The holiday season is almost upon us and the dark nights have taken over. The Irish have a fail-safe solution for winter weather however – we call it chocolate. We sent blogger Jane Casey to a chocolate factory with these instructions: do not come back without the perfect chocolate dessert recipe and a metric ton [...]
Wicklow is known as the ‘garden of Ireland’ – famous for blooming heather and gorgeous gardens. But what does it look like in winter? We went to the Powerscourt Estate to find out. The 800-year-old Powerscourt House looks fabulous at any time of year, but winter is very special. Looking at these photographs, you can almost [...]
Traditions are especially cherished at this time of year, and often in parts of the country where the past does not seem so long ago. Author Felicity Hayes-McCoy recalls some of the Christmas rituals being celebrated in her corner of west Kerry. In Ireland in the past, doors were left unlocked on Christmas Eve and [...]
We’re taking another tumble down the rabbit hole into Ireland’s rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame. Get ready to meet more of Ireland’s rock gods and the places that shaped them. First stop: East Belfast. Gary Moore A shining light in the world’s rock ‘n’ roll mantle went out last year when legendary axeman Gary [...]
It’s the time of year when talk around the office turns to our favourite festive treats and tipples. Given it’s the season of giving, we decided to share some of the team’s top home-grown recipes with you all. Try them out, tuck in, and bring a little of Ireland to your Christmas table this year! [...]
Christmas means… family, presents, chocolate, consuming triple our usual daily calorie intake, fake smiles unwrapping another box of bath salts, cooing over new babies, shaking our heads at how the others have grown, watching Jimmy Stewart tell us It’s a Wonderful Life for the fiftieth time. Christmas means something different to every person. So we [...]
It’s winter, it’s cold; which means if you’re David Fallon, you go on frost-edged walks around Northern Ireland. However, your other trusted blogger has very different plans for the shivering season. For me, winter means a guilt-free Bailey’s Coffee by a big fire, watching snow fall through a tinsel-edged Georgian window and humming along to [...]
“Ladies and Gentlemen – Let the first public words I have spoken to on Irish ground be words of thankfulness to you for your cordial and generous welcome.” -Charles Dickens on stage for the first time in Ireland, 23 August 1858 Let’s call a spade a spade – Charles Dickens understood Christmas. Pen in hand, [...]
Soon we will all be tucking into that annual festive feast; the Christmas Day dinner. In Ireland, it’s all about the bird – the turkey with all the trimmings to be exact. We tracked down a recipe for a classic Irish roast turkey, complete with a delicious stuffing and the perfect gravy to pour over [...]
Christmas in Ireland sounds like this: “We’ll see ya in Mooney’s after midnight mass. Wait’ll you see the bar staff covered in tinsel, I got a piece of it in my hot whiskey the other night!” “Ah, Sean, all the way from Boston for Christmas! Bet your mammy’s delighted.” “After the size of Christmas dinner [...]
Recent Comments