A new generation of endurance races has been breeding like rabbits ­– mucky, hyper rabbits – in Ireland in the last few years. Trail running, cycling, swimming and kayaking have cosied up with grassy fields, mountain passes, heaving bog and spectacular views, to produce the young and spritely adventure race. The circuits can range from [...]

St Patrick’s Day Recipe Dilemma: You want to throw the greatest St Patrick’s Day party of all time and the only green options you have are broccoli or food dye. We know your pain, reader, so we scoured the country for a little help and a few recipes. We found it at The Village at [...]

Reader, it’s time to let you in on a little secret – you already speak a little Irish (Gaeilge). It’s true. You see, before we even make our first visit to the Gaeltacht you have a head start: You’ll have heard of the word Sláinte (usage was probably followed by chinking glasses and a long [...]

With days getting longer and the sun making a welcome return, our minds have turned to sport. Gaelic Games to be precise. So to get the lowdown, we asked sports journalist and all-round mega-fan Paul Rowley to tell us exactly what he knows about these great games… We’ve heard hurling can look like a cross [...]

It is lovely being an island. Just sitting out here on the edge of the Atlantic, our coast gilded with honey coloured beaches and peppered with lighthouses winking their warm light out onto the horizon. But we’re going to let you in on a little secret – the nautical fun in Ireland doesn’t end there… [...]

There are lots of great things about being an island; rugged coastline, lots of cool lighthouses, outlying island gems, mythical tales about heroes challenging giants – well, you get the picture. But surely one of the best – you might say tastiest – things is being able to tuck into a lot of very delicious, [...]

Dublin is shaping up for a real culture shock in the next little while. Visitors and locals alike will be chewing their lips in indecision at how to possibly choose between what can only be described as an entire galaxy of cool events. Here’s what I’m looking at… The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival First [...]

Here are a few of the random facts I knew about Belfast up until today – The Titanic was built there It’s home to the chiseled architectural beauty that is Queen’s University St Anne’s Cathedral has the largest Celtic Cross in Ireland The actor Liam Neeson and writer C.S. Lewis were born there (okay, in [...]

There have been many visitors to Ireland who have admitted to leaving their heart behind. When guest blogger Charles Berkoff visited, he didn’t misplace his heart, but he did misplace his glasses. Little did he know that leaving his specs on a Dublin bus would tell him all he needed to know about Irish hospitality… [...]

We may have mentioned to you once or twice that we like a good story here in Ireland. The fact is that we’ve been storytelling for years (thousands to be precise) and the first stories ever told are as popular today as they were around the camp fire all those years ago. Now, you’d think [...]