on the Corner. There is a lovely atmosphere here, plenty of buzz, excellent service,

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Brambles Bistro Terenure

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Brambles Bistro Terenure

    12 June 2013

    Brambles is a well know family owned group of some 20 excellent daytime cafes in high profile Shopping Centers, Museums, and other venues principally in the Dublin area.

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  • My childcare nightmare in my own home

    My childcare nightmare in my own home

    10 June 2013

    I went down the route of even more expensive childcare in my own home as I felt he would be safest there. What could go wrong under our own roof?

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  • 10 GREAT RESTAURANTS TO VISIT THIS SUMMER

    10 GREAT RESTAURANTS TO VISIT THIS SUMMER

    10 June 2013

    The first question asked of a restaurant critic is “what is your favourite restaurant”. For me a good restaurant is not always about twiddly bits of artwork on a plate, it can be good produce simply cooked, wonderful aromatic spices from Asia....

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - The Forge Bar and Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - The Forge Bar and Restaurant

    07 June 2013

    The village of Moycullen is on the main road between Galway and Oughterard both of which you pass through en route to Clifden. Nowdays Moycullen has become a really happening village raising it’s profile both in relation to food and retail.

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  • The Punnet Health Food Store - Glasthule

    The Punnet Health Food Store - Glasthule

    03 June 2013

    "We met in a smoothie bar in Gran Canaria," explained Darragh. "I did my Leaving Cert in 1998 and James was going into fifth year. Twenty-seven students went from Blackrock College, where I was, and from St Mary's, where James was a student. We all got.

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  • Jarek's Kitchen

    Jarek's Kitchen

    03 June 2013

    'My mother is a chef, which is how I learned to cook, I got my passion for food from her," explained Jarek Baryga of Jarek's Kitchen.

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  • Dublin's Best Gastropubs

    Dublin's Best Gastropubs

    03 June 2013

    The Restaurants Association of Ireland and Sunday Life Magazine 2013 Irish Restaurant Awards are taking place in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin, on June 10, Eight establishments have been shortlisted for Best Gastropub in Dublin.....

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Stay - The Bosun

    Our Latest Great Place To Stay - The Bosun

    30 May 2013

    The Bosun at Monkstown is one of Cork’s longest standing and best loved establishments and for over a hundred years, it has drawn travellers from both near and far through it’s welcoming doorway.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - The Bosun

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - The Bosun

    30 May 2013

    For over a hundred years now, The Bosun in Monkstown, Co.Cork has welcomed patrons from all around the country and indeed overseas.

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  • Dromoland Castle - 50 Years of Hospitality

    Dromoland Castle - 50 Years of Hospitality

    27 May 2013

    The Sixties was the decade that liberated a generation and changed the world in so many ways. The Russians sent Yuri Gagarin into outer space in 1961, whilst Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon in 1969. The Beatles were

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - An Canteen

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - An Canteen

    23 May 2013

    Dingle is a town that is just magic in itself. From the moment it featured in the iconic movie ‘Ryan’s Daughter’ it’s stunning dramatic beauty capitvated people from all over the world.

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  • Restaurant Review - FXBuckley Temple Bar

    Restaurant Review - FXBuckley Temple Bar

    21 May 2013

    I lusted long and hard for a couple of years over a designer dining table with a silver Indian ‘white metal’ top. “They are very cool - I saw a similar one in Jamie’s in Covent Garden,” I pleaded with Himself - who remained unmoved by the t

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - The Winding Stair

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - The Winding Stair

    21 May 2013

    The Winding Stair is one of the most respected and popular restaurants in Dublin. Over the past number of years Elaine Murphy’s fantastic eatery has charmed and enchanted not only thousands of locals but also thousands of visitors to the City

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  • Summer Festivals

    Summer Festivals

    20 May 2013

    LIFE is what you make it. And, one way or another, you can have a brilliant summer in Ireland by following the festival trail – and many do. I am not just talking of food festivals, but also literature, music, comedy, the lot.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Vista

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Vista

    14 May 2013

    There are lots of great restaurants in Kinsale, but very few have such a setting as Vista.

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  • Cornstore Group Delivers Innovative Beef Aging Process

    Cornstore Group Delivers Innovative Beef Aging Process

    14 May 2013

    CORNSTORE GROUP celebrate launch of their own in-house dry aging beef process. This initiative involves..

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  • Claire Doyle - Dress Designer

    Claire Doyle - Dress Designer

    14 May 2013

    CLAIRE Doyle is an accomplished businesswoman, dress designer and manufacturer, with an assurance and poise that belie her 27 years.

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  • Restaurant Review - Soulful Bistro

    Restaurant Review - Soulful Bistro

    14 May 2013

    ‘Some people are so poor, all they have is money’ and ‘the best things in life aren’t things’ are phrases scripted in gold on the walls of the new Soulful Bistro in Dublin’s Stoneybatter.

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  • EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA PIPS NOMA AT THE POST WORLD'S50 BEST

    EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA PIPS NOMA AT THE POST WORLD'S50 BEST

    07 May 2013

    From Peru to Dubai, Brazil to Shanghai, an army of worldwide chefs gleamed and preened as they rubbed shoulders in London's prestigious Guildhall for the announcement of the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants 2013.

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  • Restaurant Review - The Brasserie at The Marker

    Restaurant Review - The Brasserie at The Marker

    07 May 2013

    “I’m having difficulty choosing a starter”, said friend Rachel. “They are all ‘wobblies’ or ‘cheesy’”. We were in The Brasserie of the new Marker Hotel, on Grand Canal Square in Dublin’s Docklands. The ground floor is open plan - light....

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  • Restaurant Review - The Table

    Restaurant Review - The Table

    30 April 2013

    Devotees of the popular urban Lennox Café Bistro will be happy to know that the owners have spread their wings and opened The Table Restaurant & Wine Bar in the nearby former Nonna Valentina premises, overlooking the Grand Canal at Portobello.

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  • May Bank Holiday Breaks

    May Bank Holiday Breaks

    29 April 2013

    After the extraordinary unseasonal weather we've 'enjoyed' this spring, there is a longing in all of our hearts for an escape – however brief. Check out some May Bank Holiday breaks and get going!

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  • Go Vintage in Borris, Co. Carlow, for Tractor Nuts Festival 2013

    Go Vintage in Borris, Co. Carlow, for Tractor Nuts Festival 2013

    29 April 2013

    The nation is going VINTAGE mad with HUNDREDS of tractor nuts from all over Ireland and abroad descending on the quaint village of Borris in Co. Carlow on May 11th and 12th for the 10th annual Tractor Nuts Festival.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Morilles Bistro

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Morilles Bistro

    24 April 2013

    Today, situated above the Yellow House Pub, you will find Morilles Bistro and the moment you walk through it’s doors you’ll know you’ve come to the right place.

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  • Kate Browne - BeU Beauty Clinic

    Kate Browne - BeU Beauty Clinic

    23 April 2013

    As we all know, retail and other small businesses have been decimated over the past few years through high rents and the drop in spend. In February 2011, Kate Browne of BeU Beauty Clinic in the Dublin suburb of Kimmage was also battling hard to keep her

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  • Restaurant Review - Tropica Chinese Restaurant

    Restaurant Review - Tropica Chinese Restaurant

    23 April 2013

    Many years ago I remember a popular Chinese Takeaway to which everyone flocked after the rugby hops. We downed large quantities of mustard yellow Chinese curries with chunks of woolly chicken and chewy onion in the name of exotic food. Chinese restaura

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  • BLOOMING BURREN - GLORIOUS FOOD AND WALKS

    BLOOMING BURREN - GLORIOUS FOOD AND WALKS

    21 April 2013

    The weekend break takes place from Friday May 10th to 12th.
 Aidan and Kate McGrath provide superb food and stylish accommodation at the multi-award winning Wild Honey Inn located in Lisdoonvarna.

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  • BURREN SLOW FOOD FESTIVAL

    BURREN SLOW FOOD FESTIVAL

    21 April 2013

    The seventh annual Burren Slow Food Festival takes place in Lisdoonvarna on the weekend of 17th, 18th and 19th of May. This year’s special guest is Irish native, UK based Chef Richard Corrigan.

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  • Restaurant Review - Browne's Brasserie

    Restaurant Review - Browne's Brasserie

    16 April 2013

    ‘Hello’ said the tall man, dressed in a casual outdoor jacket and scarf, resting his elbow on the top of our booth as he looked down on us. ‘Hello’, we replied, a tad bemused as we had never seen him before. There was that awkward pause before he said “

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  • Putting bread on our tables is a labour of love

    Putting bread on our tables is a labour of love

    15 April 2013

    'I did corporate law in Galway before becoming a baker. It's a natural progression really," said Patrick Ryan with a laugh. Patrick, 27, set up the Firehouse, a bakery and bread school on Heir Island, west Cork, last year, and is about to embark on a new

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  • 'FOLLOW ME DOWN TO CARLOW LADS.....'

    'FOLLOW ME DOWN TO CARLOW LADS.....'

    15 April 2013

    Grandmothers Day - Forgotten Skills Slow Food International Grandmothers Day. “A celebration of Food Heritage and Forgotten Skills” Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 April 2013 Sandbrook House, Co. Carlow

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  • KELLY'S HOTEL ROSSLARE - SPECIAL MAY GOLF BREAK

    KELLY'S HOTEL ROSSLARE - SPECIAL MAY GOLF BREAK

    14 April 2013

    With so many great golf courses in the sunny South-East, the ever popular Kelly’s Hotel in Rosslare, Co.Wexford provides the ideal base for that spring golfing break, and all...

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  • All Ireland Chowder Cook off Kinsale 21st April, 2013

    All Ireland Chowder Cook off Kinsale 21st April, 2013

    13 April 2013

    It certainly won’t be a case of “too many cooks may spoil the broth” in Kinsale on Sunday 21st April, as chefs from all over Ireland compete in the All Ireland Chowder Cook off.

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  • South American Wine Tasting Dinner at Roly's on 16th April

    South American Wine Tasting Dinner at Roly's on 16th April

    12 April 2013

    On Tuesday the 16th of April Roly's will be hosting a dinner with a wine maker from South America......

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  • Pop Up Dinner at Dublin Cookery School

    Pop Up Dinner at Dublin Cookery School

    09 April 2013

    I recently had one of the best meals of the year so far – not as one might expect in a posh restaurant, but at a pop-up event of graduating students at the Dublin Cookery School in Blackrock, Co Dublin.

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  • Restaurant Review - That's Amore

    Restaurant Review - That's Amore

    09 April 2013

    “When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s amore, When the world seems to shine, like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore.”

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Dylan Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Dylan Restaurant

    05 April 2013

    Since first opening its doors, tucked away on the exclusive Eastmoreland Place in Dublin’s D4, the Dylan Hotel has been one of Dublin’s hottest destinations.

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  • Restaurant Review - VM Restaurant

    Restaurant Review - VM Restaurant

    03 April 2013

    When chefs have reached a certain level of skill and proficiency you know, provided they are on the bridge during your visit, that you are unlikely to receive a less than perfect plate. So it was on our recent trip to VM restaurant in Longford where Chef

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  • The Hills are Alive with the Smell of Chocolate

    The Hills are Alive with the Smell of Chocolate

    01 April 2013

    AS WE wake up this Easter Sunday morning, the hills may not be alive with the sound of music, but at Kylemore Abbey in Letterfrack, Co Galway, the kitchens are alive with the sound of industry – and the aroma of chocolate.

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  • 130 years of  Renvyle House Hotel

    130 years of Renvyle House Hotel

    25 March 2013

    “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…”were the opening lines of Daphne du Maurier’s famous novel ‘Rebecca’ a tale of love, deceit, and murder, and an all destroying fire in the mythical house Manderley on the Cornish shoreline. Many great novel

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  • Restaurant Review - Anar Persian Restaurant

    Restaurant Review - Anar Persian Restaurant

    25 March 2013

    Anar is a new Persian Restaurant and Wine Bar in the heart of Terenure. ‘Persia’ - isn’t that Iran nowadays - I can hear you say! Yes, indeed it is, but doesn’t Persia sound so much more romantic. It brings back memories of the last Shah, Mohamed Reza

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  • Restaurant Review - Morrison Grill

    Restaurant Review - Morrison Grill

    19 March 2013

    We’d had a great cocktail each in the new Quay 14 Bar, been looked after by amazing bar staff, and were now seated in the Morrison Grill, on a low backed banquette in a Siberian draft. As the evening progressed, the tempo music was raised, and looking ou

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  • Lucinda meets Atul Kochhar

    Lucinda meets Atul Kochhar

    18 March 2013

    'Idedicated my new book, Atul's Curries of the World, to my mum and I was very emotional about the first copy I got so I sent it to her immediately. Two days later I thought I would check that she had received it, so I called her up. Before I could ask

    Read more »

  • Fashionista paradise in G4

    Fashionista paradise in G4

    11 March 2013

    GOREY has always been a great business town but did you know that it has now become a serious fashionista destination? Esmonde Street has become a boulevard of boutiques and cafes, acquiring the tag of G4 and attracting the ladies in their droves. Also

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  • Restaurant Review - PHX

    Restaurant Review - PHX

    11 March 2013

    Restaurants tend to cluster in groups, a good thing as a choice of eateries draws more people to an area. The latest little cluster of eateries is between Benburb Street and the Quays. First in here was Seven Social, a really good spot for delicious and

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Rockpool Restaurant @ Carlton Kinsale Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Rockpool Restaurant @ Carlton Kinsale Hotel

    05 March 2013

    Since first opening, some years back now, The Carlton Hotel Kinsale has gone from strength to strength with it’s fantastic modern facilities and it’s high standards of hospitality.

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  • NEDE - EDEN - Yannick & Louise

    NEDE - EDEN - Yannick & Louise

    04 March 2013

    It's mirror, mirror – on the ceiling at NEDE as Yannick Van Aeken and Louise Bannon take over the pots and pans at Eden

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  • Restaurant Review - Pho Viet

    Restaurant Review - Pho Viet

    04 March 2013

    Due to the long French occupation of Indochina, Paris was always the best European city in which to experience good Vietnamese food from Vietnamese people who had settled there. I was rather excited then at the idea of a dedicated Vietnamese Restaurant

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Kathmandu Kitchen

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Kathmandu Kitchen

    01 March 2013

    Joanna Lumley attracted a lot of publicity for the State of Nepal in recent times when she took up the cause of the legendary Ghurkas, a fiercesome and brave military unit in the British Army who were being denied the right to live in the U.K. despite..

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Carlton Kinsale Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Carlton Kinsale Hotel

    27 February 2013

    Stunningly set in 90 acres of mature wooded parkland, including a walled garden and wonderful walks, The Carlton Hotel Kinsale has glorious views overlooking Oysterhaven Bay.

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  • From Poland to Paris - Cafe Eatery Value

    From Poland to Paris - Cafe Eatery Value

    26 February 2013

    'People want value – scones are flying out, I do them differently every day," says chef Vivienne Johnston, one half of the duo behind the delightful Mellow Fig Cafe on George's Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.

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  • Restaurant Review - Kathmandu Kitchen

    Restaurant Review - Kathmandu Kitchen

    26 February 2013

    Joanna Lumley attracted a lot of publicity for the State of Nepal in recent times when she took up the cause of the legendary Ghurkas, a fiercesome and brave military unit in the British Army who were being denied the right to live in the U.K.

    Read more »

  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - EAT@Massimo

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - EAT@Massimo

    26 February 2013

    The colourful couple who really raised the foodie profile of Galway have now taken on the Gastropub world with their food offerings at EAT@ Massimo.

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Wilde's at Lisloughrey Lodge

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Wilde's at Lisloughrey Lodge

    23 February 2013

    The entire first floor of the house has been given over to their uber smart Wilde's at the Lodge restaurant, overlooking Lisloughrey Quay, and a spectacular view of Lough Corrib. Here you can enjoy the best of Contemporary Country House Cook

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Arbutus Hotel Killarney

    Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Arbutus Hotel Killarney

    23 February 2013

    The Arbutus Hotel Killarney is not just any hotel; it is a hotel with a history, a hotel with style, a hotel where you will be looked after with extraordinary hospitality and attention by the Buckley family.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Donelli's Cafe Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Donelli's Cafe Restaurant

    23 February 2013

    Located in the centre of Wicklow Town, Donelli’s Café | Restaurant has been attracting a loyal and regular clientele for the last ten years, who come not only for the cracking food but also for the atmosphere and buzz.

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  • 130 years of Hospitality at Renvyle House Hotel

    130 years of Hospitality at Renvyle House Hotel

    22 February 2013

    Renvyle House Hotel reopens this week for a new season that will mark the historic property’s 130 years as a hotel. Renvyle, which has been the meeting place of poets, politicians and influencers for many....

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  • ISPCA RESCUE VALENTINO THE BEAUTIFUL DONKEY

    ISPCA RESCUE VALENTINO THE BEAUTIFUL DONKEY

    20 February 2013

    Lucinda O'Sullivan went on a rescue mission that started with a tweet and ended in a marshy forest in north Leitrim

    Read more »

  • Restaurant Review - Hot Stove

    Restaurant Review - Hot Stove

    20 February 2013

    Chapter One paved the way for a high end restaurant on Parnell Square but whilst they now have a Michelin Star, and are probably the most popular and desired restaurant in the country, Ross Lewis and Martin Corbett, are the first to say that having opened

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Stay - The Westbury Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place to Stay - The Westbury Hotel

    17 February 2013

    The Westbury Hotel is at the very heart of Dublin Society. It’s not just its stupendous location off Grafton Street, the heart and soul of Dublin’s fashion and dining world, but it’s accessibility. And, again, by accessibility I do not mean just its

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  • OUR LATEST GREAT PLACE TO EAT - THE OLDE POST INN

    OUR LATEST GREAT PLACE TO EAT - THE OLDE POST INN

    14 February 2013

    There is a sweet little Auberge de Terroir in Normandy with a half dozen bedrooms, which we discovered a few years ago, where Monsieur is a superb chef and Madame is front of house. Arriving in to the dining room one evening, we noticed a couple already..

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Peperina

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Peperina

    13 February 2013

    There was a really nice relaxed urban cool feel on our visit to Peperina Garden Bistro, on Dunville Avenue, in Ranelagh. Set amidst a group of shops, which comprise an upmarket niche shopping area for the redbrick D6 brigade, the premises formerly house

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  • Valentine Specials in Restaurant & Hotels

    Valentine Specials in Restaurant & Hotels

    11 February 2013

    LET there be no unromantic curmudgeons this Valentine's Day. Your Fair Lady or Gentleman would love a bit of rosy-hued fun whether you cook at home, go out to dinner or even take a break away.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Kelby's Bistro @ Amber Springs Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Kelby's Bistro @ Amber Springs Hotel

    07 February 2013

    The Amber Springs Hotel in Gorey is the sister hotel to the nearby Ashdown Park. Both are owned and operated by the Redmond family, whos ethos in supporting local, artisan and Irish food is to be commended.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat -  Rowan Tree Restaurant @ Ashdown Park Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Rowan Tree Restaurant @ Ashdown Park Hotel

    07 February 2013

    Since opening a dozen years ago, The Ashdown Park Hotel has become a very popular venue for dining. There are two principle dining options; The Ivy Bar and the more formal Rowan Tree Restaurant.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Laragh House

    Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Laragh House

    06 February 2013

    I make no excuses whatsoever for the fact that I have a penchant for Kilkenny, both City and County. The fact is I have Black & Amber heritage so I am drawn like a bee to honey.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Chervil Restaurant @ Hotel Doolin

    Our Latest Great Place To Eat - Chervil Restaurant @ Hotel Doolin

    06 February 2013

    Hotel Doolin’s innovative eco friendly and green approach to everything they do is nowhere more to the fore than in their food. Their philosophy here is their passion for delivering original wholesome and inventive food.

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  • Delicious treats a piece of cake for three bakers

    Delicious treats a piece of cake for three bakers

    04 February 2013

    IT WAS impossible to resist the smiling face proffering a taster of delicious cakes as I went into Blackrock Market on a cold blustery Saturday...

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  • The Road to Damascus

    The Road to Damascus

    04 February 2013

    Tabletalk “What’s the difference between Syrian and Lebanese food”? I asked the agreeable chap, who was wearing a fez and colourful national dress, at the new Damascus Gate restaurant on Upper Camden Street. “Nothing really,” he replied, “but like

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Amber Springs Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Amber Springs Hotel

    03 February 2013

    The sunny South East is always hugely popular with holidaymakers attracted by the myriad of wonderful beaches along the coast of Co.Wexford.

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  • SHOWCASE - IRISH CRAFT AND DESIGN - A WOW

    SHOWCASE - IRISH CRAFT AND DESIGN - A WOW

    28 January 2013

    This year's Showcase expo at the RDS was full of top-quality design-led Irish crafts, says Lucinda O'Sullivan

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  • RESTAURANT REVIEW - RINUCCINI

    RESTAURANT REVIEW - RINUCCINI

    28 January 2013

    I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Italian food. It is one of the most popular cuisines in the world. However, here in Ireland for many many years, our Italian dining experiences were bastardised Italian restaurants, serving mainly sloshy

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Stay - The Killarney Royal Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place To Stay - The Killarney Royal Hotel

    26 January 2013

    “How can you buy Killarney” went the old song made famous by Bing Crosby. Well you can’t of course but, if you know the right places to stay, you can buy into the best of the Killarney experience for the time you are there.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Stay - The Glasshouse

    Our Latest Great Place To Stay - The Glasshouse

    25 January 2013

    It is easy to see why The Glasshouse caused such a stir when it opened at Swan Point in Sligo, for the fact of the matter is that it is absolutely stunning.

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  • Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Raheen Woods Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place To Stay - Raheen Woods Hotel

    23 January 2013

    There isn’t a better known or loved Irish song than ‘The Fields of Athenry’ - just ask any rugby fan. The orgins of this inspirational piece of music are rooted firmly in the beautiful and historical town for which it is named.

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  • Surprise arrival adds baby bib to Michelin bib

    Surprise arrival adds baby bib to Michelin bib

    21 January 2013

    When Billy Whitty and Joanne Harding got up on the morning of Friday, April 13, 2012, to start work at their Aldridge Lodge Restaurant and Guesthouse at Duncannon, Co Wexford, they had no idea that by that afternoon, they would be happy parents to a new b

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  • Restaurant Review - Rock Lobster

    Restaurant Review - Rock Lobster

    21 January 2013

    The new Rock Lobster eatery over Kiely’s Pub in Donnybrook is a somewhat unusual collaboration between two guys in the restaurant industry in that they are at opposite ends of the country!

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Stay & Eat - Hotel Doolin

    Our Latest Great Place to Stay & Eat - Hotel Doolin

    17 January 2013

    Doolin is a very special place in the hearts of many. It’s spectacular rugged location on the northwest coast of Co. Clare, combined with its rich heritage and culture, draws people from all over the world to enjoy its natural beauty, hospitable people,

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Seafield Restaurant

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Seafield Restaurant

    16 January 2013

    The Seafield Restaurant at the Seafield Hotel in Ballymoney, Co. Wexford, is a beautiful location with views of the golf course and courtyard but better still it also offers cracking innovative contemporary food that makes it a destination in itself.

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Barony Restaurant @ Talbot Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Barony Restaurant @ Talbot Hotel

    15 January 2013

    “True to region, true to season” is the slogan of Orla and Tom Talbot at their eponymous Talbot Boutique Hotel in Belmullet. There are two dining options at the hotel, the chic Barony Restaurant, which offers contemporary cooking in style, or The Talbot

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Stay - Seafield Hotel

    Our Latest Great Place to Stay - Seafield Hotel

    15 January 2013

    Once you swing left out of Gorey on the road to Ballymoney, it is not long before you realize you are in a different world. The windy roads abound with lush thick tropical greenery and it feels like you are in a very different place – away from it all –

    Read more »

  • How Margaret's farm animals are tickled pink

    How Margaret's farm animals are tickled pink

    14 January 2013

    'The abattoir is a small one and he had almost finished a consignment of pigs when we arrived. The smell was all embracing – it seemed to settle in a gelatinous layer on me. The screams of the pigs were blood curdling and I glanced at 'Sausage' who had sh

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  • January Value in Countrywide Restaurants

    January Value in Countrywide Restaurants

    14 January 2013

    Last week we took a look at restaurant offers and value in Dublin. This week we are seeing what is available countrywide in our restaurants for January and February. In Co. Wicklow, at A. Caviston in Greystones, their new ‘fish deals’ concept has

    Read more »

  • Our Latest Great Place to Stay - The Talbot Hotel Belmullet

    Our Latest Great Place to Stay - The Talbot Hotel Belmullet

    14 January 2013

    There is nothing I like better than hitting the road and getting out of Dublin at weekends, consequently I am always looking for somewhere new and different. Our latest discovery is The Talbot Hotel at Belmullet, Co. Mayo.

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  • January Value in Dublin Restaurants

    January Value in Dublin Restaurants

    08 January 2013

    Today, being Little Christmas, is the last day of the Festive Season, but January and February don’t have to be dreary for it is clear from the plethora of new eateries springing up that we do really want to go out to eat in an informal casual way. There

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  •  How a stray dog helped Sasha to follow her heart

    How a stray dog helped Sasha to follow her heart

    07 January 2013

    No sooner have we packed the Christmas decorations away than we get down to planning the summer holiday. It was ever thus, for there is a time for everything and everything in its time.

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Richy's Restaurant & RCafe

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Richy's Restaurant & RCafe

    04 January 2013

    One of the best known restaurants in the South West is Richy’s Restaurant and RCafé. Since first opening his doors in 2002 Richy Virahsawmy has been tantalizing locals and visitors alike with his cracking eclectic food bearing the influences of the Mauri

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Stay & Eat - Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt

    Our Latest Great Place to Stay & Eat - Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt

    02 January 2013

    Powerscourt Estate at Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, has always held a special place in the hearts of Dubliners. A truly splendid estate with a magnificent Palladian Mansion with formal gardens and terraces reminiscent of Versailles, it was here in 1965 that..

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  • Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt

    Our Latest Great Place to Eat - Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt

    02 January 2013

    There was excitement enough when the fabulous Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt Hotel opened its doors at Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry, but there was a frisson of bliss when it was announced that the signature restaurant would be Gordon Ramsay at Powerscourt.

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