Ireland is a love story. Our city streets and pastoral countryside are stages upon which some of the world’s greatest love stories have played out. Our wordsmiths have crafted some of the most romantic feats of penmanship ever – see Patrick Kavanagh’s Raglan Road or WB Yeats’ He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. Oh, [...]

Dublin is in for a shock. A real culture shock. Visitors and locals alike will be chewing their lips in indecision at how to choose between an entire galaxy of cool events. Here’s what I’m looking at… Jameson Dublin International Film Festival First on the line-up of fabulous distraction is this 10-day film festival, kicking [...]

Sitting just outside the capital county of Dublin is Kildare, with its strong horsey and golfing ties. However there’s more to the lily white county than just magnificent stud farms (deemed worth a visit by the Queen of England, no less) and award-winning links courses… I’m talking awe-inspiring landscapes, beautiful stately homes and a very [...]

Big things, Giant things, Titanic things are afoot in Northern Ireland. The biggest celebrations in its history are lined up for 2012, and it’ll take a whole twelve months to get through them all. From festivals to concerts, great unveilings and grand openings, the calendar is packed to the brim. Here’s why yours will be [...]

Ireland claims tantalising cuisine, mind-blowing scenery and some of the wittiest locals you will ever meet – but alas none of these treasures will fit in your suitcase. Lucky for you we also channel our creativity into design, with some quite brilliant results. From hand-blown crystal to hand-thrown pottery to hand-shot (they use a gun) rugs, [...]

Nope, you are absolutely NOT dreaming. Your eyes are merely adjusting to what happens when a photographic genius like Peter Gordon plants himself in the multicoloured Wicklow Mountains. We’re quite literally speechless so it’s over to Peter the images from his new book and .                     [...]

It’s the depths of winter on a windswept peninsula jutting out into the fierce Atlantic. In a small fishing village, the streets of pastel, button-cute shop fronts are quiet… except for the faint whisper of an acoustic guitar. The strumming grows louder approaching the village’s tiny, 200-year old church, where inside, holding the guitar, is [...]

“Exquisite”, “visually stunning”, “as funny, free and beautiful a piece of theatrical entertainment as you will ever see”;  the reviews of ‘Donka: A Letter To Chekhov’ had me itching to see it. Critics were light-headed with delight after the dreamy, spectacular Cirque de Soleil-style show and I wanted to join them. One small problem: its [...]

We’ve got a secret to tell you. You know those big, chunky Aran sweaters that make Ireland’s farmers so snug when they’re bringing in the sheep from their field on the windswept Atlantic coast? Well, they’re magnetic. You see, wearing one of these wooly wonders makes you a thousand times more likely to be hugged [...]