I’ve accidentally developed a hobby of offering lost-looking people with unfamiliar accents directions and advice when I pass them in Dublin city. Like most locals, I’m genuinely delighted to help (Dubliners are terrible know-it-alls). Not too long ago, I walked through Trinity College and saw people queuing all around the square for entrance to the [...]

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 [...]

Like many teenage girls before and after me, I was raised on vampires. In my day it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christopher Pike’s kick-ass Sita and Anne Rice’s Lestat – including the Tom Cruise celluloid version. Now it’s HBO’s True Blood, Tim Burton/Johnny Depp’s latest make-up bonanza and the pouting Twilight couple. Pop culture [...]

On a bike called the Shamrocket, in a land of the green, and by the cliffs of insanity, Erica Reed spent an unforgettable summer in Ireland. Prepare to get really jealous… Imagine the sound of waves breaking on sheer cliff walls. Picture the base of the cliffs, dark and sharp against the foaming water. See [...]

The two capital cities on the island of Ireland are best seen on two wheels. Erica Reed saddles up for a bike rides in Dublin and Belfast. I braved the Ireland ‘sprist’ (mist mixed with sprinkles of rain) and hit the city streets of and on two wheels with wise-cracking guides who were as full [...]

We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo how about you, you, you? Forgive that little outburst of song. It’s just the mere mention of the word ‘zoo’ drums up golden childhood memories for me of sun-drenched days strolling around Dublin zoo, ice-cream in hand (and granted, slightly all over face) with that musky animal-y smell [...]

Irish whiskey has been around for centuries, with fans including Queen Elizabeth I and Peter the Great. When John Jameson came over to Ireland from Scotland in the late 1700s, Dublin was the centre of the whiskey world. Their sparkling rep came from using pot stills for distilling, and not using peat to stoke malting [...]

“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 [...]

Have you ever been hungry in a city? Have you ever been immersed in culture and history but your stomach just won’t quit rumbling? Let’s take a for instance – you’re in Dublin, slowly creeping around the inner sanctum of , the smell of incense lingers in the quiet air, and the only sounds are [...]