Cara June 2014

CARA Magazine June 2014

June 2014

Imelda May Irish restaurateurs Wild Atlantic Way Bordeaux Madrid

Liberties belle

The Berkshires

BLUES SISTER IMELDA MAY

Urban beaches

Board-eau!

Surf’s up on the French Atlantic

London

Pitch perfect

Madrid with kids

Santiago de Compostela

Head for the hills

Culture in the Berkshires, USA

Coasting along

Berlin

Drive the Wild Atlantic Way

UNICEF

London interlude The city’s hotspots

PLUS

MEET IRELAND’S RESTAURATEURS

COMPLIMENTARY COPY

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Contents JUNE 2014

54 Into the West

Check in 04 ARRIVALS Fáilte go Baile Átha Cliath’s T2!

07

CHECK IN Our round-up of what, and who, is moving and shaking this season

18

ON MY TRAVELS Holding court with tennis player James McGee

20 SMART TRAVELLER CoderDojo’s James Whelton on Boston, plus Nice’s nicest hotels 22 MY TRAVEL NOTEBOOK Fashion blogger Susie Bubble’s top tips and kit 24 FEAST OF FESTIVALS Seasoned festivalgoer Mark Graham gives the lowdown 26 FIELDS OF DREAMS Ruth Anna Coss’s music fest clobber

42 Food’s up

28 ALL TEED UP David Robbins anticipates a grandstand finish at the Irish Open

Features

30 WEEKENDER Monart hits the spot, finds Lucy White

36

32

42 FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD Lizzie Gore-Grimes licks her lips at Ireland’s thriving food scene

SHELF LIFE Bridget Hourican navigates Visual Time Traveller, and chats to author Jonathan Gibbs

34 TRAILING AFTER JOYCE Bridget Hourican’s Bloomsday odyssey

QUEEN OF ROCK Tony Clayton-Lea meets Imelda May

54 THE WILD WEST The Wild Atlantic Way is the way forward, discovers Pól Ó Conghaile 68 ALL ABOARD Clasico! Charlotte Coleman-Smith takes the kids to Madrid 80 THE BEAUTIFUL BERKSHIRES Laura George heads to the hills in Massachusetts 94 THE FRENCH WAVE Surf’s up for Conor Creighton near Bordeaux

80 The hills are alive

106 6 URBAN BEACHES Sandy spaces in the city, by Lucy White 113 LONDON’S BURNING Aoife O’Riordain knows the hottest spots

Regulars

26 Wellie dressed

118 48 HOURS IN SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA Lauren Murphy takes the road well travelled 121 AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO BERLIN The stomping ground of singer/songwriter Wallis Bird 124 SPOTLIGHT Kinsale is in our sights 127 AER LINGUS INFLIGHT Relax with the latest films, tunes and news 152 TRIP OF A LIFETIME Aer Lingus and UNICEF on a mission in Zambia

Contributors EDITORIAL Editor Frances Power Deputy Editor Lucy White Assistant Editor Niamh Wade Contributors Ruth Anna Coss, Bridget Hourican, Lisa Hughes, David Robbins

ART Art Director Clare Meredith Creative Director Bill O’Sullivan ADVERTISING Commercial Director Clodagh Edwards +353 (0)1 271 9634, clodagh.edwards@image.ie Advertising Director Noëlle O’Reilly +353 (0)1 271 9621, noelle.oreilly@image.ie Advertising Executive Corinné Vaughan +353 (0)1 271 9622, corinne.vaughan@image.ie Advertising Copy Contact Derek Skehan +353 (0)1 855 3855, dereks@typeform.ie ADMINISTRATION Events & Communications Manager Maeve Barry, +353 (0)1 271 9643, maeve.barry@image.ie Acting Financial Controller Barbara O’Reilly Credit Controller Lisa Dickenson BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman Ann Reihill Directors Patrick Dillon Malone, Laura George, Richard Power, Robert Power, Gina Traynor PRINTING Boylan Print Group ORIGINATION Typeform

PHOTOGRAPH BY BIRGIT KAULFUSS

Editorial Director Laura George

Conor Creighton is an Irish writer and conceptual artist. He lives between Berlin and Rio de Janeiro. When not surfing, Conor is engaged with publicising his recently released novel, Saint Frank, a rough tale about a boy who can talk to animals. animal Researching the novel, Conor lived amongst amon cows in Saxony for three months.

He gained half a stone but admits, his German improved. For Cara this month, he takes his surf board to the Bordeaux coast, ta see se page 94.

When writer Charlotte Coleman-Smith took her four men (three boys and husband) to Madrid, see page 68, football was top of the boys’ agenda (specifically, watching their heroes, Réal Madrid, play at the Bernabéu Stadium). Once match day was over, however, the fun didn’t end. With the help of some insider knowledge from friends, Charlotte and family put their walking shoes on and discovered that this vibrant city, with its acres of green space and beautiful parks, magnificent cultural heritage (edited to suit shorter attention spans) and lively food scene, is a relaxed and welcoming place to bring the kids.

Aoife O’Riordain is a travel writer who regularly contributes to newspapers and magazines such as The Independent UK, Co Condé Nast Traveller UK and Departures. A lo long-time London resident, she now divides her time between Dublin and the UK capital.

“R “Researching this article [see page 113] was easy as London always has so many new things to be di discovered, whether it’s a hot new restaurant, shop or place to stay – but it’s important not to fo forget the classics, like its parks, museums and gal galleries, which really are the envy of the world.

Fo visitors its size can be daunting, but it’s really For ju a collection of villages.” just

Cara magazine is published on behalf of Aer Lingus by Image Publications, Unit 3, Block 3 Harbour Square, Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, Ireland, +353 (0)1 280 8415; advertising sales, +353 (0)1 271 9625; fax +353 (0)1 280 8309; image.ie, email info@image.ie.

Company registration number 56663 © Image Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. Editorial material and opinions expressed in Cara magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Aer Lingus or IMAGE Publications Ltd. Aer Lingus and IMAGE Publications Ltd do not accept responsibility for the advertising content.

Please note that unsolicited manuscripts or submissions will not be returned. All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Production in whole or part is prohibited without prior permission from IMAGE Publications Ltd.

Cara magazine is a member of Magazines Ireland.

IMAGE Publications Ltd is a member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. To contact the Press Ombudsman, visit pressombudsman.ie or presscouncil.ie IMAGE Publications Ltd –

PUBLISHING COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2013 TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL NOËLLE O’REILLY ON +353 (0)1 271 9621 OR EMAIL NOELLE.OREILLY@IMAGE.IE

June 2014

Liberties belle BLUES SISTER IMELDA MAY

Board-eau!

Surf’s up on the French Atlantic

Pitch perfect

Madrid with kids

Head for the hills

Culture in the Berkshires, USA

Coasting along

Drive the Wild Atlantic Way

London interlude The city’s hotspots

PLUS

MEET IRELAND’S RESTAURATEURS

COMPLIMENTARY COPY

ON THE COVER

Singer Imelda May photographed at Fusco’s, Meath Street, Dublin, by Richard Gilligan, assisted by Andrew Nuding.

Welcome to our new issue! We are all take yours. Feel free to ay for this magazine aw ey. your onward journ e your We would also lov l feedback and trave r photos via Twitte . @CARAMagazine

IRELAND’S HOME TO THE VERY BEST IRISH AND INTERNATIONAL BRANDS Acne ALAÏA ALexAnder McQueen ArMAni coLLezioni BALenciAgA BurBerry cAnALi cArVen céLine christiAn LouBoutin doLce & gABBAnA dries VAn noten erdeM erMenegiLdo zegnA giVenchy gucci heLMut LAng herMès J BrAnd JiMMy choo Jo MALone JW Anderson Kenzo Louis Vuitton Louise Kennedy MAc MichAeL Kors 3.1 PhiLLiP LiM ProenzA schouLer roLAnd Mouret sAint LAurent steLLA MccArtney tiffAny & co. toM ford VALentino VictoriA BecKhAM WAterford crystAL

DUBLIN • CORK • LIMERICK • GALWAY

WHO? From left, Emily and Lisa Coakley FLYING IN FROM ... New York HERE FOR ... Emily is on a surprise visit home for a few weeks.

WHO? Lauren Little and Sam Clark FLYING IN FROM ... London Gatwick HERE FOR ...

First time to Dublin for this pair. Sam will work while Lauren enjoys the city sights.

WHO? Andi Howland FLYING IN FROM ... Isle of Man HERE FOR ... A week of golf in Killeen Castle, Co Meath.

Arrivals

Some work and plenty of play for these travelling folk. Cara ma magazine caught up with them at Dublin Airport’s T2 recently.

WHO? Le Lena Kortenbusch and Artu Artur Lasok FLYING IN FROM ... Düsseldorf HERE FOR ... A holiday in Kerry – with lots of walking!

WORDS BY NIAMH WADE / PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANTHONY WOODS

WHO? From left, Ashling Poynton and Sandra Artoos FLYING IN FROM ... Brussels HERE FOR ...

Spending time with family by the sea.

WHO? Lindsey Roberts FLYING IN FROM ...

London Heathrow HERE FOR ... This commuter is here on business.

Lindsey would love to see more of Ireland.

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JUNE 2014

WHO? From left, Jasmin and Alina Meridda FLYING IN FROM ...

Düsseldorf HERE FOR ... Alina is at University College Cork. Jasmin is visiting for two weeks, so the sisters are off to explore the west and south coasts.

WHO? Marcus Ingle FLYING IN FROM ...

Düsseldorf HERE FOR ... Marcus is returning home from a motorshow in Germany. He was on the hunt for parts for his Rolls-Royce.

“It wasn’t the screaming that put our customers off.

It was the hair...”

...which was a little surprising, our customers having been a strikingly fashionable lot for 170 odd years. When Beatlemania hit Dublin, the four gentlemen concerned made their only appearance in Ireland in a cinema that is now part of the Arnotts building.

To say that you could probably have heard the screaming in the street at cruising altitude is only a slight exaggeration. Then, in the following weeks and months, we started seeing women bringing their men in for a little wardrobe overhaul. Tighter trousers. Sharper shoes. Shorter jackets. Skinny ties. But the hair remained more Dublin than Liverpool.

Ours not to reason why. Ours simply to offer whatever’s next, since 1843.

Photo courtesy of Independent Newspapers

B E A U T Y

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Find out what’s on, where and when in June

Savage beauty

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMIE BAKER

Franco-Irish chanteuse Camille O’Sullivan once again swaps bawdy double entrendres for devastating rhyming couplets in The Rape of Lucrece. A Royal Shakespeare Company production, this all-singing, all-storytelling adaptation of the Bard’s 1,855-word poem about lust, violence and gender politics has wowed audiences in Ireland, Melbourne and at the Edinburgh and Sydney festivals for her powerhouse portrayal of both victim and perpetrator. It plays at the Cork Opera House June 5-7, Stratford-upon-Avon’s Swan Theatre June 23-July 4 and at London’s Southbank Centre July 9-12. rsc.org.uk

Check in Compiled by Lucy White, Niamh Wade and Ruth Anna Coss

STAY

4 tower houses

Gather your subjects for a most majestic weekend stay …

Ballyportry, Co Clare

A perfectly restored, 15thcentury tower house, Ballyportry rises six floors to the roof and has views of the Burren. Inside, the scale is vast – the great hall, stone spiral staircase and fourposter bed with linen sheets and wool throws recreate the Gaelic world, but with underfloor heating. Sleeps four to eight, from €1,800 for 1–3 nights. A BlueBook of Ireland property, 01 660 9038; irelandsbluebook.com

Ballybur Castle, Co Kilkenny

This 16th-century tower – and former home of the Comerford clan – is around eight kilometres from Kilkenny city, making it a pleasingly imposing base for sightseeing, sports and spas.

Spread over five floors, its medieval aesthetic combines with 21st-century comforts.

Sleeps up to ten adults, from €1,200 for three nights. 087 050 5668; ballyburcastle.com

Martello Tower Sutton, Co Dublin

Built in the early 1800s to help fend off the French, this defensive fort was the first of its kind in Co Dublin.

Thankfully any artillery has been replaced with high-spec design and furniture, including outdoor decking that hugs the façade. Sleeps four, minimum stay in June one week at €1,600. 086 164 2671; martellotowersutton.com

Aikwood Tower, Scottish Borders

There’s a cowshed attached to this 16th-century erection in the former hunting grounds of Scottish royalty, about an hour’s drive from Edinburgh.

But don’t let that put you off – the renovations are luxurious.

Perfect for social, corporate or nuptial gatherings. Sleeps up to ten adults, £3,250 for three nights. +44 1750 700 500; aikwoodtower.com

CULTURE

BRINKHOFF-MÖGENBURG

The big three The summer brings major arts expos, and none more so than the Venice Architecture Biennale from June 7 to November 23 (labiennale.org), which, on this outing, is directed by heavyweight architect Rem Koolhaas. Exhibitions, seminars and awards abound, while in Basel, contemporary art fair Volta 10 (voltashow.com) returns on June 16-21 with a buzzy showcase of works by emerging international artists. And Amsterdam is spoilt for choice this June 1-29 when the multidisciplinary, 67th Holland Arts Festival (hollandfestival.nl) rolls into town.

Highlights are many: Isabella Rossellini’s comic multimedia seminar on the love lives of animals; Cheek By Jowl’s modern-day staging of John Ford’s ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, co-directed by Anglo-Irishman Declan Donnellan, the European premiere of Harry Patch’s Delusion of the Fury, and an all-Dutch-cast version of the universally adored puppet stage show, War Horse, left.

Travel-size kits for skincare on the move …

1 The Cruise Collection by Molton Brown, €63 at moltonbrown.eu 2 Travel Kit with Wash Bag by Baxter of California, €50 at mrporter.com 3 Tips and Toes Kit by Burt’s Bees, £14.99 at burtsbees.co.uk

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BLARNEY

WOOLLEN MILLS

Blarney Woollen Mills, Blarney, Co. Cork, Ireland Blarney Woollen Mills,Bunratty, Co. Clare, Ireland Blarney Woollen Mills, Dove Hill, Carrick on Suir, Co. Tipperary, Ireland SHOP ONLINE AT WWW.BLARNEY.COM

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One contemporary art movement that far exceeded 15 minutes of fame is Pop Art, and it’s a great summer for new retrospectives opening. Madrid has two: Pop Art Myths, left, at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (June 10 to September 14; museothyssen.org), which offers a fresh assessment of the movement via 70 works, and Richard Hamilton’s solo show at the Reina Sofia Museum (June 27 to October 13; museoreinasofia. es), which boasts more than 250 multimedia pieces spanning 1949 to 2010. In other exhibition news, 20 sculptures and mobiles by Alexander Calder will inaugurate the Rijksmuseum’s Sculpture Garden in Amsterdam (June 21 to October 5; rijksmuseum.nl), while the great Jeff Koons: A Retrospective at New York’s Whitney showcases 120 artworks dating from 1978 (June 27 to October 19; whitney.org). And in London, Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album at the Royal Academy of Arts (June 26 to October 19; royalacademy.org.uk) illustrates the late actor’s prowess behind the camera with an exhibition of more than 400 photos documenting American Beat culture between 1961 and 1967.

m? No matter.

AROMARAMA Stinky hotel roo launched a Carlow company Petalwell has ial oil diffuser portable, aromatherapy, essent hargeable, and to put you at your ease. It’s rec adaptor. There comes with a USB and power rances – are six 100 per cent natural frag ewell. we heart Travelwell and Breath om.

Diffuser gift set €120. petalwell.c

Prima gallerina

MUSIC

Look the part while looking at art …

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Rose Golden Midsized Chronograph Watch by Michael Kors, €249 at keanes.ie

Belle Juicy Floral Necklace, €29.99 at tv3.iclothing.com

Pearl Metallic Ballerina Cendrillon by Repetto, €195 at repetto.com

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JUNE 2014

GO FIGURE Kildare village gets its art on with CAST – Iconic Irish Bronze, a showcase of more than 20 sculptures in bronze from a celebrated cast of Irish artists, including Orla de Brí, Rowan Gi Gillespie, Sandra Bell and Bob Quinn. kildarevillage.com

Celine Edge Bag, €1,400 at Brown Thomas, Grafton Street, Dublin 2

Melodic makers and meanders Chamber music isn’t easy to define in the 21st century but, clearly, it’s in rude health – the annual KBC Great Music in Irish Houses Festival 2014 is on its 14th outing.

There’s a lot to love about this year’s event – violinist Arabella Steinbacher, right, opening the event at Killruddery House, American pianist Richard Goode making his Irish debut at Dublin’s Royal College of Physicians, and actress Olwen Fouéré giving a TS Eliot reading alongside the Heath Quartet. But we especially adore the idea of “The Dublin Musical Saunter” on June 15, in which live music is performed throughout the day in venues such as the Smock Alley Theatre, Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and the Little Museum of Dublin. June 10-15; greatmusicinirishhouses.com

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FAMILY

Out to play Want to learn how exploding vegetables can power a car?

Gatecrash “Budding Bloomers”, the children’s area of the garden festival Bloom, left, which is on in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, until June 2 (bloominthepark.com). Scientific Sue will show you all things zany while magician Billy Bubbles and the Food Dudes will keep little smiles going.

In the garden activity area, young folk can decorate a cardboard plant pot, plant a flower and then take it home. For teeny ones, sit in on “ClapHandies” for story and song time. Meanwhile, animal fans, young and old, should jump on the Luas to Airfield, Dundrum (airfield.ie). Watch cows being milked, join the daily egg collection and see farm animals being fed. This redeveloped urban farm also boasts an interactive heritage

experience – ideal for growing minds.

Hungry mouths will be satisfied at the Overends Café, where much of the food has been grown in the garden. For an active time or to picnic with peacocks, take a drive to Blessingbourne Estate, Co Tyrone (blessingbourne.com). Hire mountain bikes for an exhilarating ride through the forest or explore the 220 hectares by foot. Try fishing on the lake or admire the Victorian memorabilia in the carriage and costume museum.

Is your pet part of the family? Bring them – from hamster to horse, they’re all welcome. In Co Wicklow, Killruddery House and Garden has family events galore (killruddery.com).

Enjoy a falconry demonstration, June 7, or send the kiddies to a “Summer Dance” led by DJ Happy Martin in The Enchanted Garden on June 29.

winning l out the red carpet as BAFTALIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION Rol dge and divulge their industry knowle television and film gurus will vision , the international film and tele expertise at Cinemagic London k e 30 to July 3; cinemagic.org.u festival for young people. Jun ACTIVITY

Challenging times It’s full speed ahead as adventure action consumes the four provinces. North, south, east or west, wherever you go – pack your Lycra. The European Mountain Bike Championships, right, roll into Ballyhoura, Co Limerick, June 1415 (biking.ie). The best racers in the world will send mud flying as they compete to be European champion, with amateurs encouraged to trail-blaze on the Saturday. Spectators welcome.

If wheels aren’t your forte, head west for the Four Peaks Challenge this June 6-8 (focusireland.ie), climbing Carrauntoohil in Co Kerry, Mweelrea in Co Mayo, Slieve Donard in Co Down and finishing with Lugnaquilla in Co Wicklow.

You may need a full body massage come the Monday, but kudos for helping a charity. Eating fish is swapped for swimming like a fish in Howth for the Aquathon on June 9, 23 and July 21 (howthaquathon.com).

Choose from a 1,000m swim and 5.6km run or a 500m swim and 2.8km run. Prefer the thought of running, kayaking and cycling in deep valleys, on forestry tracks and sandy beaches? Then head to Co Donegal on June 28 for Gaelforce North (gaelforceevents. com). That same weekend, June 28-29, the Redbull Cliff Diving Series comes to Serpent’s Lair, Inis Mór (redbullcliffdiving.com). Your belly may flip just watching it.

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DREAM WEAVERS Take a moment to admire “Out of The Marvellous” in Dublin Airport’s T2 – a 16sqm tapestry by Czech-American illustrator Peter The Little Prince Sís in honour of poet Seamus Heaney.

Love is a journey. The stor y of how two people got from there to here and ever y happy moment along the way.

Seal your stor y with a gift from Keanes.

www.keanes.ie

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CHIPPERS

On the batter Young Limerick-based interior designer Tullio Orlandi nets his favourite fish’n’chip shops.

LIMERICK Luigi’s Traditional Fish and Chips This, opposite Colbert Station on Parnell Street, has been owned by my father for 31 years, and my parents asked if I’d give it a new look. The concept was inspired by industrial renovation projects I’d worked on in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The combination of delicious food, stylish interior and friendly service – dad is a familiar face behind the counter, thanks to his work ethic of long hours! – make it a must-visit.

GALWAY Mc Donagh’s This casual, well-known gem is found on Quay Street. Its exterior may leave you wondering what makes the place so special – there’s more emphasis on the food than décor – but one taste of their succulent fresh fish and you’ll soon understand why.

Their traditional method of cutting chips makes a perfect accompaniment to the fresh cod. Relaxed, it’s ideal for finishing off a day roaming around Galway. mcdonaghs.net

CAMBRIDGE Coast Fish and Chips Located on Trinity Street, Coast has a good go at the classic British fish and chips.

With the option of sitting down or take out, this restaurant promises great value for money.

The fish platter is definitely not for the faint-hearted traditionalist, swinging from cod to calamari, but it also offers a wide range of sides (they even have gluten-free options). The atmosphere is comfortable and the staff attentive. coastfish.co.uk

NEW YORK A Salt and Battery Situated on Greenwich Avenue, this is an authentic chipper across the pond. Small, it has a homely feel – a desirable element when you want to escape the fast pace of the city and enjoy some good grub. The food tastes just like at home, battered to golden perfection.

Absolutely worth a trip – and if you’re lucky you might even be greeted by a familiar Irish accent behind the counter. asaltandbattery.com

TREND

Something brewing …

Teashops have come a long way from grannies dunking Kimberleys into their milky brews – now, they’re aimed squarely at the young and the hip.

Miss Courtney’s Tearooms in Killarney, Co Kerry (misscourtneys.com) is bygone chic personified, with powder-pink walls, antique crockery, all-day brunches and fabulous cakes. Cupán Tae, left, in Galway’s Latin Quarter (cupantae.eu) also does obscenely good sponges and pastries – many dairy and gluten free, so actually quite virtuous. In Dublin’s Portobello, Wall & Keogh (wallandkeogh. com) does a roaring trade in organic loose-leaf teas washing down gluten-free cakes, sambos and sushi. But we raise the biggest teacup to the Westin Dublin (thewestindublin.com) for introducing takeout afternoon tea – a boxedup, cardboard tea-stand abundant with dainty sandwiches, macaroons, tarts and cupcakes (€19.95 per person; order 24 hours in advance).

There’s no actual tea included, so pop into Ireland’s biggest tea emporium Oolong Flower Power (oolongflowerpower.ie), en route to St Stephen’s Green (going back another time for Earl Grey brack) for a leafy takeaway. Fanciest picnic. Ever.

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TRAILS OF THE UNEXPECTED The popular annual Campo Viejo Tapas Trail returns to Dublin this June 4-29 – and makes its debut in Cork city July 6-30. Eat, drink and be merry on a guided tour taking in three tapas dishes in four city centre restaurants. In Dublin: The Drury Buildings, Market Bar, Bagots Hutton and Zaragoza.

Olé! Tickets cost €25 per person.

Book at campoviejotapastrail.ie.

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JUNE 2014

Wish you were here Carlow born, Laura Kenny, Ca left, now lives in London and took to this photo on a trip to New Ne York. She says of her pho photograph: “This image wa taken in New York, left was in October 2011 while on holiday with my boyfriend Paddy. It’s a view of the city’s skyline taken from the top of the Empire State building. I love the Art Deco style of the Chrysler Building and wanted to capture the sun highlighting its beautiful features.

I have this photo hanging on my wall at home because it reminds me, not only of the awesome views from what seemed like the top of the world, but it’s a fond memory of one of the best holidays of my life.”

Have you a stunning photograph of your trip to an Aer Lingus destination to share? Send it to us at cara.wishyouwerehere@image.ie and we’ll publish our favourite shot in the July issue.

The technicals Photographs must be a 300-dpi high resolution file and accompanied by a portrait of yourself and 100 words about the story behind the shot.

The editor’s decision is final.

JUNE 2014

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On my travels

Wherever the Irish professional tennis player James McGee lays his racket, that’s his home, as Nancy Rockett discovers.

PHOTOGRAPH BY INPHO/RYAN BYRNE

Ireland’s highest ranking tennis player James McGee, 27, spends most of the year living out of a suitcase. But then he’s well used to travel. After cutting his teeth at tennis clubs in Castleknock and Clontarf, he swapped Dublin’s Belvedere College for North Carolina State University and Barcelona’s Tennis Academy. This summer he’s preparing for Wimbledon qualifiers with a Challenger tournament in Nottingham and the Queen’s ATP, and also for the US Open via a series of North American events. y first tennis trip abroad was … probably my most inspirational. I was twelve years old and went to the UK with three other juniors.

It meant the world to me as I had never played outside Ireland before – I remember making a show of myself at one tournament because I thought my opponent was cheating!

We ended the visit with a daytrip to Wimbledon to play on the grass. It felt like Christmas for me every day on that trip – nothing but excitement.

On match day, I prepare with … meditation and relaxation, which are as important to me as my strokes. You can’t win unless your mind is in the right place so I make sure to have a morning and evening routine of visualising, as well as before

M

each match. It’s a critical part of performance in almost anything, so I would recommend it to anyone.

One of my most memorable trips was … to play a tournament in Damascus, Syria. I’d just played the Davis Cup in Cyprus and had sprained my ankle. I arrived in Damascus at 2am only to discover the airline had lost my tennis bag as well as my luggage. There I was, hobbling around the airport trying to find someone who spoke English that could help me. I ended up getting to bed at 4am and playing against a Syrian wildcard six hours later – borrowing all my kit – in 35°C heat. Not only that but he had a team of supporters banging drums on the court next to me, cheering and chanting.

It was quite the challenge … but I managed to fight through

and win the match! My luggage eventually arrived too.

The best thing about travelling for work is … having your mind opened by seeing how different cultures live; meeting interesting people and learning new things.

The worst thing about travelling for work is … there’s not enough family/friends time.

I’m not a big fan of hauling my bags around either but someone’s gotta do it!

Childhood holidays mostly consisted of … sports, climbing trees, being wild and competing in anything.

If I could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, it would be …

Vancouver. Great city, great energy, great people, great food, surrounded by nature and a lot of good-looking women!

As a spectator, my favourite tennis match of all time was …

3 of the best tennis holidays ...

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Fancy swinging it Great Gatsby style? Pack your whites and hit Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York, left. Bed down in a chateau-style room after a three-course feast, and the next day, wield your racket for a one-hour tennis lesson.

A one-night package for two, $845; oheka.com

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If three days of tennis training in Co Mayo makes you feel giddy, book onto Lough Lannagh’s Tennis Boot Camp Holiday.

You never know, Wimbledon may come calling after this ball-bashing break. Threeday packages from €140 for a minimum of eight; loughlannagh.ie

the 2008 Wimbledon Men’s Final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. It had everything you could imagine in a match and was played with great sportsmanship, respect and character.

To pass the time while travelling … I love to read, to open my mind. I have a very strong interest in positive psychology, autobiographies, spirituality. I also spend a lot of time handling the administrative side of my career (searching for sponsors) as well as writing for my blog (jamesmcgeetennis. com). I listen to a lot of music too – my favourite artist is Tiesto.

I often wake up and don’t know where I am … It’s bound to happen when you travel 40+ weeks a year. I’ve woken up in hostels with roommates I never knew were sleeping next to me.

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Don’t forget your sweatband if you train in Portugal. Have a blast in the Algarve at Vale de Lapa Resort and Spa across its ten courts, five mini courts and two hours of daily coaching. Be sure to bring your competitive streak for tournament time.

Four nights B&B from £450; tennisinthesun.com

Visit the home of a True Irish Spirit and immerse yourself in its history, craftsmanship and flavours.

• Open 7 days a week, all year round • Guided tours • Tutored tasting • Gift Shop • Restaurant GLASSES UP TO DRINKING RESPONSIBLY

Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland Tel: +353 (0) 57 93 25015 Email: info@tullamoredew.com www.tullamoredewvisitorcentre.com Visit

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Smart Traveller|

Boston for business, and Lisa Hughes sizes up Nice's nicest hotels for working trips.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK BOSTON

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BEST BUSINESS STAYS IN NICE

Cork native and co-founder of CoderDojo, a global movement of free youth coding clubs in more than 30 countries, James Whelton travels to the US every six weeks. Boston is his favourite city for business.

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HYATT REGENCY NICE PALAIS DE LA MÉDITERRANÉE This luxurious Hyatt Regency has a business centre and Wi-Fi – and seven meeting rooms with sweeping views of the Med. There's also a third-floor restaurant with terrace for sunny business lunches (13 Promenade des Anglais, +33 493 271 234; nice.regency.hyatt.com)

cheap – Boston to NYC can cost as little as $15 each way – and have Wi-Fi and a bathroom.

Best business hotel …

I couch surf on most trips to the States, so can advise on the most comfortable sofas in Boston! But for a quality hotel near Boston Common, the Nine Zero Hotel (90 Tremont Street, +1 617 772 5800; ninezero.com) has great rooms and facilities, as well as being very central.

Business travel tips …

When on a lean budget, booking ahead is key, and I rarely check in luggage.

I also save maps before travelling in case I don’t have internet access. I use Graph Search on Facebook to find out if I know someone in a town I’m visiting.

Vi Visiting Boston on business for the first time … There ”I can’t travel without … An internet ar are always meetconnection. I bought a portable Wi-Fi up ups/events going hotspot online called Karma (yourkarma. on so I encourage com), which provides 4G speeds, is pay as peop people to search you go (you can buy Gigabytes up front) ahe ahead of a visit so and creates a secure public network that th they can network gives free Wi-Fi to others. Mine has been and meet the local paying for itself whenever I go in the US.“ co community.”

“Boston is great for business travel because …

Of its proximity to Ireland, and being in a time zone that makes working with Europe and the West Coast easy.

I was in Boston for three weeks last time, and could easily catch a four-to-fivehour bus trip to New York to have meetings. Boston also has a booming tech scene and plenty of co-working spaces to work from.

Best place for business meetings … The Bocoup Loft (239 Causeway Street; bocoup.com) is a new twostorey co-working space that houses great people in web technology and is a fantastic environment to work in. You can get a direct T-line train from the airport and all of Boston is easily accessed.

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Business lunch … Boston is well known for its seafood, and Row 34 (383 Congress Street, +1 617 553 5900; row34.com) is well priced.

The clam chowder and oysters with horseradish are my favourites.

Business drinks …Legal Harborside (270 Northern Avenue, +1 617 477 2900; legalseafoods.com) is a great spot as it overlooks Boston Harbour and has no shortage of drink choices.

Getting around … Boston’s subway system the T is a godsend. Mobile taxi-hailing apps Uber, Lyft and Hailo, make ordering a taxi, black car or an UberX-style driver (very inexpensive compared to taxis) easy, even if you don’t know where you are.

And buses (boltbus.com) are

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AC HOTEL Business travellers might find it hard to get anything done at this four-star beachfront Marriott hotel – especially with the rooftop pool. There's on-site parking, a traditional French restaurant, Wi-Fi and three meeting rooms. With many local art pieces on display, the Zen garden is a great spot for an informal meeting. (59 Promenade des Anglais, +33 493 979 090; marriott.com)

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STAR HOTEL In an expensive destination like Nice, it can be hard to stay somewhere budget-friendly. This cosy, two-star option is a ten-minute walk from the historic quarter and the SNCF train station. Rooms are soundproofed, Wi-Fi is free and you can take your pick of restaurants in the area. (14 Rue Biscarra, +33 493 851 903; hotel-star.com)

Liam Quirke

Managing Partner

Coast to coast A firm US presence Matheson is Ireland’s largest law firm. We are also the largest Irish law firm in the US. International companies and financial institutions are the primary focus of our firm. We were the first European law firm to open an office in Silicon Valley and are proud to represent the majority of the Fortune 100 companies, 7 of the top 10 global technology brands and more than half of the world’s 50 largest banks.

Financial Times 2012-2013 Matheson is the only Irish law firm commended by the Financial Times for innovation in corporate law, finance law and corporate strategy.

Irish Tax Firm of the Year 2013 International Tax Review

Contact Liam Quirke, Managing Partner at liam.quirke@matheson.com, John Ryan, Head of Matheson’s US Offices at john.ryan@matheson.com or your usual contact at Matheson.

Client Choice 2013 International Law Office

Dublin

London

New York

Palo Alto

www.matheson.com

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My travel notebook Style blogger SUSIE BUBBLE aka Susanna Lau, lives and works in London, her thousands of followers watching her every sartorial move at stylebubble.co.uk. When not tapping away at her tablet, she’s on the FROW of the world’s fashion weeks and seeking inspiration for freelance projects, including writing for Elle, The Daily Rubbish and Dazed Digital.

Nancy Rockett caught up with her at Kildare Village.

FIRST CHILDHOOD HOLIDAY MEMORY? “Cornwall school trip – haven’t been back since but I did love the Minack amphitheatre (minack.com) and the Tate (tate.org.uk) in St Ives.”

Acne Rita Biker Jacket, £850 at liberty.co.uk

Mulberry Maisie Flame Shoulder Bag, €390 at Kildare Village, Co Kildare

A PLACE SO BEAUTIFUL YOU COULD HAVE WEPT? “Designer Jenny Kee’s house up in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney. I saw my first waratah flower, above, at sunrise and I did cry a little.”

Ann-Sofie BACK Logo Elastic Biker Shorts, €190 at shop.weekday.com

Tabitha Simmons Pumps, €565 at farfetch.com

Nike X Liberty Print Trainers, £75 at liberty.co.uk

D&G sunglasses, €19.99, David Cludlow at Kildare Village; kildarevillage.com

AS BOY KO RTEKA

MOST INSPIRING PLACE? “I love Antwerp because of its fashion history and the brilliant MoMu museum (momu. be), left. I also visit the Royal Academy Antwerp (antwerpacademy.be) fashion graduate show in June (13-14).”

BEST HOTEL(S) IN THE WORLD? “The Upper House in Hong Kong (upperhouse. com) or The Opposite House in Beijing (theoppositehouse.com), left. Unparalleled in design and service in my opinion.”

READING MATERIAL? “Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts, because it’s a great affirmation for people who don’t necessarily make themselves heard.”

BEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD? “Matsalen in Stockholm (mathiasdahlgren. com), right, is pretty incredible. I love all the new restaurants coming out of Scandinavia. I like the clean flavours.”

Susie’s carry-on essentials ...

1 EasyAcc 500mAH Ultra-Slim Portable Smartphone Charger, £14.99, amazon.co.uk 2 Smythson Panama Collection Camera Case in Nile Blue, £125, smythson.com 3 Uniball Gel Impact Pens, €33.99 (12pk), vikingdirect.ie 4 & Other Stories Cotton Plush Balm, €9, stories.com 5 Urbanears Headphones, €60.99, surfdome.com

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Ratoga Group

Established in 1985 by founder Robert O’leary Senior the Ratoga Group has over 25 years experience servicing the construction industry and supporting jobs overseas to Irish people.

With operations stretching from Ireland to The United Arab Emerites the Ratoga group is a small family business approach with big output.

We are always recruiting. All CV’s can be sent to info@thefixingcompany.com.

The ratoga group of companies consists of;

Ratoga Group

Distribution of construction products to the re- sale market

Supply of specialised fixings and fasteners directly to the construction industry

Supply and fit out across the UAE of all ceiling and partitions

www.primesource.ie

www.thefixingcompany.com

www.ratogacontracting.com

Success Through Service www.ratogagroup.com

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Feast of festivals

Seasoned festival-goer Mark Graham’s hottest Irish picks, come rain or shine, wellies or sunscreen ... s you drive into the village of Ardara in West Donegal, you’re greeted by a sign that welcomes you to the “Home of the Festivals”, some led by local legend Lucy Lashes, Ireland’s only dairy farming drag queen (she has amazing calves!). But Ardara’s sign could be replicated at all Ireland’s entry points – this year there will be around 850 festivals happening around the country.

Summertime is the period of peak partying in the nation’s parishes, pueblos and parks, and open season for al fresco music festivals. Electric Picnic in Co Laois (August 29-31; electricpicnic. ie) is the most eagerly awaited of these by hardcore, hedonist tent dwellers, but festivals such as the legendary Willie Clancy Festival in Co Clare (July 5-13; willieclancyfestival.com) and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Sligo (August 10-17; fleadhcheoil.ie), get traditional music enthusiasts just as jiggy.

June kicks off with the uncommonly cool Forbidden Fruit (May 31 to June 1; forbiddenfruit.ie), housed in the picturesque grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art at Kilmainham in Dublin.

No camping means showers, beds, toilets and mirrors need

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not be forsaken for the weekend’s festivities. This is a great way to build your festival fitness before braving the madness of the tented villages at the full-on residential sessions. Longitude (July 18-20; longitude.ie) in Dublin’s Marlay Park is a very similar set-up that’s just a pip more hip.

Bundoran in Co Donegal is home to Sea Sessions (June 27-29; seasessions.com), one of the most remote and wildest of June’s musical offerings. There is method in their mapping. Surfing and beach sports are at the core of this festival and all through the weekend competitive events are run on the shoreline. The festival campsite is perfectly located, smack bang in the middle of town, beside the beach.

In Co Mayo, Westport Festival of Music and Food (June 28-29; westportfestival.com) also offers camping but is much more chilled.

The stately setting and sedate, child-friendly atmosphere make it a popular choice among parents who pine for the fields.

For a complete change of pace, consider Rosses Point Shanty Festival (June 13-15; rossespointshanty.com) on Sligo’s scenic northwest coast. It’s a celebration of seafaring heritage through music and song, featuring sea shanty groups from all over the

3 best fests ...

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BODY & SOUL Westmeath, Ireland Without doubt the best Irish music festival on offer in June and July, left. A wonderful mix of carefully selected bands surrounded by woodland installations and thought-provoking sideshows in a magical atmosphere. A party with panache. June 20-22; bodyandsoul.ie

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Bundoran’s Sea Sessions lives up to its name, combining the usual music fest high jinks with surfing, skateboarding and BMXing.

DONAUINSELFEST Vienna, Austria Danube Island is the idyllic setting in the heart of Vienna for Europe’s largest music festival. Yes, largest festival, and you’ve probably not even heard of it. The size of the crowd is mindboggling, but when it gets too much, fireworks can be watched from afar. Did we mention it’s free?

June 27-29; donauinselfest.at

world. Yes – who knew? This year it joins forces with SÓ Sligo Food Festival, ensuring a large haul of distractions between hornpipes.

For a break from the musical mayhem, Cat Laughs in Kilkenny (May 29 to June 2; thecatlaughs.com) has a stellar line-up of international comedians to help you crack a smile; Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas (June 14-15; festivalofwritingandideas.com) might rehabilitate some damaged brain cells, and the Mourne International Walking Festival (June 27-29; mournewalking. co.uk) will blow out any remaining cobwebs.

Mark Graham is the author of A Year of Festivals in Ireland (New Island Books, €16.99) now available from amazon.com

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CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL Chicago, US In the Windy City where Muddy Waters electrified his southern sound, Chi-town’s lakeside parks will fill for a feast of the finest blues. Dr John headlining closing night should be special, and Aaron Neville and Nikki Hill none to shabby either.

This festival is free too! June 13-15; cityofchicago.org

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The Dubarry Collection

Dubarry Flagship Store Ireland, 35 College Green, Dublin 2

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THE CAMERA Diana Mini Camera by Lomography, €49 at lomography.com

THE POCKET FILLER Map Hip Flask

by Wild & Wolf, £21 at amazon.co.uk

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THE SHADES New Clubmaster sunglasses by Ray-Ban, €117 at Brown Thomas, Grafton Street, Dublin 2

Driovne

THE WHEELS Value Green Wheelbarrow

by B&Q, €30 at B&Q

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THE MOTOR Hire a refurbished VW Campervan from lazydays.ie (pictured), westcoastcampers.ie or retrocamper.ie

Fields of dreams Ruth Anna Coss has her festival essentials down pat, come rain or shine.

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THE CLEANSER All Bright Cleansing Face Wipes by Botanics, €5.29 at Boots

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THE WRISTWEAR Coral and Gold Bracelet Duo

by Aeon, €15 at Aer Lingus Boutique (available to purchase on board, p52 in catalogue)

THE BEAT BOX Soulmate Mini Portable Speaker by Jabra, £69.99 each at amazon.co.uk

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THE HEADPIECE Woven Paper Trilby Hat by Borsalino, €160 at mrporter.com

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THE COVER-UP Mac in a Sac Poncho by Target Dry, €29.99 at outdooradventurestore.ie

THE FOOTWEAR Hunter Original Gloss Short Wellies at €110 at Arnotts, Henry Street, Dublin 1

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THE DIGS Animal Farm Tent by Field Candy, £395 at fieldcandy.com

Oliver St JOhn

GOGarty OGarty Temple Bar, DuBlin

TRADITIONAL IRISH BARS, RESTAURANT & ACCOMMODATION

AWARD WINNING TRADITIONAL IRISH RESTAURANT

LIVE IRISH MUSIC EVERYDAY FROM 1PM TO 2.30AM

SERVING SUPERB PINTS & THE BEST CRAIC IN DUBLIN

BEST BAR FOOD SERVED DAILY

Liverts

Spo

Great Music, Great Food, Great Craic

All major sporting events live on our Big Screens

LOOK US UP ONLINE

Gogartys 58 -59 Fleet Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 tel: +353 (0)1 6711 822 โ ข email: info@gogartys.ie

www.GOGartyS.ie

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All teed up

This year’s Irish Open golf championship course saves the best ’til last, writes David Robbins. he 18th hole at Fota Island Resort is Padraig Harrington’s favourite closing hole.

It’s a par five, “a great risk-reward hole”, according to Fota’s marketing manager Seamus Leahy. It slopes down to a green surrounded by water. It’s beautiful but also terrifying.

On Sunday, June 22, the hole will be lined with spectators and the stand beside the green will be thronged too. Some 30,000 people are expected on the course that day to watch the climax of the Irish Open golf championship.

The Irish Open has come to Fota before. In 2002, Denmark’s Søren Hansen won there after a play-off with a score of 14 under par. And in 2001, Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie put together four near-perfect rounds to win by five strokes from Darren Clarke. Monty carded 63, 69, 68 and 66 for a final total of 18 under par.

A lot has changed since Ireland’s premier golf competition was staged at the Co Cork venue. The resort has new owners, the Kang family, who bought the property from the National Asset Management Agency for €21 million. The five Kang siblings, who are based in Hebei Province in China, run Xiu Lan Properties Ltd, a property and construction company.

The profile of Irish golf has risen immeasurably in the intervening twelve years, with Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy all winning major tournaments. Throw in the fact that this is a Ryder Cup year and that the European team will be captained by Aer Lingus ambassador Paul McGinley, and it’s clear that the Irish golfing landscape has changed dramatically.

Yet much will be the same.

Course designer Jeff Howes has been back to oversee modifications to the course, which will see it play

PHOTOGRAPH ©INPHO/CATHAL NOONAN

T

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as long as it did back in 2002. And it will still take an exceptional ironplayer like Monty to win.

“We’re not tightening the fairways,” explains director of golf Kevin Morris. “It is more of a second-shot golf course. The stronger iron players and putters will do well here. We are making some of the holes – especially the par fives – noticeably longer. But it’s not so much about accuracy off the tee. It is the mid or short iron to the green that will be important.”

The top Irish players on the tour are committed to play. “I will crawl out of my deathbed to play in the Irish Open,” Padraig Harrington said on the press day held to launch the tournament. McIlroy, McGinley, McDowell and Clarke have also been supportive of an event they call “the fifth major”.

Recommended vantage points are the wall behind the seventh green, from where a number of holes are visible, and the area by the eighth and 14th greens, from where spectators can also see play on the second hole.

“At the end of the tented village, there will be sloped seating overlooking the lake and the third green. That’s going to be a great place to watch the tournament,” says Kevin.

In the end, it will probably come down to that 18th hole.

“It’s probably our signature hole.

A guy standing on the tee could take three, or he could make a seven. So if you’re on that tee on the last day and you’re trailing by three shots, you’re not necessarily out if it.”

Season tickets cost from €70. Under 16s go free with an adult. One-day tickets cost €30. irishopen.ie

The 18th, above, at Fota, the favourite closing hole of Irish golfer Padraig Harrington and, below, Paul McGinley, Aer Lingus ambassador, who will play at “the fifth major”.

3 to watch …

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OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP This year’s British Open, above, takes place at the Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) club from July 17-20. American Phil Mickelson is the defending champion. Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington are former winners. Season tickets cost from £220. theopen.com

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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP The last “major” of the season comes to the Valhalla club in Louisville, Kentucky from August 7-10. Jason Dufner (US) holds the title and Rory McIlroy won in 2012.

Day tickets for the final two days are sold out but some (from $90) remain for the opening days. pga.com/pgachampionship

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RYDER CUP Gleneagles in Scotland hosts this bi-annual match between the best players from the US and Europe from September 23-28.

Ireland’s Paul McGinley captains the European team this year. Ticketing is by lottery. rydercup2014.com

when things go wrong!

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The comfort zone Feeling frazzled? Monart Destination Spa is the ideal antidote, discovers a blissed out Lucy White.

nniscorthy in Co Wexford likes to be in on the action.

From being the scene of the 1798 uprising against the English at Vinegar Hill – learn all about it at the National 1798 Rebellion Centre (1798centre.ie) – to playing host to quad biking (quadattack.ie) and golf (enniscorthygc.ie) at the foot of the Blackstairs mountains, it’s all about the great outdoors. But for every paintballer in town there is a spa tourist, lured by the promise of five-star pampering ...

And Monart Destination Spa delivers. It’s a place where fluffy towelling robes rule, and 48 hectares of lush, private parkland instantly lower the blood pressure.

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What to pack ...

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It was a long walk to our room but thanks to sculptural corridors and soothing, clever lighting, it was a pleasant stroll – even when my key card failed to work and I had to schlep back down to reception (an inconvenience in any other hotel).

Dual aspect, our spacious digs had a wrap-around balcony – its wrought-iron design owing more to Mirkwood than Wexford – and a huge, cloud-soft bed.

The décor and ambience are a prelude to the spa facilities that are On reflection – spread out over a whopping 2,400 of the feet. Elsewhere, I loved both Monart excels square metres. It’s an adults-only the bones-warming caldarium and in aesthetic and utopia of thermal suites, “experience” ergonomic sanarium, and the outdoor sauna design. showers, gym equipment, relaxation that inadvertently doubles up as and treatment rooms. So many a cosy bird-spotting hut. Also spas are poorly designed, but not impressive is the new Infrared here – there’s an ergonomic Pro-Cabin – a bespoke, TAKE A BREAK flow leading you to wherever 20-minute heat therapy for you feel compelled to go. the back and shoulders, Monart’s Rejuvenation The thermal suite is at its whose six sensors treat the Summer Package costs €239 centre, and boasts more individual’s body type and per person sharing and comprises steam rooms and saunas temperature. My VOYA two nights B&B, one dinner, one than you can shake a birch facial too was at once treatment and unlimited access at. Thankfully there’s a reviving and relaxing. to the thermal suite. The Still, recommended circuit on I was concerned that Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, the wall advising which my other half might get 053 923 8999. treatment to have, and when, bored here – spa mini-breaks monart.ie and for how long. don’t usually figure high on a I kicked off my 90-minute man’s to-do list, and his game of programme with a gasp-inducing golf was cancelled thanks to bad pebble pool, an ice-cold shallow weather. However, in the ultimate walkway to help stimulate the compliment, he said: “I went back circulation and massage the soles to work on the Monday feeling so much less stressed than I normally do.” Result! Also, there’s something undeniably decadent about supping 5 a dirty martini at the bar while wearing a fluffy dressing gown before a treatment. Guests though are asked to dress for dinner, our evening meal being a party for the 1 Contrast spot swimsuit, £36, topshop. palate – fresh, seasonal produce, 4 com 2 Redken Color Extend Magnetics artfully executed.

Deep Attraction Mask, €22.10, feelunique.

According to a bar-man in the com 3 Nike Free TR Fit 4 trainers, €100, Garden Lounge, more than 70 per lifestylesports.com 4 Princess Tam Tam cent of Monart’s guests are repeat Sporty jacket and jogging bottoms, customers. I’m not surprised. On the €84/€79, Brown Thomas, Grafton Street, easy drive back to Dublin we were Dublin 2 5 VOYA Skincare Kit, €20, voya.ie already mooting dates to return.

Destination:

Shopping

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Shelf Life|

Time travel, the Young British Artists and cookbooks: Bridget Hourican reads widely.

Who’s reading what?

Debut novelist Jonathan Gibbs.

THE VISUAL TIME TRAVELLER, 500 YEARS OF HISTORY, ART AND SCIENCE IN 100 UNIQUE DESIGNS

Alison Hackett (21st Century Renaissance, €45; limited edition, €85) A stylish 21st century look AWAY DAY at the past – each double-page spread covers Don’t miss Immrama, five years, starting in 1500 and ending in the annual Lismore Festival 2010. Events, quirky and famous, Irish and of Travel Writing, June 12-15 in international, artistic and scientific, are Waterford. Talks by Paul Theroux, referenced and visualised. The text for 1900Simon Winchester, Charlie 1904 references the first Tour de France, the Connelly and others as well as Wright Brothers’ first powered flight, and workshops and the Molly Keane Rodin’s “The Thinker”, but the image, above, Creative Writing Award; goes to Dublin, Joyce and the first Bloomsday. lismoreimmrama.com An endearing kaleidoscopic view of history and human achievement. Author Alison Hackett left a job with the Institute of Physics in Ireland to set up 21st Century Renaissance publishing – this is their first book, and is in collaboration with Dublin’s Origin Design agency (origin.ie).

Available at Hodges Figgis, Dublin or online at thevisualtimetraveller.ie.

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST NOVEL RANDALL ABOUT? It’s about the Young British Artists (YBAs) and the scene that sprang up around them in London in the 1990s, and the weird trajectories they’ve taken since. It’s about art and money, and love and friendship – and the terrible things that happen when they get confused.

IS THE CHARACTER OF RANDALL BASED ON A PARTICULAR ARTIST? Randall’s not based on Damien Hirst exactly, but he couldn’t have existed without him. The YBAs needed someone like him at their centre to become what they did.

WHERE DID YOU WRITE IT? Mostly at my dull old desk in south London. I don’t go to art galleries that often, but whenever I do I write plenty – usually along the lines of: “What on earth are all these people doing here? What am I doing here?”

FAVOURITE TRAVEL BOOK? I love Geoff Dyer’s Out of Sheer Rage, which is an antipilgrimage – traipsing despondently after DH Lawrence from Nottinghamshire to Italy to Mexico.

BEST BOOK TO TAKE ON A JOURNEY? Something that feels wrong at home. You’re already someone else when you travel, so read something you wouldn’t normally read. ... AND THE WORST? For a plane, I’d say Fifty Shades of Grey.

Jonathan Gibbs is a freelance British journalist and book reviewer. Randall is published by Galley Beggar Press on June 19.

Three new cookbooks ...

Susan Su Jane White, THE EXTRA VIRGIN KITCHEN (Gill (G & Macmillan, €27.99).

The Th Sunday Independent columnist co cooks without sugar, wheat or dairy (but su allows meat). Necessity Ne is the mother of invention: she substitutes maple syrup, quinoa, coconut oil, goji berries … Some recipes are wholly unexpected, others a new take on old classics. All are delicious.

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Ca Cathal Armstrong, MY IRISH TABLE (Restaurant Eve, £28). Hailed in the Ev US as a “renaissance in Irish cooking”, Dubliner-turned-celeb Du restaurateur – and Obama favourite – Armstrong updates traditional Irish dishes (stew, coddle, cheese on toast) to make new dishes (crab and artichoke salad with harissa mayo).

Irish Ir Countrywomen’s Association, As IRISH COUNTRY COOKING, MORE THAN 100 RECIPES FOR TODAY’S TABLE (S (Sterling Epicure, £15.07).

This could be re-named “Recipes from Around the World by ICA members”.

Irish staples (colcannon) sit alongside international fare (Hungarian goulash).

Expect meticulous recipes that work.

Announcing Ireland’s Best Workplaces 2014 Best Small Workplaces 2014 (20 to 100 employees)

Best Medium Workplaces 2014 (101 to 300 employees)

Best Large Workplaces 2014 (301+ employees)

“These organisations are ahead of the rest because they have proven the clear link between high trust and high performance.

Does your organisation deserve to be recognised on the 2015 list?”

John Ryan, CEO, Great Place to Work Ireland

Call: (01) 678 8438 Email: info@greatplacetowork.ie Visit: www.greatplacetowork.ie

Scan here to find out how your workplace can be recognised as one of Ireland’s best

Trailing after Joyce

Dublin’s Bloomsday journey is punctuated with prose, pints and tea parties, writes Bridget Hourican. n the opening pages of Harry Potter: The Philosopher’s Stone, people are confused by the sight of bizarre cloaked people congregating excitedly on the street. The death of Voldemart has freed wizards to venture undisguised among Muggles. Every June 16 in Dublin, when I catch sight of people in boaters, corsets and cameos cavorting through St Stephen’s Green or frying kidneys by the Forty Foot in Sandycove, or when I turn on the radio to hear something like “all amort, followed a lubberjester, a wellkempt head, newbarbered”, I sometimes wonder if unliterary visitors to our capital are in the same condition of suspended astonishment as Mr Dursley is when spying owls, cats and violet cloaks.

The first Bloomsday was celebrated in 1954 by just five dedicated Joyceans, who knew chunks of Ulysses by heart. Now it’s citywide, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, and half those in Edwardian garb cheerfully admit to never having read the book. Still, I suspect Joyce would be delighted – what other writer’s fictional day is enacted annually from Dublin to Sydney, and has reached out beyond the bookish to grab ordinary decent hedonists?

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This year is a landmark Bloomsday: it’s the 110th anniversary of the day on which Ulysses is set and the centenary of the publication of Joyce’s book of short stories, Dubliners. Whether you’re looking for Edwardian tea parties, visual art, readings, contemporary writing, pub pints, or cold sea plunges, you’ll find it in Dublin for Bloomsday week.

Two international art exhibitions celebrate Joyce’s peregrinations around the city. From June 19, Chihuly in Dublin at Dublin Castle (dublincastle.ie) premieres American glass artist Dale Chihuly’s recent work, the Ulysses Cylinders. Using techniques of drawing on glass and gold-leafing, Chihuly, with collaborators Seaver Leslie, Flora C. Mace and Joey Fitzpatrick, has created 57 cylinders which follow the timeline of Ulysses. This exhibition is timely and poignant.

In 1975, Chihuly, Leslie, and Mace created 44 glassworks, the Irish Cylinders. En route to Ireland to exhibit them, Chihuly was blinded in one eye in a road accident. With the Ulysses Cylinders, his Irish work is finally being shown in Dublin, almost 40 years after the first attempt. Concurrently, Solomon Gallery (solomonfineart.ie) is also showing a selection of Chihuly’s seminal pieces.

COURTESY OF THE JAMES JOYCE CENTRE, DUBLIN / PHOTOGRAPH BY BRYAN O’BRIEN

Check in

In profile – James Joyce is celebrated every June 16, or Bloomsday, which marks the same day on which Ulysses is set.

3 of the best for Bloomsday ...

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DUBLIN To mark the centenary of Dubliners, Joyce’s old school, Belvedere College, is hosting a series of cerebral, celebratory events, including a public discussion between novelists John The Sea Banville and Will The Book of Dave Self on Sunday, June 15. For more Dublin Bloomsday events, see jamesjoyce.ie.

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NEW YORK CITY The 33rd Bloomsday on Broadway showcases readings of Ulysses by actors and writers, including Irish American wordsmith Colm McCann (symphonyspace. org). Or tune in all day to Radio Bloomsday (WBAI Pacifica Radio), and check out Bryant Park for a Bloomsday Breakfast and Staten Island’s OutLOUD festival.

The Joyce-inspired work of American fashion model-turnedphotographer Lee Miller is also on show for the first time in Dublin.

In November 1946 Miller was commissioned by Vogue to illustrate the article “When James Joyce Lived in Dublin” by Joyce’s old friend Constantine Curran (back when fashion was highbrow). Her photographs of people and places are both a tribute to Joyce and a record of 1940s Dublin.

And on sale from June 5 is Dubliners 100 (Tramp Press, the capital’s newest publishers) in which 15 contemporary Irish writers reimagine 15 iconic stories from the Dubliners canon. Writers include Pat McCabe, Donal Ryan, John Boyne, Eimear McBride and Belinda McKeon, while Thomas Morris edits.

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TRIESTE A three-day celebration (June 14–16) at the Joyce Museum features a performance of the short story “Grace”, as well as a Joyce-inspired exhibition by artist Ugo Pierri, and also street theatre with scenes from Ulysses – which the Irish author started writing in this Italian port in 1915. For more info, see museojoycetrieste.it

INTERVIEW

Queen

OF ROCK

It was far from Windsor Castle that Imelda May was born, but these days the Dubliner mingles with royalty. After years of slogging on both sides of the Irish Sea, she is enjoying huge success with her new album. She talks to Tony Clayton-Lea. Photographs by Richard Gilligan.

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t has taken several years but, as Dublin Liberties singer Imelda May knows only too well, patience is a virtue. In 2009, the then 34-year-old was little more than a lick on the lips of a mainstream audience. She had travelled over from Dublin to London ten years previously, looking for (in the words of a song she knew off by heart, Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild”) “adventure and whatever comes our way”, only to discover that things don’t always work out the way you want.

Like many other hundreds before her, May had a dream: get out of working in launderettes, cafés and nursing homes, and take on the onerous, possibly glamorous, duties of working full-time in the music industry.

As we know, for many – for a multitude of reasons – such dreams don’t come true and so they are left to wander along life’s side roads, where ambition and aspiration rarely strike up long-term relationships. And yet here we are – Cara is chatting with the petite singer, who, only a few months ago, was schmoozing with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, and a rake of other dignitaries. In Windsor Castle, no less.

We can only guess that rockabilly and rock‘n’roll weren’t exactly high on the list of

conversational priorities, and that the queen and her ladies-in-waiting weren’t quizzing May on how precisely she manages to structure her hair in what is by now a signature (if not patented) style. Such topics don’t matter to May. “Good Lord, no,” she says. “To be honest, I never thought that the political friendliness between Ireland and England would ever happen in my lifetime. I was delighted to be there.”

Everything after the grandiose setting of Windsor Castle is, perhaps, an anticlimax, but May is nothing if not rooted in her background.

And so, as her latest album, Tribal, is released, she has travelled back home to the Liberties area of Dublin. Amidst being hugged on the streets by very old friends with faces straight out of a Diane Arbus exhibition, and paying her respects to her much-loved local chipper (Fusco’s on Meath Street, where this article’s accompanying photo shoot took place), she then walks a few minutes across to Francis Street, where we sit underneath cool, contemporary art on the very white walls of one of Dublin’s most regarded independent art spaces, Cross Gallery.

Despite the past few months of high profile, rather high-falutin engagements, Imelda May is very much at home. The new album is a major success, creatively and commercially, JUNE 2014

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INTERVIEW

and the 39-year-old mother (of a particularly cute almost two-yearold daughter, Violet Kathleen) is eager not only to consolidate her position as a major recording star but also to capitalise on the fact that her singularity is – unusually for a mainstream pop act – her greatest asset. Certainly, what you see is what you get with Imelda May. And it’s reassuring to discover, also, that after 15 years of living in London, her Liberties twang remains as broad as ever.

“I knew I wanted Tribal to be a kick-ass album, that’s for sure, but as well as that I wanted several of the songs to sound like classic 1950s torch songs. Old fashioned with a contemporary twist, if you like.

My previous album, Love Tattoo, had a bit of gloss to the sound, but with Tribal I wanted to remove that gloss with sandpaper! Also – and this is important to me – I wanted to highlight the strength of the feminine spirit.”

There are now, May observes, more women in pop and rock music than she can ever remember. But where, she asks, are the genuinely strong women? “There are loads of ballads, which are nice, there’s a hell of a lot of pop, which is not my thing, and then there’s a lot of heartbreak, poor-me-he-ditched-meI’m-a-victim kind of song. Where are the Chrissie Hynde, Joan Jett and Debbie Harry figures? Where are the real strong female role models? Well, I reckon I’m up for being representative of that! There are plenty of women out there who think the same as I do. I don’t want to be seen to jump on anyone’s coat tails, but the women I mentioned have been incredibly influential to me, and I’m ready to represent the next lot. I’m not into the victim songs, I want to rock out.”

It was, pretty much, always like

that – Imelda May was the odd little girl in primary school who was more into Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran than Wet Wet Wet and A-Ha. She started writing songs at the age of 13. “And not just songs,” she adds, “but terrible songs! I remember when I was 13, I met a fella in Courtown, down in Wexford, and I came back home and wrote a song about him – ‘holding hands along the sand’, that kinda thing. But that was the start of expressing my feelings through songs. I never told anyone for a while; I kept those songs to myself, and I’d sing along with them.”

At the age of 15, May bought her first leopard-print coat, got into blues artists such as Elmore James and Billie Holiday. At 16, her romantic sensibilities were messed up, and in an effort to discover exactly what made teenage boys tick, she went to her father for

Taking Liberties – May may live in London but she’s a Dubliner at heart.

“Chrissie Hynde, Joan Jett, Debbie Harry.

Where are the real strong female role models? I reckon I’m up for being representative of that!”

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guidance. He asked her was she heartbroken? Yes, she replied. “Well, then,” he said. “You’ll be able to sing the blues better, won’t you?”

There followed an apprenticeship that included long stints gigging in various Dublin music bars while holding down “waitressing, laundrette work, face painting.

Anything to make a crust.” She was offered two record deals but turned both down, she admits, “because they wanted to turn me into the next pop star on the conveyor belt, and that thought horrified me.”

When she was 23, May headed over to London, leaving her beloved Liberties behind. “It was tough,” she recalls of the decision to emigrate, “but there were very few jobs, very little money. We stuck together as a community, though; we fought together, and the Liberties has a spirit that I love. Every family I know there worked hard to get the area back on track.”

London, she reflects, “was a place where I knew I had to push myself.

I felt I was getting too comfortable in Dublin. Plus, it’s a small scene – everybody was great but I just wanted to up my game. I needed and wanted to learn more, and by

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that time, I had hooked up with Darrel [Higham, her husband] and had fallen in love. I had to start from scratch but that was great, I enjoyed it. I found London had a more competitive streak than Dublin, and so I knew I had to scrub up big-time – I knew my singing was good but I knew my stagecraft had to improve.”

Those early days were not, necessarily, halcyon ones. She made great friends, she says, and the community of musicians she was welcomed into was very supportive.

“I loved it, but I was always broke!

And busy, always busy – I’d be travelling all over the Underground on the way to gigs, running to the venues, dashing into the toilets, putting on my shiny frock, dabbing the flour in my hair, and then out on stage singing my heart out.”

May is still doing that, except now she’s not so anonymous or strapped for cash anymore. She smiles wryly, with a slight shrug of her shoulders in the leather jacket.

“I was at fancy events before, but I was always standing and singing

CHRIS BELLEW/FENNELL PHOTOGRAPHY

INTERVIEW

by the piano – the woman that people ignored on their way in! That situation has flipped, of course, and yes, it’s great, but the reason why it has flipped is because I’ve been such a hard worker – those years slogging on any and every circuit in England and beyond have paved the way for what’s been happening to me and my career over the past few years.”

She has good reason to thank her British friends and neighbours, then. The politics might not have been moving with us, she agrees,

Irish exports – Glen Hansard, Elvis Costello, Imelda May, Andy Irvine, Lisa Hannigan and John Sheahan on-stage at the Royal Albert Hall in April.

but the proof is irrefutable: people from Ireland and England have been falling in love with each other for a very long time.

“Maybe it’s time the politicians caught up,” May says. “I thought Queen Elizabeth made a great job in bringing that way of thinking forward. She paid respects to our monuments, our traditions, our dead.

I was very happy to pay my respects back. To me, and to everyone I met at Windsor Castle and at the amazing concert at the Royal Albert Hall, it felt good and positive, especially for the next generation.

“It’s quite simple, really – I have a daughter. Her daddy is English, her mammy is Irish, and I’d like her to be proud and comfortable with both backgrounds. I think it’s about time we all moved on and gave it our best, don’t you?”

Imelda May performs at Vicar Street, Dublin, June 18-19; Live at the Marquee, Cork, June 21; Big Top, Galway, July 18; O2, Dublin, December 19-20. Her new album Tribal (Decca Records) is out now. imeldamay.co.uk.

The Likes of Imelda May …

MUSIC “Well, rock‘n’roll, of course, and old school rockabilly people like Wanda Jackson. I think women like Jackson are great role models – she’s validly described as the First Lady of Rockabilly. Who else?

Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Howlin’ Wolf, The Clash, The Cramps, Elvis Presley. And one of the best singers that ever lived has to be Luke Kelly – such passion in his voice.

That’s the link, I reckon, between traditional Irish singers and blues artists – it’s all about pouring your heart into the song. At the very least, everyone should listen to the 2011 album The Party Ain’t Over, which Jack White produced.”

BOOKS “A real favourite is Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms – I like that he can write out a whole conversation without having to tell the reader who’s talking. That’s a real craft. And I love the poetry of Salford’s John Cooper Clarke – work like ‘Readers’ Wives’ and ‘Beasley Street’ are absolutely brilliant.”

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MOVIES “I love movies like Sunset Boulevard, but I suppose the touchstone movies for me would be On The Waterfront and The Wild Ones – I love Marlon Brando, and The Wild Ones is probably the coolest movie ever made. Another movie I love is The Quiet Man. I’m a big fan of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara – she’s a terrific actress, a good fiery Irish woman! Another favourite is The Women, a movie from the 1930s, starring Norma Shearer. I love those old movies, the 1930s/40s/50s black and an whites, with the likes of Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Doris Day ...”

RESTAURANTS “I really like Simon’s Place, right, in George’s Street Arcade. It has Dublin’s best doorstep sandwiches – the cheese sandwich is a killer! – the best soups and the best cinnamon buns in the world. If you’re looking for chips, then the best chipper is Fusco’s, Meath Street, which is one of the places I used to hang out in when I was growing up.”

CITY “Dublin, has to be, and while it might be obvious, the reason for me saying that is because I’m a very proud Dubliner. I love the characters in the city. I love that everything is in walking distance; the music scene is always thriving and always has been. The city is very close to the sea and near the mountains. It’s a mixture of cosmopolitan and the friendliest people you’ll meet.

Ultimately, it feels as if everyone is local, and for me that’s a perfect balance.”

S

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PEOPLE

FOOD Glorious FOOD

Irish restaurateurs are turning the tables on traditional dining – and making the most of home-grown ingredients to do it. They share their game-changing philosophies with Lizzie Gore-Grimes. Photographs by Anthony Woods.

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or such a small country, Ireland boasts a surprisingly high number of Michelin stars. Ten at last count (Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin has two, while this year’s new arrivals are Campagne in Kilkenny and, in the same county, the Lady Helen at Mount Juliet). Then there are places such as the Greenhouse and Restaurant Fortyone. “We come in ahead of quite a few of our European neighbours, such as Norway and Greece, in the fine-dining stakes,” says Adrian Cummins, chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland.

But it’s the restaurants at the other end of the spectrum that have shaken up the Irish dining scene. One upside of the recession was that it cleared out many of the mediocre places that were serving up overpriced but average food and made way for a new wave of more inventive restaurateurs. Foodie folk took advantage of lower rents to start up ventures or go out on their own. Fuelled by passion rather than profit, they have created a new style of contemporary restaurant.

“Dublin city centre is where the real growth is happening in this area,” continues Cummins. “A brand new restaurant district has sprung up in the old fashion district around Fade Street

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and George’s Street, with over 2,000 new seats, in 20 eateries, being added in the last 18 months alone.”

In many of these new places the owners have looked abroad for inspiration and brought home an emphasis on counter-dining and sharing, grazing, dining late or eating alone. Book a table at Las Tapas de Lola, Etto or Super Miss Sue and you’ll find the usual starter-maindessert template has been replaced by more fluid “small, large or side” plate offerings. A focus on one or two ingredients is also inspiring lots of lively new places such as Pizza e Porchetta and Frite Haus (gourmet sausage fare) in Dublin and Cork’s Sausage House. Meanwhile, Michelinstarred Michael Deane’s Meat Locker in Belfast and the Pitt Bros Smoked BBQ Project in Dublin satisfy our growing grá for the grill.

Global food trends come and go – molecular gastronomy and Nordic cuisine, for starters – but one constant is good sourcing. It’s the common denominator linking all the best places, from Michelin-starred dining rooms to food trucks. Now that Irish restaurants are making the most of indigenous ingredients, it would seem the world is their (native) oyster.

Elaine Murphy the traditionalist Elaine Murphy is the scarlet-haired chef and restaurateur behind one of Dublin’s best-loved contemporary Irish restaurants, The Winding Stair, and now the brand new Woollen Mills Eating House, next door. Elaine was one of the first chefs to put traditional Irish produce back on the menu and make it sexy. “My food is all about local Irish, simple, honest ingredients.

We source almost exclusively from within the island, so, apart from lemons and coffee and most of the wine (there are even a couple of Irish wines to try), everything on your plate is Irish.”

Elaine believes integrity is the key ingredient in the trade.

“I know what I’m good at and that’s what I stick to. I don’t pay much attention to the latest zeitgeist but I do pay attention to my staff and our customers. In this business you really need to be in contact with the restaurant floor; the last thing you want is to find out about problems from comments on TripAdvisor.”

Staff training is high on the list of priorities. “Bad service can ruin a good meal,” she says. “To my mind the best kind of business acumen is caring about your business, your product and your staff. Once you make that your first priority, the rest will follow.” Next up? First, the Legal Eagle, an old-school gastropub, by The Four Courts, “serving cask wines, whiskeys, craft beers and comforting Offaly-style food”, and then The Washer Woman in Glasnevin, set to be a family-friendly, neighbourhood restaurant. winding-stair.com

PEOPLE

Asheesh Dewan Indian star

Back in 1995, when Asheesh Dewan arrived in Dublin from Delhi, he was disappointed with the quality of Indian food available. He was determined to show the Irish customer how inventive and creative Indian cuisine could be. “Twenty years ago, people might grab a takeaway curry after a night out but I felt there was little respect, or experience, of real Indian food,” explains Asheesh who learnt his trade in prestigious Indian hotels. He headhunted chef Sunil Ghai and opened Jaipur in Dublin in 1998. Success came fast and Asheesh now has five Jaipur restaurants, in Dublin and Wicklow.

In 2008, the pair decided to raise the bar with the launch of Ananda in Dundrum, south Dublin. “We wanted to create a modern Indian restaurant, authentically Indian but globally inspired,” says Asheesh.

While chef Sunil wanted, “to innovate, experiment, push boundaries and challenge perceptions. I wanted to create a menu that was game changing”. Ananda has gone on to win a slew of culinary awards, including Best Restaurant in Dublin and Best Ethnic Restaurant in Ireland. “Running a successful restaurant is not just about food or service,” says Asheesh.

“It’s the whole package – creating a sense of comfort and pleasure in a space. The places that do it right everyday are the ones that go on to become institutions.” Certainly Ananda seems headed that way, as it’s tipped to become the first ethnic restaurant in Ireland to win a Michelin star. Watch this space. anandarestaurant.ie; jaipur.ie.

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PEOPLE

Judy Howard the entrepreneur They grow their own produce in a hydroponic polytunnel by the River Lee, brew their own Elbow Lane craft beer and are just about to open a new brewery-cum-smokehouse restaurant in Cork city. Clearly the folk behind Cork’s Market Lane restaurant group take their sourcing very seriously.

Judy and Conrad Howard, together with Tracey Corbett, opened Market Lane in 2007. “We couldn’t have opened at a worst time,” says Judy, pictured here. “Everything was crashing but we opened with recessionready prices and established an immediate market. We were determined to keep our margins really tight and offer people really good quality food at a very low price. We employed well-trained staff, who’ve been with us ever since, and thankfully the business is still growing after seven years.” Four years later, they took over the restaurant at Blackrock Castle and this is where they set up their hydroponic growing operation, “We met a chef in New York [from Bell Book & Candle] who was growing his own produce on the roof [in a soil-free system], so we borrowed the idea from him.” Now they supply the salad, herbs, micro veg and wheatgrass on the menu in their latest eatery – Orso Kitchen & Bar. “We employ over 100 people, across four food businesses, so it’s a big responsibility to make sure each one succeeds and we protect people’s jobs,” says Judy. “To ensure this we have taken on a partner in each establishment, someone to manage the place but with co-owner status.

That way each restaurant always has an owner present and we don’t fall into the trap of spreading ourselves too thin.” marketlane.ie; castlecafe.ie; orso.ie; elbowlane.ie.

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PEOPLE

John Farrell

the trendsetter

“I’ve always worked in restaurants.

I’ve been a kitchen porter, a waiter, a manager and now, an owner,” says John Farrell. “I love the buzz and the sense of occasion when you’re getting ready to go out to eat and you’re excited about where you’re going.

That’s the feeling I wanted to recreate with my places.” Mission accomplished – he’s now one of the most successful young restaurateurs in Dublin, with four busy eateries to his name: Dillingers, The Butcher Grill, 777 and, most recently, the elegant Super Miss Sue, a seafood restaurant. There’s no doubt that John has the Midas touch; part of that gift is an ability to predict the next trend. His next project is a case in point. “I have always loved the idea of dinner and a show,” he says. In July, he opens “the second phase of Super Miss Sue, which will feature a more upmarket Italian restaurant, with a heavy influence on seafood, mostly cooked over wood and coal. The place will have a 1950s Vegas feel to it, with leather horseshoe booths, a gin and Campari bar, sultry lighting and some form of entertainment.” supermisssue.com; 777.ie; dillingers.ie; thebutchergrill.ie.

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Sandy & John Wyer the trailblazers “I would describe our cooking style as modern, vibrant and light, whilst being fundamentally classic in its flavour combinations,” says chef John Wyer, who opened Dublin 4’s Forest Avenue with his wife Sandy last year, to great critical acclaim.

There, John merges his experience in Michelin-starred kitchens in Barcelona and Dublin (l’Ecrivain) with his inventive Supper Club Project, to create a high-end, tastingplates-style menu. “We began developing the idea for Forest Avenue about two years

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ago,” continues Sandy, herself a Brooklynborn pastry chef with Michelin-standard experience. “We wanted to open an upmarket restaurant that reflected where we felt fine dining was headed. In a new, more casual and fun direction – but where the emphasis is still on excellent food.”

“Our menu is very produce-driven and seasonal,” John says. “Our food is unfussy, natural, free-flowing and sensitive; it is all about allowing the quality of the ingredients to shine through.” The restaurant’s pared-

back, Nordic-meets-New-York décor also plays a role alongside the perfect roasted salsify, smoked ox tongue, pickles and beetroot. “Restaurateurs need to have the integrity to provide the best product they possibly can,” John believes. “While it’s important to stay fresh, a good restaurateur must ultimately remain true to their own style, regardless of trends. A business with integrity will always be supported.” forestavenuerestaurant.ie

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Jessica Murphy the innovator New Zealander Jess Murphy moved to Ireland in her early 20s to work in Kevin Thornton’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Dublin. Then she worked in restaurants in Galway, picking up many accolades, before opening Kai there with her husband David, three years ago. “I always dreamt of owning my own restaurant. I had a burning desire to recreate my own little bit of New Zealand in the west of Ireland, so when the opportunity came to take over this beautiful, stone-clad space on Sea Road, we jumped at it.” Jess is known for her imaginative use of wild and unusual ingredients, such as witch sole and fennel pollen. “My food ethos has been forged by a combination of my upbringing and the travelling I have done over the years.

I take a lot of inspiration from cultures that respect biodiversity. I handpick everything that comes into the kitchen, to make sure I get the very best flavours and textures they have to offer, and I know all my suppliers personally; I believe this is what makes Kai what it is.”

She is constantly thinking of innovative ways to stay ahead of the culinary pack. “We run a series of interactive events from the restaurant to keep things interesting,” she says. “One of the most popular is our cookbook club nights where we pick a favourite book and create a magnificent feast for people from it, with everyone getting involved.” This summer, Fish Week and a very special vegetarian event are on the menu. kaicaferestaurant.com

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“...Inspires us to connect with the light within, creating more peace and joy in our lives.”

Mark Burnett, TV Producer (Emmy Awards, The Voice) Roma Downey, Actress (Touched by an Angel, The Bible) “Mesmerizing, beautifully exquisite art.”

Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Chairman Emeritus American Ireland Fund “Inspiring!’ Deepak Chopra, NY Times best-selling author “...From her amazing art, I feel inexplicable joy and well-being.”

Christy O’Connor Jnr., Ryder Cup Champion golfer “Uplifting during these challenging times.” Wall Street Journal “...Simple elegance.” Forbes “Clarity...Realize the oneness.” Washington Post “Illuminating New York...a contemporary interpretation of light-infused phenomena.” Irish Arts Review “Lighting up living spaces.” The Irish Times “Fitzpatrick’s rise in the art world in New York has been nothing short of meteoric.” Irish Voice, New York

On view at: The National Concert Hall, Dublin, Ireland • The Irish American Heritage Museum, Upstate New York, U.S.A. • Anam Cara Gallery, Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.A.

e-mail: info@ArtistoftheLight.com • ArtistoftheLight.com • (Ire) 087 689 7332 and (US) 347 549 0551

ROAD TRIP | WILD ATLANTIC WAY

THE WILD WEST Ireland’s 2,500km Wild Atlantic Way is open for business.

Pól Ó Conghaile drives a stretch from Mayo to South Donegal, starting an adventure he doesn’t want to end …

Photographs by Piotr Dybowski and David Sciora.

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Craggy Ireland – Fanad Head Lighthouse standing tall in Co Donegal

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Y

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his grizzled stubble, flinty blue eyes and beanie, he could have been foraged in Killala Bay himself, so I’m surprised when he says he’s originally from Dublin. What brought him west? He gestures around. “This!”

When we return to the car, he pulls some kit from the boot – a gas stove, a steel pot, half a bottle of wine, a lemon and a clump of wild garlic. When the wine boils, the steam coaxes our cockles open. We eat them here and now, on the Wild Atlantic Way. “You can’t get fresher than that,” Denis winks. My itinerary is fresh-from-the-packet too.

The Wild Atlantic Way stretches 2,500 kilometres from Donegal’s Inishowen Peninsula to Kinsale, Co Cork, making it the world’s longest defined coastal touring route. I’m driving one of its most dramatic stretches, from Croagh Patrick in Mayo northwards towards the stunning Slieve League Peninsula in Co Donegal.

Join the caravan – Island View Riding Stables run hacks along Mullaghmore’s coastline, above. Left, Pól Ó Conghaile on a high and below, his guide, Denis Quinn.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PÓL O’CONGHAILE

ou’d never starve here,” says Denis Quinn.With a sack in one hand and a spoon in the other, the founder of Wild Atlantic Cultural Tours (087 281 4350; wildatlanticculturaltours@outlook. com) goes squelching through the sandflats of Killala Bay. We’re food foraging. Denis moseys along, doubled over like a lowercase “n”, scouring the sand for little holes.

I follow. When we spot one – a dark little pinprick in the mulch – he plunges the spoon in, scours around and fishes out a cockle.

We met an hour ago, beneath the Round Tower in Killala, Co Mayo.

Driving down a boreen and drifting his old banger onto the beach, Denis offers me a pair of Wellies before plodding out to investigate the rich pickings on this fringe – from razor clams, periwinkles and mussels to dillisk, shrimp and samphire. With

ROAD TRIP | WILD ATLANTIC WAY

I began following the blue chevron signposts two days earlier.

Like Denis, I came from Dublin, driving cross-country to arrive in the bustling hub of Westport.

From there I drove north through Newport and Mulranny, following the Great Western Greenway – a cycling trail built along a former railway line – towards Achill Island.

The beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way, I soon discovered, lies in the stops along the route, not the route per se. You’ll get as much out of a two-and-a-half-kilometre cliff walk as a 2,500-kilometre motorbike ride. Your lasting memory could be snorkelling by a lighthouse off St John’s Point in Donegal Bay, or cows appearing to walk on water at low tide in Mulranny’s Trawoughter Bay. It could be a Michelin Star meal at Aniar restaurant in Galway (aniarrestaurant.ie), or a piece of putóg (black pudding) bought at Kelly’s of Newport (kellysbutchers.com).

“Back in the day, farmhouses from Donegal to West Cork were making black pudding,” Seán Kelly once told me, handing over a putóg made from a 200-year-old recipe.

“They couldn’t go out for Indian or Chinese.” He recommended it on toast with marmalade.

Then, of course, there are the cliff-hugging coastal roads. This is real, spray-on-your-face, salt-onyour-windscreen stuff. Crossing the bridge onto Achill Island, the sun is splitting the heavens. Two minutes later, the clouds are as black as basking sharks. I drive until the road runs out at Keem Bay, one of the Wild Atlantic Way’s 159 official Discovery Points. Over on Silver Strand, I find several ancient tree stumps uncovered by winter storms.

“I put a picture of them on Twitter and an archaeologist got back to me, saying they could be 7,500 years old,” says Siobhán Comerford of Achill Tourism.

Siobhán lives over the road in Doogort and she meets me for a quick walk with her Jack Russell.

The storms rolled in off the Atlantic, she recalls, trashing the beach, 58 |

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shifting giant boulders and scooping away as much as a two-and-a-half metre-deep layer of sand. Right now, it feels almost forsaken. “It’s quiet, all right,” she smiles.

The Wild Atlantic Way is aptly named, in other words. Driving on, past the lonesome boglands of Ballycroy National Park, I push north until the road comes to an end again near Downpatrick Head. Continuing on foot, I reach a coastal watch station overlooking a colossal sea stack known as Dún Briste (literally, “broken fort” – it was separated from the mainland in 1393). There are no fences. No signs.

Just flocks of seabirds, mutinous waves and a breathtaking drop to the ocean below. The wind could blow you to Boston.

I’m reminded of a small stone memorial on the Mullet Peninsula, another remote corner of northeast Mayo. Set by a boat hut, its message is simple: “Dear Lord be good to me/ The sea is so wide/ And my boat is so small.”

As I travel, more dots connect.

Stopping for the night at

Clockwise from above left, Round Tower, Killala, Co Mayo; surfer Anton Cummings, at Tullan Strand in Bundoran, Co Donegal; the Atlantic Way signposted beside Bundoran’s Waterworld water park; Castle Murray House, a Wild Atlantic wonder; Orla and Aishling O’Connell taking a break on the Great Western Greenway in Achill, Co Mayo.

Sleep by the sea …

Perched at the tip of St John’s Point in Co Donegal, Castle Murray House (074 973 7022; castlemurray. com), below right, is one of the northwest’s best-kept secrets.

Voted one of Travel + Leisure’s Top 50 Most Romantic Hotels (alongside the Shangri-La in Paris, if you don’t mind), its boutique-style rooms, seafood restaurant and remote location make it a Wild Atlantic wonder. B&B from €55pps.

You want wild? Try Clare Island Lighthouse (087 668 9758; clareislandlighthouse.com) in Co Mayo. Perched on craggy cliffs, the heritage property is a Blue Book member, offering fullycatered luxury accommodation (including a circular bedroom in the former light tower). It’s the perfect spot for a summer escape … or storm-watching. B&B plus dinner from €175pps.

The Glasshouse hotel (071 919 4300; theglasshouse.ie) in Sligo is certainly well situated. Set on a bridge over the gushing Garavogue River, this is Sligo’s most contemporary hotel, and a solid base if you’re looking for an urban recharge (and all the pubs and restaurants that go with it) along the Wild Atlantic Way. Book a room with a river view.

Rooms from €69.

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Coastal cooking ...

SPLURGE Spread over a series of small, homely rooms off Bridge Street in Westport, Co Mayo, An Port Mór is widely loved by locals, visitors and, most of all, by its staff and chef, Frankie Mallon, above. Expect local ingredients, creative cooking and tasty seafood.

(098 26730; anportmor.com) MID-PRICE The tasting plate (€12.50) at Eithna’s by the Sea in Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, is as sweet an introduction to Irish seafood as you’ll find. Piled high with line-caught mackerel, Donegal squid, crab salad and lobster bisque (with dillisk crisps on the side), it’s served up in a cottage-like space next to a cosy fire. Eithna knows the coast, and her customers reap the benefits. (086 851 5607; bythesea.ie) BUDGET The Donegal Good Food Taverns guide (donegalgoodfoodtaverns. ie) is your one-stop shop for good gastro pubs in the county, and the Village Tavern in Mountcharles is one of the best. A seafood taster board is a great value starter at €7.95, or you could big it up with wild salmon, roast cod, a steak or seafood plate as a main. A local favourite. (074 973 5622; villagetavern.ie)

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Left, chef Frankie Mallon of the Westport restaurant An Port Mór, which prides itself on local produce and inventive cooking.

Right, pirate queen Grace O’Malley’s (alleged) bed at the quirky Belleek Castle, and below, surfing at Strandhill beach, Co Sligo.

Belleek Castle (Ballina, Co Mayo, 096 22400; belleekcastle.com), for instance, I find Achill lobster on the menu with locally foraged samphire. “It only came out of the sea a few hours ago,” chef Stephen Lenahan tells me. Looking back, it was probably plucked from the sea while I was exploring that storm beach. And it beat me to Ballina.

This 19th-century castle is one of the Wild Atlantic Way’s hidden heritage gems. Set in a 405-hectare wooded estate, a studded door leads to a baronial entrance hall bedecked with dark oils and fresh daffodils.

There are four-poster beds, steaks flambéed at the table on an antique sword, bar and restaurant rooms built from salvaged baulks to resemble a galleon. Quirkiest of all is the basement museum, which houses a priceless collection of fossils, weaponry and curios, including a four-poster bed said to have belonged to Grace O’Malley, pirate queen and all-round Wild Atlantic Woman.

“If you go to sleep there, you won’t wake up,” I’m told.

There’s a similar feeling, soaking

in a Voya seaweed bath at Strandhill, Co Sligo (071 916 8686; voyaseaweedbaths.com). Voya products are at the cutting edge of cosmetics (Michelle Obama received a gift box on St Patrick’s Day) but their place in folk history is as braided as the seaweed itself. In pre-famine days, as Sally McKenna writes in Extreme Greens (guides.ie), the order of work for women of the house was potatoes, children, and seaweed, in that order! Seaweed is a food, a fertiliser, a revitalising treatment, and it grows in absolute abundance here.

“It’s not just old wives’ tales,” Neil Walton tells me. He set up Voya after discovering the restorative powers of seaweed as a triathlete – the vitamins, minerals

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hen you step over the threshold at Miller & Cook in Pearse Street, Mullingar, take a deep breath. You’re entering a new world, an emporium of all that’s best in fresh local produce.

Miller & Cook’s a café, a delicatessen, a grocery, a bakery, a restaurant. It’s all these things and more – it’s an experience.

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50 Pearse Street, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, 044 934 0884; millerandcook.ie

ROAD TRIP | WILD ATLANTIC WAY

3 wild wonders ...

Great Western Greenway This 42-kilometre, off-road, cycle and walking track links Achill and Westport along the line of a former narrow-gauge railway. greenway.ie Slieve League No matter how you encounter these towering, 600-metre-tall cliffs – by foot, car or boat – the impression is indelible. discoverireland.ie Céide Fields North Mayo’s 6,000-year-old system of fields, tombs and dwelling areas is the most extensive Stone Age monument on Earth. heritageireland.ie

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and luxurious natural oils are released and readily absorbed in hot water. “This actually works.”

Outside the Voya building, the waves crash onto Strandhill’s beach. It’s a busy seafront, with colourful eateries such as Shells Café (shellscafe.com) and Trá Ban (trabansligo.ie) lined up next to surf schools, bars, seaweed baths and guesthouses, another cool pit-stop on this coastal route.

You don’t have to do the Wild Atlantic Way by car, of course. I see horseriders plodding through the sands near Enniscrone. You hike along the Slieve League cliffs, or see them from the water with a boat trip from Teelin. You can cycle, seakayak, sail or fish. In Sligo, I even try one of Ireland’s fastest growing sports: Stand-Up Paddling (SUP).

“It’s about Zen, not adrenaline,” says David O’Hara of supforall.ie.

It’s surprisingly easy, too. SUP involves standing on large boards, paddling as you might a canoe, and feeling the stress just melt away. After a short hike through Cullentra Wood, we paddle down the River Bonet towards Lough Gill. It’s a SUP-fari that takes us out to the Lake Isle of Innisfree, the heart of Yeats Country.

Sligo and Leitrim were huge influences on the Yeats brothers – a little further north, in fact, you’ll find the grave of WB Yeats. Set close to Ben Bulben, it’s a modest headstone, with a clear and startling inscription: “Cast a cold Eye/ On life, on Death/ Horseman pass by.”

I’m not on a horse but I pass by anyway, carrying on towards the marvellous Mullaghmore Peninsula. Nature rules here – prevailing winds have bent the trees into rockers’ quiffs; signs warn

“It’s about Zen, not adrenaline,” says David O’Hara, of stand-up Paddling, or SUP. Opposite, the staggeringly beautiful Slieve League Cliffs in Co Donegal, which are said to be the highest marine cliffs in Europe, at 600-metrestall. Left, Myles Lambeth and Jane Chambers of Shells Café on the beachfront of Strandhill.

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people not to “approach or attempt to move cattle” on the beach, and Classiebawn Castle, holiday home of the late Lord Mountbatten, who was murdered by the IRA nearby in 1979, stands desolate on a hill.

I stop into Eithna’s by the Sea restaurant (bythesea.ie) to meet Joe McGowan, a local historian, and Auriel Robinson, maritime archaeologist with seatrails.ie.

Eithna O’Sullivan provides a ravishing seafood platter. Auriel explains the lay of the land with a dog-eared map and a 330-millionyear-old sea lily (or crinoid stem).

Spanish Armada shipwrecks, fossilised seabeds and the footprints of promontory forts all feature in a short but fascinating stroll around a coastline massaged by massive swells.

“The sea always gave something,” says Joe. “It used to be that people avoided the big swells because they meant nothing but trouble to the fishermen. Now the surfers come looking for them. It’s a topsyturvy world.”

I notice that his Twitter handle is @eadaill. What does it mean?

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ILLUSTRATION BY KATHI BURKE

Below, Classiebawn Castle, Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, and bottom, chalkboard fancies at Eithna’s By the Sea.

“Back in my father’s time, we used to go looking for eadaills,” he says. “It’s the Irish word for treasures of the sea. I remember Tomás Ó Criomhthain writing about the Blasket Islands, saying the first time they ever tasted tea was when it washed up on shore. There was a lot of stuff coming in during the war years too. Bales of rubber, barrels of whiskey, planks … the cradle I was rocked in was made from wood washed up in the same way.”

I leave Mullaghmore, heading for the cliffs of Slieve League. Joe’s words remind me of my foraging trip with Denis Quinn – a short time ago but already a world away. The sea always gave something, indeed. This year, it’s the Wild Atlantic Way. Follow Pól @poloconghaile CARTRAWLER CARA WOULD LIKE TO THANK CARTRAWLER FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE. FOR THE BEST CAR RENTAL DEALS, VISIT WWW. AERLINGUSCARS.COM.

O

’Neill’s is one of Dublin’s most famous and historic pubs.

Centuries of Dublin history surround the world-renowned O’Neill’s.

Just around the corner from Trinity College, Grafton Street and the Molly Malone Statue, trade has flourished uninterrupted for over 300 years. O’Neill’s is conveniently set in the heart of Dublin.

Our fully-refurbished Roof-Top Beer Garden & Smoking Area

When you pay us a visit you will receive a warm and friendly welcome and you can enjoy its ageless character, numerous alcoves, snugs, nooks and crannies.

To make your visit as enjoyable as possible we offer you ... ●

Extensive Irish Food Menu and Famous Carvery serving only the finest Irish Meat, Fish and Vegetables. In fact, Lonely Planet rate us as one of the Top 5 Places to find ´Real Irish food in Dublin´.

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Roof-Top Beer Garden and Smoking Area

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‘Really Good’ Full Irish Breakfast only

€6.95

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M.J. O’Neill Suffolk Street, Dublin 2 Tel. 01 679 3656 www.oneillsbar.com

Mon-Thurs: 8.00am-11.30pm Fri: 8.00am-12.30am Sat: 8.00am-12.30am Sun: 8.00am-11.00pm SatNav 53.343958, -6.260796

“Top 5 places to find Real Irish Food in Dublin”

2013 Les Routiers Pub of The Year

1,000 New Jobs for Ireland, we’re almost there ...

What have DAA, Aer Lingus & Shannon Airport Authority all got in common?

Domhnaill’s Story has made a difference. Ireland’s economic recovery has been gathering pace over the past few years and the majority of people I meet in business want to play their part – I am no different.”

They all helped bring new jobs to Ireland. We want to say thank you on behalf of the people of Ireland.

Their support means almost 1,000 families in communities across Ireland have a bright future.

As you boarded your flight, you may have noticed ConnectIreland teams at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports. This simply would not be possible were it not for DAA, whose unwavering support helps us reach out to our people and ask them “Do you know an expanding company?”

As many as 300 people per week become connectors through this DAA & Shannon Airport Authority assistance. Aer Lingus has always been a fantastic ambassador for Ireland. Cabin Crew kindly make a ConnectIreland announcement on many of their flights and we are very grateful to them for helping to attract companies and jobs to Ireland.

“I read about ConnectIreland shortly after it was established in a newspaper article announcing the creation of a number of new jobs which originated from a ‘connector’. The following week I met with Mike Culhane, the CEO at Pepper Australia, who was planning expansion into Europe.

Domhnaill O’Sullivan’s conversation with an overseas investor has resulted in 100 new jobs for Shannon and Dublin, a life-changing connection which has transformed the lives of the new employees, their families and wider communities in the West of Ireland.

“The ConnectIreland concept is simple and it works. All I did was pass on some information to an investor, but I’m delighted that it

“With his approval I got in touch with ConnectIreland, gave them a background on Pepper and their vision together with Mike’s contact details. ConnectIreland got in immediate contact with him and within 48 hours, they were meeting in Dublin and it just took off from there”.

“The speed at which ConnectIreland reacted was efficient and effective, and I know

that Pepper were grateful for the support and advice they received from the ConnectIreland team who also worked closely with IDA Ireland which facilitated this expansion. It was a very simple process.

“The information campaigns at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports are impressive, and a very effective way to reach out to a captive, mobile and global audience. I’m delighted things worked out for Pepper and I would have no hesitation in recommending ConnectIreland as a platform for people to encourage more international investors to choose Ireland. In fact, I would encourage it.”

Pepper Asset Servicing has begun recruiting and the company is already making a massive difference in the mid-West region.

And as for Domhnaill, he’s encouraging others to have similar conversations, log on, join in and play their part.

WHY IRELAND IS WORLD CLASS The Irish economy will grow by 2.7% in 2015, according to the IMF, the highest rate in the EU. Over half our population is under 35, giving us the youngest and most flexible workforce in Europe.

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FAMILY | MADRID

ALL ABOARD

With plenty of parks, a way of dining that’s heaven-sent for fussy eaters and a big welcome for children, the Spanish capital is a family playground. Charlotte Coleman-Smith brings her sons to Madrid for the football but sneaks in some culture. Photographs by Matthew Thompson.

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Messing about on the river – hire boats in Buen Retiro Park, great fun for all ages.

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visit to Madrid has only ever meant one thing to my three boys: the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the world’s richest, most famous team, Réal Madrid.

To me, the city means something else entirely: magnificent museums, art galleries, beautiful parks and a culture that has devised cunning excuses to eat little plates of delicious food at almost any time of day.

The idea to take the family to Madrid took shape after a kind Spanish friend offered us tickets for a Réal Madrid league match. The boys (aged twelve, ten and seven) were ecstatic. After all, in May the Spanish capital became the first city to provide both finalists for the Champions League, Réal and their rivals, Atlético.

Even I had to admit that watching Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and co glide across an immaculate pitch was a pretty good proposal. Nevertheless, I drew up

A

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my own check-list: plenty of tapas and just enough culture to keep everyone amused without boring the boys. And with friends to call on who’ve lived in Madrid for years, I was determined to get the inside track.

We checked into our hotel after a swift journey from the airport on the city’s highly efficient metro system (taxis only take four people and are very strict about this). By early evening we were strolling down Calle Fuencarral, which divides the two neighbourhoods of Malasaña and Chueca (Gay Pride brings further life and colour to this area in the first week of July). Both are great for people-watching and absorbing a very local vibe (the Saturday flea market on Plaza de Dos de Mayo is a good alternative to the huge Rastro market). Fuencarral is known for its funky boutiques and was heaving with crowds of young shoppers. We finally dragged our fashion-conscious twelve-year-old

Top, Madrid’s most famous and central square, La Puerta del Sol. Above, Charlotte with her three very excited sons at Bernabéu stadium.

away, and turned east towards Salesas, across the Plaza de Chueca and into quieter streets lined with trees in blossom and little wrought-iron balconies.

We met up with our friends and their children (aged ten, eight and four) at a small restaurant on Calle del Conde de Xiquena, where a tense local match was being shown. While we grilled the adults for top tips, the kids bonded over the food: they shared generous platters of the fattest, crispiest croquetas I’ve ever seen, and bowls of chunky chips topped with fried eggs and chorizo. Every few minutes, the bar erupted in hands-on-head outrage or extravagant delight.

The rough sketch on my napkin showed central Madrid as a kind of double-headed lollipop, with heavyweight sights at each end: to the east, the Hapsburg District, with its Royal Palace and gardens; to the west, the “art triangle”: the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía museums. The shopping street of Gran Vía is a handy link between both areas.

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FAMILY | MADRID

We started – we had to – with the Prado. It’s a breathtaking and overwhelming place, and a tour is a good option if you’re pushed for time. The museum runs its own group visits (museodelprado.es/en) and there are also plenty of private companies offering children’s tours (such as Madrid Museum Tours; madridmuseumtours.com). But we had our own agenda. The boys had heard that JK Rowling was inspired by Bruegel’s “The Triumph of Death” when dreaming up her Death Eaters. So, after pausing to check out the Goyas, El Grecos and Velázquez’s “Las Meninas”, we tracked it down. The boys were not fazed by the apocalyptic scene: after years of the Potter movies, faceless figures in black cloaks are a walk in the park for them.

If the El Retiro park is the stately heart of old Madrid, then the Madrid Río is the cheeky new upstart (most of our friends were yet to visit). The story is a great one. An ugly motorway used to run along the Manzanares river, which was polluted and neglected.

Park life, Spanish-style – Sunday picnics in Buen Retiro Park. Below, street style with fashion designers Sunmi Yu and Violeta Aros.

Stay at ...

HIGH END Westin Palace Madrid (7 Plaza de las Cortes, +34 913 608 000; westinpalacemadrid.com) is a luxury hotel in an historic building in the centre of Madrid. Children under 12 free; extra beds/cots €50. The five-star, designer Hotel Urban (34 Carrera de San Jéronimo, +34 917 877 770; hotelurban.com) has a popular rooftop bar and plunge pool and is within walking distance of the “art triangle”.

MID-RANGE Part of an extremely funky, friendly chain of new hotels RoomMate Alicia (2 Calle Prado, +34 912 179 287; room-matehotels.com) – see also RoomMate Laura, Oscar and Marco – is close to Plaza Santa Ana. The small, arty Artrip Hotel (11 Calle Valencia, +34 915 393 282; artriphotel.com) has bags of character and is in a great location. The Petit Palace High Tech chain is aimed at families and we stayed in the three-star Petit Palace Ducal Chueca (3 Calle Hortaleza, +34 915 211 043; hotelpetitpalaceducalchueca.com).

It’s in an excellent location and has bunk beds, but is slightly faded in parts. Novotel

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Madrid Puente de la Paz (Albacete 1, Esquina Avenida de Badajoz, +34 917 247 600; novotel.com) is five kilometres from the city centre but has a pool and offers a second room at 50 per cent discount if you’ve more than two children. Hotel 3Tirol (4 Calle del Marqués de Urquijo, +34 915 481 900; t3tirol.com) is great for small children, with family rooms, children’s breakfasts and play area. The third INNside property to open in the capital, Madrid Suecia (Marqués de Casa Riera 4, +34 91 2000 570; melia.com) is housed in the same hotel that Hemingway lived in back in the 1950s. Slap in the centre of town, next to Circulo de Bellas Artes, it has 120 rooms, all mod cons and kids will love the rooftop pool.

BUDGET Rooms and apartments at a decent price can be found at Hostal Gala (15 Costanilla de los Ángeles, +34 915 419 692; hostalgala.com). Alternatively try hoteltrip.com and airbnb.co.uk for apartments all over the city to suit all budgets. Ideal for larger families.

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Eat at ...

BUDGET Museo del Jamón, which has branches all over Madrid, is the place to go to if you love ham; hundreds hang from the ceiling. Ideal for a round of sandwiches for the family (try tortilla or Serrano ham in French bread). The basic menu is cheap and cheerful but you can spend more if you fancy some really special jamón. Always busy with locals. Picnic menu from €2 including drink. (72 Calle Gran Vía, +34 915 412 023; museodeljamon.es) MID-RANGE Follow the tapas trail in the Latina neighbourhood, or down Calle de Las Huertas, and you’ll find countless little places for a small bite.

Go for the menu del día for lunch, and tapas or raciones (larger portions) in the evenings. Stop Madrid (Calle de Hortaleza 11, +34 915 218 887; stopmadrid. es), near metro stations Gran Vía or Chueca, is a small, friendly, atmospheric tapas bar dating from 1929. Wonderful cheeses and wines. Lateral (89 Paseo de La Castellana, +34 915 613 337; lateral. com) is close to the Bernabéu and one of several branches. It is stylish, efficient, with consistently good tapas and a wide choice of dishes. If you’re visiting the Templo de Debod, afterwards pop into Casa Mingo (34 Paseo de la Florida, +34 915 477 918; casamingo.es), a lively and unpretentious restaurant that serves delicious roast chicken and Asturian cider. Very reasonably priced – an institution. Madrid is full of rooftop bars and cafés; the kids will love the views.

The Gaudeamus (14 Calle Tribulete, 4th floor, +34 915 282 594; gaucafe. com) in Lavapiés, close to El Rastro, the famous Sunday flea market, is a great spot and popular in the evening, when it offers a mid-priced menu that includes croquettes, chicken couscous and some traditional Spanish dishes.

SPLURGE David Muñoz is one of Madrid’s hot new talents. If you have older children, or can get a babysitter, his Michelin-starred DiverXo (28 Calle Pensamiento, +34 915 700 766; diverxo. com) is a must – book well ahead.

Otherwise take the whole family and sample his “Madrid fusión” in a more informal setting at StreetXo (2 Plaza de Callao, +34 915 319 884; @ streetXoMadrid) on the ninth floor of the iconic department store, El Corte Inglés.

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A former motorway is now the gargantuan Madrid Río public park, top, with fun kids’ stuff, above, and runs ten-kilometres along the river Manzanares.

A visionary project pushed this road underground so that the banks of the river could be redeveloped into a ten-kilometre-long, sporting playground for the people, complete with BMX tracks, climbing walls, zip wires and fountains.

We sampled the Parque de Arganzuela section of the Río (metro Pirámides). I was reminded of London’s Olympic Park: it has the same fresh-from-the-drawing-board feel; plants are still shrubby; slides

sparkle in the sunshine; a state-ofthe-art, Perrault-designed footbridge – like a giant, steel coil – dominates.

Our boys hauled themselves on the first timber climbing frame we came across, threw themselves with the local kids down the excellent tunnel slides and cooled off in the sprinklers at the “urban beach”.

We could have spent hours there.

We should, in fact, have hired bikes from the nearby Matadero, a former abattoir, now a cultural centre and another of Madrid’s jewels of modern architecture. But as we ate our tortilla sandwiches at the café we realised that it was our only chance to see “Guernica” at the Reina Sofía. In 20 minutes, we were in front of Picasso’s masterpiece. The reaction? The younger two were more interested in Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist landscapes (especially the “rude” ones, showing certain body parts). Their older brother was intrigued, however, and it was a useful starting point for a brief discussion on the horrors of war.

Enough park life and paintings.

Time for the much-anticipated tour of the Bernabéu. This was a huge

A watercolour painting by Róisín O’Shea © 2012

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FAMILY | MADRID

Clockwise from left, Angel Feijoo and his niño pequeño at the Museo del Ferrocarril de Madrid; tasty tapas at the Taberna Maceiras; artist/illustrator Noelia Jimenez hanging out; Patrick Blanc’s Vertical Garden.

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Don’t miss these child-friendly highlights …

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PUPPET SHOW AT EL RETIRO After you’ve rowed around the lake in this lovely, classic, city park, right behind the Prado Museum, take the kids to a free puppet show here on summer weekends (titirilandia.es), by the Puerta de Alcala entrance.

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS A really stunning place at the Plaza de Murillo (rjb.csic.es): full of heady scents and gorgeous blooms.

Soothe frazzled tempers here, postPrado. Children will love the cactus house and want to touch. You have been warned …!

MERCADO DE SAN MIGUEL Vibrant and theatrical, this is the perfect place to have a meal with the kids (perched at one of the many tapas counters). If your children love food, this ancient market – recently revamped and more for show now than actual trading – is an education. And if they don’t, here’s your chance to broaden their palate. (mercadodesanmiguel.es) MUSEO DEL FERROCARRIL Opened 30 years ago in a former station, this museum has a great collection of model railways, with a quirky café in one of the old carriages.

There is a flea market on the first Sunday of every month selling scale models, photographs, badges and postcards. The Tren de la Fresa (they serve fresh strawberries on route) takes passengers in an old train out to the pretty town of Aranjuez (May, June, September, October). A great day trip.

(61 Paseo de las Delicias, +34 902 228 822; museodelferrocarril.org) HOT CHOCOLATE AND CHURROS Children and big kids will love the quintessentially Spanish treat of hot chocolate thick enough to stand a spoon in, and in which to dip elongated doughnuts.

Madrid’s favourite is Chocolatería San Ginés (5 Pasadizo de San Ginés; chocolateriasangines.com); run off the sugar high at the Plaza Mayor, where hawkers light up the night sky with their illuminated toys.

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Above, the sun dappled gardens of the delightful Sorolla Museum, the former home of the painter Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923).

hit. With three excited boys in tow, we gave due reverence to the shiny trophies and football boots worn by former stars, and had our photos taken with Ronaldo (the virtual version). Apart from the pitch itself, the players’ changing rooms were the high point for all our boys. Just imagine, Ronaldo changing his socks, Bale combing his hair, right here! It was almost too much.

Afterwards, we followed a tip from ex-pat friends and walked ten minutes to the stylish Gelateria Romana (27 Paseo de la Habana), where we had the best ice creams of the holiday. On the same street are Massimo Dutti and Zara Home – perfect for mums (or anyone) wanting to duck out of the tour.

On the way back, I could not resist a small detour to the Museo Sorolla. Set in Joaquín Sorolla’s former home, away from the main tourist sights, it’s a delight.

The collection of gorgeous, impressionistic seaside scenes is

small enough not to overwhelm but, if you prefer, you can always sit it out in the lovely courtyard garden, with its Andalucían tiles, soothing fountains and shady greenery.

There had been an awful moment when we realised that kick-off for the big match was at ten – at night.

How would we cope? However, when the Saturday came, we were so tuned in to the Spanish rhythm that we took it in our stride. Beforehand, we ate at the stylish Lateral (see sidebar) on Paseo de la Castellana – much more elegant than stuffing down a burger from a van.

The match, against Almería, was a walkover. Around us, families crunched on sunflower seeds and spicy red peppers. Álvaro taught us the local chants and we screamed deliriously at every goal. The atmosphere was electric; even the brilliant green of the pitch and the startling white of the kits seemed to vibrate with the noise.

Sunday morning, and one last

streets in honour of different August is festival month when locals take to the games and a religious parade. saints. Colourful celebrations include children’s in Rastro/Embajadores.

Starts August 2 with the festival of San Cayetano

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round of park life and culture. The Templo de Debod (metro Plaza de España) – an ancient tomb brought, stone by stone, from Egypt in 1968 – is, conveniently, inside a park (and free). Very young children might fidget but we were blown away.

From here we made the short stroll to the Teleférico, the cable car link to the Casa de Campo – a vast space, four times the size of Central Park, and home to Madrid Zoo and the rollercoasters of the Parque de Atracciones. As we swung gently over the treetops, there were great views of the Royal Palace and skyline. A tip: buy a single ticket, ignore the café at the cable car building and walk 20 minutes to the lake. Here, you can choose from an impressive line-up of traditional restaurants and there’s a metro stop (Lago) that will whizz you right back to the city centre.

The walk was hot (our youngest hitched a shoulder ride), but there are shady trees and a sense of real wilderness. The meal at the end was our reward. It was a fabulously animated scene: pretty terraces full to the brim with extended families tucking into platters of grilled meat and salads, waiters rushing red-faced between the tables. Between courses, the boys

ILLUSTRATION BY FUCHSIA McAREE

FAMILY | MADRID

started a football game with some lads in their Sunday best. This felt typical of Madrid: some of the most “obvious” places are where locals really do go. Madrid is a proud and stately city, and yet it feels intimate because it doesn’t hide its treasures. There is an abundance of parks and green space (one tree for every 14 inhabitants), some fabulous sights that you can edit according to boredom thresholds and a way of dining (inexpensive little portions, plenty of choice) that’s heaven-sent for fussy eaters.

Best of all, because the family is held in high esteem, children seem genuinely welcome.

For more information on Madrid, visit the Spanish Tourist Board websites spain.info and esmadrid.com or call 01 635 0200

The bright lights of Bernabéu, above left. Big smiles at the Teleférico cable car, above and right.

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CULTURE | THE BERKSHIRES

The Beautiful Berkshires

Culture vultures from New York and Boston are spoilt for choice when they retreat to the Berkshires for a summer’s sojourn. Laura George packs her picnic basket for the season of outdoor events ahead and picks out the best spots for shopping and dining in between. Photographs by Kristin Teig.

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CULTURE | THE BERKSHIRES

s the mercury rises in the city (be it Boston or New York), there’s a mass exodus to the countryside, which cleaves into two distinct groups – those who prefer the sea and sun and those who crave woods and shade. The latter group literally heads for the hills – the Catskills and Berkshires, which flank the Hudson River where it separates Massachusetts and New York. There they can get not only some respite from stifling temperatures, but also slake their thirst for lashings of culture and outstanding cuisine.

Probably nowhere in America has more to offer in the summer months in terms of concentrated classical music, dance, art and theatre, never mind history, and yet somehow the Berkshires are considered a bit off the proverbial beaten track. Since that track is only two and a half hours from both Boston and NYC, it’s amazing more people haven’t discovered and explored the area’s relatively hidden treasures.

Here’s what a taster menu of a typical Berkshire summer sojourn might entail: a worldclass dance performance, a spot of outdoor Shakespeare (with local organic strawberries and cream at intermission), a tour around an outdoor sculpture park or a visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum, a picnic on the lawns at Tanglewood listening to a pop concert, The Boston Pops, or some of the world’s finest classical music. The latter is absolutely unmissable. Leaving it off your itinerary would be like going to Egypt and not seeing the pyramids.

Any and all of these can be punctuated with multiple gourmet moments of every description – from iconic ice-cream breaks to diner stops to Michelin-festooned fine dining with all the bells and whistles. Likewise, the area’s shopping runs the gamut from outlet malls to quirky antique shops and perfectly curated specialty shops. If shopping’s your thing, it would be hard to beat the town

A

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Hudson, above, is packed with quirky shops stocking everything from art to antiques to hats, below, at Behida Dolic Millinery. Right, the Collage Dance Collective take to the stage at the Jacob’s Pillow Festival.

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Stay at ...

CHEAP’N’CHIC At one end of the spectrum, there are plenty of vernacular motels, including the super funky 16-room Briarcliff (506 Stockbridge Road, +1 413 528 3000; thebriarcliffmotel.com). Just outside Great Barrington, it was given a complete overhaul by its British owners in 2011. Now it’s a simple and stylish place, below, which TripAdvisor named one of the top 25 hotels in America for service and value in 2013. It doesn’t get more cheap and cheerful than this. Rooms from $175.

The convivial 125-room Red Lion Inn (30 Main Street, +1 413 298 5545; redlioninn.com) in Stockbridge is a much larger proposition but is also renowned for its hospitality. Culture vultures flock to its traditional bar between festival performances to compare notes. In addition to the main inn, satellite guesthouses are sprinkled throughout the village, offering even last-minute visitors a plethora of options. Rooms from $245 plus tax.

SPLURGE If money is no object, there are fantastic places to stay, too. Owned by the sister of the proprietress of The Red Lion, Ann Fitzpatrick Brown, Blantyre (16

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Blantyre Road, +1 413 637 3556; blantyre.com) takes its cue from Irish and English country houses, perhaps because she spends a month every summer at Lismore in Co Waterford and has done for decades. Blantyre is absolutely chockers with well-thumbed books, antiques and atmosphere. There are beautiful walks around the grounds and beyond but it’s also worth exploring the house itself. There’s a flower-arranging room, which keeps the 21 bedrooms and living areas stocked with blowsy bouquets. B&B From $600.

A few kilometres up the road, Wheatleigh (Hawthorne Road, +1 413 637 0610; wheatleigh.com) offers an altogether different take on the great country mansion and luxury.

Its owners opted for a complete 21st-century renovation of the 19thcentury estate, putting a premium on elegance at every turn. A neutral palette plays up period detailing and lets the surrounding natural beauty of the Berkshires take centre stage.

The views are staggering and people book long in advance for leaf-viewing, as well as festival-going.

Rooms from $885.

Old style shopfronts in Hudson, above.

Below left, the cheap ’n’ chic Briarcliff hotel.

of Hudson, New York; it’s like a microcosm of Soho or Tribeca grafted on to a classic American small town (no wonder Claire Danes, hubby Hugh Dancy and Uma Thurman nip in from their nearby homes when they’re in need of some retail therapy).

A looming, turn-of-the-century Opera House (327 Warren Street, +1 518 822 1438; hudsonoperahouse. org) anchors the town’s main thoroughfare, Warren Street, which is home to dozens and dozens of lifestyle shops, galleries and bars.

Daytrippers regularly come up on the train from NYC to scour the antique shops (mid-century and industrial offerings are particularly strong). Establishments such as The Red Dot (321 Warren Street, +1 518 828 3657), where you can wash some hearty farm-to-table cuisine down with a craft beer are pitch perfect – on trend but authentic all the same. Later at night, the nearby Helsinki (+1 405 Columbia Street, +1 518 828 4800; helsinkihudson. com) club-cum-restaurant is the place to be – everyone from Rufus Wainwright and Beth Orton to Pete Seeger and The Blind Boys of Alabama has played in the stunning converted industrial building. Bob Dylan even celebrated his 70th here.

But back to the food. It would

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be hard to find a better breakfast anywhere in the US than at CrossRoads (2642 Route 23, +1 518 325 1461; crossroadsfoodshop. com) in Hillsdale, New York.

After sweet potato and maple pancakes (or whatever the special of the day is), homemade granola, pear and almond scones and some artisanal Joe, a trip next door to the Hillsdale General Store (2642 State Route 23 Village Square Plaza, +1 518 325 3310; hillsdalegeneralstore.com) is obligatory. Here, a former Martha Stewart Living stylist has assembled an ever-changing stock of retrostyle gifts and charming vintage Americana and housewares, all arranged immaculately of course. Milk glass, tin utensils and enamelware, Mad Men-era cocktail shakers and pre-loved woollen picnic blankets make great presents for the folks back home.

It may not be quite (!) as healthy but the Martindale Chief Diner (1000 New York

Good stuff – farmfresh produce from, top left, Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown; retrogifts from Hillsdale General Store; best brew from No Six Depot; and Martindale Chief’s to-die-for cherry pie.

23, +1 518 851 2525), just off Route 23 in Craryville, is a great place to break a road trip. The cherry pie is to die for, as is the homemade apple crisp à la mode. Drop

general rule of thumb, It’s impossible to predict Mother Nature but as a the region’s northern Fall (autumn) in New England typically starts in until late November. states from mid to late September, moving south s of trees are at their Known as “Fall foliage peak”, this is when the leave lage.com. most beautiful. Follow foliage reports at yankeefoi 86 |

JUNE 2014

in just so you can hear waitresses actually refer to eggs in ways heretofore only heard in movies.

Half an hour away, the town of Great Barrington is also worth a linger. It’s home to one of the best cheese shops in the East bar none.

Rubiner’s Cheesemongers (264 Main St, +1 413 528 0488; rubiners. com) occupies a beautiful, old bank building and has a cultish following.

There’s a coffee shop out back with al fresco tables and chairs, as well as a deli stocked full of everything you need for the perfect picnic – local

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CULTURE | THE BERKSHIRES

Eat at ...

Top, tuning in at Tanglewood, left, the laid-back landscape charm of the Berkshires and, below, last year’s hit, movie night with the Boston Symphony Orchestra playing the score of the West Side Story.

goat cheese with truffle, regional charcuterie, fresh sourdough and rye breads and hand-churned ice cream. You can also pick up some outstanding sandwiches at the Haven Café (8 Franklin Street, +1 413 637 8948; havencafebakery.com) in Lenox. Their signature croque monsieur with ham, gruyère, whole grain mustard and pears on farm bread is incomparable.

You’ll need all these goodies because picnicking, or tailgating as it’s called in this neck of the woods, has been elevated to an art form at the legendary Tanglewood Festival (June 28 to August 30; bso.org), also in Lenox. It’s not at all unusual to see candelabra, silver cutlery, porcelain and proper linens, as well as exquisite buffets, formally set out 88 |

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on the lawns as if royalty were due to drop in. What keeps it all sane is that those ten thousand people on the lawn partaking of the feasts will probably be wearing jeans, grungy T-shirts and Birkenstocks. New Englanders pride themselves on not being flashy.

Since 1937, when wealthy benefactors donated the estate to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood has put on a lavish but inclusive summer programme of more than 100 different concerts.

The aim is to attract all ages and

SPLURGE The restaurant at Wheatleigh (Hawthorne Road, +1 413 637 0610; wheatleigh.com) is Michelin star-worthy. The fourcourse degustation menu with wine pairings changes according to season but expect to see at least a few of the following on chef Jeffrey Thompson’s menu at any given time – Canadian foie gras, local duck, venison and truffles, Maine lobster and Cape clams.

Food and service at Blantyre (16 Blantyre Road, +1 413 637 3556; blantyre.com) are old school, classic French; the maître d’ Luc Chevalier moved up country from Lutèce in NYC seven years ago and is clearly relishing his semi-retirement. The kitchen not only serves up proper dinners, it also cranks out some of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies on the planet and giant homemade marshmallows to melt into their signature cocoas. You’ve got to love a place with an entire menu devoted just to hot chocolate.

MID-RANGE In contrast is a gem of a Colombian restaurant, La Fogata (770 Tyler Street, +1 413 443 6969), somewhat off the tourist trail in Pittsfield. Meaning “the bonfire” in Spanish, its name offers some clue as to its spicy fare, the in-house chimichurri fresh and fiery.

The menu is authentic, and the vibe unpretentious – chorizo and steak lovers in particular will be in their element.

Meanwhile, coffee hounds are implored to visit No Six Depot Café (6 Depot Street, West Stockbridge, +1 413 232 0205; sixdepot.com), a familyrun roastery, café and art gallery housed in an historic train station.

Coffee is roasted on-site thrice a week, while tea drinkers are spoilt for choice with some 18 different varieties of full leaf tea. A great, wholesome spot for breakfast or lunch.

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CULTURE | THE BERKSHIRES

Inside Job David McCadden, senior publicist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, hails originally from Dublin. He and his young family relocate to the Berkshires every summer for three months while the BSO is in residence at Tanglewood. Last year he based himself in West Stockbridge.

“It’s nice to start the day at Shaker Dam Coffeehouse (2 Main Street, +1 413 232 7707) in West Stockbridge – it’s got amazing coffee but better still, shows the work of owner John Stanmeyer, who works for National Geographic and Time, he won World Press Photographer of the Year in 2013 for his picture of refugees in Djibouti.

Late at night after a concert, orchestra members often gather for tapas at Brava (27 Housatonic Street, +1 413 637 9171) in Lenox or Bizen (17 Railroad Street, +1 413 528 4343), the Japanese place in Great Barrington. During the day, we like Patisserie Lenox (30 Church Street, +1 413 881 4081; patisserielenox.com) – it’s laid back and quaint. The Dream Away Lodge (1342 County Road, +1 413 623 8725; thedreamawaylodge.com) in Becket is a great place to go for dinner – an old house up a mountain with a legendary restaurant and bar. They put on great music themselves – various members of the Guthrie family, Pete Seeger and Dylan have all played here.

The mountains around here are really beautiful. The landscape is gentle – walking on this part of the Appalachian Trail reminds me a bit of the Wicklow mountains. It’s not too challenging but just exhilarating enough to make you forget the city. There are great views down over the Housatonic River from Monument Mountain outside Great Barrington. After a walk, we go for homemade ice cream at Retro Pop Shop (395 Laurel Street, +1 413 243 0025; retropopshop.com) in Lee, which sells locally produced ice cream alongside 1940s and 1950s pop art and memorabilia.”

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Gentle views from Monument Mountain, top, part of the Appalachian Trail. Left, music at the legendary Dream Away Lodge, which comes with dinner on the side. Below, left, sweet things, macarons from Patisserie Lenox; and the streets of Lenox.

Right, highlights from last year’s fests – Inside/ Out at Jacob’s Pillow Festival and, below, a fairytale performance at Shakespeare & Company’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream.

tastes. One of the hottest tickets this season will be Andris Nelsons’s Dvorak concert. Nelsons, who is the BSO’s brand new music director, doesn’t officially take over until September, so it’s a sneak preview of sorts. Equally popular are the movie-themed nights – The Wizard of Oz should be a massive success if last year’s West Side Story is anything to go by. Another perennial sell-out is the annual James Taylor concert (July 3 and 4). Having immortalised the nearby town of Stockbridge in Sweet Baby James (and having retreated to these parts post-breakup with Carly Simon), Taylor is the stuff of many a local legend and he draws a mammoth crowd.

Theatre-lovers are also well pandered to in the Berkshires.

Just a few yards down the road from Tanglewood, also in Lenox, Shakespeare & Company (June 21 to August 30; shakespeare.org) kicks off the season appropriately enough with A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

By July they’re packing in three or four performances a day, rotating a seemingly vast repertoire of the canon; book a table beforehand at the outstanding Italian pasta bar Nudel (37 Church Street, +1 413 551 7183; nudelrestaurant.com).

Meanwhile, on the main stage at the Williamstown Theatre Festival (July 2 to August 17; wtfestival.org) – renowned for pushing boundaries

l MobyDid you know … Herman Melville wrote the nove .org), Dick at his home, Arrowhead, in Pittsfield (mobydick in while Edith Wharton once resided at The Mount ric histo Lenox (edithwharton.org). Both are now national the public. monuments and cultural centres that are open to JUNE 2014

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CULTURE | THE BERKSHIRES

and showcasing new talent and new work – Grammy-laden soprano Renée Fleming will come fresh from opening Tanglewood to make her acting debut in Living on Love, a new comedy from Tony winner Joe DiPietro about a diva and her marital woes.

Jacob’s Pillow Festival (June 14 to August 24; jacobspillow.org), based in neighbouring Becket, Massachusetts, is to dance what Tanglewood is to music. The pre-eminent dance festival in the country draws renowned troupes from around the world including the Hong Kong Ballet and, this season, the sublime Dance Theater of Harlem. There’s hip-hop too and traditional dance – though nothing Irish on the schedule this year.

The Berkshires also have a rich visual heritage. In addition to the charming Norman Rockwell Museum (9 Route 183, +1 413 298 4100; nrm.org) in Stockbridge and The Clark Institute (225 South Street, +1 413 458 2303; clarkart.edu) in Williamstown (where the galleries are closed for renovation until July 4), the Mass MoCA (87 Marshall Street, +1 413 662 2111; massmoca. org) in North Adams, is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) hubs for contemporary music, fine art, dance, theatre, film and video. Housed on a five-hectare campus comprising 19th-century factory buildings and gardens, the scale of the place and attendant buzz is truly amazing.

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ILLUSTRATION BY ANNA SIMMONS

Below, Americana at the Norman Rockwell Studio and, bottom, Mass MoCA – a hub for the arts.

in commercial spaces, while visitors attend exhibitions, screenings and concerts, indoors and out. It’s an ideal anchor activity for a rainy day. And the Sol LeWitt show this summer is well worth travelling for.

Those in the know say finding lodging, even at the last minute, is never a problem for anyone on any budget, which means a trip to the Berkshires needn’t be something you plan aeons in advance. The atmosphere of the place reflects that – it feels like that rare thing – a place where you can be a bit spontaneous and join in the fun, whatever form it takes, whenever you feel like it. What could be more summery than that?

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SURFING | BORDEAUX

TheFrenchWave There’s no rest for serious surfers, discovers Conor Creighton, when he takes out his board and goes with the tides along the French Atlantic coast. Photographs by Al Higgins.

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ike many another debut, it was an American who first surfed the French Atlantic. Peter Viertel, the author of White Hunter, Black Heart, was working on the film, The Sun Also Rises, when he noticed the swells popping off shore, called home and had his surf board shipped over from California. That was in the 1950s. It would take another 30 years for surf culture to really establish itself in France but by the 1990s it was already so popular that the world surf rankings were packed with French riders.

Nowadays, France is Europe’s premier surfing destination, ahead of Spain. While the weather in Spain is slightly better and you could argue that Spanish locals are also slightly friendlier, what can’t be denied is that when you’re not in the water, the food, ambience and

L

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countryside, not to mention the wine, in and around French surf spots trump what Spain has to offer.

Bordeaux is a natural starting point for a French surfing adventure. “The Sleeping Beauty”, as it’s known colloquially, is an impressive destination but it’s also the gateway to the Aquitaine region – the best waves in all of France. Considering the rest of the trip is going to be spent fighting the Atlantic, we decide to start off easy with a night out. Bordeaux is no Marseille. It’s a city that likes to spend an evening eating well, then fold its arms across its belly and wait for slumber. Le Bar à Vin (3 Cours du 30 Juillet, +33 556 00 43 47; baravin.bordeaux.com) is a nice way to indulge in the Bordeaux wine scene without having to suffer the snobbery. The building itself comes across as some neo-classical temple but the wine sells at supermarket prices. People who go there aren’t

To Top, La Lacanau beach, above, our surf dude Conor Creighton, below, Bordeaux’s Place de la Bourse.

fussy, so they won’t turn you away for wearing boardshorts but they probably won’t like it if they’re still dripping.

The next day we head west to Lacanau for the first dip in the ocean. It’s cold this time of year but then these are things European surfers must live with.

Not everywhere can be Waikiki. The waves are pretty small when we arrive so we take out long boards and hop on whatever we can. The long

SURFING | BORDEAUX

Bed and board at ...

Bordeaux COOL Seeko’o means block of ice in Inuit and, if you like your style austere, minimal and très modern, you’ll be very at home in Hotel Seeko’o, above. It’s a 15-minute walk to the city centre though. Rooms from €100-€150. (54 Quai de Bacalan, +33 556 390 707; seekoo-hotel.com) Just ten minutes from the airport, The Quality Suites is a straight shot into Bordeaux’s city centre, and a righthand turn away from the motorway to take you to the Aquitaine’s best surf spots.

It’s got an attached spa for flat days on the beach, and a continental breakfast to fuel your morning on the beach.

The rooms have a kitchenette with oven, but more importantly a fridge to keep your aftersun and/or a few beers in. Rooms from €78pp.

(83 Avenue JF Kennedy, Merignac, +33 557 53 21 22; qualitymerignac.com) Lacanau ROOM WITH A VIEW L’Oyat is so close to the ocean you’ll wake up with salt on your lips. This is a decent hotel but you’re

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paying for the location more than anything. Book early if you plan to visit in August as the Soöruz Lacanau Pro competition is in town.

Rooms from €50-€80.

(Front de Mer, LacanauOcean, +33 556 031 111; hotel-oyat.com) Mimizan BUDGET Mimizan has a good reputation for the standard of all its hotels.

Hotel le Plaisance is special because of its location and friendly staff. It’s basic, yes, but after a long day surfing in the sun it’s rarely the decor that’s bringing you back to your room. Rooms from €50-€70. (10 Rue des Cormorans, Plage Sud, +33 558 090 806; leplaisance.com) Hossegor CLASSY You can do Hossegor on the cheap, as the town is full of hostels, but if you want a touch of old-world class and to wake up on a lake in the morning, try Le Pavillon Bleu. Rooms from €90-€130. (1053 Avenue du Touring Club de France, +33 558 419 950; pavillonbleu.fr).

dunes that sit behind the beach give the impression that you’re staring back at an African desert rather than France. It’s only when you catch the aroma of melting cheese coming from land that you’re jolted back to French reality.

The surf season in France runs all year round and, while it’s rarely so flat that you could eat your dinner off a floating tray, there are times – especially in summer – when you just have to turn your back on the water and consider your options. As our options aren’t so great for the first day, we rent bicycles and go off exploring the Medoc Forest, making sure to hit each and every puddle on the path so as not to completely lose touch with the water. Small waves on a surf trip are like overcast days on a beach holiday. You accept them stoically because you know that tomorrow will be different.

Mimizan is our next destination.

The drive south is a little over two hours. That’s two hours to realise

you’re missing out on nothing by not being able to tune into French radio where you live. We meet Nicolas Capedeville who runs the Mimizan Surf Academy (33 Avenue del’Océan, +335 809 5126; mimizansurfacademy.com). Nicolas is a surfer but is actually more famous as a multiple world champion bodyboarder. Bodyboarding is to surfing what snowboarding is to skiing – a complementary but nevertheless rival sport. We try not to let that get in the way.

According to Nicolas, Mimizan is the best surf spot in France because there are enough waves

Left, the clean, minimal lines of Hotel Seeko’o in Bordeaux.

Top, Medoc Forest, and below, North Beach, Mimizan.

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SURFING | BORDEAUX

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Probably the best surfing scene in south-west France that’s not out in the water. (6 Place des Estagnots, Hossegor, +33 558 479 976; lesurfing.com) Rock Food, as the name suggests, is no shrinking violet. It’s a loud, brash restaurant that thinks it’s a club and the after-party usually spills out onto the beach. (Place des Landais, Hossegor, +33 558 434 327; rockfoodhossegor.com) Le Bellis is just a bakery but, as anyone who’s been to France knows, if you’ve a good bakery you really don’t need to eat anywhere else. The pains aux raisins will have you waking up drooling in the middle of the night. (18 Rue Assolant Lefèvre Lotti, Mimizan, +33 558 071 292; lebellis.com) Café Populaire is a good spirited place that trades dining tables for dance floor, depending on how good the music is. The restaurant offers regional staples, including tapas at the bar and mains that don’t cost more than €15. (1 Rue Kléber, Bordeaux, +33 556 943 906; cafepop.fr)

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Above, the beach is the “classroom” at Mimizan Surf Academy. Left, eat, drink and be merry at Café Populaire, and below, still waters at Mimizan’s Aureilhan Lake.

that even in summer it doesn’t feel crowded. There aren’t many towns in France that haven’t inherited poetic nicknames but Mimizan’s, “The Pearl of the Silver Coast”, takes some beating. And thanks to the pearl we finally get some good surfing. There are four beaches to choose from, two on either side of the river mouth that spills into the sea. The surf here is dependent on sandbars beneath the surface. It means that if you go out in low to mid tide you’ll be crawling rather than paddling, but once the tide comes in, the swell – the formation of surface waves – is regularly head high and perfect.

Serious surfers follow tidal forecasts like gamblers follow the Tote. If it’s high tide before dawn, that will probably mean you tiptoeing out of your room and down to the beach in darkness. That’s if you’re dedicated. Everyone else will be sleeping it off, waiting for the other high tide later that afternoon.

Traditionally surfing developed as a male-dominated sport. That’s still the case. Women on waves aren’t rare but they’re in the kind of minority that if you saw more

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SURFING | BORDEAUX

5 surf highs ...

1 2 3 4 5

ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO This is probably the best place on Earth to learn surfing. Warm water, gentle waves and a nightlife that shuts off around 10pm, so there’s nothing to keep you out of the water the next day.

BUNDORAN, IRELAND Freezing water, constant rain and food whose core ingredients strike fear in any heart surgeon. Surfers are a slightly mad breed. Bundoran’s popularity is the proof.

NORTH SHORE, HAWAII Where surfing began and where its heart beats loudest. Hemingway even surfed here – although no one can confirm if he stood up on the board.

MAVERICKS, CALIFORNIA Probably the world’s most famous and notorious wave. Two surfers died riding it in the 1990s. In winter this big wave attracts the best surfers in the world.

MUNICH, GERMANY Hardly the best but a good example of ways following wills. Surfers have been riding chest-high waves on the Eisbach river since the 1980s. Long may they continue.

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than three in a row you’d assume you’d paddled into a Carlsberg advert. Mimizan bucks this trend.

There are more women and more families at this spot than anywhere else I’ve visited and that’s because the surf schools cater for them. The Mimizan Surf Academy offers a family package, where smaller kids and lazy dads can play around on boogie boards while mum and co take on the breakers.

Beyond the water you’re reminded that Mimizan is famous for its flowers. If you walk through the town it’s impossible to miss the displays. If you want more, the nearby Aureilhan Lake is a haven for flowers and plants and aromas.

And if we’re talking about aromas it’s only fair to mention the paper mill outside town. If you’re downwind and out on your board you’ll be peeling wax off your deck to block your nostrils.

Next stop is Hossegor and the Spanish coast is already in sight. Hossegor is the home of the French Surf Federation – French surfing’s Croke Park, if you like. Hossegor’s waves are as famous as the town. People talk about Notre-Dame, La Gravière and the Nord like they were old friends. La Gravière is the most famous.

The Quiksilver Pro competition visits regularly and let that be a lesson to you: if you’re not a pro, attempting to ride La Gravière is humbling and even dangerous. On good days, the wave takes the shape of a tube and if you’re quick you can barrel through it. On incredible days, that tube is only accessible by jet ski. La Gravière is dangerous because the waves are tall, extremely fast and break in shallow water close to the shore. Exciting, right?

Breaking the waves, opposite, at Hossegor, where a Second World War bunker is “beached”, above.

Left, Hossegor, adrenaline junkies Andolfo Alberto and Alice Rossi, and below, Marie Lou Le Torch.

in Hossegor Stomachs may flip as experts take on the waves off the water this autumn. For pumping surf action – on and to October 6.

25 mber – be at the Quiksilver Pro France, Septe e 34 top It’s part of the ASP World Championship Tour, wher m ive.co ilverl quiks surfers will battle the barrel for victory.

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SURFING | BORDEAUX

ILLUSTRATION BY STEVE McCARTHY

On the day we go it’s not as huge as it can be but we’re still greeted by a surfer climbing back up the beach with his board in two pieces.

“Don’t blame the wave,” he says, “I bailed too late.”

We don’t and paddle out into water that is considerably warmer than up north. If you’re here in summer and early autumn you don’t even need a wetsuit, which is an almost unimaginable luxury for an Irish surfer. The waves are chest high, which is decent but the famous barrels that make up the content of the Hossegor postcard industry aren’t working. It’s still amazing and quiet enough that you don’t have to bully your way onto waves.

Hossegor is a town of 3,000 people, and I’d wager almost each and every one of them makes money from the surf industry. It’s the ultimate surf town. The menus offer surf themes, the bars have surfer specials and crowds leave pockets of sand and damp stools wherever they go. Leaving our shoes in our bags, because barefoot is well-heeled in Hossegor, we go for dinner.

It is 7pm. Our waiter in the vast

Hossegor is the ultimate surf town, from its laidback beach bars to murals celebrating the spray.

and empty restaurant tells us that the thing to do in Hossegor is eat between 10pm and midnight, then have drinks in the square and finally go to a club. Approaching 11pm, some stage after digestif, and long past dessert, when our sunburnt and salty bodies are crying for bed, we give up our tables to a group who look like they don’t even know the meaning of the word tired. When do all the surfers get their rest, we ask our waiter as he skips across the restaurant floor holding our bill like some bright symbol of surrender.

On the plane home, he answers.

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URBAN BEACHES | BEING THERE

6

URBAN BEACHES

Urbanites needn’t miss out on beach life this summer. Lucy White sinks into a deckchair in six stellar sandy cities.

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Amsterdam

JAN BARTELSMAN

Amsterdam can be whatever you want it to be, and its urban beaches are no exception, catering to all tastes and persuasions, from the houmousknitters of Blijburg Aan Zee to the sophisticated Strand Zuid (“South Beach”) via the all-year-round Strand West, which has eateries, children’s entertainment and sports. Our star picks though are Pllek (pllek.nl), left, whose converted warehouse and shipping containers play host to all-day dining, classical concerts, gigs, yoga and tai chi – and of course loads of sand and seating. Secondly, BovenNEMO is a rooftop oasis at the science museum NEMO (e-nemo. nl) – sandpits, drinks, ice cream, fab family-friendly water features and, of course, sublime panoramas.

Sleep it off at … Sightseeing can be exhausting, but so too can flopping out in the sun doing nada. The boutique Hotel Dwars is a fine place to stay, its mix’n’match of vintage and Scandi-style contemporary design – not least the wooden beams, above, and exposed brickwork – making for a super-stylish bolthole. Don’t dillydally though; it only has nine rooms.

From €90. (Utrechtsedwarsstraat 79, +31 619 55 56 51; hoteldwars.com)

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URBAN BEACHES | BEING THERE

Copenhagen

Pack a lunchbox from … There are supermarkets and there are super markets, of which Torvehallerne (torvehallernekbh.dk) is firmly the latter.

With coffee shops, pizzerias, tapas and sushi bars, it’s a challenge not to pull up a pew and eat here rather than make a packed lunch from the 60-something stalls of fresh fish, meat, vegetables, breads and pastries.

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TUALA HJARNØ

The Danish capital loves its harbour baths. Open from June 1 to August 31 this year, Havnebadet Islands Brygge, with its distinctive red-andwhite-stripe tower, pictured here, comprises five pools, two of which are for kids. So hot is this spot that a new complex was built opposite, called Kalvebod Brygge. Elsewhere, Copencabana – can you see what they did there? – at Havneholmen occupies 2.5 kilometres of sand, sports, entertainment and refreshments (we can’t promise you a showgirl called Lola, though). And by day Stranden Urban Beach is for sunbathers of all ages, and by night, aimed squarely at partygoers. For more on all of the above, visit visitcopenhagen.com.

Brussels

ERIC DANHIER/VISITBRUSSELS.BE

VISITBERLIN/BERND SCHîNBERGER

Landlocked Brussels is also in on the action, hosting Bruxelles les Bains/Brussel Bad from July 4 to August 10, its 3,000 tonnes of imported sand lining the length of the canal on the Quai des Peniches (bruxelleslesbains.be). There’s something for all ages here, including food and drink stalls, holistic activities, live music, beach parties, watersports, fireworks, an open air cinema and even a children’s village (games, music and drama, films, paddling pools). Open every Tuesday to Sunday.

Berlin

Sundown cocktails at …

Continue the al fresco Spree-side vibe into dusk at Kreuzberg’s Club der Visionaere, right. Berlin may be best known for its 24-hour party people reputation, but for laidback, understated drinks – or for hair of the dog – this former boathouse is just

wünderbar. Electronica may well be on the playlist – and the bijou “floating” dancefloor is rammed at weekends over the summer – but, for the most part, hipster patrons can be found laying low on sofas, benches, and beneath the willow trees. (Am Flutgraben 1; clubdervisionaere.com)

VISITBERLIN/PHILIP KOSCHEL

Check in to … Nestled in the museum district, and just a tenminute walk from Le Grand Place, 9Hotel Central, below, is a super addition to Brussels. It opened last year, and has consistently wowed guests with its elegant, loft-style aesthetic, crisp white bed linen, fast and free Wi-Fi, relaxation lounge and even a co-working space should you happen to be in town on business.

Simply great. Rooms from €95. (10 Rue des Colonies, Tel. +32 25 049 910; le9hotel.com).

Talk about spoilt for choice ... Berlin has an embarrassment of urban beaches. Mitte alone has one of the biggest, Oststrand – a strip of 7,000sqm multifaceted hangouts, volleyball courts and salsa terraces – and the oldest, Strandbar, above, which opened in 2002. The latter may be narrow but there’s plenty of room to stretch out with a cocktail.

Also in Mitte is Traumstrand, aka Dream Beach, slap-bang in front of Hauptbahnhof central station, and also Tiergarten, whose lush lawns turn to sand at The Box (boxberlin.com), where sun loungers, palm trees, yoga and wellness, and al fresco dining await.

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URBAN BEACHES | BEING THERE

Paris

Picnic from … Stomach is rumbling but laz to leave your sun lounger? No too lazy probl problem.

Order a delivery of cheese, olives bread and wine (€30) from the olives, fantas fantastique free iTunes app, L’appero, left. Cyclists will whizz over a chilled hamper thanks to geo-location tech technology – not only can you track your order in real time but payment is mad in advance via credit card. made Très bien.

TOURISM TORONTO/DANIELLE PETTI

Nothing says summer quite like sun on skin and sand between toes, and Paris Plages has the urban beach thing down to a tee. Bucking the European trend for manmade coastlines back in 2002, along with Berlin’s Mitte, these pedestrianised “resorts” along the river Seine comprise in excess of 5,000 tonnes of imported sand – and bags of entertainment, ice-cream stalls, book sales and children’s activities. Here, Parisians can soak up some rays on a deckchair, play a game of “beach volleyball” in front of the Hotel du Ville, or try go-karting or zip-lining. Chic sandpits are located along the Rives Gauche and Droite, and at La Villette, while a floating swimming pool, below, ensures safe bathing for all the family. From mid-June to mid-August.

Toronto

PARIS TOURIST OFFICE/AMÉLIE DUPONT

Toronto, very handily, has the gargantuan Lake Ontario, so it’d be rude not to exploit its “beach resort” potential. The waterfront boasts two impressive man-made strands – HtO and Sugar Beach, both designed by landscape architects Claude Cormier + Associés, and loosely inspired by Georges Seurat’s “Un Dimanche après-midi a l’Île de la Grande Jatte” and “Bathers at Asnières”. The only nods to Pointillism, though, are the parasols dotting each and shade provided by weeping willow trees. At Sugar Beach the water fountains are great fun for children, as is the theatrical lighting at dusk. Moreover, there are Sail-in Film screenings (sailincinema. com) and the Sugar Beach Sessions

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(edge.ca/sugarbeachsessions), while at both beaches is the Redpath Waterfront Festival (June 20-22; towaterfrontfest.com).

Light refreshments at …

Amsterdam BrewHouse. This microbrewery pub is sprawled across 14,000sqf of premier harbour front – the building itself dates back to the 1920s – making it the ideal hotspot to chill out in. Located less than 15 minutes away from HtO and Sugar Beach, it has pretty much every beer under the sun, as well as its own brews. There’s even a retail store selling limited edition brews and growlers. Cheers! (245 Queens Quay West, +1 415 504 1020; amsterdambrewhouse.com)

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Just 100 meters from Shannon Airport parkinn.ie/airporthotel-shannon

Park Inn by Radisson Shannon Airport Co. Clare, Ireland T: +353 (0)61 471 122, F: +353 (0)61 471 982 reservations.shannonairport@rezidorparkinn.com

LONDON’S burning The streets of the UK capital are sizzling with brand new hotels and restaurants, along with outdoor summer events galore. Aoife O’Riordain picks out the hot spots to visit.

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Slumber party – new openings at, left and below, the Kemps’ Ham Yard; The London EDITION where Berners Tavern, right, is pulling the cool crowd; and the Shangri-La, left.

Sleep at …

B

ed hopping in London is virtually a sport these days thanks to the number of new hotels popping up all over the capital this year. You will be guaranteed a room with a view at the newly opened Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard (31 St Thomas Street, +44 207 234 8088; shangri-la.com), above.

Set between the 34th and 52nd floors of London’s latest landmark, the iconic Renzo Piano-designed skyscraper, there are gasp-making panoramas of The Gherkin, The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, St Paul’s and Tower Bridge.

Another eagerly anticipated opening this month is Ham Yard (1 Ham Yard, +44 203 642 2000; firmdalehotels.com), top and right, the latest from talents Tim and Kit Kemp.

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Guests can gaze out over Soho from the guestrooms’ floorto-ceiling, warehouse-style windows, dine alfresco in the courtyard then browse its 13 handpicked boutiques.

When it opened last year, The London EDITION (10 Berners Street, +44 207 781 0000; editionhotels.com) masterminded by Ian Schrager, was an instant hit. Its restaurant, Berners Tavern, top right, has real wow-factor, with a kitchen helmed by chef Jason Atherton, and there’s a “sceney” Lobby Bar too. More walletfriendly slumbers can be had at Shoreditch’s hip Ace Hotel (100 Shoreditch High Street, +44 207 613 9800; acehotel. com), which opened its doors late last year. It is the first outpost of this trendsetting, US boutique brand.

Shop at …

LONDON ON VIEW / PAWEL LIIBERA

I

f you have already done Borough Market, Maltby Street (The Ropewalk, 41 Maltby Street; maltby.st) is a lesser-known but equally appealing alternative, barely five minutes’ walk away in Bermondsey. Held under the Victorian railway arches on weekends, it’s a hive of activity, with food stalls, live music and even teadance lessons. Many of the stalls spill out into Lassco’s architectural salvage yard and showroom – perfect for some head-in-the-clouds browsing.

Despite the weekend crowds, Portobello Market has enduring appeal, from the antiques shops of the

Notting Hill Gate end to the fruit stalls and bric-a-brac of the bustling Golborne Road – fashionistas know that Friday is the best day for vintage finds. On weekends the self-styled Acklam Village Market (4-8 Acklam Road; acklamvillagemarket.com), halfway down under the Westway, plays host to street food stalls, art and live music.

This year, John Lewis (300 Oxford Street, +44 207 629 7711; johnlewis. com) celebrates its 150th anniversary in business. For summer it has also opened a roof garden gazing out over the skyline – one of the city’s largest urban roof spaces.

Play at …

HENRI MATISSE “THE HORSE, THE RIDER AND THE CLOWN” 1943-4 © CENTRE POMPIDOU, MNAM-CCI, DIST. RMN-GRAND PALAIS / JEAN-CLAUDE PLANCHET © SUCCESSION HENRI MATISSE/DACS 2014

S

ummer in the city is the chance to enjoy a huge array of outdoor events all over London in some stunning backdrops, but it can become unbearably hot. Cool off with a swim at Parliament Hill Lido (Parliament Hill Fields, Gordon House Road, +44 207 485 3873; cityoflondon.gov.uk) a Grade II-listed Art Deco pool or, for a more natural experience, take a dip in the Hampstead Heath ponds nearby.

Tate Modern’s (Bankside, +44 207 887 8888; tate.org.uk) big summer show Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs is already proving something of a smash hit and runs until September 7. The first time such a collection has been shown together, it’s dedicated to vibrant works of art made from pieces of coloured paper

by Matisse between 1936 and 1954. The Southbank Centre’s many open spaces come to life during summer – its Festival of Love (Belvedere Road, +44 207

960 4200; southbankcentre. co.uk), from June 28 to August 31, will celebrate love in all its forms, with specially themed weekends, pop-up events, talks and performances. The leafy confines of Holland Park are a magical backdrop for its Opera Holland Park (Holland Park, +44 207 361 3570; rbkc.gov. uk) summer season. This year’s productions include Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and a reprise of its specially commissioned children’s opera, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Picnics can be ordered in advance. Sneak a peek into some of the city’s highly coveted private garden squares, rooftop gardens and allotments – even 10 Downing Street – during the Open Garden Square Weekend (various venues; opensquares.org) on June 14-15, when more than 200 gardens all over London open their gates to the public.

Top, Portobello appeal. Left, Matisse’s cut-outs, already a big hit at the Tate Modern, and below, cooling down at the Southbank Centre.

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CITY BREAK | LONDON

Eat at …

L

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the month until October you can find Kerb at the fountainstrewn Granary Square in King’s Cross.

The décor at Gymkhana (42 Albemarle Street, +44 203 011 5900; gymkhanalondon. com) harks back to the heyday of the British Raj, with whirring ceiling fans, hunting trophies, dark wood and marble tables.

Sip a punch from a cut-crystal glass and ponder a menu that leans heavily towards game – the Wild Muntjac Biryani with pomegranate and mint raita and the Kid Goat Methi Keema are standouts. Its £20 set lunch menu is also a steal and it’s easier to swing a table during the day. Currently the capital’s searing-hot tables are to be found in the dining room of André Balaz’s first European hotel, Chiltern Firehouse (1 Chiltern Street, +44 207 073 7676; chilternfirehouse. com) in Marylebone, so it’s essential to book well ahead.

Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes, below left, is wowing diners with his signature, innovative cuisine, while his crab-stuffed doughnuts have already attained cult-like status.

AER LINGUS FLIES DAILY FROM DUBLIN, CORK, SHANNON AND BELFAST TO LONDON HEATHROW; DAILY FROM DUBLIN AND KNOCK TO LONDON GATWICK, AND DAILY FROM DUBLIN TO LONDON SOUTHEND.

KATE BEARD

Clockwise from top, no bookings please, laidback charm at the Barnyard; scallops from roving market, Kerb; Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes creating cult classics at Chiltern Firehouse.

ondon’s eating out scene is notoriously fickle, but modern classics endure.

This month Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, the duo behind the ever-popular The Wolseley, open Fischer’s (50 Marylebone High Street; fischers.co.uk), an all-day, Viennese-style café and konditorei, which is bound to become the perfect peoplewatching perch.

The recent arrival of Barnyard (18 Charlotte Street, +44 207 580 3842; barnyardlondon.com), left, is perhaps a welcome relief for those who want to sample Ollie Dabbous’s cooking without having to book months in advance. His second restaurant is a more casual affair, with a down-home feel and American-inspired small plates, such as roast suckling pig with celeriac or short ribs. Some of London’s best street food comes together at Kerb (kerbfood.com), below, a roving market at various locations around the capital.

This summer the Southbank Centre will host 27 Kerb food stalls over the first weekends of July, August and September, while every third Saturday of

CHAPTER ONE R E S TA U RA N T

MONAGHAN’S

CASHMERE STORE Established 1960

“Ireland’s Leading Cashmere Store” Frommers Travel Guide

Summer Lunches at CHAPTER ONE

Set Lunch Menu served Tuesday to Friday from 12.30pm-2pm €29.00-€36.50

Chapter One – An Irish Food Story Cook book on sale at the restaurant.

Chefs Table available at lunch time with a Six Course Tasting Menu for €50 Reservations 003531 8732266 | info@chapteronerestaurant.com www.chapteronerestaurant.com Chapter One Restaurant opened in February 1992 with co-proprietors Ross Lewis and Martin Corbett. It is located in the basement of the Dublin Writers Museum on Parnell Square in Dublin’s city centre. Since its opening, Chapter One and its teams in both the kitchen and restaurant have been the recipients of numerous awards for both service and food, including a Michelin star awarded since 2007.

Mr. Tom Monaghan

A trip to Dublin would not be complete without visiting Tom Monaghan in his store in Dublin’s Royal Hibernian Way. Monaghan’s is famous for its cashmere and has been in business for over 50 years, selling a wide range of classic cashmere in the latest styles and colours for both men and women.

A DUBLIN ICON SINCE 1927

Café Grafton Street

Bewley’s Café Grafton Street has been stirring the hearts of a nation for generations. Boasting a rich cultural and architectural heritage, it is also home to the magnificant stained glass windows by renowned artist Harry Clarke.

78/79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2 Phone: 01 672 7720 Email: gs@bewleys.ie www.bewleys.com

Come and enjoy our award winning hand-roasted coffee and delicious freshly baked desserts in a beautiful surrounding.

Tom would personally love to meet you instore and offer you an extra 10% discount in addition to your tax free rebate on the horizon tax free card for all non-eu residents. (Terms & Conditions apply)

M Monaghan’s Cashmere, Royal Hibernian Way, Dawson Street, Dublin 2, Phone: +353 (0)1 6794451

www.monaghanscashmere.ie

BEING THERE | SANTIAGO

48 hours in

Eat at ...

Santiago de Compostela

CASINO BITES The Café Casino (Rúa do Vilar 35; +34 981 577 503; cafecasino.es) has been serving the people of Santiago since 1873 and it retains an old world charm even today, with its plush furnishings, ornate chandeliers and Art Nouveau décor.

A café con leche and a slice of tarta Santiago (the delicious local almond tart) are highly recommended, but there are more substantial dishes and an extensive cocktail menu at reasonable prices, too.

MODERN TWIST Located slightly off the well-trampled tourist trail, A Tafona (Rúa da Virxe da Cerca, +34 981 562 314; restauranteatafona.com) is something of a hidden gem. Its menu is at the pricier end of the budget but its dishes are a gastronomic delight, providing a contemporary take on traditional Galician cuisine, including the ubiquitous local speciality pulpo (octopus). Various meat and vegetarian options are available, as well as an eight-course tasting menu for a reasonable €40.

FOODY FICTION Traditional Mediterranean dishes such as paella are rare on menus in the seafood-dominated Galicia region, but Restaurante Don Quijote (Calle Galeras 20, +34 981 586 859; quijoterestaurante.com) has something to suit all tastes. This is the sort of place you'll see local families enjoying a hearty meal; there’s great ambience, attentive service, warming dishes from grilled hake to tasty tortillas and a dessert of Grand Marnier pancakes to drool over.

Best known as the end of the Camino, this Spanish city is steeped in history. But, as Lauren Murphy finds, the student population keeps it young.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SANTIAGOTURISMO.COM

Don’t miss ...

HISTORY The magnificent 11thcentury Cathedral in the Plaza del Obradoiro dominates both Santiago’s cityscape and its history. The reputed burial place of St James, whose decorative silver casket is on display in the bowels of the building, it marks the end point of the 800-kilometre-long pilgrimage Camino de Santiago (Way of St James). A pilgrims’ Mass takes place daily at midday and guided tours can be booked in the visitors’ centre at the main entrance.

CULTURE A complex of aweinspiring buildings designed by American architect Peter Eisenman, the City of Culture on Mount Gaiás (cidadedacultura.org) intended as a cultural hub for the Galicia region and its sleek, ultra-modern contours juxtapose wonderfully with the rustic charm of the old town. Unfortunately, the development remains unfinished – but several buildings, including an exhibition space, library and museum, are open to the public.

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GASTRONOMY Wander down Rúa das Ameas to the Mercado de Abastos (mercadodeabastos desantiago.com), the bustling fresh food market and the second mostvisited site in Santiago – no surprise, considering the Galician obsession with food and eating well. Dating back to the 19th century, it’s open every day except Sundays and is a great place to sample some tasty local cuisine on a budget. There’s even a kitchen that will cook your purchases on-site for 10 per cent of the price.

Top, left, the sleek modern City of Culture buildings contrast with the ancient cathedral. Right, farm fresh goodies at Mercado de Abastos.

Sleep at ...

SPLURGE Part of the state-run Paradores chain, the five-star Parador de Santiago (Plaza do Obradoiro 1, 01 878 3111; maptravel.ie) is the ultimate in luxury and elegance, left. Just beside the cathedral, it’s reportedly one of the world’s oldest hotels, dating from 1499 and originally functioning as a hospital for pilgrims. Rooms from €200.

MID-PRICE The four-star San Francisco Hotel Monumento (Campillo de San Francisco 3; +34 981 581 634; sanfranciscohm.com) is a restored 13th-century convent – the foundations of which are still visible in the reception area. With 82 spacious rooms, two covered cloisters, a very good breakfast buffet, free Wi-Fi and a swimming pool/Jacuzzi, it’s less than a three-minute walk from the centre of the old town. Rooms from €88 (single) and €115 (double).

BUDGET Badalada Pensión (Rúa Xelmírez 30, +34 981 572 618; badalada. es) is situated down a quiet side street close to all Santiago’s main tourist sites and is a short hop from the newer part of the city, too. Tastefully decorated, it’s rustic, no-fuss accommodation with free Wi-Fi in reception, TV in rooms and staff that would go to the ends of the earth for you.

Double rooms from €40.

Go the extra mile …

Drink at ...

LIVELY Although it’s an historic city, Santiago is a university town and is kept young by the constant influx of students flooding its winding streets.

The café-bar Kunsthalle (Rúa da Congo, +34 981 575 170; kunsthalle.es) attracts a younger crowd later in the night with its music, colourful walls and trendy basement bar. Cheap pinxtos (small plates) are available if you're feeling peckish.

RELAXING It’s true that Galicia suffers from the Irish problem of perpetual rain showers in spring and winter – but if you're lucky to snatch a sunny day, Fonseca Café Bar (+34 981 583 704) in the shadow of the cathedral on the pretty Plaza de Fonseca is the perfect place to people-watch. A cold glass of the refreshing local beer, Estrella Galicia, will quench your thirst.

TRADITION Remnants of the original use of Modus Vivendi (Praza Feixoó 1, +34 981 576 109;

pubmodusvivendi.net) as a stable for an 18th-century mansion remain today, giving this cavern-like bar in the old town plenty of character. It regularly stages gigs, DJ sets, poetry readings and exhibitions. Open until 3am most nights.

Above, far left, Kunsthalle, the place to go for pinxtos, and above, the ideal day-trip, the fishing village of Finisterre.

kages with both CaminoWays offer tailored pac the Camino de guided and unguided tours on inoways.com.

Santiago from Dublin. See cam

If you feel like experiencing a little of the Camino yourself, day trips to Finisterre can be arranged via the Tourism Office (santiagoturismo. com) on Rúa do Vilar 63. It takes about a 90-minute drive to reach this fishing village on the ominoussounding Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), where some pilgrims continue on from Santiago to burn their boots metaphorically (and sometimes literally) at the “end of the world”.

Don’t worry: you won’t have to walk further than the lighthouse at the end of the pier.

If architecture is your thing, it’s worth paying a little extra to take the rooftop tour of Santiago's cathedral and experience the city’s most iconic landmark from a different perspective.

A guide will explain the reasoning behind the numerous bell towers and the importance of the building throughout the ages.

While Santiago is a city steeped in history and culture, it also offers plenty of 21st century delights. To that end, shoppers will be sated by well-known brands such as Bershka, Zara, Tiger, Mango and Sephora, which line streets Rúa do Xeneral Pardiñas and Rúa de Montero Rios in the “new town” area of the city.

AER LINGUS FLIES FROM DUBLIN TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA THREE TIMES A WEEK.

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Live traditional Irish music nightly from 9pm

McNeills Pub Sessions & Music Shop, located in Dublins city centre has been operating since 1834.

The home of Traditional Irish Music in Dublin, live music runs nightly with some of the most infamous characters and musicians in the city sitting in on a regular basis. If you want to experience real traditional Irish culture in an original and comfortable setting then we would welcome your visit.

Established 1834 • Live Irish Music Nightly • No Cover Charge• Central Location 140 Capel Street, Dublin 1. Ph: +353 1 8747679 • www.facebook.com/McNeillsPubSessions

The KITKAT CLUB is not for the easily bewildered! This club is burlesque/ exhibitionist, although some call it tame compared to the more underground clubs of this nature … of which there are plenty in Berlin. (Köpenicker Straße 76, +49 30 217 3680; kitkatclub.org)

Begin a walk that will show you some of the best parts of Berlin at THE EAST SIDE GALLERY (eastsidegalleryberlin.com) on Mühlenstraße, which runs along 1.3 kilometres of the Berlin Wall.

Painted head to toe in commissioned political art and graffiti tags, it’s essential for firsttime visitors.

HAMY CAFÉ-FOODSTORE is always full for a reason – it has the best Vietnamese cuisine you’re probably ever likely to eat. Great for veggies and non-veggies alike, it’s gorgeous, super-fresh food all washed down with rum tea. You’ll feel so full of goodness for under a tenner.

(Hasenheide 10, Kreuzberg, +49 30 6162 5959; hamycafe.com)

AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO

Berlin SOMMERBAD NEUKÖLLN sw swimming pool (Columbiadamm 160, +4 +49 30 6278 830) is excellent fun in the summer, with great slides, diving bo boards and entertainment. It’s always cra crammed in good weather but there ar are loads of different pools and a real re relaxed lido vibe.

Irish singer/songwriter Wallis Bird extols the virtues (and vices) of her adopted city, Berlin.

If you’re going to Berlin, I recommend you get plenty of sleep beforehand, because you might not get too much when you’re there!

If so, you’ll need to know about this place: BIERBAUM 3 which is open 24 hours a day, breakfast costs just €3.50 – and there’s a pool table. (Schillerpromenade 31, Neukölln, +49 30 6272 7535; bierbaum3.de)

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF AKI GÜLDNER / BERLINER BAEDER-BETRIEBE SOMMERBAD NEUKÖLLN

Near Columbiadamm is the lovely HASENHEIDE PARK right – check out the wildlife pond or see an openair movie, below, as part the seasonal FREILUFTKINO programme (freiluftkino-hasenheide.de).

Make your way westwards along the canal towards NIKOLAIVIERTEL the oldest part of Berlin dating back to 1237. Small cobblestoned streets, quaint shops and a slow pace greet you here. Get an ice cream, and walk ten minutes towards MUSEUMSINSEL (Museums Island), above – even if you don’t see any exhibits, it’s a feast for the architectural eye; the sense of open space punctuated sparsely by imperial-style government buildings jaw-dropping.

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I often go to DAS HOTEL (Mariannenstraße 26a, +49 30 8411 8433; dashotelclassic.blogspot.de), left, to play and to dance after-hours.

It’s a tiny, beautiful and romantic bar, with amazing cocktails and excellent music – from jazz to funk to requests.

An excellent vibe, impossibly small but with a huge personality.

Meanwhile, for a buzzy, trendy crowd and late-o-clock classic dance tunes, try PROMENADEN ECK (Schillerpromenade 11, Neukölln, +49 172 574 6904). Good times.

The BRANDENBURG GATE above, is a must see, as is my favourite Berlin tourist landmark, the JEWISH HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL below, (stiftung-denkmal.de), an effective sculptural feat of modern art that inspires thought, fear and acknowledgment of the city’s history. Its account of the Second World War is not for the fainthearted and therefore should not be missed.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF CARSTEN ZOLTAN / VISITBERLIN-PHILIP KOSCHEL / MARKO PRISKE

NIGHTCLUB BERGHAIN and PANORAMA BAR are notorious for their “anything goes” policy and fetish night leanings – and equally infamous for its tough door policy, which is a bit of a lucky dip. Well worth it if you do get through the doors though. (Am Wriezener Bahnhof, +49 30 2936 0210; berghain.de)

Th “Berlin artist chic” The MICHELBERGER HOTEL (W (Warschauer Straße 39/40, +49 30 29 77 85 90; 39 michelbergerhotel.com) is mi a great place to stay, with ex excellent taste in decor and co cocktails. Right next to the East Side Gallery and a lateni night haunt for most bands playing pl in Berlin, you never kn know who you might end up doing shots with. Rooms from fr €80.

More about Wallis

Singer-songwriter Wallis Bird was born and raised in Ireland, but her music career led her to move around Europe, and she now calls Berlin her home. She says, “if you’re going, make ten, loose plans, walk often, rent a bike and lean towards spontaneity.”

A double Meteor Award winner and Choice Prize nominee, she has released four albums, toured the world and supported other artists including Rodrigo y Gabriela, Billy Bragg and the Gossip. She’s currently touring across Europe following the release of her latest album Architect, out now. wallisbird.com

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For a special night with your loved one, try HOSTARIA LA BUONA FORCHETTA (Graefestaße 83, +49 30 2232 7119; hostaria-berlin. de). It’s in one of the prettier parts of town and I can guarantee an incredible evening of lovinglymade Italian food, ever-flowing wine chosen to suit your meal and intimate though playful surroundings. Four-course set menu €29 – but make a reservation at least a day in advance.

FRIEDRICHSHAIN is a nice spot for markets, unique shops, furniture stores and young designer clothing boutiques. There’s also a super hostel here called A&O (Boxhagener Straße 73, +49 30 2977 815401; aohostels.com), which I recommend highly – rooms are spacious, very clean and it seems more like a hotel than hostel. Beds from €7.

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SPOTLIGHT Kinsale Compiled by Lucy White

TOP TABLES The Black Pig Winebar & Café (66 Lower O’Connell Street, 021 477 4101; facebook.com/theblackpigwinebar) purveys charcuterie and cheese (and more) from West Cork and Spain, plus a mind-boggling array of wine. The cobbled terrace and streetside patio are thronged in summer. Also run by a married couple, and sharing a similar local/seasonal ethos, is Finn’s Table (6 Main Street, 021 470 9636; finnstable.com), open Monday to Saturday from 6pm until October. It’s cheating a bit to recommend Diva Boutique Bakery & Café (021 477 8465; divaboutiquebakery.com), some eight kilometres away in Ballinspittle ... But kudos to its ace pastries, cakes, soups and sambos. And for a cross section of the town’s best bites, there’s the annual Kinsale Gourmet Festival, October 10-12 (kinsalerestaurants.com).

3 must-dos ...

BEER Blacks of Kinsale Boutique beer heads will be in their element on this brewery tour – no sooner did the home-brewing hobby of Sam and Maudline Black take off than they won bronze at the 2013 Alltech Dublin Beer Cup awards for their Kinsale Pale Ale. This 45-minute guided behindthe-scenes snoop costs €7, and includes a tasting tray of drinks at the end. Sláinte! kinsalecraftbrewery.com

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WINE Desmond Castle In previous lives, this tower house dating back to 1500 was once home to the Earl of Desmond, a Customs House, prison and a workhouse.

Since 1997, though, it has been the International Museum of Wine charting the flight of the “Irish Wine Geese” that fled to Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and became involved in the vino trade. Open until September. kinsale.ie

FAMILY Kinsale Ghost Tour Less scary and more merry, this walking tour is a lark for all ages. Historical facts combine with slapstick written and performed by locals David Peare and Brian O’Neill, whose mum, Mary, is landlady of the Tap Tavern pub from which the tour departs at 9pm, Sunday to Friday from May until September, €10 adults/€5 children. Book a place at 021 477 2240.

EXCLUSIVE Ballinacurra House If you’re looking for somewhere special for a private party, this is it. An 18th-century, 16-hectare estate, Ballinacurra boasts 22 guest rooms across three buildings. It also has its own private chef, David Rice, with Kinsale town just a ten-minute drive away.

Well, if it’s good enough for Michael Jackson … POA. (021 477 9040; ballinacurra.com)

HERBIVORES Gort na Nain Farm Even the staunchest meat eater would be impressed by this working farm-cumvegetarian guesthouse, which supplies produce to many a Cork eatery. It has a most excellent arrangement with Cork city’s revered veggie restaurant/inn Café Paradiso, in which €330 buys an overnight stay for two in each property, including breakfast, dinner, and a farm tour. B&B from €85. (021 477 0647; gortnanain.com)

CENTRAL Pier House As its name implies, this stylish-yet-homely B&B overlooks the harbour. A contemporary nautical theme is complemented by natural materials – driftwood sculptures, timber flooring – alongside modern luxuries, including free Wi-Fi. And owners Ann and Pat Hegarty know their way around a fine breakfast. Doubles from €40pps. (021 477 4169; pierhousekinsale.com)

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Browse through a selection of music and create your own playlist from a collection of over 900 albums.

In addition to our vast collection of albums, there is also a selection of broadcast shows available for your enjoyment. Each programme is exclusively produced for Aer Lingus

by RTÉ, Newstalk 106108 FM, Radio Nova and 98FM, to name but a few.

Keep up to date with the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as Aer Lingus provides regular updates with exclusive news and highlights. For some World Cup nostalgia, tune into FIFA World Cup Shocks. Past and present - Aer Lingus has you covered!

Photo Tony Revolori and Saoirse Ronan in Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel

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INFLIGHT

Welcome Aboard Aer Lingus is delighted to welcome you on board Tá áthas ar Aer Lingus fáilte ar bord a chur romhat For your comfort and safety Please pay attention while the cabin crew demonstrate the use of the safety equipment before take-off. Also, make sure to read the safety instruction card, which is in the seat pocket in front of you.

Seat belts must be fastened during take-off and landing, and whenever the “Fasten Seat Belts” sign is switched on. We recommend

Tá

that you keep your seat belt loosely fastened throughout the flight. Your seat must be in the upright position during take-off and landing, but can be reclined by pressing the large button in the armrest. Other buttons (in the armrest or above your head, depending on the aircraft) may be used to operate your reading light and air vent, or to call a cabin attendant.

SMOKING In line with Irish government regulations, Aer Lingus has a no-smoking policy onboard its flights. Smoking cigarettes or e-cigarettes is not permitted in any part of the cabin at any time.

with Aer Lingus. sant flight. Thank you for choosing to fly plea and ble forta com a have you e hop We as taisteal le hAer Lingus. eamhach agat agus go raibh maith agat taitn ach pord com s tura onn mbí go nn suil agai

Please note Mobile phones and all other portable electronic equipment such as tablet computers, mp3 players and e-readers must be switched to “flight safe” or the equivalent airplane mode if you wish to use for taxi, take-off, in-flight or for landing, or “flight safe” mode and then off if you wish to only use in-flight. If your device does not have a “flight safe” mode, then it must be switched off and stowed for the duration of the flight. After landing and only when crew have advised that it is safe to do so, you are permitted to use your mobile phone provided it is within easy reach of you. You must remain seated with your seatbelt fastened and follow the instructions of the cabin crew.

DEVICES PERMITTED AT ✔ ANY TIME Devices powered by micro battery

cells and/or by solar cells; hearing aids (including digital devices); pagers (receivers only); heart pacemakers.

DEVICES PERMITTED IN ● FLIGHT ONLY* Laptops, portable CD-players, Mini-

disk player, GPS handheld receivers, electric shavers and electronic toys. For the comfort of other passengers, audio devices should be used with a headset.

If using a laptop, please ensure that wi-fi is turned off, unless you are connecting to the Aer Lingus Wi-Fi network on our A330 aircraft. *Not permitted during taxi/takeoff/initial climb/approach/ landing

DEVICES PROHIBITED ✘ AT ALL TIMES Devices transmitting radio frequency

intentionally such as walkie-talkies, remote controlled toys; wireless computer equipment (eg mouse, keyboard); PC printers, DVD/CD writers and Mini-disk Recorders in the recording mode; digital camcorders when using CD write facility; portable stereo sets; pocket radios (AM/ FM); TV receivers; telemetric equipment; peripheral devices for handheld computer games (eg supplementary power packs connected by cable); wireless LAN (WLAN). Laptops with built-in WLAN (eg Centrino) may be used during flight, provided the WLAN option is turned off and subject to the restrictions associated with the use of laptops detailed above.

On A330 aircraft, to avail of our Wi-Fi and Mobile Network you need to switch off the ‘flight safe mode’ on your device once advised that it is safe to do so by crew.

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INFLIGHT

Aer Lingus news LONDON HERE WE COME From July 9 2014, all Aer Lingus flights to and from London Heathrow airport will operate from Terminal 2. This brand new, state of the art terminal is the latest stage in Heathrow’s transformation and has been designed from the outset with the needs of passengers at its heart.

The new terminal will enhance your journey through quicker processes and shorter walking distances. The retail experience in T2 will consist of 52 shops and 17

bars and restaurants and includes a number of exciting world “firsts”.

We are proud to announce that our new Gold Circle Lounge, below, in T2 will be 50% larger than our current lounge, has stunning views of the airfield and will contain some new, exciting features including showers, meeting rooms and a quiet area.

Transferring to other flights will be seamless and same terminal connections will be possible with a number of our partner airlines.

Arriving into T2 will be quick and easy with direct

access to all of the transport links, including Heathrow Express, meaning Paddington Station can be reached in only 15 minutes. In total 26 airlines will use the brand new T2. The terminal opens to passengers on June 4 2014 and all Aer Lingus flights will move from T1 to T2 on July 9 2014. Once all airlines have moved into T2 at the end of 2014, up to 64,000 passengers are expected to travel through T2 each day on 178 flights serving 54 destinations!

We look forward to welcoming you to Heathrow T2 soon!

HELLO, TORONTO! Aer Lingus recently recorded two firsts with the launch of their inaugural flight from Dublin to Toronto and the first operation from Dublin of the Boeing B757 aircraft which was recently added to its transatlantic fleet.

The new service will operate year-round with a daily service between Dublin and Toronto during the summer season and up to four weekly services operating during the winter. This is the fourth transatlantic route launch in recent months and forms part of Aer Lingus’ significant transatlantic growth plan in 2014.

Aer Lingus customers travelling from over 20 UK and European cities via Dublin to Toronto will also have the option to connect to eight key cities within Canada, including Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary.

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Vintage aircraft take flight The Iolar, Aer Lingus’s first ever aircraft, and two de Havilland Chipmunks in Irish Air Corps colours, will perform at air shows over the coming months, including formation fly-pasts and solo aerobatics, around Europe. These were widely used for civilian pilot training and have an important place in the history of aviation both in Ireland and the UK. The aircraft and crew of the Irish Historic Flight have been displaying individually throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe over the last three years. For more details follow: facebook.com/ AerLingusIolar1936.

AER LINGUS FIRSTS

Inaugural flights, arrivals and births in June …

1946

On June 17, Aer Lingus inaugurated a new route from Dublin to Paris using Douglas DC-3 aircraft, the first direct connection from Dublin to Continental Europe A new thriceweekly route from Dublin to Cardiff, Aer Lingus’ first destination in Wales, was inaugurated on 13 June A Dublin-LourdesLisbon seasonal summer route commenced on June 3, operating weekly with Vickers Viscount 800

1952

1959

CADETS GET THEIR WINGS

It’s show time!

Aer Lingus customers travelling on board Airbus A330 aircraft, which operates transatlantic flights, can now enjoy using their personal electronic devices, including laptops, smartphones, tablets, e-readers and MP3 players for the entire duration of their flight. Devices must be switched to “Flight mode” and all safety demonstrations and briefings must be observed. This is another service enhancement following on from the introduction of high-speed internet access on flights to North America.

1963

RAPHY

1975

MAXWELL PHOTOG

Last month Aer Lingus awarded the most recent group of graduates from their cadetship programme their wings.

The presentation took place at a ceremony in Hangar 6 at Dublin Airport, and was attended by Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller, members of the Aer Lingus executive management team, and family and friends.

Twenty cadets, who successfully completed an 18-month cadetship programme in Jerez, Spain, received their wings, becoming fully-fledged Aer Lingus co-pilots. They are currently flying the A320 aircraft on Aer Lingus short-haul European routes.

It was a very special occasion as the ceremony also served to honour the first ever group of cadet pilots from the class of 1962, who trained in Airwork Services in Perth, Scotland.

Arms was fitted. The Boeing 720 was met by a formation of four Irish Air Corps De Havilland Vampire T.55s when it entered Irish airspace, and escorted to its landing at Dublin Airport.

The Vampires made several flypasts over the airport buildings in salute during the arrival ceremonies Aer Lingus opened the first car-ferry service between Ireland and Continental Europe on June 17 with a twice-weekly service on the Dublin-Cherbourg route operated by Aviation Traders Carvair aircraft On June 11, the first birth took place on board an Aer Lingus aircraft – a Boeing 747 called St Patrick, operating between Luanda and Lisbon. The upper deck lounge became a birthing chamber and the birth was attended by a doctor on board assisted by one of the Aer Lingus cabin crew who had nursing experience.

The baby was called Patrick after the aircraft On June 23, the Red Cross chartered an Aer Lingus Boeing 737QC to operate a DublinLarnaca cargo charter with relief supplies for victims of the war in Beirut Aer Lingus put its first two Airbus A330s 1 into full service on June 1, the first Dublin-JFK service on that date flown by EIDUB on flight EI105, while sister ship EI-SHN operated flight EI111 from Shannon to JFK. Aer Lingus was the first airline to put the A330 into service on transatlantic routes – and to appreciate its potential for long-haul operations

1982 1961

On June 10, Boeing 720 EIALC operated a special flight from Paris-Le Bourget to Dublin.

Onboard were Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, above, on an official state visit to attend the Dublin International Festival of Music and the Arts and to holiday in Ireland. A week later, EI-ALA operated a special RomeDublin flight carrying Cardinal Agagianian, Papal Legate to the Patrician Congress, and escorting party. The Papal Legate travelled in the aircraft’s Golden Shamrock first class cabin where a special decal of the Papal

1994

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Emmet in The Lego Movie

Aer Lingus Movies

Joaquin Phoenix in Her

Your entertainment to and from the United States!

hAnk & AshA

gOOD OL’ FREDA

CUBAn FURy

ThE WAIT

Outbound

Outbound

Outbound

Outbound

R / Comedy / 1hr 13mins Director James E. Duff Cast Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides, Emmanuel Baptiste

PG / Documentary / 1hr 26mins Director Ryan White Cast Freda Kelly, Paul McCartney, John Lennon

R / Comedy / 1hr 37mins Director James Griffiths Cast Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd

R / Thriller / 1hr 36mins Director M. Blash Cast Jena Malone, Chloë Sevigny, Luke Grimes

An Indian and a New Yorker strike up an unusual correspondence.

The story of The Beatles’ lifelong secretary.

A salsa dancer attempts to revive his career.

Two sisters keep their deceased mother’s body at home.

LABOR DAy

ThE sEA

ROBOCOp

ThE gRAnD BUDApEsT hOTEL

Outbound

Outbound

Outbound

Outbound

PG-13 / Drama / 1hr 51mins Director Jason Reitman Cast Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith

PG / Drama / 1hr 26mins Director Stephen Brown Cast Bonnie Wright, Ciarán Hinds, Natascha McElhone

PG-13 / Action / 1hr 58mins Director José Padilha Cast Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton

R / Comedy / 1hr 39mins Director Wes Anderson Cast Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric

A mom and her son become involved with a mysterious man.

A man returns to the sea where he spent his childhood.

Alex Murphy becomes half man, half robot - RoboCop.

The adventures of Gustave H and his trusted lobby boy.

mIkE TysOn: UnDIspUTED TRUTh Outbound

A BIRDER’s gUIDE TO EVERyThIng Outbound

mR. pEABODy & shERmAn

ThE LEgO mOVIE

Outbound

Outbound

R / Biography / 1hr 30mins Director Spike Lee Cast Mike Tyson

PG-13 / Comedy / 1hr 28mins Director Rob Meyer Cast Ben Kingsley, Kodi Smit-McPhee, James Le Gros

PG / Animation / 1hr 21mins Director Rob Minkoff Cast Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert

PG / Animation / 1hr 41mins Director Phil Lord Cast Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Alison Brie

A journey into the story and life of Mike Tyson.

The story of a 15-year old birding fanatic.

The adventures of a time-travelling boy and his dog.

A Lego worker’s quest to stop an evil tyrant.

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A LOng WAy DOWn

3 DAys TO kILL

Inbound

pOmpEII

Inbound

JACk RyAn: shADOW RECRUIT Inbound

R / Comedy / 1hr 36mins Director Pascal Chaumeil Cast Imogen Poots, Aaron Paul, Rosamund Pike

PG-13 / Thriller / 1hr 57mins Director McG Cast Kevin Costner, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen

PG-13 / Action / 1hr 45mins Director Kenneth Branagh Cast Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley

PG-13 / Action / 1hr 45mins Director Paul W.S. Anderson Cast Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland

Four people bond over their troubles.

A dying CIA agent reconnects with his daughter.

Jack Ryan attempts to prevent a plot to ruin the economy.

A slave turned gladiator attempts to save Pompeii.

hER

ThE BATTLE OF ThE sExEs

sWELTER

BAREFOOT

Inbound

Inbound

Inbound

Inbound

R / Romance / 1hr 58mins Director Spike Jonze Cast Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson

PG / Documentary / 1hr 23mins Director James Erskine Cast Amanda Edwards, Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs

R / Action / 1hr 36mins Director Keith Parmer Cast Jean-Claude Van Damme, Josh Henderson, Lennie James

PG-13 / Romance / 1hr 40mins Director Andrew Fleming Cast Evan Rachel Wood, Scott Speedman, J.K. Simmons

A writer becomes close to his personal operating system.

The rivalry between tennis stars Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King.

Four thieves leave prison to reclaim what is theirs.

A young man falls for a psychiatric patient.

DATE AnD sWITCh

ROBOTs

ThE mOnUmEnTs mEn

FLIppED

Inbound

Inbound

Inbound

Inbound

R / Comedy / 1hr 46mins Director Chris Nelson Cast Nicholas Braun, Hunter Cope, Dakota Johnson

PG / Animation / 1hr 30mins Director Chris Wedge Cast Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Mel Brooks

PG-13 / Biography / 1hr 58mins Director George Clooney Cast George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray

PG / Comedy / 1hr 30mins Director Rob Reiner Cast Madeline Carroll, Callan McAuliffe, Rebecca De Mornay

Two guys test their friendship when one comes out as gay.

A robot struggles in the big city.

A WWII Veteran returns goods stolen by Nazi thieves.

Two 8th graders find unlikely love.

Inbound

ALL ROUTEs · Crazy Heart · The Departed · The Legend Of Bagger Vance · MASH · There’s No Business Like Show Business · Analyze That · Little Miss Sunshine · In America · Great Expectations · Batman Begins · The Dark Knight · The Dark Knight Rises · Casablanca · Men of Honor · Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World · Goodfellas · Walk the Line · Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium · Gone with the Wind · Highlander · Troy · Witches of Eastwick · Singin’ in the Rain · The Bridges of Madison County

Troy

Little Miss Sunshine

The Guard

IRIsh shORT FILms · Breathe In · Delaneys Bike Shop · There’s No Charge for the Hat · Small Green Fields

IRIsh FEATURE FILms The Dark Knight

The Bridges of Madison Co.

· A Film With Me In It · The Guard

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BRAnD nEW DRAmA As we witness a golden age in TV drama, Aer Lingus offers engaging choices with boxsets of True Detective, House of Cards and Vikings, as well as multiple episodes from the brand new season of Game of Thrones and a return to fan favourite, Bones.

Aer Lingus TV COmEDy Multiple-award winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been captivating audiences with her impeccable comic timing since she played Seinfeld’s Elaine.

Veep’s Selina Meyer is rather a different sort of role – she’s the ditzy vice-president of the United States, and Louis-Dreyfus gives as much to the character as we’ve come to expect.

Those with a more anarchic sense of humour might appreciate two new episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Eastbound and Down. Also available are The Big Bang Theory, Girls, and Hello Ladies.

LIFEsTyLE Enjoy highlights of the Big Apple as John Fitzpatrick, CEO of Fitzpatrick Hotel’s North America, invites us to explore his quintessentially Irish hotel and his version of New York in the TV short, Fitzpatrick Hotel New York.

The Wicklow Mountains are a renowned tourist destination; it’s less well-known that they’ve also served as a hiding place for some legendary Irish rebels. In Episode 8 of Great Irish Journeys, Daithi Ó Sé shares some of these stories.

For more shows offering insights in aspects of Irish life and culture, tune into episodes of Kevin Dundon: Modern Irish Food, Imeall, Ceol ar an Imeall, Living the Wildlife and Summer Suppers.

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june 2014

For insights into cultures beyond Ireland, tune into All Night – The Parov Stelar Tour Movie, as the band document their World Tour, which took them to locations such as Russia, France, Germany, Korea and beyond.

Also available are episodes of Globe Trekker, Pawn Stars, Wines of the New World, Video fashion Specials, James Nesbitt’s Ireland, and The Design Doctors, as well as Anthony Bourdain and Young Hollywood: Evolution Of, featuring Selena Gomez.

DOCUmEnTARy Ever wanted to see punk legend Henry Rollins wrestle an alligator?

In Animal Underworld, a new series from National Geographic, Rollins investigates the relationship between humans and some of the world’s most dangerous creatures. From snake handlers to boar hunters, the hardcore giant brings his pithy wit and nononsense attitude to bear on the many unusual ways in which we interact with the animal kingdom.

For a chance to brush up on Brazilian culture and architecture ahead of 2014’s FIFA World Cup, take a look at Homes of Brazil and explore the modernist houses, colonial mansions and luxurious beach houses of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and beyond.

The Horsemen, Bullit, Fish Life, Ultimate Tutankhamun, Megafactories, Eyes of the Atacama are some of the other available titles.

spORT The Rio Olympics have been making headlines ever since the location was announced in 2009. You’ve heard about the city’s praiseworthy attempts to sort things out ahead of the 2016 games – now watch the future contestants prepare their bodies for the biggest test they’ll ever face in Road to Rio. Tune into Football’s Greatest International Teams, which takes an in-depth look at the reigning World and European Champions - Spain. For even more World Cup nostalgia, delve into the twists and turns in tournaments gone by in FIFA World Cup Shocks. Other armchair sportspeople out there may enjoy HSBC Golfing World 2014, World of Tennis, or GAA Hurling Championship 2013.

BUsInEss This month, Bloomberg’s Risk Takers profiles Michelle Rhee, a controversial educational reformer in the United States. Rhee is the head of Students First, an agency that advocates, for example, tying teacher evaluation and pay to student test results.

Risk Takers examines her past work for the public school system in Washington DC, and discusses Students First’s influence and legacy.

Bloomberg’s Game Changers, meanwhile, profiles Netflix Chief Executive, Reed Hastings. Also

on board are Bloomberg Brink, Enterprise, Eye To Eye, Euronews’ Business Planet, Generation Y and Hi-Tech – all of which cast a cold eye over the world of business.

kIDs Parents might remember Shaun the Sheep from the Wallace and Gromit series; he suffered the illeffects of some of Wallace’s most memorable inventions. Now kids can watch him galumph around the farm, getting into adventures and avoiding grumpy sheepdog Bitzer.

Fans of Shaun may also enjoy Sofia the First, a Disney series about a young princess, charming animated series Tiny Square Critters, or Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Teens may be more inclined to view and enjoy Austin and Ally, a sitcom about a young internet celebrity.

nEWs & EVEnTs In addition to our extensive selection of TV shows, Aer Lingus brings you exclusive updates from the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as well as regular local and international news.

TRUE DETECTIVE sEAsOn OnE With an incontestably sparkling record for producing engaging drama, HBO has been making waves in the television market for the last ten years, going so far as to pull our attention from Hollywood with its on the nose, award winning writing.

The latest crime drama to make waves is True Detective, a cop-show with an existential twist - think less coffee and donuts and more philosophical speeches, cans of Lone Star, and awkward silences. Most notable is, perhaps, the show’s elite cast, featuring Matthew McConaughey, fresh from his Oscar Win, and prolific character actor, Woody Harrel-

hOUsE OF CARDs sEAsOn OnE House of Cards has rapidly become one of the most popular new shows since its debut on Netflix in 2013. Originally set in Britain in the nineties, Netflix’s political whirlwind drama takes place in present-day Washington, D.C. House of Cards is the story of Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey), a Democrat from South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and House Majority Whip who, after being passed over for appointment as Secretary of State, decides to exact his revenge on those who betrayed him with the help of his equally cunning wife (played by Robin Wright).

VIkIngs sEAsOn OnE History buffs, action lovers and Game of Thrones and Rome fans will appreciate this historical drama which drops the viewer into the sweaty, violent and gruesome world of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known mythological Norse heroes and notorious as the infamous enemy of England and France.

Ragnar, played by Travis Fimmel, pioneers the first daring raids into England with the support of fellow warriors. His brother Rollo (Clive Standen), and his wife, the shieldmaiden Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) star as the show’s protagonists.

The series beautifully outlines

son. The pair play an odd-couple of police detectives investigating the seventeen year murder spree of a Louisiana serial killer.

Marty, played by Harrelson, is the straight man to McConaughey’s idiosyncratic ‘Rust’ Cohle; a man just as likely to spew a nihilistic soliloquy as drunkenly incite a bar brawl. As the show slowly progresses, using a multi-timeline narrative, the mystery of the serial killer, as well as the series of events that has left these two middle aged homicide detectives the broken men they are today, are revealed.

In its short run, True Detective has already achieved an obsessive, cult-following and worldwide acclaim amongst the critics. Not bad for only eight episodes.

“Most notable is, perhaps, the show’s elite cast, featuring Matthew McConaughey, fresh from his Oscar Win, and prolific character actor, Woody Harrelson.”

The show received nine of Netflix’s fourteen total nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards. Among its nine nominations were Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Kevin Spacey, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Robin Wright, and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for David Fincher.

The show delves into the dark underworld of politics and peels away the layers of what is often brushed under the rug by the mainstream media. This is Kevin Spacey at his finest and one of his most dynamic roles yet.

You will be hooked after the first episode.

“The show delves into the dark underworld of politics and peels away the layers of what is often brushed under the rug.”

the trials and tribulations of Ragnar’s band of Viking brothers and his family as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. His quest is not without conflict. We see his character develop as he strives to live up to his destiny - as well as being a fearless warrior. Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods.

Nancy DeWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal noted the “natural and authentic” setting and costumes, and appreciated that Vikings was not a celebration of sex and violence, but “a study of character”. Vikings appeals on another level - highlighting the inner struggle of a man destined for greatness and the effects of his legacy on those around him.

“The inner struggle of a man destined for greatness and the effects of his legacy on those around him.”

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Radio Aer Lingus is pleased to bring you On Demand Radio to enhance your onboard experience.

1

Fitzpatrick Hotels

2

On this special edition of RTÉjr Radio’s The Club, Louise Denvir explores Ireland’s wildlife for the younger ones!

Contemporary easy listening from both sides of the Atlantic brought to you compliments of The Fitzpatrick Hotel Group USA.

3

The Nicky Byrne Show

4

A music driven show from RTÉ 2fm mixed with guests from the world of music, entertainment & TV, presented

by Nicky Byrne & Jenny Greene.

5

Ceol na nGael

Indie Hits

6

Opera

8

Jazz On The Bay

10

Documentary on One

12

Best of Moncrieff Moncrieff is a lively mix of funny, engaging and irreverent issues. Tune in every weekday 1.50-4.30pm on Newstalk 106-108 FM.

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june 2014

Chart Hits Tune in as Chart Hits lifts the lid on the most up-to-the-minute pop hits from both sides of the Atlantic!

14

The award-winning RTÉ Radio 1 Doc on One brings you two documentaries, “Lions on Tour - The Jersey Returrns” and “In San Francicsco Streets”.

15

The Blue of the Night Presented by Eamonn Lenihan of RTÉ lyric fm, The Blue Of The Night broadcasts a mix of roots, folk, world, ambient and classical music.

Melanie O’Reilly hosts a special programme in this RTÉ Radio 1, PPI award-winning series, capturing the spirit of jazz from San Francisco Bay to Dublin.

13

The Cathal Murray Show Enjoy an exclusive edition of RTÉ Radio 1’s The Weekend on One with Cathal Murray, featuring an eclectic mix of music from all genres.

Opera Night on RTÉ lyric fm brings the world’s great opera from the world’s great opera houses to the greatest theatre of all: your radio!

11

Nova Irish Classic Rock For 60 minutes, Marty Miller is here with some of the greatest rockbands around. Sit back, relax and enjoy your flight!

Listen out for your favourite indie tracks and artists including The Smiths, Wilco and The Black Keys to name but a few!

9

Top Ten Weekday mornings you’ll find Ray Foley & JP Gilbourne on 98FM! Join the boys for the funniest way to wake up in Dublin.

Join Seán Ó hÉanaigh of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, as he brings you traditional Irish and folk music.

7

The Club

Irish Pulse Irish Pulse brings you some of the most famous Irish songs in recent history. Listen out for U2, Thin Lizzy and many more!

16

Irish Poetry Corner Brian Munn selects and reads verses from renowned Irish Poets: W.B. Yeats, Oliver Goldsmith and Oscar Wilde amongst others.

www.ilovedalkey.com photograph: John Fahy www.dalkeyphotos.com

We’d love you to visit

Dalkey

where Michelle Obama met Bono D A L K E Y B L O O M S D AY F E S T I V A L 16th June at Dalkey Castle D A L K E Y B O O K F E S T I V A L 20th-22nd June D A L K E Y L O B S T E R , C R A B & A L L T H A T J A Z Z F E S T I V A L 22nd-24th August D A L K E Y C R E A T E S… F E S T I V A L Writers, Workshops, Events. 16-19th October Dalkey, on the coast just 12.5km south of Dublin, easy to get to by road, Aircoach or DART. For more information go to www.ilovedalkey.com

U.S. IMMIGRATION LAWYERS

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Visit Dalkey… you never know who you might meet!

INFLIGHT

Wellbeing Aer Lingus is pleased to bring you some suggestions and light exercises to enhance your comfort and wellbeing during your flight: Wear loose-fitting clothes on board, to allow your skin to breathe.

Stretch your legs by taking a stroll through the cabin.

Circle your ankles clockwise and anti-clockwise.

Trace the letters of the alphabet with your foot by moving your ankles.

Exercising your feet and legs periodically helps to reduce possible effects of long-duration travel.

Avoid sitting or sleeping in the same position for too long and gently stretch muscles to improve your circulation.

Move your neck and shoulders during long flights to prevent stiffness.

Reducing the effects of Jet Lag: Avoid heavy food, alcohol, tea or coffee the day before you travel.

When you arrive at your destination, try to adjust your activities to the new time zone.

Mild exercise on arrival will help to stimulate your circulation.

We wish you an enjoyable experience.

Travel Tips It is important to take time to reduce your risk of getting sick. Various viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through coughing, sneezing, or close contact with the flu. Here are some everyday preventative actions you can take to help slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory illness, like flu: Cover your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze. This will help to prevent the spread of droplets that contain germs.

Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available use an alcohol–based hand rub.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, this can cause the spread of germs.

An important step is to get a flu vaccination, especially for elderly people, people with certain chronic health conditions, and pregnant women.

Carry-on baggage Carry-on baggage on Aer Lingus services is restricted to one piece per person, as well as to the weights and measurements, illustrated below.

Passengers with wheelchair requirements Our priority is to always ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers. We encourage passengers who may need assistance to contact us well in advance of their date of travel to enable us to assess their needs.

If you are a wheelchair user or require wheelchair assistance when travelling on Aer Lingus services, please advise us of your requirements at least 48 hours in advance, quoting your booking reference number. Our contact details are as follows: email: specialassistance@aerlingus.com Telephone: (Ireland) 0818 365 011 09:00 - 17:00 Mon-Fri 10:00 - 16:00 Sat & Sun 10:00 - 16:00 Bank Holidays (UK) 0871 718 20 21 (Europe) + 353 1 886 8333 (USA) 516 622 4222

AER LINGUS

AER LINGUS REGIONAL

Maximum weight

48cm (19ins)

10kg 55cm (22ins)

7kg (15 lbs)

(22 lbs)

24cm (9ins)

Maximum weight

40cm (16ins)

20cm (8ins)

33cm (13ins)

In addition you may choose to carry on one of the following, which must be placed under the seat in front: Small ladies handbag/gents satchel = 25cm (10”) x 33cm (13”) x 20cm (8”) OR Duty Free shopping bag as well as: Baby-changing/food bag Medical/assistive devices EU security rules regarding liquids, gels and aerosols in cabin baggage apply. Flights departing the USA are subject to TSA security rules. Passengers in Row 1, or at an emergency exit, MUST store baggage in an overhead bin.

Safety brief We would like to bring your attention to the following safety and security measures: Please pay attention to any instructions given to you by the cabin crew.

Any behaviour towards a fellow passenger or cabin crew that is deemed to be threatening or abusive (including the use of offensive language) is a serious matter.

As our priority is the safety of all passengers, it is important not to interrupt the cabin crew while they carry out their duties, and not to interfere with aircraft equipment.

138 |

JUNE 2014

As a service to passengers, alcohol is served in the airport lounges and on board. In the interests of safety, Aer Lingus may refuse to allow you board if it is thought too much alcohol has been consumed. While the majority of passengers are responsible, there have occasionally been incidents where intoxicated passengers have caused serious safety hazards. Passengers are reminded also that during the flight you may not consume any alcohol brought onto the aircraft by you or any other passenger.

The consumption inflight of Duty Free alcohol purchased from the Sky Shopping service is also prohibited. This measure is, again, necessary in the interests of flight safety.

If incidents of this kind occur during a flight, the cabin crew is obliged to contact police on arrival at your final destination.

The Aircraft Captain may also divert the flight enroute in order to remove disruptive passengers. Should this happen, Aer Lingus will not be responsible for getting you

home, your ticket money will not be refunded, and – in addition to the authorities awaiting you on landing – you could be heavily fined and/or be liable to a prison sentence. In many cases, other airlines may subsequently refuse to allow you to fly with them.

We emphasise that while on board the aircraft our priority is your safety. As always, we wish you a safe and enjoyable flight, as well as a safe onward journey.

4 Star

Manor House Hotel overlooking Donegal Bay & Rossnowlagh Beach

♦ Stunning Ocean Views ♦ Award Winning Food ♦ Exclusive Wedding Venue ♦ Marine Spa with Jacuzzi, Steam Room & Balneo Bath

“Beautiful classics at reasonable prices”

♦ 3 Championship 18-hole Golf Courses nearby ♦ Dublin only 3 hours

Vogue

30Nassau Nassau Street, Dublin 2 (Directly opposite Trinity College) 30 Street, Dublin 2 (Directly opposite Trinity College) www.sweatershop.com| |T. T.+353 +35311671 671 2292 2292 www.thesweatershop.ie

Tel: +353 (0)71 985 1777

Email: info@sandhouse.ie

MARCO PIERRE WHITE STEAKHOUSE & GRILL DUBLIN DUBLIN’S FINEST STEAKHOUSE

Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner LATE OPENING FRIDAY & SATURDAY 51 Dawson Street n Dublin 2 n Phone: 01 6771155

Email: dawson@marcopierrewhite.ie

Where Ireland’s story is an open book...

Experience the National Library of Ireland as you visit our beautiful reading rooms, explore your family history and enjoy delicious Irish food in our Café Joly.

Don’t miss our free exhibitions, including ‘Yeats: The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats’, described in The Irish Times as “one of the most important literary exhibitions yet staged internationally”.

Opening Times: Library / Exhibitions: Opens 09.30h and closes Mon to Wed 19.45h. Thurs & Fri 16.45h. Sat 16.45h (Library closes 12.45h) Sun 13.00 -16.45h

Café Joly: Opens at 09.30h, closes Mon to Wed 18.00h. Thurs & Fri 16.45h.

Sat 16.30h

MARCO PIERRE WHITE

Courtyard Bar & Grill DONNYBROOK

Opening Times: Tues-Sat from 5.30pm / Sun from 12.00pm.

EARLY BIRD MENU AVAILABLE ALL EVENING

Tues/Wed/Thurs/Sun. Last orders at 6.45pm Fri & Sat

SUNDAY BRUNCH MENU AVAILABLE TASTY TIPPLES. SOAKAGE

National Library of Ireland Kildare Street, Dublin 2, 01 6030200 www.nli.ie @NLIreland

www.sandhouse.ie

ROSSNOWLAGH, CO. DONEGAL, IRELAND

1 Belmont Avenue n Donnybrook n Dublin 4 n Tel: 01 5510555

Email: courtyard@marcopierrewhite.ie Web: www.marcopierrewhite.ie

Enjoy Wi-Fi and Mobile Onboard your transatlantic flight today* Wi-Fi Onboard Communicate with friends and family, launch your business to new heights or browse your favourite websites as you fly onboard today.

You can connect via any Wi-Fi enabled device.

Follow these simple steps to get connected.

Switch on Switch on your device when it is safe to do so and connect to the Telekom HotSpot Network. SSID: Aer_Lingus_WiFi

Mobile Network Onboard Text, email and browse the web from the air with our onboard mobile network, AeroMobile. Connect instantly and keep in touch with friends and family through your mobile as you glide across the Atlantic.

Connect Launch or refresh the browser to connect to the Aer Lingus portal. You can browse aerlingus.com for free along with some of our partners’ sites.

Purchase Internet Access Click the 'Buy Internet Access' button to purchase a session, then choose a tariff. Your browsing session can last one hour or you can purchase a 24 hour pass.

Payment Select your payment method which is processed via a secure connection. Credit card, roaming or Deutsche Telekom accounts are accepted.

Username and Password

Switch on Switch on your mobile when it is safe to do so and ensure it is in silent or vibrate mode.

Aeromobile Wait for the AeroMobile network signal to appear. If your device does not connect automatically, manually select the AeroMobile network through network settings.

Welcome SMS Once connected you will receive a welcome SMS from AeroMobile. You may also receive a pricing message from your mobile operator.

Standard roaming rates apply.

Enter a username and password. You need to remember these if you wish to change device.

Connected

Connected

Remember: Voice calls are disabled and are not permitted during flight. Remember to manage your settings to avoid automatic data download and incurring roaming charges.

You are now free to browse, email and surf the internet... enjoy!

One hour pass €10.95 | $14.95 24 hour pass €19.95 | $24.95 *A330 aircraft only.

You can now use your phone for SMS, MMS, email, and browsing the internet.

Standard roaming rates apply from your mobile phone operator

INFLIGHT

Route maps

EUROPEAN ROUTE NETWORK

Stockholm

Aberdeen Glasgow

Edinburgh

Copenhagen Newcastle Isle of Man Blackpool Hamburg DUBLIN Manchester London Berlin Birmingham HEATHROW Amsterdam Hanover Kerry Cardiff London Dusseldorf SOUTHEND Bristol Bournemouth London GATWICK Brussels Prague Frankfurt Jersey Rennes

Paris

Stuttgart

Munich

Warsaw

Vienna

Zurich Geneva Lyon

Bordeaux Bilbao

Santiago de Compostela

Toulouse Perpignan Madrid Ibiza

Lisbon Faro

Budapest

Milan

LINATE

Milan lan

Marseille MALPENSA Nice

Venice Pula Verona Ve Bologna Dubrovnik

Bourgas

Rome

Barcelona

Naples

Palma

Corfu Izmir

Alicante

Catania

Malaga

Athens

Agadir Lanzarote Tenerife

Fuerteventura Gran Canaria

To & From Dublin Austria Vienna

Czech Republic Prague

Belgium Brussels

Denmark Copenhagen

Bulgaria Bourgas

France Bordeaux Lyon Marseille Nice Paris Perpignan Toulouse ■ Rennes

Canary Islands Fuerteventura Gran Canaria Lanzarote Tenerife Croatia Dubrovnik Pula

Germany Berlin Dusseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Hanover Munich Stuttgart

Ireland ■ Kerry

Poland Warsaw

Sweden Stockholm

Portugal Faro Lisbon

Switzerland Geneva Zurich

Greece Athens Corfu

Italy Bologna Catania Milan (Linate) Milan (Malpensa) Naples Rome Venice Verona

Turkey Izmir

Hungary Budapest

The Netherlands Amsterdam

Spain Alicante Barcelona Bilbao Ibiza Madrid Malaga Palma Santiago de Compostela

Morocco Agadir

United Kingdom Birmingham London (Gatwick) London (Heathrow) Manchester

■ United Kingdom Aberdeen Birmingham Blackpool Bournemouth Bristol Cardiff Edinburgh Glasgow Isle of Man Jersey London Southend Manchester Newcastle

■ Aer Lingus Regional routes operated by Stobart Air (formerly Aer Arann) For more information on schedules, please visit aerlingus.com

JUNE 2014

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INFLIGHT

EUROPEAN ROUTE NETWORK

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Knock

BELFAST Manchester

Dublin

Birmingham

SHANNON Bristol London Heathrow

CORK

Amsterdam

LONDON GATWICK

Brussels

Jersey

Paris

Rennes

Munich

Geneva

Nice

Barcelona Palma

Portugal Alicante Faro

Malaga

Lanzarote

Tenerife

Las Palmas

To & From Belfast, Cork, Shannon & Gatwick FROM BELFAST Flights operate from George Best Belfast City Airport

Portugal Faro Spain Malaga Palma United Kingdom London Heathrow London Gatwick

FROM CORK Belgium Brussels Canary Islands Lanzarote Tenerife Las Palmas France Nice Paris ■ Rennes Germany Munich

FROM GATWICK Portugal Faro Lisbon Spain Alicante Barcelona Malaga Palma Switzerland Geneva (winter route)

United Kingdom London Heathrow ■ United Kingdom Birmingham Bristol Edinburgh Glasgow Jersey Manchester

Ireland Belfast Dublin Ireland West Airport (Knock)

FROM SHANNON Canary Islands Lanzarote Portugal Faro (winter route) Spain Malaga

United Kingdom London Heathrow ■ United Kingdom Birmingham Edinburgh Manchester

FROM KNOCK United Kingdom London Gatwick

The Netherlands Amsterdam ■ Aer Lingus Regional routes operated by Stobart Air (formerly Aer Arann)

142 |

JUNE 2014

USA ROUTE NETWORK

Toronto Chicago

Boston New York Newark

San Francisco Shannon

Dublin

Orlando

To & From Dublin & Shannon FROM DUBLIN

FROM SHANNON

USA Boston Chicago New York Orlando San Francisco

USA HBoston HNew York

Canada HToronto

Chicago Orlando Newark

(Via New York/Boston with JetBlue)

Aer Lingus flights are available for sale on aerlingus.com H Operated for Aer Lingus by AG Air Contractors

JUNE 2014

| 143

INFLIGHT

CONNECTING EUROPE, USA & CANADA Edmonton

Calgary Winnipeg Vancouver Seattle Portland OR

Minneapolis Milwaukee

SAN FRANCISCO San Jose

Oakland

Burbank Long Beach Orange County

Detroit

Burlington

Syracuse Ro Rochester

Buffalo lo

Halifax

Portland ME

BOSTON Pi Pittsburgh Nantucket Philadelphia NEW YORK Des Moines Salt Lake City Newark Indianapolis Columbus Baltimore Cincinnati ncinna WASHINGTON Greensboro Wichita Saint Louis Denver DULLES uis Washington Wa NATIONAL Louisville Lexington Lex Richmond Ri Nashville Tulsa Raleigh - Durham Ra Las Vegas Oklahoma City Charlotte arlo Knoxville Memphis CHICAGO

Omaha

Sacramento

Grand Rapids

Montreal

Ottawa TORONTO

Los Angeles Santa Ana San Diego

Phoenix

Cleveland Dayton on

Dallas (Fort Worth)

Atlanta Savannah

Austin

Houston

New Orleans

San Antonio

Charleston Jacksonville Orlando

Tampa Fort Myers

West Palm Beach Fort Lauderdale Miami

Santo Domingo Kingston

San Juan

Aguadilla

Ponce Po

Barbados FLY BETWEEN THE FOLLOWING CITIES VIA DUBLIN, SHANNON, NEW YORK, BOSTON, CHICAGO, TORONTO & SAN FRANCISCO New destinations with Aer Lingus, in partnership with JetBlue, United Airlines and Aer Arann Getting to the US from destinations throughout Europe has never been easier.

US, Irish and European based customers can book a single low fare reservation between Ireland, Europe and a wide range of continental US destinations using JFK New York, Boston and Chicago as stopovers.

By choosing to fly to the United States via Dublin and Shannon with Aer Lingus, passengers can avail of United States Customs and Immigration Pre-clearance facilities at Terminal 2, Dublin airport.

This facility allows passengers travelling on the majority of US bound flights to clear US immigration and customs before departing Dublin and Shannon.

Customers arrive in the US without any further processing requirement allowing for a seamless transfer to their final destination.

■ NEW YORK Connecting with JetBlue at JFK: Passengers travelling from the US to Ireland and Europe will be able to check in bags at the JetBlue domestic departure point and then pick them up again in Shannon or Dublin.

Aer Lingus flights operate from T5 John F. Kennedy airport.

■ BOSTON Connecting with JetBlue at Boston Logan International Airport: When you arrive from Dublin or Shannon, proceed directly to Terminal C for your JetBlue domestic departure.

Passengers travelling from the US to Ireland and Europe will be able to check in bags at the JetBlue departure point and then pick them up again in Shannon or Dublin.

■ CHICAGO Connecting with United Airlines at O’Hare Chicago International Airport: On arrival at Terminal Five from Dublin or Shannon, make your way to the nearby ATS (Airport Transit System), which runs

every four minutes to your UA domestic departure point.

Passengers from the US to Ireland and Europe can check in bags at the UA departure point, then exit security in Chicago O’Hare to take the Airport Transit System to Terminal Five for the onward Aer Lingus flight, and pick up their bags in Shannon or Dublin.

■ DUBLIN Connecting with Aer Lingus Regional (operated by Stobart Air) at Dublin Airport: Aer Lingus’s interline agreement with Aer Arann allows passengers connect to Aer Lingus transatlantic flights via Dublin Airport, where they can through check their luggage directly to their final US destination.

■ SAN FRANCISCO Connecting with United Airlines at San Francisco Airport: Passengers from the US to Ireland and Europe can check in bags at the UA departure point and then pick them up again in Dublin.

■ TORONTO Connecting with Air Canada at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Passengers from Canada to Ireland and Europe can check in bags at the Air Canada departure point and then pick them up again in Dublin.

All routes correct at time of going to press

144 |

JUNE 2014

Stockholm

Aberdeen Edinburgh

Glasgow

Newcastle Isle of Man

London

Birmingham

Shannon Kerry

Hamburg

Manchester

Dublin

London SOUTHEND London

Cardiff Bristol

Berlin

Amsterdam

HEATHROW

GATWICK

Warsaw

Dusseldorf Brussels Frankfurt

Paris Vienna

Munich

Geneva Milan

MALPENSA

Venice

Rome

Barcelona

Madrid

Milan

LINATE

Naples

Palma Alicante Faro

■ VIA DUBLIN with Aer Lingus                          

Alicante Amsterdam Barcelona Berlin Birmingham Brussels Dusseldorf Edinburgh Faro Frankfurt Geneva Hamburg London (Gatwick) London (Heathrow) Madrid Malaga Manchester Milan Linate Milan Malpensa Munich Palma Paris Rome Venice Vienna Warsaw

■ VIA DUBLIN with Aer Lingus Regional         

Aberdeen Bristol Cardiff Edinburgh Glasgow Isle of Man London Southend Newcastle Kerry

■ VIA SHANNON with Aer Lingus  London (Heathrow) ■ VIA SHANNON with Aer Lingus Regional    

Manchester Birmingham Bristol Edinburgh

Malaga

■ VIA NEW YORK with JetBlue                            

Aguadilla Austin Baltimore Barbados Boston Buffalo Burbank Burlington Charlotte Chicago Denver Fort Lauderdale Fort Myers Houston Jacksonville Kingston Las Vegas Long Beach Los Angeles Nantucket Naples New Orleans Oakland Orlando Phoenix Ponce Portland ME Portland OR

              

Raleigh-Durham Rochester Sacramento Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco San Jose San Juan Santo Domingo Savannah Seattle Stockholm Syracuse Tampa West Palm Beach

■ VIA BOSTON with JetBlue            

Baltimore Buffalo Charleston Charlotte Chicago Dallas Fort Worth Denver Detroit Ford Lauderdale Fort Myers Jacksonville Las Vegas

■ Aer Lingus Regional routes operated by Stobart Air (formerly Aer Arann)

                         

Long Beach Los Angeles Nantucket New Orleans Newark Oakland Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburg Portland OR Raleigh-Durham Richmond Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco San Jose San Juan Santo Domingo Savannah Seattle Stockholm Tampa Washington (Dulles) Washington(National) West Palm Beach

■ VIA CHICAGO with United to USA  Atlanta

                              

Austin Charlotte Charleston Cincinnati Chicago Cleveland Columbus Dallas (Fort Worth) Dayton Denver Des Moines Detroit Fort Myers Grand Rapids Greensboro Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Knoxville Las Vegas Lexington Los Angeles Louisville Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans Oklahoma City

                   

Omaha Orange County Phoenix Pittsburgh Portland OR Raleigh-Durham Rochester Sacramento Salt Lake City San Antonio San Diego San Francisco San Jose Santa Ana Seattle St Louis Stockholm Tampa Tulsa Wichita

■ VIA CHICAGO with United to Canada      

Calgary Edmonton Salt Lake City Toronto Vancouver Winnipeg

■ VIA SAN FRANCISCO with United to USA        

Denver Las Vegas Los Angeles Phoenix Portland OR Salt Lake City San Diego Seattle

■ VIA TORONTO with Air Canada       

Calgary Edmonton Halifax Montreal Ottawa Vancouver Winnipeg

■ VIA BOSTON/ NEW YORK with Air Canada  Halifax  Toronto

JUNE 2014

| 145

INFLIGHT

MIDDLE EAST AND AUSTRALASIA ROUTE NETWORK

Dublin

Bahrain Abu Dhabi

Muscat

Kuala Lumpur Singapore

FROM DUBLIN

VIA ABU DHABI TO:

Abu Dhabi

Muscat Kuala Lumpur Singapore Bahrain Sydney Melbourne Perth

Flights are operated by our codeshare partner, Etihad Airways.

146 |

JUNE 2014

Perth Sydney Melbourne

Winner of Irish Design Institute museum design award, the Jackie Clarke Collection – one man, 100,000 items – spans 400 years of Irish history.

Located in a restored 19th century bank in the centre of Ballina, Co. Mayo with a newly designed walled garden.

Special features of the attraction include a memory booth where you can record your own memories and interactive touch-screens throughout. Suitable for all ages.

Bistro

Blackboard

The

one man …100,000 items

Situated between Trinity College and the National Gallery, the award winning Blackboard Bistro offer an oasis of calm in the heart of the city.

Famous for our warm welcome and using only the best of Irish Artisans and seasonal produces, the Blackboard Bistro will give you a truly memorable "céad míle fáilte romhat"

FREE ADMISSION Open Tuesdays to Saturday 10–5

www.clarkecollection.ie

Tel 01 676 6839 • 4 Clare Street, Dublin 2 www.theblackboardbistro.ie

Carlingford Road (R173), Dundalk, Co. Louth Tel: 042 935 8200 Fax: 042 937 1598 E: info@ballymascanlon.com Junction 18 M1 Located only one hour from both Dublin & Belfast”

www.ballymascanlon.com

INFLIGHT

Flight Connections

CONNECTING TO ANOTHER AER LINGUS FLIGHT AT DUBLIN AIRPORT FLIGHTS ARRIVING AT TERMINAL 2 FLIGHT CONNECTIONS Connecting flight departs Gates 401 - 426 Arrivals Route to Baggage Reclaim from Gates 400s

FLIGHT CONNECTIONS Connecting flight departs Gates 100s - 300s

To Gates 100s 300s

Immigration

Aer Lingus Flight Connections Desk

Immigration

Security Check

Lifts to Gates 401 - 426 Escalator to Gates 401 - 426

Terminal 2 Arrivals

If you already have a boarding card for your connecting flight, and your baggage has been tagged to your final destination, simply follow the sign for Aer Lingus Flight Connections Desk, which you will see on your left hand side as you enter the Immigration Hall. By following this sign, you will proceed to Immigration and Security Check.

After clearing these points, check the information screens and proceed to your boarding gate.

If your baggage has not been tagged to your final destination you must clear Immigration, enter the baggage reclaim area, collect your bag, exit through the Customs hall and proceed to Aer Lingus check-in on the departures level.

Once you have reached the departures level, check the information screens for your onward flight information, and proceed as directed to the appropriate check-in desk.

If you have any queries, or need further assistance, please go to the Aer Lingus Flight Connections Desk, which is located in the baggage reclaim area in Terminal 2, where our staff will be glad to help.

PLEASE NOTE: EU regulations concerning the carriage of liquids apply to your connecting flights at Dublin Airport

Connecting at Heathrow Airport Transferring to an international flight at Heathrow? Please disembark from the rear of the aircraft where a dedicated coach will take you to the Heathrow Flight Connections area and reduce your journey time by an average of 20 minutes.

PLEASE DISEMBARK FROM THE BACK OF THE AIRCRAFT IF:

PLEASE DISEMBARK FROM THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT IF:

 You are an international connecting passenger and all your luggage* is checked through to your final destination

    

*Pushchairs checked to London can be collected from the back of the aircraft

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JUNE 2014

London is your final destination Your onward connection is to a domestic UK airport Your luggage needs to be collected from Heathrow You would like to leave the airport between flights You or someone you are travelling with needs special assistance

Cloghan Castle

R A I LT O U R S IRELAND

First Class!

Book Today - Travel Tomorrow Cliffs of Moher

• Cliffs of Moher & Bunratty • Waterford & Kilkenny • Cork & Blarney Castle • The Giant's Causeway • The Ring of Kerry • The Aran Islands • Connemara & Galway Bay • The Wicklow Mountains

ONE DAY TOURS TO NINE DAY TOURS fROm DUBLIN

C

loghan Castle is an exclusive, self catering venue ideal for that Fairytale Wedding or Party, the self catering option gives the unique opportunity to tailor your day to have it your way!

Banquet Hall can seat up to 120 guests with 7 double bedrooms uniquely decorated giving an authentic castle experience in a luxurious way with central heating throughout. Ceremony and Drinks reception can be held on the battlements, in the courtyard, in our landscaped gardens or in our cosy Drawing Room with an Open Fire.

Intl Tel: + 353 91 870102 Email: info@cloghancastle.com Proprietor: Micheal H Burke, Chanelle Group Contact us for our Special Offers: www.cloghancastle.com

Car Free - Care Free

www.railtoursireland.com TEL:DUBLIN + 353-1-856 0045 e-mail: info@railtoursireland.com

Blarney Castle and Gardens

American Restaurant & Bar

A FREE APPETISER for one with a main course purchased on production of your boarding pass

When in Dublin, visit Jin’s Art Studio, 51 Village Court, adj, Rathfarnham Village. D.14

Terms and conditions apply

BLANCHARDSTOWN CENTRE Dublin 15. Tel: 01 822 5990 ST STEPHENS GREEN Dublin 2. Tel: 01 478 1233 TEMPLE BAR Fleet St, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 672 8975 DUNDRUM TOWN CENTRE Tel: 01 298 7299 SWORDS Airside, Swords, Co Dublin Tel: 01 840 8525 BELFAST Level 2, Victoria Square, Tel: 028 9024 9050 www.fridays.ie

tm

Overlooking beautiful Rosscarbery Bay....

In the heart of West Cork...

On the Wild Atlantic Way BOOK ONLINE: www.celticrosshotel.com Quote “CARA” to guarantee a seaview room!

Food served all day 8am - 9.30pm Leisure Centre open to non-members Rosscarbery, West Cork, Ireland +353 (0)23 88 48722 info@celticross.com On the N71 67km West of Cork city and Airport GPS: N 51° 34.5530, W 9° 01.7361

Michelin Bib Gourmand

with over 135 cafes around the world, there’s always something happening at the hard rock.

12 Fleet Street • Temple Bar • Dublin 2 • Tel: 671 7777 • hardrock.com

Drop in & paint for just 25c/min. Paints & brushes supplied!

00353 86 8448683 art@jinsartstudio.com

INFLIGHT

Flight Connections

AT NEW YORK JOHN F KENNEDY AIRPORT

DEPARTURES

ARRIVALS

Aer Lingus operates from Terminal 5 at New York’s JFK Airport.

While known as JetBlue’s T5, Aer Lingus has its own dedicated area within the terminal allowing for easy check in, baggage handling and seamless connections to destinations within the United States, Puerto Rico, Barbados and Dominican Republic. Terminal 5 minimum connection time from European arrivals to connecting JetBlue markets is reduced to 60 minutes. Customers travelling to Ireland enjoy JetBlue connections as fast as 40 minutes.

150 |

JUNE 2014

The award-winning, stateof-the-art Terminal 5 offers great features and amenities, including:  Up to 15 security lanes  26 gates with seats aplenty  Free Wi-Fi  55,000 sq. feet of great food and shopping  Large children’s play area and much more!

TRAVEL EXCLUSIVE

1

If you’ve never tried Voya then you really don’t know what you’re missing. Based on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, this certified-organic seaweed beauty product manufacturer has generations of acquired wisdom about the sea. As a result, its beautiful skincare range is designed to delight and purify the body.

There’s no better way to fall in love with the brand than with their essential travel kit, exclusive to Aer Lingus, on page 25.

2

3

Still searching for the perfect sunglasses?

You can stop looking because you’ve just found them. These beautiful shades by Irish designer, Orla Kiely, are classic, chic, stylish and cool. In fact, we’d go so far as to say we don’t think they’ve ever met a face they didn’t like and they could very well be the last pair you ever buy. Best bit of all?

Purchase them today and you’ll save an amazing €56. Turn to page 57 to find out more.

NEW ONBOARD

This month in

boutique Five super summer essentials and five great reasons to get your shop on in Boutique, the luxury shopping guide from Aer Lingus.

TRAVEL EXCLUSIVE

SAVE ¤10!

Go on, admit it, you forgot the speaker, didn’t you. Yes, you meant to pack it, but it’s actually still sitting on the hall table and you’re halfway to Tenerife. What are you going to do? Suffer in silence your entire holiday? Not if you pick up the Doubleblaster Wireless Stereo Speaker from BoomPods. Plug and play, or go wireless, because this device allows you to stream music from any Bluetooth-enabled device up to 10 metres away. Crisis averted, it’s on page 58.

4

Capture your summer holiday on real film (like the good old days) with this brilliant little 35mm waterproof camera. Shock-proof, it can also be used underwater to a depth of three metres. Best bit is it comes with its own film and it’s just €12. Handy, no? Check it out on page 60. Smile!

5

If you pack only one hairbrush for your holidays, do yourself a favour and make it a Compact Style by Tangle Teezer. This little beauty bargain (it’s just €12) fits perfectly into the palm of your hand and glides through even the curliest / knottiest of hair, making it perfect for all the family. All you need to know is on page 26 of Boutique.

Happy shopping.

TRAVEL MUSTHAVE

Check out the new issue of Boutique (look, it’s right in front of you!). Better brands, bigger savings, shop to your heart’s content without having to get out of your seat. Perfect.

TRIP OF A LIFE TIME | UNICEF

Larger than life

Aer Lingus cabin crew member Brona Neiland sees how the greatest efforts are being made in the poorest conditions during a UNICEF trip to Zambia. ince returning from my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Zambia as an Aer Lingus UNICEF Ambassador, many people have asked how I would sum up the experience. It’s not easy in just a few words, but they would have to be these: “Challenges – not failures.”

Because, no matter where we went and who we met, from teachers to politicians, community leaders to midwives, they refused to use the word, or notion of, failure, despite being presented daily with some of the biggest challenges I’ve ever seen.

Each of the four Aer Lingus UNICEF Ambassadors was assigned a specific topic which to report back on – mine was birth registration, for which the facts and figures make sober reading. For example, our guide Betty Nalungwe (UNICEF Zambia’s communications assistant) has no birth certificate simply because she was born before 1973, when it became legal for black people to have birth certificates.

Currently, less than eight per cent of the population in remote areas have

S

152 |

JUNE 2014

had their birth registered. UNICEF is working hard to raise awareness of the importance of registering a child’s birth – not only does it help ensure a right to education and healthcare but it is needed to get an identity card.

We visited the rural Mission Hospital to observe the birth registration process. There we learned that many births weren’t being registered until the child was aged four or five. We also discovered a sheer lack of resources – there is only one registrar licensed to sign off every birth cert for the entire country.

He’s based in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, so it can take months to process. Fortunately, one area where we could see directly how Aer Lingus passengers’ generous donations are helping is the purchase of 70 brand new motorbikes enabling staff to access remote districts. Otherwise, mothers might have to walk up to 15 kilometres to file or collect the paperwork.

We also visited a smaller health centre where parents were collecting their children’s

Still smiling – above, a student from Kabulamame primary school in Zambia where UNICEF funds the early childhood development programme to help improve school attendance and quality of learning. Right, Brona, holds up a donated child’s sweater to Aer Lingus’ inflight services team manager Elizabeth Kearns.

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birth certs. It has approximately 70 births per month and is able to inform the mother there and then about registering her child.

The staff do incredible work under terrible conditions, dealing with everything from dispensing free medicines, counselling for and the treatment of HIV, male circumcision, pre- and post-labour care, and childbirth.

The scene that greeted us in the labour ward shocked us all though – for nearly 20 births per week, there were just two beds, black bin liners being their only sterile covering. They were also so old and in such a state of disrepair that the beds split in two while the mother was in labour. The midwife had to keep pushing them back together throughout the birth. I felt that many of the babies born here were starting out on life as they will continue – with the bare minimum.

However ... I left Zambia with optimism that we can all play our part in helping UNICEF make significant changes. For every challenge was a success, and everywhere we went we were greeted with warm handshakes, huge smiles and shy laughs. I realise how very much, each and every day, we take for granted, and I look forward to working alongside my fellow Aer Lingus crew members and passengers – the most giving bunch I know – to play a small part in helping UNICEF provide such ordinary, basic things to these most special people.

For more information or to make a donation, visit unicef.ie.

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