Cara July 2012 by Image Publications

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Contents July News

04 ARRIvALS It’s holiday time – we meet Aer Lingus passengers at Dublin’s T2 07 NEwS DIARY Don’t miss these events – July’s places to be 08 NEwS HOTELS From Donegal to New York, we have smart places to stay 10 NEwS RESTAURANTS Foodie treats; Eoin Higgins reports

Summer in the city

12 NEwS SHOPPINg Gadgets to go – holiday musts from Sive O’Brien 14 NEwS BUSINESS Smart Traveller: Paris to do the deal? Sally-Anne Cooney knows the city well 16 NEwS PEOPLE What’s in my Suitcase – surfer Fergal Smith packs his board 18 NEwS BEAUTY TO gO Nails at the ready! Ellie Balfe has the latest shades 20 NEwS PEOPLE On My Travels – Jonathan Wallace on his adventures abroad 22 NEwS BOOkS Travel reads for holiday makers; Bridget Hourican has it all 24 NEwS DIARY Vienna for art (and coffee) lovers – writer Mary Russell pays a visit 26 NEwS DIARY Get set for Edinburgh Arts Festival; Edel Coffey chooses the highlights

Island paradise

regulars

83 AN INSIDER’S gUIDE TO MALLORCA Helen Cummins, editor of abcmallorca, picks her top spots

44 FRENCH LESSONS Writer Tana French’s new thriller hits the shelves this month – Bridget Hourican meets her 50 HIGH & MIGHTY For Irish author Alison Jameson, Chicago is a home from home; she explains why it’s her favourite place

89 AER LINgUS INFLIgHT What’s on for July – movies, music and inflight information

Bags of fun

28 THE IRISH HOPEFULS Team Ireland are off to London 2012; Ian O’Riordan talks to five athletes and chef de mission Sonia O’Sullivan about going to the Games 41 LONDON FOR THE OLYMPICS The city is buzzing this summer – resident Tilly CulmeSeymour picks the best Olympics sideshows

86 48 HOURS IN BRUSSELS Streets ahead – Tony Clayton-Lea visits the bustling city

112 TRIP OF A LIFETIME Author Monica McInerney’s first encounter with snow

Features

Basque brilliance

86 Greek splendour

62 DUBLIN IN THE SUMMER Culture, cycle routes, kids’ outings and foodie hotspots – four Dubliners show us their city highlights 73 THE GREEn dREaM Photographer and writer Roger Norum visits the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, this year’s European Green Capital

EDITORIAL Editor Frances Power Deputy Editor Eoin Higgins Editorial Consultant Laura George Editorial Assistant Carlynn McCarthy Contributors Sive O’Brien, Amanda Cochrane, Ellie Balfe, Suzie Coen

Contributors IAN O’RIORDAN, athletics correspondent with the Irish Times, will report on his fourth Olympics this year at London 2012. He has run several marathons, including London, in April, as a sort of “preview” of the likely Olympic atmosphere. The range of Irish athletes qualified for London is captured in his feature for Cara this month, page 28, from boxer Darren O’Neill, who narrowly missed Beijing four years ago, to race walker Olive Loughnane, whose dedication takes her to a fourth Olympics. “With London the next best thing to a home Games,” he says, “the athletes’ anticipation is tinged with special excitement – and the unique pride that comes with being an Olympian.”

ART Art Director Clare Meredith Acting Art Director Joanne Murphy ADVERTISING Account Director Clodagh Edwards 00 353 (0)1 271 9634, clodagh.edwards@image.ie Advertising Manager Noëlle O’Reilly 00 353 (0)1 271 9621, noelle.oreilly@image.ie Advertising Copy Contact Derek Skehan 00 353 (0)1 855 3855, dereks@typeform.ie ADMINISTRATION Head of PR & Promotions Linda McEvitt 00 353 (0)1 271 9643, linda.mcevitt@image.ie Office Manager Tina Koumarianos Accounts Olga Gordeychuk Accounts Assistant Lisa Dickenson BOARD OF DIRECTORS Managing Director & Publisher Richard Power, richard.power@image.ie Chairman Patrick Dillon-Malone Director Ann Reihill Director Robert Power PRINTING Boylan Print Group ORIGINATION Typeform

After 15 years in advertising, ALISON JAMESON decided to ditch the high heels and the nine-to-five life. She has since written three books, one of which was nominated for the IMPAC award. For Cara magazine this month, she writes about Chicago, see page 50, one of her favourite places on earth and home to her best friend. “Writing about the city made me homesick for those gorgeous neighbourhoods – and needing a Hot Doug. I’m already planning to visit the city again this year for a winter break.” In the meantime, she’s loving the writer’s life and is currently living in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their three-year-old son, and will return to her usual base in Dublin next year. Her new novel, Little Beauty, will be published by Doubleday Ireland in April 2013. Dublin-based photographer RICHARD GILLIGAN works on a wide range of international editorial, advertising, music and fashion commissions. With his roots based firmly in documentary photography he tends to treat each job with an open and natural approach and his shoot for Cara was no different. The diverse characters he photographed for “Dublin in Summer”, see page 62, were, he says, “a laid-back and inspiring gang”. His first book, which is being released through French publishers 19/80 Editions this September, features a series of photographs about homemade skateboard parks shot in different locations around the world.

Cara magazine is published on behalf of Aer Lingus by Image Publications, 22 Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, Ireland, 00 353 (0)1 280 8415; advertising sales, 00 353 (0)1 271 9625; fax 00 353 (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

July 2012

ON THE COVER

UP, UP AND AWAY

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PUBLISHING COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2010 TO ADVERTISE PLEASE CALL NOËLLE O’REILLY ON 00 353 (0)1 271 9621 OR EMAIL NOELLE.OREILLY@IMAGE.IE

Why Chicago is the place to be

SUMMER IN DUBLIN

Get the lowdown from the locals

BASQUE IN GLORY

Discover an eco paradise

INSIDER’S GUIDE The best of Mallorca

FLYING VISIT

48 hours in Brussels

PLUS

Edinburgh, Vienna & London

Going for gold

SWIMMER GRÁINNE MURPHY AND TEAM IRELAND AT THE OLYMPICS AUGUST 2011

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COMPLIMENTARY COPY

Gráinne Murphy photographed by Trevor Hart, assisted by Sylvie Cordenner. Make-up by Christine Lucignano for Chanel using the Summer 2012 Collection.

Arrivals

It’s summer and the skies are full of holiday makers. Cara magazine was at T2 in Dublin Airport to greet some of them as they came home. Photographs by Anthony Woods.

 Rather than rest on their laurels during their holiday in Galicia, CATHERINE WOGAN WOGAN, left, and friend, MARY KEOGH KEOGH, right, walked the renowned Camino de Santiago.

ANDREA BEAUMONT, left, and her mum, MAUREEN, have just returned from visiting family near beautiful Lake Geneva.

 Primary school teacher, JANE McWALTER, right, M is back in Ireland for three weeks for a family wedding. She can’t wait to catch up with loved ones.

WORDS BY CARLYNN McCARTHY

First time visitor ANNE CARLIN and her boyfriend, NATHANIEL CRIDER, CRIDER are here to see the sights in Dublin and party at the Galway Arts Festival.

 The REGALADO FAMILY and their friend, MARIO ADAN BUENO, far right, from Santiago de Compostela, have come to Ireland to hear some live music and see the famous cobbled streets of Dublin.

JULY 2012

 NAHUEL UHLIG,, left, his wife MELANIE,, far right, and son LUCAS, centre, are returning from a friend’s wedding in oh-so romantic Provence, where they ate, drank and basked in the French sunshine.

 SUSAN PIETROPAOLI, left, and daughter KELLY KELLY, right, from Maryland in the US are here to celebrate Kelly’s graduation and get in touch with their Irish roots. The gals are looking forward to seeing Galway city and Killarney in Co Kerry.

 Cheeky chappies, JACK O’BEIRNE, left, and , TOM PAMERSON right, are homeward bound after a fun-ﬁlled weekend in London.

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neWs DiAry

July

What’s happening – dates for your diary

Underground Catwalk 2012, Berlin Fashion goes underground at this runway show. Labels and designers showcase their latest wares on a moving underground train beneath the streets of Berlin. If fast-paced design at the cutting edge (over 18s only, please) piques your interest get your tickets online at eventim.de. Tickets from €15; underground-catwalk.com Aer LingUs FLIes From DuBLIn To BerLin DaILy.

Owen Walsh, nCAD gallery, Dublin The nCaD Gallery plays host to painter owen Walsh’s retrospective exhibition, celebrating the unique vision and style of one of Ireland’s premier colourists. The Westport native, who died in 2002, played a big role in Dublin’s lively cultural scene. one to catch. runs July 5 to september 8; owenwalsh.com

Temple Bar Beatles Festival, Dublin Beatlemania comes to town with the Temple Bar Beatles Festival (sponsored by aer Lingus). Guests include the group’s original drummer Pete Best, John Lennon’s halfsister Julia Baird, and former road manager Tony Bramwell. expect their greatest hits as played by some of the top Beatles tribute acts. Here comes the sun ... whatever the weather! runs from July 13-15; templebarbeatlesfest.com

Catalpa nyC, new york Headlined by The Black Keys and Snoop Dogg, there really is something for everyone at this NYC festival – DJs playing from the belly of a 30ft flame shooter made by sculpture outfit, Arcadia, the loved-up can tie the knot in the 60ft inflatable Church of Sham Marriages, left, while foodies can browse the gourmet food stalls. Runs July 28-29. Tickets from $99.99; catalpanyc.com Aer LingUs FLIes From DuBLIn To neW yOrk DaILy anD From sHannon To neW yOrk mon, WeD anD FrI.

street Performance World Championship, Cork and Dublin If you’re in the mood for amphibian antics, acrobats and swordswallowing space cowboys, get yourself to the nearest leg of the Street Performance World Championship. Guaranteed jaw-dropping performances. At Cork’s Fitzgerald Park, July 14 and 15 and Dublin’s Merrion Square, July 19-22; spwc.ie

Bray Air Display, Wicklow The largest aviation event in Ireland is back again. This year sees the return of The Black Knights and their adrenalinpumping parachute jumps, the Blades aerobatic pilot group and a nifty homebuilt BD5, a mini-jet that appears in the James Bond movies. Pack a picnic and watch the skies. Tickets are free; brayairdisplay.com july 2012

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news hotels

Escape

Fancy rural romance, or city cool? Take your pick of this month's places to stay. the sAnDhoUse, DoneGAl It made news headlines in March when its manager, Paul Diver bought it for a song, saving jobs for the employees who fondly call it “home”. And home is what it feels like when you step through the doors to soft carpets, antique furniture and an open fire. The welcome, in that lovely Donegal accent, is warm – from the staff who are clearly happy to be there. The food is very special and the view over Rossnowlagh Beach, spectacular. Waiter service at breakfast makes a welcome change. The Sandhouse promises a unique experience with a character and charm all of its own. Two nights B&B and one dinner (with ocean view) is excellent value at €199 July and August. Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal, 071 985 1777; sandhouse.ie. Alison jAmeson

DoRset sQUARe hotel, lonDon Married couple and top-class hoteliers Tim and Kit Kemp have re-acquired one of their first buildings, the Dorset Square Hotel. The couple opened its doors last month and showed off Kit’s signature design stamp, bold colours, bespoke touches and one-off pieces. You can see Kit’s belief that “hotels should be living things, not stuffy institutions” shining through her work. The old country house has been sculpted into the perfect example of organic English contemporary design with bathrooms to-die-for – marble floors and real oak furniture, free-standing showers and they even have heated towel rails. Heaven! Rooms from £140. 39-40 Dorset Square, Marylebone, 0044 20 7723 7874; firmdalehotels.com AeR linGUs FLIES FROM DUBLIN, SHANNON, CORK AND BELFAST TO lonDon heAthRow DAILY.

hÔtel AmeRiCAno, new YoRK

lA BAstiDe De moUstieRs, FRAnCe Already a foodie mecca, Alain Ducasse’s inn, positioned in the ridiculously romantic Alpes de Haute region in Provence, has turned its culinary clout up a notch. The Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms (twelve to be exact) is offering an intriguing new service to the rustically inclined: Picnic in a Pickup. Guests are chauffeur-driven in a beautifully restored 1950s Chevrolet pickup truck to a secret, sun-drenched spot to enjoy a gourmet picnic of local seasonal produce sourced from the markets in the vicinity, or plucked from La Bastide de Moustiers’s own vegetable and fruit garden. Rooms from €250; Picnic in a Pickup is €190pp for a group of two to six. Chemin de Quinson, Moustiers, Sainte-Marie, 0033 492 704 747; bastide-moustiers.com AeR linGUs FLIES FROM DUBLIN TO mARseille, TUE, THUR AND SAT.

If you’ve always fantasized about living like a real (cool) New Yorker, Hôtel Americano is the ultimate base camp. Nestled just beside the breathtakingly botanical High Line in the heart of Chelsea, this 56-room boutique babe is the first venture for the ultra-trendy Mexican hotel Grupo Habita, so expect zinger tequila-based cocktails on the rooftop pool terrace as well as deftly seasoned quesadillas and ceviche on the back patio. Minimalist rooms come with iPads loaded up with Latin chill, denim loungewear and deli treats and there’s often live music in the bar downstairs. Be sure to set aside ample time for exploring nearby galleries and shops. Rooms from $295. 518 West 27th Street, 001 212 525 0000; hotel-americano.com. lAURA GeoRGe AeR linGUs FLIES FROM DUBLIN TO new YoRK DAILY AND FROM SHANNON, MON, WED AND FRI.

given a facelift by leading interior Seeking character? Check out The Westin, Dublin – nine of their rooms have been finest famous writers. thewestindublin.com designers, HBA London – each room encapsulates the spirit of one of Ireland’s 8|

july 2012

Food File

Teutonic vegetarianism and hearty gastro fare in Cork, Eoin Higgins whets our appetite. THE WOODFORD, CORK

Though narrowly missing out to the Roadside Tavern (Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare) in the Irish Restaurant Association’s coveted annual awards this year, the Woodford, in Cork city, can still hold its head high when it comes to the Munster gastro pub league tables. Located in the historically rich Huguenot Quarter of the city, the building has a trading history dating back to the mid-18th century, when it was owned by well-known Cork wine merchants, Woodford Bourne & Co. Food is hearty, honest fare. Try the mussels with light ale, chorizo with chips, accompanied by a delightfully strong aioli (€12). The only slight negative on the menu is a dearth of independent Irish craft brewers … plenty from far afield but that is not quite the thing these days, is it? That niggling quibble aside, the Woodford is still worth a visit however. Daunt Square, Cork, 021 425 3931; thewoodford.ie

PRINZ MYSHKIN, MuNICH

Described by a meat-fearing friend as “possibly the best restaurant I’ve ever eaten in”, the nattily turned out Prinz Myshkin is a vegetarian Valhalla in the otherwise meaty metropolis of Munich. Try the buckwheat crepes Florentine, “light, nutty, and almost manically addictive”. Accompany with a calming and organic, Austrian St Laurent from the thoughtfully composed wine list (quite posh but reasonable enough value all the same). Drop by and see how lovely Teutonic vegetarianism can be. Hackenstrasse 2, Munich, 0049 89 26 5596; prinzmyshkin.com AER LINGuS FLIeS FROM DUBLIN TO MuNICH DAILy AND FROM CORk TO MuNICH, TUe, THUR AND SAT.

SADDLERS OF MAYFAIR, LONDON

A mere six-minute, appetite-whetting stroll from fellow Irishman Richard Corrigan’s haunt in London’s prestigious Mayfair, the ambitious Saddlers grill room, opened by restaurant and hotel entrepreneur Rory Smyth and his partner Maurice O’Callaghan, riffs upon a similar theme – emphasising quality ingredients, prepared in season and without fuss. More specifically, the highlight here is their impressive Irish beef offering – each steak served has been aged for a minimum of 35 days in the old country and is wood roasted on a bespoke beech grill. Head chef Matt Bishop has a noteworthy CV: he began cooking at the age of 18 and has built his repertoire working for Marco Pierre White, Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay to name-drop a few. 33 North Audley Street, Mayfair, London, 0044 207 629 7070; saddlersmayfair.co.uk AER LINGuS FLIeS FROM DUBLIN, SHANNON, CORk AND BeLFAST TO LONDON HEATHROW DAILy.

GARDEN CAFÉ CATALONIA, WASHINGTON DC

This already much-vaunted homage to Catalonia, in the beautiful surroundings of the Garden Café in DC’s magnificent National Gallery of Art, has been inspired by the exhibition Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape (on view until August 12). Away from the superlative-laden surroundings, in the café’s kitchen, Ferran Adría protégé, José Andrés, left, (recently featured on Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list) has created a masterful á la carte and buffet offering worthy of Miró’s detailist dollops. And the star of the show? Probably, the value for money on display. With a buffet price of $20.25 per head, this is sure to be a sell-out show. Unmissable. 4th Constitution Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC, 001 202 712 7454; nga.gov/dining

AER LINGuS FLIeS FROM DUBLIN TO WASHINGTON VIA BOSTON (WITH JeTBLUe) DAILy AND FROM SHANNON TO WASHINGTON VIA BOSTON (WITH JeTBLUe), TUe, THUR, SAT AND SUN.

Kenmare Food Carnival runs from July 13-15. Expect artisan markets, tastings, and a mysterious “Chocolate for Adults” event, hosted by smouldering French chocolatier Benoit Lorge; kenmarefoodcarnival.com 10 |

juLY 2012

Sourced locally. Planted seasonally. Grown to order. Farm to plate.

ely wine bar, 22 Ely Place, Dublin 2 ely bar & brasserie, IFSC, Dublin 1 ely gastro pub, Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2 book online or call + 353 1 633 9988 www.elywinebar.com

NEWS SHOPPING

Gadgets TO GO

It’s holiday time so ease your way into some fun in the sun with these nifty must-haves. By Sive O’Brien.

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1 EYEZONE MASSAGER €18 at prezzybox.co.uk 2 INFLATABLE SOFA Blofield, €560 at madeindesign.co.uk 3 FOLD-UP BICYCLE Dahon, €725 at giftgenies.com 4 TRAVEL SPEAKER Memorex Mi2290, €85 at amazon.co.uk 5 RADIO BINOCULARS Tasco, €36 at beststuff.co.uk 6 WATERPROOF IPAD2 CASE Dripro, €36 at i-DesignGenius.com 7 WATERPROOF WASH BAG Paul Smith, €138 at paulsmith.co.uk 8 FLASH CAMERA Lomography, €90 at urbanoutfitters.co.uk 9 CAMPER VAN TENT €370.09 at firebox.com 10 RECHARGEABLE SEA SCOOTER Bladefish, €423 at giftgenies.com

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JULY 2012

NEWS BUSINESS TRAVEL

Smart TRAVELLER

Savvy places to do business Paris? Best business lunches in Prague? Lisa Hughes reports. 5 BEST BUSINESS LUNCHES IN PRAGUE

LITTLE BLACK BOOK PARIS As general manager of Gilbeys, Ireland’s largest wine company, Sally-Anne Cooney travels to France for work at least once a month so it’s no surprise that Paris is her favourite city for business. Nothing beats exploring the little cafés and bistros of the Parisian back streets. A personal favourite is Les Papilles on Rue Guy Lussac in the 5th – a tiny bistro run out of a wine shop with only a few small tables and no menu – one meal is served and the food is always memorable. The last time I had endive soup, Boeuf Bourguignon and a petit but fabulous cheese pairing with ﬁg compote. Delicious. Best spot for business drinks … Le Fumoir in the 1st Arrondissemont is an uber-chic venue for a post-meeting cocktail and a perfect place for people watching. The big wooden bar and comfortable sofas have a vintage, smoking room feel. It’s just around the corner from the Louvre so you can get your cultural

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN ABOSCH

Why Paris is great for business travellers … I travel on business usually once or twice a month to wine-producing regions and Paris is perfect because I can combine multiple meetings with our producers – Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy and the Rhone are all so accessible with the TGV. Best business hotel … I would recommend The Hotel Mercure, Place Vendôme (mercure.com). It is a small, 20 room hotel ideally situated near Place de l’Opera . Rates are reasonable, Wi-Fi is free and the location is central. Best place for business meetings … The Hotel Le Bristol on Rue du Fauberg Saint Honoré (lebristolparis. com) by the Champs-Élysées is very central and has beautiful meeting rooms. It is within walking distance to the Musée d’Orsay and Tuileries Gardens for a post-meeting wind- down. Best for business lunch …

fix on the way. What’s tipping like? Tipping is a must and 10-15 per cent generally keeps the notorious French waiters happy! Doing business in Paris for the ﬁrst time … A good pair of ﬂat shoes is a must for Paris as walking is the best way to explore and get from A to B! On your downtime … Take a walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg, which is spectacular in autumn. Always take the time to sit and enjoy a good glass of wine and soak up the atmosphere of whatever city you are visiting.

MUST-HAVE TRAVEL GADGET BIG JAMBOX Designed to deliver a rich sound experience, even in large indoor and outdoor spaces, the Big Jambox is perfect for making conference calls in hotel rooms or anywhere with a bit of background hustle and bustle. And at just 1.2kg, the speakers won’t weigh down your luggage. Available in three designs (Red Dot, White Wave, and Graphite Hex), from €299 at Apple, Dixons, O2 and jawbone.com.

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JULY 2012

ARTISAN RESTAURANT & CAFÉ Artisan is known for its huge portions and array of international cuisine, including a great offering of local wines. This restaurant won’t bite too much out of your expenses and, with its dimmed lights and overall romantic feel, is a classy joint to bring clients to, even just for a coffee. (Rosickych 603/4, 00 420 257 218 277; artisanrestaurant.cz) CAFÉ PALACE Just off Vaclav Square, Café Palace is elegant and comfortable. The café offers business lunch from 11am-3pm on weekdays and main courses from around 225 CZK (€8.75). There’s also a selection of Ayurvedic drinks for the health-conscious traveller. (At Hotel Palace Praha, Panska 12, 00 420 224 221 240; vi-hotels.com/palace) LA TORRETTA PIZZERIA AND RESTAURANT For a less formal business gathering, treat your clients to this classic – but highly rated – local pizzeria. Open from 11am- 11pm, La Torretta serves affordable Italian classics in a rustic setting. (Moskevská 56, 00 420 271 720 01; latorretta.cz) SIDDHARTA CAFÉ Siddharta is a trendy restaurant/bar and lounge with a contemporary menu to boot. Intimate enough to guarantee privacy for your meeting, the Orient-inspired setting is also funky enough to inspire a creative meeting. (At Buddha-Bar Hotel, Jakubská 649/8, 00 420 221 776 404; buddha-bar-hotel.cz) COMO RESTAURANT & CAFÉ Como’s small terrace is a prime spot for getting down to business. You’ll find well prepared grub, served in a spacious modern restaurant. Main courses, such as Gnocchi with Bolognese Ragout, cost about 165 CZK (€6.40). (Václavské námesti 45, 00 420 222 247 240; comorestaurant.cz)

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Como Restaurant & Café

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news people

What’s in my suitcase Mayo-born international surfer Fergal Smith is making serious waves worldwide. With plenty of record-breaking surfs in far-flung shores including Fiji and Tahiti under his board, the 24-year-old is no stranger to a jetset lifestyle. He tells Suzie Coen the travel essentials he can’t live without.

Photograph by Mickey Smith

SUNGLASSES Arnette High Life, approx €68 at shadedaddy.com

Green shoe Gravis, €54.95 at planet-sport.de

Sureshot scotch plaid backpack Gravis, €64.95 at planet-sport.de Surfboard fins Future Fins, from €60 at jamieknox.com

The Time Teller watch Nixon, €79 at timely.com

SEXWAX Original formula, from €2 at surf shops nationwide ROC SOLEIL PROTEXION SUNSCREEN €18.25 at pharmacies nationwide

T-Shirt Analog, €27.79 at surfdome.com

Camoflague print wallet Analog €34.10 at surfdome.com

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july 2012

SURFBOARD DH Surfboards, price on request at dhsurfboards.com

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NEWS BEAUTY

BeautyON THE GO

MY BEAUTY MUSTS A much sought-after make-up artist, Mary Greenwell works with film stars, supermodels and top photographers. She regularly travels on shoots – here she shares her beauty tips.

There’s a rainbow of striking nail shades available this season. Ellie Balfe guides you through the hottest hues.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CACHAREL

Chanel devotees await the arrival of a new season’s shades with bated breath and rightly so. Always current and permanently chic, the brand has seen a huge rise in waiting lists for its sellout shades. Holiday, €22, is a perfectly judged, orange-based red to complement sunkissed hands. Exotic brights are the only way to go for summer and Catrice, €2.79, has every colour of the spectrum. Twist of Lemon is a particularly pleasing and

zesty yellow from the latest Coolibri collection – an haute couture colour at a prêt-à-porter price. Previously an unusual choice, orange polishes have made their presence known in recent times and Yves Saint Laurent’s

Orange Afrique, €24, is quite possibly the best loved hue around. Warm and opulent, this shade is here to stay. One to bag.

re Harnessing peat’s preserving properties, Ógra (meaning youth) is a new Irish skin-ca range derived from our native bogs. All these rejuvenating minerals help to heal and nourish, making for a five-star anti-ageing range; after all, Old Croghan Man was preserved almost perfectly for 2,500 years in a bog!

Manicure maven Sally Hansen answered many polish fans’ prayers with the launch of her Complete Salon Manicure system. Base coat, colour and topcoat in one provide an eﬀortless option for nails on the go. Colourwise Sally comes up trumps

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JULY JULY 20122012

each season too. Calypso Blue, €8.95, is the perfect poolside shade. Here’s a great idea from Max Factor: its mini nail polishes are a traveller’s dream as well as a great solution for the indecisive beauty shopper. Cool Jade, €4.99, is a neat nod to

the pastel green trend adorning nails-in-the-know right now. NARS Schiap, €18, is a hot fuchsia designed as homage to Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian fashion designer who had it as her signature shade. The polish is highly colour saturated with an intense shine – one that’s meant to be noticed.

GO WITH THE OLD RELIABLES My favourite sun-care products are by Sisley. They have very high SPF for both face and body, and disappear into the skin without leaving a white film. What we all tend to forget is that sun protection products must be applied every couple of hours. Once in the morning is not enough! I am using Yves Saint Laurent’s Forever Youth Liberator skincare range at the moment. The lotion feels fabulous and the day cream has SPF 15, which is perfect for most climates unless you are in very hot sun. At night I always use Estée Lauder Night Recovery, and right now I am using Sublimage Ultimate Skin Regeneration by Chanel, which I love. I always use Kiss Mix lip balm by Eve Lom as I find my lips get very dry at night, especially when travelling. TAKING COVER When I reach the beach, I can’t do without a huge beach towel, a great big hat and lots of pieces of fabrics to wear – especially across my shoulders and chest. I apply loads of high SPF sun cream; the older I get the more I feel the sun burning and it is incredibly ageing to have a sun tan after a certain age. A glow is lovely but definitely not a deep tan. MY FAVOURITE DESTINATION Lamu, an island off the coast of Kenya, on the Equator. It’s hot, mysterious and romantic. IN SEARCH OF SOMETHING NEW When I am travelling for work, I’m always on the hunt for new products. France definitely has the best pharmacies in the world. Just snooping around is so exciting, and the biggest thing I stock up on are Upsa Chewable Vitamin C, so delicious you can eat them like sweets. Most skin-care lines are global but it’s still possible to find something regional, such as lovely soaps.

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STRAP NewS PeoPle

On my Travels Concierge and lifestyle guru Jonathan Wallace opens up his travel journal to Suzie Coen, revealing his most memorable jaunts. After twelve years in hotel managment in properties around the world, it seemed natural to Jonathan Wallace to put his customer service skills to use in his own operation, encompass. Based in Kinsale, Co Cork, encompass is a concierge and lifestyle management company, which offers a bespoke service. As travel is such a big part of Jonathan’s life, whether it’s researching holidays, planning weddings, birthdays or other celebrations in exotic locations, or organising once-in-a-lifetime adventures, it’s no surprise that his own wanderlust tales are just as inspiring. No mATTeR wheRe I TRAvel, my heART beloNgS IN ... Africa. In our teens, my brother and I were dragged kicking and screaming to go and live in Zimbabwe, where our step-father had a teaching post. But we soon realised we were on a brilliant adventure and we both fell in love with the place. It was a teenager’s paradise – great climate, vast open plains, amazing wildlife and relaxed, out-door living. beINg PoSTed To PARIS wAS Such AN excITINg exPeRIeNce ... As a trainee hotel manager, I lived in the 5th arrondissement and I used to walk to work through some of the most

beautiful parts of the city – up to the Left Bank, through the Tuileries Gardens and up to a little side street just off the Champs Elysée to start my shift. It’s such a walk-able city and the caféculture is something I really miss. FoR A culTuRe hIT, you cAN’T beAT ... Rome. It’s like being in a massive museum because every street, square and piazza you walk through is full of history and astonishingly beautiful. my lATeST New yoRk FINd IS ... Hotel Elysée at 60 East 54th Street. It’s a discreet, charming, welcoming, and brilliantly located boutique hotel.

3 gardens to dig

gIveRNy moNeT’S gARdeNS

There are two parts to Monet’s gardens at Giverny, left, in France: a flower garden and a Japanese-inspired water garden. The two parts contrast and complement one another; both are idyllic havens. Open daily (April 1 to November 1, 2012) from 9.30am to 6pm. giverny.org

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wIcklow gARdeNS

Running April to September, Wicklow Gardens offers a choice of visiting 33 gardens in the “Garden County” and surrounding counties Dublin, Kildare, Wexford and Carlow. All are of outstanding beauty, with many private gardens being opened exclusively for the duration. wicklowgardens.com

A luxuRy holIdAy To me IS ... Staying in a five-star hotel resort where the children are as important to the staff as you. The Four Seasons hotel group know how to do this very well, as we found out when we stayed at their property in Bangkok. Happy children mean happy and relaxed parents. I’ve beeN oN mANy AdveNTuRe holIdAyS buT I wAS blowN AwAy by ... A canoe safari down the Zambezi River, where you camped underneath the stars with nothing separating you from the hippos but a mosquito net. It was an amazing and humbling experience, particularly when we found crocodile tracks through the middle of the camp the next morning. gReAT guIdeS cAN mAke youR holIdAy ... While on honeymoon in the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania we had an amazing guide called Jackson. He’s the guy who showed my wife and I how to: bake bread in a termite mound, winch a warm shower up in the middle of the bush, tell the difference between a lilac breasted roller and a bee eater and calmly get off a sand bank while being approached by a curious hippo. eveRy TRIP IS beTTeR wheN I’m ... With my wife Maeve. We have such a laugh and we both like similar things in a holiday. We have travelled together a lot but she’s still determined to take me to two of her favourite places where she lived – Malaysia and Miami. Twelve yeARS IN The hoSPITAlITy INduSTRy hAS TAughT me ThAT ... Good manners and a smile cost nothing.

ARNold ARboReTum gARdeN In 1872, Frederick

Law Olmsted established the first public arboretum in Boston. His legacy is ingeniously dovetailed into its surroundings, creating a stunning composition of woods, meadows and valleys. Guided tours run throughout the month of July. arboretum.harvard.edu

Over

Events so far... In May we hit another significant milestone at The CCD! We hosted our 500th event since opening in September 2010. In less than two years we have also won 11 Industry awards, achieved ISO 9001 and 14001 accreditation, and a customer satisfaction rating of 96%. Find out for yourself why The CCD is the perfect venue for your next event.

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NEWS BOOKS

Shelf LIFE

The latest Banville and engaging memoirs: Bridget Hourican previews the new releases. Ancient Light by John Banville (Viking, £16.99) The elderly actor Alexander Cleave remembers his teenage years in a small town in 1950s Ireland and his affair with his friend’s mother – the illicit meetings in a rundown cottage, the assignations in the back of her car. With these early memories comes something sharper and darker – the recollection of his daughter, Cass’s, suicide ten years before. Banville often arranges his books in loose trilogies and Ancient Light is the third book featuring Cleave, who appeared in Eclipse (2000) and Shroud (2002). Diary of a Nose by Jean-Claude Ellena (Particular Books, Penguin, £12.99) Ellena has a rarefied profession – he’s parfumeur exclusif (“le nez” or “the nose”) for Hermès. How do you go about creating a new scent? Guessing, rightly, that for most people, this is about as mysterious as the dark

flora, fauna, history, locals, culture, side of the moon, Ellena politics and industrialisation, all of kept a diary for a year LOVE which find their way into this rich describing some of POETRY? narrative about one of the world’s the tricks of the Two poets are celebrated this most historic regions. Seal, trade and where his month: head to Co Kildare for the unlike other travel writers, is inspiration comes Gerard Manley Hopkins festival (July endlessly fascinated by just one from – market 21-27; gerardmanleyhopkins.org) and country – this is his third, but stalls, landscape, to Sligo for the Yeats Summer School not his last, book on Turkey calligraphy (July 29 to August 10; yeats-sligo. and its people. (apparently all five senses come into com). Expect readings, poetry, Walking Home by play when creating recitals, art exhibitions Simon Armitage a scent). He ends and lectures. (Faber, £16.99) In with a few recipes. This summer 2010 Simon charming and lusciously Armitage decided to printed memoir was a bestseller walk the 256-mile in France. Pennine Way – in Meander, East the reverse direction to West along a to usual. Instead of going south to Turkish River by north, he would start on the Scottish Jeremy Seal (Chatto side of the border and walk home & Windus, £16.99). towards the Yorkshire village where The flow of the he was born. Travelling as a “modern Meander river, or the troubadour” without a penny in his Büyük Menderes, pocket, he stopped along the way to from central Turkey into the give poetry readings in village halls, Aegean Sea is so indirect that it churches, pubs and living rooms. The has given the word “meander” to terrain is remote and wild, the people the language. British travel writer tough and generous. A surprising Jeremy Seal took to his canoe to and moving look at a country you go with the flow, encountering thought you knew.

Who’s reading what?

Author and director of the West Cork Literary Festival Denyse Woods on her summer choices. WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT? “Mary Russell’s delightful travelogue, My Home is Your Home: A Journey Through Syria. A wonderful writer and wonderful company. A lovely way to revisit my own, too short, time in Damascus. When Mary describes grabbing a stranger’s arm to get across a busy (understatement) street, I felt like grabbing her other arm and forging into the maelstrom with them! I’ve recently ﬁnished Ruth Padel’s brilliant and unsettling collection of essays and poems, The Mara Crossing, which should be prescribed

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reading for anyone who cares about this planet and its creatures – and especially those who don’t.” WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN READING? “Most recently in the hot sunshine in the garden, with swallows swooping and trees shuffling in the wind.” DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PLACE FOR A HOLIDAY? “Can’t do better than Yemen for its people, culture, spectacular scenery and extraordinary architecture. The old saying is true: ‘Sana’a must be seen, even if the journey is long.’ For a lie-onthe-rocks-with-a-book holiday, I love Croatia. Fabulous

coastline, sea and swimming.” WHAT’S THE BEST BOOK FOR A LONG FLIGHT? “When I’m on the move, I like to read about people on the move. fiction Travel writing is ideal, but fi ction set in foreign parts goes well with an airplane too. One book? Travels with a Tangerine by Tim Mackintosh-Smith. Sublime prose, a good laugh, and an extraordinary journey.” Denyse Woods, who also writes as Denyse Devlin, is the author of five novels, including the critically acclaimed Overnight to Innsbruck. She is also the artistic director of the West Cork Literary Festival (westcorkliteraryfestival.ie).

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news Diary

Viennese whirl

The home city of painter Gustav Klimt has plenty of attractions for art lovers wishing to celebrate the 150th anniversary of his birth. Writer Mary Russell reports.

ienna is the smallest of its themes of hostility, yearning, Austria’s nine provinces happiness and the greed of the but within its 415 square gorgons. The account of how kilometres you’ll find some of the frieze, intended primarily the most breath-taking art in for a temporary exhibition, was the world. And because 2012 removed, reconstructed and marks the 150th anniversary rehoused, is a story in itself. But of the birth of one of the city’s don’t let that distract you from celebrated bon vivants, who the work. took his pleasures from wine, Given Klimt’s weakness for women and food, visitors should women, it’s interesting to see how head for two galleries which they are portrayed in the mural – as show Gustav Klimt’s arrestingly wantonness, lasciviousness and beautiful work: the Secession intemperance. Freudian, you might Gallery (exhibition runs until say, and yes, you’d probably be right: Klimt’s most artists, he was commissioned to recognisable work, do some in-fill paintings in the November 4; Friedrichstrasse 12, the city’s most famous psychoanalyst “The Kiss”. grand staircase of what is now the 0043 158 753 0721; secession.at) was a contemporary of Klimt. Kunsthistorisches Museum and and the majestic Kunsthistorisches Focusing as it often did, on these are well worth a visit. Museum (exhibition runs until female nudes in suggestive Klimt’s most popular work January 6, 2013; Maria-Theresien poses, Klimt’s work attracted many is “The Kiss”, which shows two Platz, 0043 1525 240; khm.at). accusations of being pornographic lovers intertwined among bedding The Kunsthistorisches Museum and representing unnecessarily that glows in a golden light, and was built by the Hapsburgs explicit sex. The fact that he was a is housed at the Belvedere Palace to house their own private art womaniser seemed to confirm this. (belvedere.at/en). collection and is now also known Although he never married, he Klimt died aged 56, of as the Museum of Fine Arts. had a stream of relationships pneumonia, a consequence Both galleries are within walking with women, some of Ground of the flu epidemic that swept distance of each other and located whom were his models rules through the city in 1919. close to the old city. – although one lover, There are around 150 classic Following his death, 14 The Secession Building, Adele Bloch-Bauer, people came forward to built in 1898, was devoted to was a member of coffee houses in Vienna, so knowing claim him as their father the Secession movement, which Vienna’s high society the form is important. First, sit at your though he acknowledged rejected the grandiose art of the and the subject table and wait to be served. A waiter only three children during Renaissance in favour of the of many portraits. will come when he’s ready, take your his lifetime, each having more simplistic, less-adorned His long-term order, deliver it and then leave you one of his former models approach of the modernists. companion – though alone to read, write, or simply as their mother. It’s easy to locate because of not, it is thought, his watch the world spin. the large golden dome over its lover – was fashion Getting around:invest in a Vienna Card entrance. Once inside you’ll designer Emilie Flöge. (€18.50) that gives unlimited travel for 72 find Klimt’s mural depicting In 1890, along with his hours on subways, buses and trams. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, with brothers who were also gifted

3 of the best viennese coffee houses

Café DreChsler (Linke Wienzeile 22; cafedrechsler. at), left, when I visited had a female server, a few dogs and an interesting vegetarian option: spinach, creamed potatoes and a fried egg. Here, new meets old. Sir Terence Conran was drafted in to give the place a facelift in 2007.

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Café Tirolerhof (Führichgasse 8, just off Albertina Platz) is one of those coffee shops that has happily been untouched by planners or interior designers. Slightly shabby, not a lot in the way of pastries but just right for a quiet coffee. This one is easily my favourite.

Café CenTral (Herrengasse 14) is a delight, with its papiermâché representation of poet Peter Altenberg who had a regular table here, and it’s also where he met up with modernist architect Adolf Loos. I had a bowl of delicious spinach soup and somewhere in the depths of the café, someone was playing a piano.

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news diAry

Festival spirit

phoTograph By EoIN CarEy

Summer brings a feast of festivals to Edinburgh. Edel Coffey looks at what’s on offer.

he Scottish capital, Edinburgh, is a cultured city of universities, medieval steeples and spires. It is also the home of one of Europe’s oldest and finest annual cultural events – the Edinburgh Festival. While the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (August 3-27) is the biggest festival of its kind in the world, the big daddy of the August calendar is the Edinburgh International Festival (August 9 to September 2), which includes theatre, dance, opera, music and visual art. During August, seven festivals take place in Edinburgh, including the International Book Festival (August 11-27) and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (August 3-25). Each is run separately but, thanks to coinciding dates, they combine to provide an embarrassing feast of cultural riches in the city. Edinburgh International Festival director Jonathan Mills says the

festival is unique because of the time and the circumstances in which it was founded. It began in 1947, against the backdrop of bombedout Britain. The atmosphere was one of hardship and rationing and the festival represented a beacon of hope. “The festival was started in part because people were deliberately looking for alternatives to the horrors they had just come through,” he explains. At the time, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh said the festival should be a platform for the flowering of the human spirit. That spirit of openheartedness continues 65 years later and, despite the festival’s popularity with audiences and artists alike, it doesn’t rest on its laurels, setting itself new challenges every year. This year it’s all about scale. Who says bigger isn’t better? Grzegorz Jarzyna’s 2008: Macbeth is such a big production it has to be staged at Scotland’s largest event venue. “That’s one of my

3 of the best ARts festIVALs

KilKenny Arts FestivAl August 10-19 Ireland’s charming medieval town of Kilkenny plays host to its own arts festival, left, now in its 39th year. It has expanded from its original remit of classical music to include everything from craft and dance to street performance; kilkennyarts.ie

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Dancers from the National Ballet of China waiting to go on stage at the Festival Theatre during the Edinburgh International Festival, 2011.

Berlin FestivAl september 7-8 Music festivals that shirk from the traditional format are gaining popularity. The Berlin Festival in the Tempelhof airport plays host to bands such as Daughter, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and Sigur Rós. €81.40; berlinfestival.de

favourite things, without a doubt,” says Mills of the Polish production. “It’s immense in every way.” Under the same roof at the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston, two other important projects will take place. One, Meine faire Dame, is loosely based on My Fair Lady, and the other is Ariane Mnouchkine’s Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores) that runs for over four hours. Other festival highlights include Janáček’s opera, The Makropulos Case, and the Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony. Barry McGovern will be flying the Irish flag with Beckett’s Watt, the same magical production which ran at Dublin’s Gate Theatre two years ago. Northern Irish playwright Frank McGuinness will take part in a panel discussion on the differing voices of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, while two of Seán O’Casey’s one-act plays will be performed in the fringe festival. An estimated 900,000 people visit the city during the festival, which makes it very open and international, says Mills, and, of course, full of energy and excitement. Edinburgh is small enough to walk around so there is no need to hire a car but, with so much on offer, it’s hard for the first-time visitor to know where to start. Mills’s advice is to “see something from every festival”. “Get the brochures for each festival and approach them like a form guide at a race meeting. Compare the offerings and just be daring, jump in, immerse yourself, you only live once.” With tickets starting from as little as £7, it would be rude not to. For more information, see eif.co.uk.

lA tomAtinA, vAlenCiA August 29 This beach party hits all the right notes with a line-up that includes De La Soul and UK wordsmith, Ghostpoet. If you get bored, you can hop on a party boat and watch the sun set over Murter Island. Tickets, £105; soundwavecroatia.com

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Game

Players

Ireland’s Olympic stars seem perfectly aligned as our athletes prepare for the Games of a lifetime on our doorstep. Ian O’Riordan talks to ﬁve members of Team Ireland and chef de mission Sonia O’Sullivan about what London 2012 means to them. Photographs by Trevor Hart.

hat moment, seven years ago now, when London was declared host city for the 2012 Olympics was greeted with the rush of euphoria that feels instantly lifechanging. And that was just among the Irish athletes: the rest of the world seemed pretty excited about it too. The enduring realisation that Ireland won’t and can’t possibly ever stage the Olympics means, for us, that London is definitely the next best thing – an Olympics on our own doorstep, for the first and probably last time in most of our lifetimes. Now that the moment has turned into reality, it’s worth recalling that Paris had been the frontrunner all along, only overtaken by London in the sprint finish. Destiny, perhaps, because our Olympic stars now seem perfectly aligned, our team of athletes (sponsored by Aer Lingus, the official airline to the Irish team) as well spread and prepared as any previous Games, sprinkled with some juicy medal prospects. That women’s boxing was added to the Olympic programme just in 28 |

JULY 2012

time for London hasn’t done our medal prospects any harm either, and that it’s all happening a short trip across the Irish Sea means there’s no great excuse for not being there, even if left scrambling around for whatever few tickets remain unsold. “It’s going to be one of our largest teams, ever,” says Sonia O’Sullivan, “and definitely the most sports we’ve ever had represented.” O’Sullivan’s appointment as Ireland’s Chef de Mission for London represented a sort of head start, not just because of her own experience of four Olympics: Cork will always be home, but she’s split her time between London and Australia for much of her life, so knows exactly what the Irish athletes can expect come July 27. “There will always be some athletes that perform better than before,” says O’Sullivan, “and you will always have athletes that don’t. The goal is to get a bigger proportion of the team performing at the level they qualified, or higher. If we do that I think we can be very successful.” Many expectations have been surpassed already, with the largest number of track and field athletes ever qualified on

A-standards – including our first women’s high jumper in Deirdre Ryan, and Tori Pena, our first representative in the pole vault, man or woman. Rob Heffernan and Olive Loughnane are both back for their fourth Olympics in the race walk, while there are several first-time Olympians, including gymnast Kieran Behan, Lisa Kearney in women’s judo, Hannah Craig in kayak racing, and young swimmer Gráinne Murphy. Ireland has only ever won 23 Olympic medals, twelve of those in boxing – and once again boxing represents our best hopes for London. The three boxing medals won in Beijing four years ago – one silver and two bronze – could well be bettered this time, even if Joe Ward was one of the main casualties of the ruthless qualifying process (pending appeal). Paddy Barnes (bronze four years ago) leads the charge again, along with Michael Conlan, John Joe Nevin, Adam Nolan, and Darren O’Neill. Then there’s Katie Taylor: after years of campaigning, women’s boxing is now part of the Olympic programme, and Taylor has been the best women’s boxer in the world

Make-up By Christine LuCignano for ChaneL

The Swimmer – Gráinne Murphy Asking any 13-year-old athlete to move from her family home in Wexford to the University of Limerick, adding in a 5am daily wakeup call, might seem a bit severe, although Gráinne Murphy never saw it that way. “No, I don’t see any of it as a sacrifice. I get up early every morning and go swimming, and I really love that. Limerick is a nice environment too, like being around the Munster rugby team, and I enjoy every day being around here.” Sacrifice or not, it’s already paid off: within a year Murphy won a Youth Olympics bronze medal, and, in 2009, made a sensational breakthrough with three gold medals at the European Junior championships – then seamlessly moved into the senior ranks in 2010 with two European short course bronze medals, in the 400m and 800m freestyle (the latter her preferred event). Now, at just 19, she’s qualified for her first Olympics, her 8:31.14

last December well inside the A-standard of 8:33.84 for the 800m freestyle – although strictly speaking, Murphy has been to the Olympics before: “Yes, in 2008, the Olympic Council helped bring two young athletes over to Beijing,” she explains, “just to watch, get a feel for it. So I did actually get to experience some of the Games, got to see one of the swimming sessions, which was great.” With a tight-knit support team that includes her mother Mary, who also moved to Limerick to be with her, and Ronald Claes of Swim Ireland, Murphy also got to test the new Olympic Aquatics Centre in March: “Swimming in the Olympic pool, that’s when you start to get excited. But then it’s really just a normal pool, like any other. And it doesn’t really matter that it’s London, so close to home. Like any other Olympics everyone wants to compete at their best, so it doesn’t really make it any easier.”

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people

for the past six years. That brings inevitable pressure, although there’s nothing to suggest the 26-year-old from Bray, Co Wicklow, can’t handle it. There are strong medal hopes too for sailors Annalise Murphy and the Star Class pair of Peter O’Leary and David Burrows – and also back is canoeist Eoin Rheinisch, who finished an agonising fourth in Beijing. London has spared nothing in getting the city ready, even if its eventual Olympic budget is now in danger of surpassing the £12 billion mark, yet no one is entirely sure how well its already stressed transport system can cope. What is certain is the venues are brilliantly userfriendly, most of them built inside the new 2012 Olympic Park, out in the old industrial east, an area Dickens himself would have once found fairly unwelcoming. When the site was formally handed over to the London Organising Committee it was essentially an industrial landfill, some 250 acres of contaminated soil, criss-crossed with dozens of old electrical pylons. It has been utterly transformed, the centrepiece being the new 80,000-seater Olympic Stadium, and also the Aquatics Centre, Velodrome, plus the Basketball Arena. Other venues are spread out elsewhere, the boxing in the ExCel Arena down by Canary Wharf, the rowing over at Eton Dorney, and the sailing as far south as Weymouth. Security will be an issue too, at least for those in a hurry to get around, with British Prime Minister David Cameron describing it as “the biggest and most integrated security operation in mainland Britain in our peacetime history”. For the true Olympian, athlete or spectator, that’s a minor distraction, when all that matters is being there. Aer Lingus wishes the Olympic team every success at London 2012. For all information on venues and remaining ticket sales, see london2012. com; accommodation searches can be done through visitlondon.com; and for travel plans, see travel.london.com

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The Race Walker – Olive Loughnane “I still feel privileged,” says Olive Loughnane, “and believe it is still a great honour to represent your country at the Olympics.” That’s coming from the heart because, at 36, Loughnane is poised for her fourth successive Olympics, a remarkable feat by any standards, especially in an event as gruelling as the 20km walk. “It’s something I still dream about, that drives me on,” she adds. “I have a World Championship medal from 2009, which means a lot to me, but of course an Olympic medal is still the ultimate.” That’s coming from the head because, despite her age, Loughnane is still capable of mixing it with the best, one of Ireland’s few genuine medal contenders in athletics. Seventh in Beijing four years ago, she may well have saved the best until last, and definitely has the experience: it helps too that in the last two Olympics, walkers aged 36 have stood on the medal podium in her event.

“I’ve had to change the focus of my training a little, as you get older, because the recovery from the harder training sessions does take that little bit longer. But I still believe I am as mentally tough, tougher, than everyone else, having been through so much over the last twelve years, and three previous Olympics.” In 2006 she took a break to give birth to her daughter, Eimear, but London has always been looming large: “I still remember hearing when London was chosen, and straightaway thinking, Gosh, I can’t stop now, I’ll have to keep going for that. It was a big motivation, even before I went to Beijing in 2008, and finished seventh. And if half the people that are telling me they’re going end up going then we’ll have huge support. The crowds do make a difference, when you’re out there slogging it out, every shout and cheer, drives you on.”

PEOPLE

The Boxer – Darren O’Neill “I just had to decide myself whether to stick with it, or give it up,” says Darren O’Neill, and he’s not just talking about boxing. A native of Paulstown, Co Kilkenny, O’Neill is equally deft at hurling, winning an All-Ireland title with St Kieran’s College back in 2004 – many of his team mates going on to win senior AllIrelands with Kilkenny. Since committing to boxing he has had other tough decisions to make: he has fought at both middleweight and light heavyweight, and narrowly lost out on an Olympic place for Beijing, at middleweight, to the late Darren Sutherland, who went on to win a bronze medal: “I really thought I was in with a good chance to get to Beijing, and after missing out, had to look again at where I was going. Once I decided to stick with it, I committed to middleweight,

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and London became the only goal, but I had to take it step by step.” The giant leap, however, came at the World Championships last October, where O’Neill became the ﬁrst Irish boxer to qualify for London – and at the same time was made team captain. Then there was another tough decision: a teacher at Holy Trinity Primary School in Donaghmede in north Dublin, he thought it was only fair on himself, and his students, if he went full-time into boxing, at least until London. “I enjoyed the teaching, as a release from boxing too, and took a risk in leaving, as it wasn’t a permanent post. It was a tough decision, same as leaving the hurling, but boxing gave me more personal satisfaction, I suppose. And an Olympic medal might just surpass an All-Ireland medal with Kilkenny.”

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people

The Sprinter – Paul Hession “I missed being in an Olympic final – the world record run – by one place and I don’t want that to happen again,” says Paul Hession, Ireland’s fastest man and, at 29, still determined to go even faster. Four years ago in Beijing, Hession finished his Olympic 200m semi-final in fifth place, only the top four making the final: so the next day he watched from the stands as Usain Bolt blasted a then world record of 19.36 seconds. The Galway man could, should, have been there, and that’s what been driving him on in the four years since – citius, altius, fortius, with the emphasis on citius. He has certainly trained harder than ever. With his medical studies still on hold, he ran 20.51 last summer to qualify for these Olympics; yet he knows only much quicker times will make the final. But the chance to race alongside Bolt provides added motivation – especially with the big Jamaican poised to be London’s headline act. The entire world will be watching, and Hession wants to be there. “Bolt really has transcended athletics. Everybody knows who he is. I have run against him twelve or 13 times in my career and every time he has brought a great pizzazz, a bit of life, to the sport that it really needs. If I can repeat or just better what I did in Beijing, I can make the final. It is all on the day. So little separates us all.”

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PEOPLE

The Marathon Runner – Mark Kenneally Not many athletes qualify for the Olympics relatively late in the career, then, to cap it oﬀ, are asked to carry the Olympic torch through their home town. Good things come to those who wait, and for Mark Kenneally, 31, London is just reward for a truly marathon eﬀort. “Obviously I was delighted with my time,” says Kenneally, the 2:13:55 he ran in Amsterdam last October well under the 2:15 A-standard for London. “But then came the nervous wait, wondering what other Irish runners might get the time, and if I might need to run faster again. All I could do was keep training and preparing as if I was going to the Olympics.” He needn’t have worried: several others did try, and failed,

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leaving Kenneally as Ireland’s sole men’s marathon qualifier, in what is sure to be one of the most spectacular events in London – starting and finishing in front of Buckingham Palace. Although also relatively new to marathon running, Kenneally served his time successfully on the domestic track and crosscountry scene, with Clonliffe Harriers, winning national titles in both – and was Ireland’s top finisher, in eighth, when the European Cross Country was staged in Dublin, in 2009. He’s always balanced sport with his career too – a qualified physiotherapist, now running his own practice in Celbridge, Co Kildare: “Full-time training, all year round, is not something I’d relish. Having only one stimulus can make you feel mentally stale, can be a bit boring.”

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PhotograPhed by trevor hart, assisted by sylvie Cordenner. Make uP by Jane gribbin

people

The Chef de Mission – Sonia O’Sullivan “The fact that it’s London certainly makes it that bit easier,” says Sonia O’Sullivan, “because I am so familiar with London, spend a lot of time here, and know exactly how to get around. So it really is home territory in that way. I think it’s a place the Irish athletes can enjoy as well, plus being easier to travel out, acclimatise, and having all the support they need, right here in place, can only help them all be that bit more successful.” It seems a little strange that O’Sullivan is talking up our general Olympic ambitions, rather than just her own, but her appointment as Chef de Mission for the Irish team, the person who makes sure all our athletes perform as smoothly as possible in London, was a masterstroke: no one is better qualified, in every sense, not just because O’Sullivan, 42, has divided most of the last two decades between her homes in London and Melbourne.

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Cork will always be home, yet O’Sullivan’s familiarity with the city of London, coupled with her immense experience of competing in four Olympics, including the silver medal high of Sydney, in 2000, makes her ideally positioned to ease any fears an athlete might harbour going into the biggest event of their lives. That’s not saying everything will automatically go to plan, and the Olympics, by their very gargantuan nature, will always throw up challenges: “I suppose the one big unknown really is the transport, and how everyone gets around when all the crowds arrive in. You don’t have to worry too much around the Olympic Park, but if you’re trying to get out to Wembley, or the boxing, it will be a test, definitely the first time, to see how it all works out. But I do think London can handle it.”

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London Calling

It’s London’s year – first the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and now the Games. But if you’re travelling to the Olympics, says resident Tilly Culme-Seymour, don’t overlook the host of cultural and foodie events on offer.

ondoners have every excuse for feeling over the 2012 Olympics. The past 18 months alone, our patriotic feathers have been ruffled first by the Royal Wedding, and then by the Queen’s Jubilee. We’ve had enough of banner waving and bank holidays. Haven’t we? And now the eyes of the world will be on London – yet again. The bustle of preparing for the arrival of world-class athletes, and the accommodation and entertainment of supporters and spectators, has already brought disruption on a grand scale; new stadiums and housing on our back doorstep, repairs on the tube lines making it harder to get to work – the incentivising billboards urging us to behave as cultural attachés are a bitter pill to swallow. Our stiff upper lip is trembling with over-fatigue. Thus few would admit they are actually looking forward to the

Games. It’s almost un-British. London’s own threaten to desert faster than finalists in the 100-metre sprint. But dig deeper and you’ll find a kernel of excitement, whether of the more cynical variety – whacking their house on the short-term rental market for top dollar – or, um, innocent, like the friend of mine who has won the ticketing lottery and bagged seats to women’s volleyball. He’s walking around like Charlie Bucket after finding the Golden Ticket, wide-eyed and rather shell-shocked. I’m staying in the capital, come what may. The city will be putting its best football boot forward after all. There will be exhibitions, concerts, open-air cinema. What’s not to like? Herewith, some of the highlights, from food to culture, that will sustain me through the Games.

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london For the olympiCs

especially for performance in the park. (operahollandpark.com). The BBC Proms season opens on July 13 with the celebrated First Night. Highlights during the Olympic period include Prom no. 26, Bach’s Mass in B minor, and Prom no.28 when the National Youth Jazz Orchestra will be playing. (bbc.co.uk/proms)

ACtiVities

London Pleasure Garden The winners of the Mayor of London and Newham’s Meanwhile Project are promising to transform Royal Docks – aka The Olympic Last Mile – into an epic cultural melting pot. There will be a concert stage, landscaped walkways, a guerrilla art-hotel and a floating cinema among other attractions. (londonpleasuregardens.com) Fancy a refresher in an Olympicsize swimming pool? The London Fields Lido becomes packed in summertime when punters go to enjoy the chilled, pool-side ambience as much as to exercise in the 50-metre pool. Visit off-peak to experience the joys of swimming under the open sky without leaving the city. (London Fields Westside, E8; hackney.gov.uk/c-londonfields-lido.htm)

Above, the exhibitions, “Beautiful Games” and Foodies Serpentine Gallery “Mascots of the Olympic Games”, An army – or an Olympic team – Pavilion 2012, explore the history of the Games. Get marches on its stomach, and there the place to head the adrenalin pumping with a ride in is nothing like a good breakfast and for talks, shows, movies and more. a virtual skeleton bobsleigh and find super-strong coffee to begin the day. Railroad Café comes up trumps out what makes an athlete successful. for its no-nonsense menu, champion Children are sure to brew and overall charm. An East love this, and it London gem. (120-122 Morning is a great way Lane, Hackney, 0044 208 985 2858; to get them railroadhackney.co.uk) actively You’re bound to need some involved sugar after watching those athletes in the compete. Gelupo – the gelateria excitement. (Cambridge Heath affiliated to Soho restaurant Bocca di Road, E2, 0044 208 983 5200; Lupo – stays open until 1am, Fridays museumofchildhood.org.uk) Get up And Go! and Saturdays and has a mouthMovie aficionados will welcome Barclay’s Cycle Hire “Boris Bikes” watering catalogue of flavours, from the re-release of Chariots of Fire in are a good way to get around sour cherry and ricotta to coconut cinemas in July. This quintessentially during the Olympics. £1 buys you and chocolate sorbet. (7 Archer British film follows the trials and 24-hours roaming entirely free, Street, W1, 0044 207 287 5555; tribulations of two athletes at the provided journey time is limited to gelupo.com) 1924 Paris Games. Theatre buffs 30-minutes a pop. An iPhone app will prefer the adapted stage version, will alert you to your nearest bike Culture Vulture playing at the Gielgud after a transfer docking station. (tfl.gov.uk) This summer, the Serpentine from the Hampstead Theatre. Stirring Get Ahead of the Games Gallery Pavilion in Kensington stuff. (timeout.com/film; gielgud. For longer haul, this brilliant Gardens has been designed by the london-theatre-guide.org.uk) travel website will give you all team responsible for the Beijing Opera Holland Park is a must manner of advice on beating the National Stadium for the Olympics for music lovers. Highlights of crowds during the Olympics: in 2008, Herzog & de Meuron, in the summer programme include getaheadofthegames.com. My advice: collaboration with controversial Tchaikovsky’s Yevgeny Onegin if you are taking the underground, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. The and Tobias Picker’s Fantastic Mr don’t under any circumstances pavilion serves as a public space Fox, with a libretto by Donald forget to buy a bottle of water and as a venue for cultural events Sturrock based on the Roald Dahl before your journey. and talks. Well worth attending. story, commissioned in 2010 (Serpentine Gallery, Kensington . Gardens, W2, 0044 207 402 6075; Tardy bookers seeking quarters in London could try Accommodation for the Games serpentinegallery.org) single At the Victoria and Albert Whether you’re seeking a house to fit the family, an apartment with friends or Museum offshoot in East London, es.com) The Museum of Childhood, two rooms, this is a go-to resource for last-minute deals. (accommodationforthegam

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IntervIew

lesson

french

Writer Tana French’s thrillers are dark and unsettling. They sell scarily well in the US, but she remains relatively unknown in Ireland, her adopted home. That may change with her fourth novel, set against the last roars of the Celtic Tiger. Bridget Hourican meets her. Photographs by Matthew Thompson.

ana French doesn’t believe in doing the right thing; she does her thing. First up, she took up acting (“no-one thinks acting is a good idea; it’s a terrible idea,” she says), and then she refused to buy a house when everyone told her to. French is in her late thirties, part of

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that generation, which was encouraged “from every angle” to get on the property ladder. Those who listened were suddenly stuck in negative equity while those, like French, who “were too skint for most of the boom, and bad at going with the flow” were home and dry. “I think a big part of the Celtic Tiger was letting other people decide

what you want. I found that very frightening because if you let other people decide, then when it all goes wrong, you’re left with much less sense of your own centre. If you decided, it may have been a terrible decision, but at least it was your terrible decision, rather than one you accepted being thrust upon you from outside.”

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IntervIew

French’s latest thriller, Broken Harbour, set in a ghost estate just outside Dublin, is about people who try to do the right thing – and it’s very frightening indeed. There’s a moment about two thirds of the way through, when the husband of a family on the ghost estate, who’s convinced that a predatory animal is coming in through his attic, starts posting online his desire to set a big trap to catch the animal alive and watch it suffer. Already disturbed by the lonely locale, I stopped reading. Interestingly, French tells me that she stopped reading two-thirds of the way through Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger – “I loved it, but I was so creeped out, I stopped” – and she also says she found Broken Harbour, her fourth book, the hardest to write – “The location is not somewhere you want to spend time”. So it’s not just me. (I did reprise Broken Harbour – in daylight – my need to know what happened overcame my fear). French’s is among the most charmed writer’s journeys I’ve ever come across. Her first novel, In the Woods (2007), which she wrote on the hoof, was snapped up, won four major awards and hit the New York Times bestseller list. She averages a book every two years – and they’re long, textured, and psychologically acute – and all of them get on the New York Times bestseller lists. Her second novel, The Likeness has been optioned by Paramount. No creative writing classes, no failed novels in drawers, no second book agony or writer’s block. “I learnt a lot about characterisation from acting,” she says. “A good actor slips from their own reality into someone else’s, and that’s what I do in writing too.” She doesn’t do plot outlines and has no idea what’s going to happen until she starts writing. “I do a lot of rewrites,” she admits. “With Broken Harbour, I reached page 100 and realised I had to go back and leave one of the victims alive ...” She never had a burning desire to write; her energy was focussed on acting. But one summer she was between gigs – “theatre doesn’t line up” – so did an archaeological dig (to feed her fascination with mystery and 46 |

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excavation). “There was a wood close by, which looked like a great place for kids to play. I starting thinking what if three kids went in and only one came out, and I wrote that idea down. Then I went off to do Twelfth Night. A year later I was moving flat and found that piece of paper and thought I’d really like to know what happens and the only way to find out what happens is to write it.” Her books start with an image or an idea, like the missing children in the wood. For Broken Harbour it was mice. “We were living in a tiny granny flat and I went into the kitchen one night and saw something shoot out. But we couldn’t find anything ever having been there so my husband said something about my imagination. Luckily a few nights later he was the one who saw a mouse scoot across [the floor]. “But I kept thinking about that sensation of me knowing I’d seen something and him going are you sure, couldn’t it have been your imagination? We have a happy relationship but what would it be like

Tana French’s career as an author has been charmed – her first novel scooped major awards and hit the New York Times bestseller list, as did her second and third books.

if it was someone whose relationship was already under pressure, whose home already felt invaded, and who already felt that everything was starting to crack and come apart?” French is not unsettling to interview. She leaves all that to her books. She’s friendly and energetic; petite, with a short pixie haircut, lively expression, and arresting eyes the exact colour of greengages. As an actor she always played character parts – “Ten year old boys, a lot of prostitutes, the Fool in Twelfth Night”. She’s very animated, great on ideas, politics, and the way we live now, and revealing about the creative process – to a point. As soon as questioning impinges on her private life, she clams up. She won’t say where she lives in Dublin, which seems sensible because although her American success has yet to be replicated here – she was nominated for the IMPAC and the Irish Book Awards but didn’t win – it’s probably only a question of time. She has two passports – American

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IntervIew

tana French on ...

PhotograPh by matthew thomPson

... favourIte place for holIdays? “Greece, just Greece – Crete or Rhodes. I’d go there every time but my husband’s more of an experimenter so we compromise and go to Croatia or somewhere one year, and then back to Greece the next.” ... and In Ireland? “I love rural Ireland, especially Galway and all around there, but we haven’t been going anywhere for a while. I’m adjusting to a different pace of work with a child in tow.”

... In dublIn? “I like St Patrick’s Cathedral, all those layers of history, and I do love Trinity, partly because I went there I guess. I love that sense that there’s 400 years’ worth of layers of memories, and I’ve left my own little layers, together with those thousands upon thousands of other people who have been there.” ... actIng “I really miss it. I miss the social side. Writing is not very social. And I miss that sense of diving into someone else’s work. But I can’t write and act at the same time. It would be like trying to perform two parts. But if I had any time off – which I don’t – I wouldn’t write a screenplay or anything, I’d act. I’d love to be in a show again.” ... wrItIng “In the morning I do toddler stuff and I write in the afternoon. I write longhand – I know I’m such a geek! – I’d write half a scene longhand to get it flowing, and then go and type it out. I write every day, averaging maybe 750 words a day, but towards the end of a book that might speed up. I think I’m good at writing in different places”.

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and Irish – and her international profiling doesn’t stop there. “I’m a bit of everything – my Dad is American Irish and my mum is Russian Italian and was born in Ethiopia. She’s an interpreter, my father worked in development aid. So we moved around a lot, maybe every three or four years. At the time, it’s just what you know, and I was in international schools so everyone else was doing the same thing. But I did get to spend all secondary school, six years, in Rome.” This mixed heritage and upbringing has left her with one of those unplaceable mid-Atlantic accents – the only word I hear her pronounce like a Dub is “love” – and a few languages – “my Italian would have been slangy school kid and my French more formal, but now they’re both awful, no practice” – together with a firm desire to stay put in one place. Among the most striking aspects of French’s books is the evocation of Dublin. Whether it’s the close inner-city community of Faithful Place or the ghost estates of Broken Harbour, French’s books are embedded in a recognisable Dublin. We’re currently enjoying a golden age of Irish crime writing, from John Connolly and Ken Bruen to Alex Barclay and Arlene Hunt, but they’re more likely to set their books in the US than Ireland. It’s ironic that someone who didn’t grow up in Dublin and is only partIrish managed to find the noir quality

I didn’t get in Italy, is that girls and guys are good friends here. In Italy a guy and a girl who had no interest in going out wouldn’t meet up. I liked that here not every friendship was being cast in a purely potentially romantic light and that I didn’t have to enter every interaction as woman first, human being second.” She did a degree in Drama and English in Trinity, followed by the two-year acting course and then started as a professional actor in 1997, joining an actors’ co-op called Purple Heart – “All guys and me. We were getting arts council grants but really small ones. Hard work but great fun.” It was hand-to-mouth – “I’ve lived in a lot of flats round Dublin” – but she met her future husband Anthony Breatnach on stage – “I was playing a madam – yeah, another prostitute, and he was playing an IRA hit-man who took refuge in the brothel.” They were together ten years before they married in 2008 and now have a young daughter. The best thing about success, she says, is the removal of “that constant low level fear when the ESB bill comes through the door. Nothing will ever make as much difference.” That, and the knowledge “that you can get up in the morning and do what you want – if you’re in the arts, that’s as good as it gets.” This is the kind of thing successful authors say, but I believe her. There’s nothing like a long apprenticeship as a struggling actor to keep you grounded.

“I’m a bit of everything – my dad is American Irish and my mum is Russian Italian and was born in Ethiopia.” in our capital city. French thinks that “It may be easier to develop a feel for somewhere if you don’t really belong. I’ve lived here half my life but I’m never going to be a Dub the way my husband is. If you’re from somewhere heart and soul, you take things for granted, but the tone to the slanging, the bounce of language, I’ll notice that because I’ve got something to contrast to.” Why did she first come to Dublin? Her answer is unexpectedly touching: “We used to come for summers, and one of the things I always liked, which

She’s already started on her next book: “It’s provisionally called The Secret Place. Holly [daughter of Frank, narrator of Faithful Place] is now 16 and she shows up at the Murder Squad with a card which was left in the secret place in her boarding school – a place where people post up messages and leave things – it’s a photo of a teenage boy who was murdered a year earlier with the message ‘I know who killed him’ …” Tana French’s fourth novel, Broken Harbour (Hatchette Ireland € 13.99) is out now.

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Looking north along Michigan Avenue, into the heart of Downtown Chicago and the start of the Magnificent Mile

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& Mighty

Chicago is a city of stunning skyscrapers, great food, world famous jazz clubs and leafy neighbourhoods. It is also home from home for author Alison Jameson, who shares some of her favourite haunts. Photographs by Conor Horgan.

CHICAGO

n the neighbourhood of Andersonville on the north side of Chicago it is July, balmy and almost dark. The air is filled with the rolling chirp of crickets and the sprinklers sound like soft warm rain – the kind of rain we get in Ireland . . . minus the wind and general misery of it. The neighbourhood streets here are lined with lush green trees and someone somewhere is playing Nancy Wilson. I am on my way home from a day at the Chicago Art Institute and, when I breathe in that sweet evening air, my only thought is that life doesn’t get much better. My affection for this city began at The Savoy Cinema in O’Connell Street in Dublin when a friend and I bunked off college to see About Last Night. We were just 18 and we loved all of it: Lake Michigan, Lincoln Park, the snow, the skyscrapers, young Rob Lowe in underpants. My friend married a Chicagoan and would soon regale me with tales of cycling and sunbathing by the lake in summer, and in winter – well, there was that morning she didn’t dry her hair properly and it was frozen when she got to work. I had to visit of course and she began to show me the ins and outs of real Chicago life. I have been going there for years now and during each trip the city surprises me again and sends me home rejuvenated and – like any decent holiday should – full of fresh ideas about my life. Chicago is a smorgasbord of tend to visit Chicago in summer stunning skyscrapers, great and autumn. During these months food, world famous it really comes alive and jazz and blues the city embraces the HOTDOG clubs and leafy warmer temperatures A hot dog in Chicago is neighbourhoods with a non-stop unlike any you’ve tasted and – and yet the selection of first question outdoor events there’s always a queue outside often put to and activities. Hot Doug’s (3224 N California Ave). the locals is, O’Hare Serving the classic Chicago dog as “How do you Airport is the well as venison, elk, buﬀalo and cope with the second busiest ostrich, this place is well on its weather?” The in the world and way to becoming another winters can be it can be a little Chicago legend. fierce, no doubt, intimidating – add and because I’m shy the time difference and about travelling with I have often been tempted my pink hot water bottle, I to roll straight into a nice soft

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Clockwise from above, left, Randolph Street market fan, Dorothy M. Loud sports a selfmade scarf; a pristine 1960 Lincoln Continental Mark V convertible cruises along the Magniﬁcent Mile; street musician Kaliq Woods plays jazz clarinet; at home, author Alison Jameson.

bed – but I don’t. Usually. Flying from Ireland, I prefer to stay up when I get there, eat light and go see Downtown, Chicago. (You’ll also hear talk of, “The Loop”, which is the business area in Downtown and where the “El” train tracks literally go in a loop.) Downtown at night

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is truly beautiful. Th Thee combination of silvery light from the skyscrapers, the warm breeze whipping around my shorts and very white legs, the yellow cabs and the sound of the river make it all a bit magical. It always thrills me on my first night. Dinner al fresco with a nice glass of wine marks the official start to my holiday and there’s a great choice of restaurants on the Riverwalk. I first became interested in architecture when I visited Chicago (it’s hard not to be in this city). The Chicago Architecture Foundation ( architecture.org) runs a great “Elevated” tour that lasts a couple of hours and takes you around all the notable buildings by L train. I can 54 |

JULY 2012

Above, couples dance the tango in the Spirit of Music Garden, and top, the Tall Ship Windy sails daily from Navy Pier.

be a bit lazy about organised tours; Summer temperatures can be instead I love to take the Brown Line as high as 30°C so, by mid-day if myself, which is completely elevated I’m starting to flag, I like to grab and a great way to get a sense of a picnic and head for the lake. It’s the city and its neighbourhoods – I cooler there and the Chicagoans feel only slightly guilty peeking in treat the Lake Michigan waterfront the windows at all those poor as their back yard. The offi office ce workers. For a shoreline is smooth and more romantic view sandy and there are of the city there miles of parkland ART BEAT are kayak tours, all around Bucktown, east of the which paddle it. There are Logan Square community and the architectural great views of directly north of Wicker Park, canyons of the Downtown boasts more artists than any other river. I’m a bit from Monroe area in the Midwest. The Bucktown hydrophobic Harbour and Arts Fest attracts more than on this one and you can also 30,000 visitors every August; have visions of visit Museum bucktownartsfest.com turning over and Campus in the talking to the fish – same area. North but that’s just me. No Beach is great for experience is required (and swimming and it’s fun apparently people don’t turn over …) to watch the bikers, joggers and It has become hugely popular over the rollerbladers in Lincoln Park. Navy last few years, with local companies Pier seemed a bit honky-tonk to me competing for business and more after the elegance of Downtown but boathouses being built along the it’s full of energy on a summer night river. You will need to book in and definitely worth checking out. advance and layer on the sun block. There are boat trips from there or It costs around $65 per person the Active Transportation Alliance (kayakchicago.com). (fourstarbiketour.org) runs a leisurely

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FIve THInGs TO DO

The Chicago Art Institute (111 South Michigan Avenue ) houses one of the world’s biggest collections of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. Works by Rembrandt, Picasso, Dali, Renoir, Van Gogh and Monet are on display and, if you’re an Edward Hopper fan, don’t miss a chance to see “Nighthawks”. (artic.edu) The Randolph street Market, an indoor-outdoor antique market ($10 admission) in the historic West Loop, has more than 200 stalls and runs at the weekends from May to September. You will have endless fun rummaging for furnishings, vintage clothing, jewelry and collectibles. (randolphstreetmarket.com) The Green Mill (4802 North Broadway Street ) was originally owned by Al Capone and a night here is like stepping back into 1920s Chicago. It’s the perfect place to soak up some good jazz and the Sunday night Poetry Slam is really popular. (greenmilljazz.com) If you’re a baseball fan, Wrigley Field (1060 West Addison Street) is hallowed ground – but even if you’re not, the atmosphere at a game is something special. Wrigley is home to the Chicago Cubs and if you show up an hour or so before a game, you should find a season ticket holder trying to sell seats. (chicago.cubs.mlb.com) Frank Lloyd Wright Home (951 Chicago Avenue, Oak Park) The Midwest’s most controversial architect started out in the suburb of Oak Park, and his house – now a museum – gives a firsthand look at his talent and influence. (gowright.org)

4 5

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

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Millennium Park, tourists gather at “Cloud Gate”, known colloquially as “The Bean”.

cycle around the neighbourhoods, parks and boulevards. Personally, I’m happy to sit on the warm sand near the water with a book, dipping into my picnic stash, and people watching. If you’re heading to Navy Pier make sure to stop at Fox & Obel, 401 E Illinois Street, my favourite for picnic goodies. Produce is beautifully displayed and everything is superfresh. The Chicago French Market is wonderful too but not that easy to find. (It’s behind the Ogilvie Metra train station on the western edge of the Loop). Vendors offer a great range of ready-to-go foods, mostly organic and from local suppliers. With a short trip on the El, the skyscrapers and shops of Downtown can be swapped for any one of the many leafy neighbourhoods. The

atmosphere is entirely different there, the pace slower with a new set of cultures and often an immigrant influence. This is where the best bakeries are, the best hole-in-thewall restaurants and the best view of real Chicago life. Andersonville is a neighbourhood I always visit, not least because I associate it with friendship and good times, but also because it has a charm of its own. It feels very real (the restaurants and boutiques are predominantly locally owned) and a great place to stroll around on your own or with your family, window shopping, scanning menus and checking out antiques. The trend at the moment is for “repurposed furniture” (the nice kind, not wobbly chairs painted white), which is often piled high

) or Obama house (5046 S Greenwood Avenue inal orig the See T IGH DEL S AT’ OCR DEM de Park Hair Salon & Barber, 5234 South where that perfect hair-cut comes from (Hy he ee (Valois, 1518 E 53rd Street); and where Blackstore Avenue); how he likes his coff et). ity of Chicago Law School, 1111 E 60th Stre vers Uni (the ade dec a than e mor for ht taug

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in artistic displays on the sidewalks. You can still see a Scandinavian presence from the neighbourhood’s Swedish founders, which is even more interesting now with a great mix of Middle Eastern bakeries, lively bars and restaurants. Andersonville is also home to a vibrant gay and lesbian community, hence the many LGBT-friendly restaurants and bars. The Swedish Bakery in Andersonville is famous and I can’t pass it without trying the butter cookies. I have also spent many happy hours browsing in Women and Children First, a feminist and children’s book shop (but by no means a male-free zone). Dinner at the Hopleaf Bar (hopleaf.com) rounds off my idea of a perfect day – although I’m never sure if I need to lie down or power walk after the delicious, Old Rasputin Baked Chocolate Mousse there. (Note, you must be over 21 to get in here.) Chicago can be very humid (the kind of mugginess that makes my normally straight hair frizz) so there are times, even in summer,

An alfresco coffee at a street café in Andersonville. Top, Bob Votruba puts his dog Bogart into the converted school bus they share travelling across America to raise awareness of wounded servicemen, police and firefighters.

EAT AT … SPLURGE Alinea (1723 N Halstead; alinea-restaurant.com) and Charlie Trotter’s (816 W Armitage; charlietrotters.com), both in the Lincoln Park area, are the two most famous restaurants in Chicago. The former is well known for its 23 course “Tour” menu (it usually takes about four and half hours to eat …) and Charlie Trotter’s is famous for the great man himself, still turning out a feast of culinary delights using only organic ingredients and based on his philosophy: “Food doesn’t have to be rich to taste good”. Sadly, it’s due to close late August so get your booking in. It’s always very popular but word on the street is you can still get a table there mid-week. MID-RANGE Girl & the Goat (809 W Randolph Street; girlandthegoat.com) is one of the most-talked about restaurants in Chicago. Situated in the West Loop, it’s at the upper end of the mid-price range and very popular, thanks to the talents of

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its celebrity chef/owner Stephanie Izard. It gets rave reviews but is not the place to try to impress your vegetarian date – pig’s cheeks and goat leg are de rigueur here. It’s frequently booked out but you can try for an early or late dinner sitting. Better still, if you’re not into forward planning, it’s easy to get seated in the lounge or the bar. If you want a night in a neighbourhood though, Bistro Campagne (4518 N Lincoln Avenue; bistrocampagne.com) in Lincoln Square has a great outdoor patio and the food (French) is always good. There’s also a fun shopping stretch to check out after your meal. BUDGET You might be tempted to go headﬁrst into that famous deep-dish pizza, but if you want to be in with the locals, Bill and Yvonne Cadiz-Kim have recently broadened our thrifty horizons with two new restaurants: Urban Belly (3053 N California Avenue; urbanbellychicago.com) and Belly Shack

Belly Shack

(1912 N Western Avenue; bellyshack.com). It’s all about noodles and dumplings, with a short menu oﬀering a whole new dining experience – at the right price. (BYOB) If you are out in the neighbourhoods in the morning, don’t pass an Ann Sather (annsather.com) without popping in for breakfast. It’s a Chicago institution. Be ready to tell them how you want those eggs done and they’re likely to call you “sweetheart”. Great cinnamon rolls. There’s one close to City Suites on Belmont Avenue.

Kids cool off at the Crown fountain, Millennium Park. juLY 2012

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ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS JUDGE/CHRISJUDGE.COM

SLEEP AT...

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Maxx (11 N State Street). Look out for Diane Von Furstenberg and Nanette Lepore dresses – and endless rails of children’s clothes ... which can be a steal. Don’t be surprised if you feel a little sad leaving Chicago. It’s impossible to go there and not thoroughly enjoy yourself. From the skyscrapers to the lake, good food and world famous music, for me it’s a city that’s always exciting and a great place to relax. Thinking about it now brings on a kind of home sickness but when I call my Chicagoan friend she can’t talk. “Hey Ali,” she says, “Can I call you back? I’m cycling to the lake for a dip.” The Irish summer sky is still grey and I’m too attached to that pink hot water bottle. I’m putting the phone down and starting to pack.

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when I like to retreat indoors. For first-time visitors who are planning to shop, it’s a good idea to pace yourself. The first time I walked through this retail paradise, I wanted to buy everything. These days I try to breathe and maybe go have an ice cream first. (iCream at 1537 Milwaukee Avenue is great fun … Nutella & Nitrogen anyone?) It is possible to go a little crazy on Michigan Avenue – also known as the Magnificent Mile – and I’ve had the magnificent credit card bills to prove it. Don’t forget there is a sales tax of 9.5 per cent on “general merchandise” in Chicago, which includes clothing. In terms of choice, convenience and sheer glamour though, there is nowhere else like it. It is home to several high-rise malls – 900 North Michigan Shops is probably the most up-market (Bloomingdale’s is its most prominent store) – but, if you’re looking for bargains, leave plenty of time and energy for State Street. This was Chicago’s original shopping stretch and it’s worth visiting for Macy’s (originally Marshall Fields). I’ve also snagged some great deals at Nordstrom Rack (24 N State Street) and TJ

SPLURGE The Four Seasons (120 E Delaware Place; (fourseasons. com/chicagofs) and Ritz-Carlton (Water Tower Place; fourseasons. com/chicagorc) will not disappoint if you want serious luxury and top-notch service. Rooms at The Four Seasons start at $439 while rates at the Ritz-Carlton begin at $399 per night. If you prefer something with more character and great views of the lake – and don’t mind the quirks of “old-age”, the Drake is the grand-dame of Chicago hotels (140 E Walton Place; thedrakehotel.com), rooms from $159 excluding taxes. MID-RANGE For cuttingedge chic that won’t break the bank, check-in at the Acme Hotel (15 East Ohio Street; (acmehotelcompany.com) located in Downtown Chicago’s entertainment epicentre, rooms from $229 plus taxes. The funky and relaxed Hotel Monaco (225 N Wabash Avenue; monaco-chicago. com) is in a prime “Loop” location. Some rooms have cushioned window seats for admiring the Downtown views, meditation chairs and if you’re tall you can ask for a Tall Room and you’ll get a longer bed ... rooms from $189. BUDGET Red Roof Inn (162 E Ontario Street; redroof-chicagodowntown.com) is just a block from the Magnificent Mile and hard to beat if you’re on a tighter budget. Rooms are functional but comfortable, perfect if you plan to sleep and go; rooms from $119.99. The City Suites Hotel (933 W Belmont Avenue; chicagocitysuites.com) is a bit off the beaten track but very close to the Belmont Avenue L stop, which means you can get back to Downtown in around 15 minutes. It’s had a facelift fairly recently and the suites are great for families. If you’re looking for a neighbourhood feel and fancy a buffet breakfast thrown in, you’ll like this place – but make sure to ask for a quiet room as it’s close to the train station. Rooms from $179.

’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. 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 ... ●

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summer in dublin

Dublin

r e m m u S in the

Not at the Olympics? From Dun Laoghaire pier to Phoenix Park, from pop-up art galleries to the best eats, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty to entertain you in and around Dublin. We ask four locals to tell us their favourite city outings. Photographs by Richard Gilligan.

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SUMMER IN DUBLIN

KIDS’ STUFF Juggling a vacation, or even a staycation, with a gaggle of kids in tow can tax the savviest parent, but Oda O’Carroll, who runs kids’ online travel guide jumpzter.com has the inside scoop on Dublin for little feet.

“D

ublin is a doddle with kids. Just make sure you have loose change, snacks and a brolly on you at all times. First on my hotlist is The Chester Beatty Library (Dublin Castle, 01 407 0750; cbl.ie), home to a wonderful collection of Asian and Islamic art and, surprisingly, a big hit with kids. The cultural importance of its intricate scrolls, miniature boxes and ornate Imperial swords may be lost on young ones but the sheer colourful beauty isn’t. Regular workshops for kids in things such as manga animation, mandala making and calligraphy book out fast, so get your spoke in early for what should be a really imaginative week-long science workshop for six- to eleven-year-olds on July 9-13. An exciting LUAS-ride away at Sandyford (in the way that the transport there is often the “bestest” bit) is Imaginosity (The Plaza, Beacon South Quarter, Sandyford, 01 217 6130; imaginosity.ie; adult/child over age three, €8, toddlers €6, babies over six months €2), where any under nines should have a ball. If you haven’t been there, it’s a kind of playful, hands-on, junior science museum where curious minds and bodies can bounce about. Kids get to mess about unsupervised – in the best possible way – and calculate the amount of fluid in their body, perform fake X-rays, shop in a junior-sized supermarket and 1950s diner or build a fort using wooden pegs and hammers. A favourite is the performance area where kids dress up and read the news in front of a proper green screen. Terrible twos (and under) can bounce around in a padded play area and keep out of the big kids’ way. Very young kids may run a mile however from the life-like figures – a who’s who of Irish literary, musical and sporting greats – at The National Wax Museum Plus (Foster Place, Temple Bar, 01 671 8373; waxmuseumplus.ie; adult/child €12/€8) but school-age kids should find this warren of displays really fascinating. Here, kids can meet famous Irish characters from Beckett to Bono, climb through a furry Lilliputian tunnel, or creep around the basement’s gruesome Chamber of Horrors.

“A REAL FAVOURITE IS THE PERFORMANCE AREA WHERE KIDS DRESS UP AND READ THE NEWS IN FRONT OF A PROPER GREEN SCREEN.” The central Iveagh Gardens (Clonmel Street; heritageireland.ie/en/dublin/theiveaghgardens), once known as the “Secret Garden”, though not as secret as it was thanks to a plethora of mini festivals that use its beautifully rambling grounds, is still a lovely urban oasis in which to lie out and have a picnic. If your kids are anything like most though, the appeal of lying on a blanket is short-lived. In that case, a jaunt to Malahide

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Above, Oda O’Carroll enjoys the sunshine on Dun Laoghaire pier.

Castle (01 890 5000; malahidecastleandgardens.ie), after it reopens in August, is recommended. It is a fantastic 12th-century castle and is one of those rare places that have something to keep everyone in the group from grumbling. There’s the castle, full of rare antiques and portraits, to visit; kids can try to exorcise the ghost of a hanged castle sentry who, asleep on the job, allowed the enemy to enter. Or take some goodies from Itsa (1 New Street, Malahide, 01 845 6744) and picnic on the sprawling grounds. For a minute. Kids love the Talbot botanical garden with its creepy oversized plants and the maze of winding woodland walks. The best bit for kids, though, is possibly the biggest playground in Dublin, with bike-fuelled roundabouts, spider net climbing frames and a zip wire. Dining with kids in Dublin is another matter. Visitors to town, used to eating late at night en famille, may be in for a surprise. Restaurants that serve alcohol – unless in a hotel where you’re resident – generally don’t admit young diners after 7 or sometimes 8pm (the official cut-off point for kids is 9pm). At least things have improved on the menu front, with better quality food on offer than the ubiquitous nuggets-sausage-fishfinger fare. Restaurateurs have realised there’s real value in the junior pound and some now, rightly, offer half-portion-half-price mains. Let’s have more of that please. One of our favourite places to grab a bite is the very child-tolerant Wagamama (South King Street, 01 478 2152; wagamama.ie) for its pocket-friendly, healthy kids menu, snappy service and patient staff – things which are surprisingly hard to find all at once in this otherwise kid-sized city.”

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;strolling in the sun through the gardens of fitzwilliam square with something from a spread of stalls is a very civilised way to stave off the hunger demons.â&#x20AC;? 66 |

july 2012

THE FOODIE’S HITLIST Restaurateur Joe Macken, who spends many of his waking hours checking out the latest city bars and restaurants, lets us in on his favourite Dublin hotspots.

“I

reland is hardly renowned for its year ’round great weather, so once a sliver of sunshine hits a Dublin footpath, people tend to make the most of it. I am one of those people, so once there is a fragrant whiff of summer air, my working week and social life tend to merge. On a typical day, it’s nice to start with a quality cup of coffee. The coffee revolution, like the craft beer one, has been slow to start turning in Dublin, but it is getting there. For me, the best independent coffee shop is the grungy, yet charming, 3fe (01 661 9329; 3fe. com), on Middle Abbey Street. By night, this space is a popular, left-of-centre nightspot: The Twisted Pepper. By day, Colin Harmon, a brilliantly obsessed barista, has set up shop and seems intent on brewing the best coffee in Dublin – he seems to be succeeding. For sweet treats with your brew, take a walk down to Capel Street where the clever fellows at Brother Hubbard (01 441 1112; brotherhubbard.ie) have opened a delightful little café this year and are doing wonderful things for the taste-buds of any who indulge. Try their lemon poppy seed sponge with yoghurt and pomegranate syrup, it’s fantastic. The décor makes it the perfect place to catch up on your Saturday supplements too and there are plans to open up the cute garden space out back. For lunch, a hit and run at the market by Fitzwilliam Square – strolling in the sun through the gardens with something from a spread of stalls – is a very civilised way to stave off the hunger demons. Or, pop out to Portobello, to Bibi’s Café (01 454 7421; bibis.ie) on Emorville Avenue, where lunch is locally sourced and generously portioned. Attached to the café there’s the hip boutique, Dolls, where it can be bargain or bust but always-gorgeous individual pieces. Most of my day is spent hot-footing it between the restaurants I run (Jo’Burger, Crackbird and Bear, among others) and stopping to chat with anyone I meet on my travels. When I finish my rounds at around ten, I normally wind up with a visit to one, or all of my three favourite local watering holes. I’m always happy to sit at the counter, which means I get seated faster, at Coppinger Row (01 672 9884; coppingerrow.com), off South William Street. Their cocktail alchemy is some of the best ever and I normally opt for a Boulevardier – a Negroni/Manhattan hybrid – and a crab and crayfish salad, a nice balance of light and heavy. Around the corner on Fade Street lies my favourite for French classics, l’Gueuleton, pictured left, (01 675 3708; lgueuleton.com). Here, I opt for local charcuterie or a massive plate of mussels and a glass of waiter-recommended big red in the back garden space – always a winner. Finishing off my trio is 777 (01 425 4052; 777.ie) on South Great George’s Street – you’d almost pay just to sit in this room. With its over-the-top Mexican interior, small share plates and crazy cocktails, this place has stolen my heart recently and is definitely my new BFF. Just watch out as the bill can go supernova after a couple of cocktails, stealing more than just your heart. More wallet-friendly nights are spent in Dublin’s unofficial Chinatown – Parnell Street, Capel Street and Cathedral Street. An authentic Hunan or Szechuan provincial fix can be had at M&L (01 874 8038) on Cathedral Street – think razor clams with glass noodles or shrimp deep fried in egg yolk and you’re there. Wash that down with a craft beer from The Black Sheep on Capel Street – try 8 Degrees Brewery from Ballyhoura in Co Cork – while taking in the interesting locals you’ll find there too. Even though I’m fairly microcosmic for the most part, staying in Dublin 1, 2 and 7, I do sometimes venture out to the ’burbs. Slap on your swanky pants and take your favourite person to the seasonal and swish Mulberry Garden (01 269 3300; mulberrygarden.ie) in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, grab a cigar on your way out to complete the buzz and then head on over to The Bernard Shaw, a bar on South Richmond Street, Dublin 2 for something a little less sophisticated, but with great tunes, cheap booze and a cool crowd to chill with for the rest of the night ...”

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SUMMER IN DUBLIN

BEST FOR BIKES

Want to get out and about? Retro bike fan Chewy knows the best cycling routes in the city and surrounds.

“D

ublin, it seems, is in the middle of a cycling revolution. The The Dublin Bike scheme has been a success beyond the City Council’s wildest dreams (more than 3.5 million journeys at last count!), there are new bike lanes opening up (see the Grand Canal) and bike shops citywide are thriving. Pedal power is in full effect – not since the 1950s has there been so many people on two wheels in our fair city. So, what’s behind the renewed interest? Dublin Bikes is responsible for breaking in more than a few new cyclists, but maybe more credence should be given to the forwardthinking, government-driven Bike to Work scheme that has had a huge effect by making decent bikes of all shapes and sizes a lot more affordable. Either way, it’s hard not to notice an increase in a “two wheels good, four wheels bad” mentality in Dublin nowadays. One of the less appealing consequences of the cycling revolution has

Stocking Lane (head out through Rathfarnham, cross the M50 and feel the burn) or Enniskerry via Stepaside and The Scalp (don’t let the name throw you). The Stocking Lane journey features a gruelling 7km climb, rewarded with a spectacular view of the capital – go on a Sunday to catch the ice-cream man. From here you can continue across the hills to Sally Gap and straight on to Laragh and beyond, or left to the spectacular views of Luggala. If you do go to Laragh be sure to stop in the excellent (and bike friendly) Glendalough Green café (a haven for weary cyclists). The trip out here and back is about 90km and not for the faint hearted. Enniskerry and back covers about 40km and brings you to Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall, taking in spectacular views of the Sugar Loaf. If you feel like pushing your legs a little harder, continue on to Greystones, where a spot of lunch in The Happy Pear (Church Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow, 01 287 3655; thehappypear.ie) is a delicious reward. You can get a spin over Bray Head in too if feeling particularly tough/crazy. You don’t have to don Lycra to get on two wheels in the city though; there are lots of options for those who wish to hop on a bike without scaring the neighbours’ kids. For less challenging routes from the city try the scenic (and flat) journey out to Howth; stop to walk the pier before grabbing a bag of chips in the village. If you feel like stretching the legs further, take a spin around Howth Head too. If the chips get the better of you, bring your bike back on the DART (off-peak hours only – weekends and non rush hour). Back in the city centre, the aforementioned Dublin Bike Scheme (dublinbikes.ie) offers many options. Highlights include Blessington Street (the most northerly stop) to take in the quiet oasis that is the Blessington Street Basin, and Merrion Square for Government Buildings, Trinity College and the square itself. The system allows for short term (€2 for 3 days) or long term (€10 per annum). The first half hour is free and after that charges increase per hour to encourage sharing. Over in the Phoenix Park, pictured here, you can rent a tandem for a romantic jaunt through the deer-inhabited grounds (phoenixparkbikehire.com; one hour: €10; three hours: €20; full day: €40), again the Lycra is optional but a picnic, if it’s a sunny day, comes highly recommended.”

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO DON LYCRA TO GET ON TWO WHEELS IN THE CITY THOUGH; THERE ARE LOTS OF OPTIONS FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO HOP ON A BIKE WITHOUT SCARING THE NEIGHBOURS’ KIDS.” been the rise of the Mamil (middle-aged man in Lycra), I must confess to purchasing my first (non comedy) Lycra recently, alongside a host of other cycling paraphernalia. I have long been a city cyclist, using my trusty steed for short hops about the city, but recently decided to venture beyond the Pale and into our neighbouring county, Wicklow, aptly known as the Garden of Ireland – one trip was all it took to have me hooked. Wicklow is a great place to embark on, or continue, a two-wheel love affair, each route taking in breathtaking views and catering for all levels of fitness and experience. Some favoured routes include the rather daunting

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SUMMER IN DUBLIN

FOR CULTURE LOVERS

Curator and cultural maven Kathy Scott on the summer’s viewings, shows and concerts.

“W

hile we’ve all heard about London’s cultural Olympiad, there are also some cultural curiosities happening in Dublin this summer. Dublin, as City of Science 2012, is also hosting Europe’s largest, general science meeting: the Euroscience Open Forum, July 12-16 (esof.eu). So, men in white coats are arriving en masse for Science in the City – a collection of arts and science-inspired events that reach across many intriguing spectrums. The leftbrain line-up includes five Nobel laureates, the director generals of CERN and the European Space Agency, and NASA boffins Charles Bolden, James Watson and Craig Venter. Earlier this year, the Science Gallery at Trinity College (Pearse Street, 01 896 4091; sciencegallery.com) called out for “hackers, makers, doers, data nerds, hobbyists, tech geeks and activists” to take part in a city-wide experiment. Its findings are revealed in Hack the City (until September 7) – a mindbending project that encourages citizens to take control of their urban surroundings. This mash-up aims to reframe our city systems by riffing on Dublin’s history, infrastructure and character. My own Science Gallery experiments are often followed by a spell at Trinity’s Douglas Hyde Gallery (Nassau Street, 01 896 1116; douglashydegallery.com), a favourite urban hideaway. It does exhibitions with panache and sells a catalogue of delectable publications that are the last word in book design. It also sometimes hosts incredible under-the-radar music events; I’ve attended a few, including memorable sessions with artists such as Vashti Bunyan and Sufjan Stevens. The summer show features artist Aleana Egan in an exhibition of new work comprising

“I WILL BE HANGING WITH THE UPSTART COLLECTIVE WHO ARE DESIGNING A SENSATIONAL POP-UP PARK.” sculpture and found objects (until July 18), accompanied by a new publication in its Leaves & Papers series. A little gate on the north side of St Stephen’s Green leads to the much-loved Little Museum of Dublin (01 661 1000; littlemuseum.ie) across the road, which presents U2: 1978-81, an exhibition of previously unseen photographs of the band, until September 2. Roy Foster will be at the museum on July 6 at 3pm to talk on Bram Stoker’s Dublin. When Bram Stoker died, mention of his most famous tome, Dracula, was absent from his obituary. A century later, it has been translated into more than 50 languages. Be sure to take the museum’s tour while you’re there. Meanwhile around the corner lives a slightly bigger museum. During refurbishment at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (imma.ie) is also exhibiting at Earlsfort Terrace, a former medical school in the city centre. Its first exhibition at this sensational venue also peers through a scientific lens. Time Out of Mind, until September 2, is installed across 14 gallery spaces on the ground floor and features artists from the IMMA collection who are informed by the field of science, including Michael Craig-Martin, Marcel Duchamp,

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Above, curator and creative producer Kathy Scott photographed at IMMA’s temporary home on Earlsfort Terrace.

Grace Weir, Dorothy Cross and British artist Tacita Dean, whose mesmerising film, Presentation Sisters, is being exhibited. Just next-door The National Concert Hall (01 417 0000; nch.ie) presents Icarus at the Edge of Time – a clever collision of film, music and science – on July 14, at 3pm and 7pm. Author of a children’s book of the same name, world-renowned physicist Brian Greene has teamed up with legendary American composer Philip Glass for this collaboration. Expect a futuristic reinvention of the Greek myth set in outer space, featuring a young boy “who challenges the awesome power of a black hole”. Meanwhile, the Gate Theatre (Parnell Square, 01 874 4045; gatetheatre.ie) presents a stellar cast in the Pulitzer Prize winning black comedy Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet (until July 14). Other provocative cultural events worth noting are the Kaleidoscope Music Salon (Odessa Club, Dame Court; kaleidoscopenight.com) on the first Wednesday of every month, which is hosting Dermot Dunne and Elizabeth Cooney this July. There’s always an eclectic and brilliant range of music, from ancient to experimental, in intimate surroundings. Project Arts Centre (Temple Bar, 01 881 9613; projectartscentre.ie) has boldly decided to host a large-scale celebration of the visual arts, opening up the entire venue for Conjuring for Beginners (July 3-August 11), featuring some of Ireland’s most promising young creatives alongside the 2010 Turner Prize winning artist Susan Philipsz. The summer gig to explore is Snow Patrol and Florence + The Machine at Phoenix Park on July 8. And speaking of parks, I will be hanging with the Upstart collective (upstart.ie) who are designing a sensational pop-up park. Design plans include a giant theatre space built from reclaimed wooden pallets, an urban orchard, an outdoor cinema and an eclectic series of live gigs and light shows. The cherished Dublin Flea Market (Newmarket Square, Dublin 8; dublinflea.ie) on the last Sunday of every month is another must. Arrive early to browse the treasures; retro record players are the hottest items this season. If you need just a little bit more stimulation then check out Le Cool – Dublin (lecool.com/ dublin), which curates “quirky” culture experiences via two-hour walking tours. Find out about DIY culture, street art, fashion, hidden city secrets and happenings ahead of the curve.”

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Green The

Dream

The Basque capital may not have the beaches of San SebastiĂĄn or the glamour of Biarritz, but for the eco-tourist in search of wildlife, walks and a laid-back pace, Vitoria-Gasteiz is paradise. Writer and photographer Roger Norum visits this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s European Green Capital.

VITORIA-GASTEIZ

itoria-Gasteiz. What does this rather exotic, hyphenated name say to you? If you are anything like me, not much. So if you’ve never even heard of this compact city of 244,000, don’t fault yourself. Nestled among the mountains and valleys of northern Spain, nearly 65km southeast of Bilbao, VitoriaGasteiz hasn’t exactly been on the map for visitors to the Basque county. It doesn’t have the beaches of San Sebastián; it doesn’t have the Guggenheim of Bilbao; it doesn’t have the glamour of Biarritz. But it does have one thing that none of those destinations has: extremely enviable green credentials. For the duration of 2012, this handsome Basque settlement holds the title of European Green Capital Capital, a prize presented annually to a city at the forefront of sustainable and environmentally aware urban living. When I arrive in Vitoria-Gasteiz to find out what a model ecofriendly city is like, I begin my journey at the top: city hall. “Many cities are surrounded by ‘belts’,”

Previous page, a rural boulevard through the Basque country. This page top, coastal Basque ﬁshing villages produce outstanding seafood, above, author and photographer, Roger Norum.

the city’s young mayor, Javier Maroto Aranzábal, says on a balmy, spring afternoon. “But it’s usually a grey belt, with cars and smoke. We have a belt too, but ours is very green.” Made up of concentric circles, with an almondshaped, medieval stone city at the centre, his city won this year’s crown largely because of this “green belt” – a 47km stretch of reclaimed wilderness, made up of wetlands, forests, mountain foothills and numerous large parks, that encloses the city.

Aranzábal says that the award has made locals – Gasteiztarras, or Babazorros (“bean eaters”) in the Basque language – prouder than ever. “We are hard workers who like to live well. We know who we are, but don’t necessarily talk about it too much,” he explains. “That has all changed since we’ve won the prize. Now people are proud to talk about being from VitoriaGasteiz.” There’s clearly plenty to be proud about. On a breezy afternoon, local

WHAT TO DO

PLAY CARDS Set in a 16th-century palace that functioned as a card printing press, the Fournier Card Museum (Calle Cuchillería 54, 0034 945 181 920) oﬀers a fascinating insight into the history of playing cards. Showing the evolution of card games over time, the collection here includes printing plates, presses and thousands of decks of cards that range from the satirical to the parapsychological.

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FOREST HIKE Southwest of the city is the 100-hectare Armentia forest, featuring footpaths, cycle lanes and horse-riding trails that connect the green belt with the surrounding Vitoria Mountains. A ﬁve-kilometre walk will lead you through a dense forest towards Mount Eskibel, whose slopes are covered in beech and oak trees. You can also visit the Basilica of Armentia, a gorgeous Romanesque church and the spiritual centre of the Álava region in medieval times. FOODIE TOUR San Sebastián Food (0034 634 759 503; sansebastianfood.

com) runs culinary and cultural tours of the Basque country throughout the year, including visits to summer cultural festivals and Michelin-starred restaurants throughout the region. It also organises half-day cooking classes, where you can learn to cook local seafood dishes such as txangurro al horno (baked spider crab). RICKSHAW RIDE Home-grown company Adbikers (0034 638 452 494; adbikers.com) operates cycle rickshaws that pedal visitors throughout downtown and out to the city’s leafy rural

surrounds. The bikes are still new enough to the city that riding around in one always gets surprised looks from curious locals. Forget taxis – this is deﬁnitely the best way to get around. BIRDWATCHING SAFARI Local outdoor outﬁtter Equinoccio (0034 945 291 256; equinoccionaturaleza.com) leads informative birdwatching tours of the Salburúa wetlands that tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the region and its fauna. The safaris, which last an entire afternoon, include a picnic with local cheeses and wines.

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BALLYMALOE

COOKERY SCHOOL The Ballymaloe Cookery School is located in the lush, rolling countryside of East Cork, only minutes from the sea. Ballymaloe is the only cookery school in the world surrounded by its own 100 acre organic farm. Learn to cook using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Extensive Gardens, Celtic Maze and Shellhouse are open to the public and also daily afternoon cookery demonstrations. There are many 2 1/2 day and 5 day cookery courses as well as our famous

12 Week Intensive Certificate Course.

www.cookingisfun.ie www.ballymaloe.com + 353 21 4646785

Vitoria-Gasteiz

eat at … sPLUrGe The Alava region’s only Michelin-starred restaurant is zaldiaran (Avenida de Gasteiz 21, 0034 945 134 822, restaurantezaldiaran.com), a central gastronomic gem located next to the courthouse. Going strong for nearly 30 years, the chefs, who have been awarded Best Basque Chef of the Year more than once, serve a solid amalgam of traditional and modern cuisine (a tip to home-bound chefs: their star ingredient here is truffles). You can freely order half-portions, which lets you try out more dishes – though an excellent tasting menu does just this at a bargain-basement €55. MiDPriCe The name of awardwinning eatery MarmitaCo (Avenida de Judizmendi 4, 0034 945 120 593, restaurantemarmitaco.wordpress. com) refers to a Basque festivaltime fisherman’s stew. The restaurant’s “GastroGreen” menu is based on local, seasonal and sustainable products. Though the menu changes every three months, they serve unique goodies such as a foie gras lollipop with crunchy pistachio and tomato, and a scrumptious foam omelette with fried onions. They also run workshops, tastings, courses and conferences throughout the year dedicated to green eating. BUDGet Of all the pintxos bars that line the main streets of the medieval town, iñaki rodaballo (Calle de Ricardo Buesa 4, 0034 945 222 681, inakirodaballo. com) is one of the most famous. Definitely go for the porky-porky, a great bacon and potatoes dish (€2.50) and, for dessert, the trifasico de chocolate (€2.50). Snag a seat at the bar, which allows great people-watching. If you’re big on fresh ingredients, browse at the city’s farmers’ market, held on Thursday and Saturday mornings at the nearby Plaza de Santa Bárbara.

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Laconic, milleniaold Basque towns, such as Sare on the French-Spanish border, are some of the quaintest – and greenest – in Europe.

guide Maider Etxebarria takes me along part of the city’s bicicarriles – 98km of bicycle and pedestrian paths that run all over the place. Together we stroll along the cobblestone streets, in which tram rails are embedded, towards the medieval centre. A fleet of sleek, carbon-zero trams, introduced in 2008, has already reduced traffic congestion, cut average household petrol consumption to below 600 litres per year and returned the streets

to pedestrians and cyclists. Along the way, Maider and I pass grassy medians, parklands and lengthy stretches of road, above which tower blooming oak trees that look like they belong in rural France. Maider shows me the downtown primary oases of green, the Parque de El Prado and the Parque de la Florida, site of the Basque parliament and where, she adds, “my grandparents met one night long ago”. A map of VitoriaGasteiz contains so many green

r ls and visitors to its renowned summe The Basque Country draws both loca ude the San Fermin festival (July 7 in cultural festivals. Some of the best incl Festival (July 16-21 in Vitoria-Gasteiz), Lesaka or July 6-14 in Pamplona), Jazz in Vitoria-Gasteiz) and Fiesta de la Virgen Blanca (August 4-9 ao). Semana Grande (August 15-24 in Bilb

PETERS

BARS & RESTAURANTS

THE MUCKY DUCK

Celbridge, Co. Kildare 01 6288340 / muckyduck.ie

Situated in the heart of Celbridge, Co. Kildare Guinness Time began here in the Guinness family home with the birth of Arthur Guinness in 1725. So began a wonderful piece of Irish history. With that heritage it's no surprise that the Mucky Duck has earned a reputation for great food and drink. A must visit for fans of the "Black Stuff "!

THE COUNTY CLUB

Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath 01 8259220 / countyclub.ie

Located less than 30 minutes from Dublin city centre The County Club has long been a favourite with customers looking for great f ood in comfortable surroundings. The County Club's daily carvery is a particular favourite while we are also renowned for our wonderful Irish steaks.

AN SIBIN

Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath 01 8250556 / sibin.ie With it's traditional thatched roof An Sibin is a landmark in the heart of the village of Dunshaughlin. A blend of new world com comfort and age old tradition serving breakfast, lunch and dinner while also the perfect venue for parties and great nights out.

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Our signature Steak on the Stone special is a must have, a unique dining experience which is available on all our a la carte menus.

CARBERRYS

Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath 01 8240133 / carberrys.ie Summer 2012 promises to be a bumper period for sports fans so Carberry's is the place to be to sample a all the atmosphere while also enjoying the summer days in our outdoor pavilion.

For show & shuttle bus from city centre. Now booking for 2012 & 2013

O’FLAHERTYS / BRADY’S BAR Navan, Co. Meath 046 9022810 / oflahertys.ie Whether you visit O'Flaherty's for our delicious carvery, a night out with friends or to catch live sport on our big sc screens you are sure to have a memorable time and why not have a nightcap around the roaring fire in Brady's Bar! Sláinte.

THE WILTON Cork City

021 4344454 / www.wiltonpub.ie Long established on Leeside with fine food served all day in the lounge bar and upstairs in our Loft Restaurant. The Wilton is a must on your next visit W to Cork. Don't forget to leave room for our famous homemade, brown bread ice cream!

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VITORIA-GASTEIZ

Photo credits Clockwise from top left, one of here. La feugiam Vitoria-Gasteizâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many parks; vullam, sum ipis an older Babazorro onsent the eliquamcor promenade;atantlered resident ulla aliquat eum of SalburĂşanim wetlands; iurerosBasque nullum schoolgirl at festival et wistime. nos

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STAY AT …

Above, signposts show you the way in the hilly Basque region, and right, a stork delivering grub to its storklet at Salburúa.

plots that it calls to mind a huge park with a sprinkling of roads and buildings. The sustainable, eco lifestyle thing is hardly something locals are doing because it’s trendy. For millennia, the three million or so Basques have lived extremely close to their land – an intriguing and handsome landscape of meadows and moors pitched among the foothills of the western Pyrenees, between France and Spain. In fact, Basque nationalism is based in part on the belief that the Basques have lived longer in their homeland than any other peoples in Europe (“Before God was God and boulders were boulders, Basques were already Basques,” goes a local saying). As Europe’s self-anointed indigenous people, it makes sense that they would take good care of their country. Accordingly, there is some serious history here. Just past the city’s ancient fortress walls – ramparts that were repeatedly attacked by Navarran and Castilian kings a millennium ago – stands the gorgeous Santa Maria Cathedral. The hulking 12th-century Romanesque and Gothic structure must be the only church in

the world whose de facto patron saint is a Welsh thriller novelist. In front of the church stands a statue of Ken Follett, who spent time here researching his bestselling novel, World Without End. Other seemingly random artists have strong connections to this place too. Wynton Marsalis, for example, a regular performer at the city’s annual jazz festival, composed his twelve-part flamenco-meets-blues Vitoria Suite in homage to the city. After exploring the nooks and crannies of the old city, I hop on a tricycle rickshaw and head a few minutes north to Salburúa, large wetlands. Out here, the Badaya mountains beckon with beech and oak forests and underground caverns and grottos that serve as a natural barrier to the winds that blow down through the Basque country. “I now take you to a place where you can see birds but they can’t see you,” local guide Galder Auzmendi Pérez says, before telling me about the deer, mink, eagles, hawks, owls and woodpeckers that are all native to this area. As we settle into a wooden bird observatory in the heart of the wetlands to

SPLURGE The city’s only fivestar hotel, the Gran Hotel Lakua (Tarragona 8, 0034 945 181 000; granhotelakua.com), is just outside the downtown area in an expanding residential district, with 147 rooms and 32 apartment spaces done up in a variety of colours and contemporary styles. There’s also a piano bar and great spa and fitness room. Rooms from €90. MIDPRICE The spiffy, cosy rooms at the efficient, threestar AC Hotel General Álava (Avenida de Gasteiz 79, 0034 945 215 000; espanol.marriott. com) tend to be popular with a business crowd – it’s right on the tram line and a ten-minute walk to the old town. The included breakfast buffet isn’t exactly sprawling, but for these rates you can afford to gorge yourself on a big lunch at any of the nearby pintxos bars. Rooms from €55. BUDGET One of the city’s more unusual places to stay is the ornately decorated Hotel Dato (Calle Dato 28, 0034 945 147 230; hoteldato.com), below. Although the two-star rooms tend towards the modest, the entire property is outfitted with colourful stained-glass window paintings and classical sculptures that give it the homely feeling of an elderly aunt’s home. Ask for a room with a balcony. Rooms from €46.

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VITORIA-GASTEIZ

gawk at waterfowl, Galder whips out a picnic basket of local cheeses and a bottle of full-bodied, oakaged Tempranillo. The Basque country produces hundreds of wines, and the city is barely an already signed a pact committing hour from Frank Gehry’s to instituting comprehensive re-envisioned €70 million recycling programmes, OPEN PLAN temple to viticulture, the attaining Energy Efficiency An extremely high Marqués de Riscal winery Certification, installing proportion of green public in Rioja. energy-saving appliances Once the Green areas means that every single and lighting in rooms Capital crown is passed Gasteizerro lives within 300m – even planting small, to Nantes in France of an open green space. Now on-site vegetable and next year, Vitoria-Gasteiz whoever said it ain’t easy herb gardens to source will become even greener being green? ingredients for the hotels’ thanks to a number of restaurants. long-term biocapacity projects. All this greenness aside, The Basque government has there’s one other thing that makes invested some €42 million in the visiting this part of Europe a joy: development of the city’s green its food. Though I have never got credentials. The green belt will used to the Basques’ affinity for soon be linked by pathways to the eating late – we’re talking 3pm mountains to the north. Domestic This page, top for lunch and 10pm for dinner water use will soon be curbed to left, tapas and here – their meals are definitely less than 100 litres per person per sagardoa (cider) worth waiting for. At the greenare Basque day. And dozens of local hotels have centric restaurant MarmitaCo, staples. Right, chef Josean Merino shows me what the cathedral of Santa Maria. local food is all about. “Pretty TOURIST BOARD Above, one of much everything we do here is For more information on VitoriaVitoria-Gasteiz’s about eating or drinking,” he says. many medieval Gasteiz, visit vitoria-gasteiz.org/ The Basques are best known for cobblestone turismo alleyways. their pintxos (“tx” is pronounced 80 |

JULY 2012

“ch” as in church) – delicious and affordable, tapas-like portions of everything from squid to rice balls, with seafood being central to Basque cooking. The Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Sea produce a plentiful bounty of mackerel, baby squid, sea bream and anchovy. Some of their tastiest dishes include gelatinous chin of hake cooked in parsley sauce (kokotxa), tuna pickled in olive oil, white wine and vinegar (escabeche) and salted cod (bacalao al pil-pil). After dining on one of Josean’s seven-course tapas meals, I am all set to venture off to my next destination – the 100-hectare Armentia forest just south of the city. But the chef stops me in my tracks: “Where do you think you’re going? Here, we stick around at the table after we eat. We call this sobremesa.” Josean reminds me that southern Europe’s eating culture is not about consumption – it’s about conviviality, conversation and community. “Sit down and relax,” he orders, before presenting me with a second dessert, a yummy pudding cake with pumpkin and orange drops. The chef sits back in his chair after taking a bite himself, and rests his hands behind his head: “You know, the reason we are so proud is that we live so well.”

Aer Lingus flies from Dublin to Bilbao, Tues, Thur and Sat .

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 On the south coast, the ﬁshing villages of CALA FIGUERA, pictured, and CALA SANTANYÍ are as if time stood still. It’s nice to browse around the small shops and stop for a coﬀee and chat to the locals.

 For a golfer, Mallorca is paradise – boasting 24 golf courses within one hour’s drive. I live in Son Vida behind Palma so I have a choice of three excellent golf courses on my doorstep – SON MUNTANER is my favourite.

An Insider’s Guide to

MALLORCA

With ﬁﬁne ne dining, dramatic sightseeing, beaches and golf courses galore, Mallorca caters for the high life. Irish resident Helen Cummins singles out her favourite spots.

 My favourite restaurant is 1661 CUINA DE BANYALBUFAR, a small place by the side of the street in the heart of the west-coast town of Banyalbufar. The Mediterranean food is delicious, light and fresh; the service is friendly and welcoming, while the town is authentic Mallorca. The local wine, Cornet, is highly recommended.

 GRAN HOTEL SON NET is an old country house set in the mountains, 20 minutes’ drive from Palma. It is best described as oﬀering oﬀ ering old world glamour. (0034 971 147 000; sonnet.es)

 Mallorca has 262 beaches. My favourite is CAP DE FORMENTOR in the north of the island. The clear blue sea and white sandy beach could easily be mistaken for the Caribbean.

 One of the aspects I love about my job as a lifestyle magazine editor is trying lots of restaurants. The best tapas restaurant is FORN DE SANT JOAN,, in part of the old town of Palma called La Lonja. (0034 971 728 422; forndesantjoan.com/en)

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BEING THERE

 Some of the most dramatic sightseeing is along the WEST COAST, no matter how many times I do this day trip it always takes my breath away. Villages such as Estellencs, Banyalbufar, Valldemossa, Deià, Sóller and Fornalutx are beautiful places to explore.

 There is no shortage of spectacular locations on the sea front just outside Palma and one of my alltime favourites is HOSPES MARICEL & SPA SPA. (0034 971 70 77 44; hospes.com)

 For me, PALMA DE MALLORCA is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The hundreds of boats moored in the harbour, the palm trees lining the promenade that goes on for miles, and it’s the perfect place to cycle when it’s not too hot.

 Gourmets will have a delicious time exploring the island, which boasts ﬁve Michelin-starred restaurants: Zaranda, Restaurante Jardín, Es Fum, Es Racó d’es Teix and Es Molí d’en Bou. ES FUM in St Regis Mardavall Hotel is in my opinion the best restaurant on Mallorca. (0034 971 629 629; restaurant-esfum.com)  Boutique and ﬁnca (country) hotels are very popular – my favourites include CAN CERA (an old palace) in the heart of Palma (0034 971 715 012; cancerahotel.com) and PURO HOTEL (0034 971 425 450; purohotel.com), which is the trendy place to be in the city.

th friends is h club I like to go to wi ac be e Th ... FE LI H BEAC is ultra cool, s of Palma – the place irt tsk ou e th on H AC PURO BE trendy. e ambience is hip and th d an t ea gr is od fo e th

 Sometimes I go to the market on Sunday morning; the best is in POLLENSA with lots of stalls selling fresh ﬂ ﬂowers, owers, fruit and vegetables as well as handmade jewellery, bags and accessories.

Aer Lingus ﬂies from Dublin to Palma de Mallorca on Tue, Thur, Sat and Sun.

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MORE ABOUT HELEN Wexford-born Helen Cummins, who has lived in Mallorca for twelve years, is the owner/ editor of the luxury lifestyle magazine abcMallorca. She enjoys a busy social life, playing golf, yachting and spending time with her German husband, Georg, and six-year-old daughter, Eva. Helen recently launched the new website, Luxury Lifestyle by Helen Cummins, at helencummins.com and maintains the highly visited abc-mallorca. com as well as running a successful business networking club on the island.

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BEING THERE

N ... I S R U O H 48

Brussels

It may be home to the Eurocrats but there is plenty of character and colour to enjoy in the Belgian capital. Tony Clayton-Lea reports. Photographs by Anthony Woods.

he first thing most people think of when Brussels is mentioned is its status as nominal capital of the EU. Diplomats and politicians equal Eurocrat blandness? There is, perhaps, a certain truth in this, but when the work is done and the short journey made from the sleek steel and glass of the Euro headquarters to the city centre, Brussels can effortlessly transform itself into a multi-cultural melting pot, with alluring and lived-in character. From high-end shopping along Avenue Louise to the down-to-earth neighborhood of Marolles and the breathtaking Grand Place – Brussels is, diplomatically speaking, a marvel.

Museum of Musical Instruments

Magritte Museum

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DON’T MISS ... If you haven’t seen the Grand Place before, then prepare to be gobsmacked. In essence, this is a triumphant blend of Baroque and Gothic architecture, equal parts imposing and singularly beautiful. It is, perhaps, better experienced in the early morning, before the hordes of camera-toting tourists arrive. So why not go right after breakfast, choose a café seat and soak up the splendour? To get to the Saint-Gilles district you’ll need to either put on your walking boots or take a tram or taxi. It’s worth the (short) journey, as here you’ll ﬁnd the exquisite Horta Museum. Dedicated to the life and work of Ghent-born Victor Horta, an acclaimed Art Nouveau architect and designer, this intimate museum is light, airy and exceptionally pretty. (Closed Mondays; open Tues-Sun 2pm-5.30pm;

closed July 21st. €7 entry, 25 Rue Américaine, hortamuseum.be) The Magritte Museum has become a must-see for art lovers since it opened three years ago. The splendid gallery features more than 200 works of Magritte’s surrealist art. Advance (online) booking is essential, as if it’s busy – and it’s busy all year round – you won’t gain admission without a ticket. (Closed Mondays; Tues-Sun 10am-5pm, €8 entry, 1 Place Royale, museemagritte-museum.be) Walking down from the Place Royale, you’ll come face-to-face with the Museum of Musical Instruments (aka the Old England Building), which, with its girded steel and glass façade, is a sight for Neo-Classical and Art Nouveau eyes. Inside you’ll ﬁnd 7,000-plus instruments, while up on to

its top ﬂoor café, stay for a coﬀee and a spectacular view of the city. (Closed Mondays; Tues-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm. €5 entry, Montagne de la Cour 2, mim.be/en) A quick shopping guide: for antiques try Place du Grand Sablon; for high-end boutiques head to Avenue Louise; and for trendy Belgian designer threads, visit Rue Antoine Dansaert.

Above, from far left, the Grand Palace, best experienced in the early morning before the crowds; a glamorous eating experience at the Belga Queen; ﬁsh restaurant, Bij den Boer.

SLEEP AT … A short walk from the busy city centre, Hotel Le Plaza, on Boulevard Adolphe Max, is one of the older, grander hotels in Brussels, designed by Michel Polak, who used the George V Hotel in Paris as his inspiration. Double rooms from €130 and free Wi-Fi in all areas (including bedrooms), make this one a practical and quality choice. (leplaza-brussels.be) If you have a few more euro to spend and want to be in the thick of it, then Hotel Amigo, on Rue de l’Amigo, is perfect.

Situated less than a stone’s throw from the Grand Place, prepare yourself for a good helping of ﬁve-star attitude here. Factor in a serious collection of artwork that references the city’s famed artists, Rene Magritte and Hergé (creator of Tintin), and interior design by the award-winning Olga Polizzi, and you have a smart looking place that oozes quality. Doubles from €230. (hotelamigo.com) Another gorgeous hotel a few minutes’ walk from the Grand Place, and right

EAT AND DRINK AT ... For an altogether quality and glamorous eating experience, pay a visit to Belga Queen, which is housed within one of the most decorative belle époque dining rooms (designed by Antoine Pinto) you’ll ever have the pleasure of sitting in. The menu is fish-oriented, but also comes with interesting meat/poultry dishes such as cuckoo. Expensive? Yes, but what do you expect from a classy restaurant located in a former bank? (Rue du Fossé-aux-Loups 32, belgaqueen.be) Close by the Belga Queen is A La Mort Subite. This bar is a rarity – a Brussels institution that isn’t too touristy. It’s a great place to while away an hour or two, offering distinct atmosphere and more Belgian beers than you’ll ever have time for during a long weekend. (Rue Montagne-auxHerbes Potagères, alamortsubite.com) For somewhere central but just off the beaten track, make your way to Bij den Boer, a fish restaurant with an antique décor that seems as if it could have

behind the theatre La Monnaie, is The Dominican, on Rue Léopold, a stylish establishment (in a converted convent, no less) created by the awardwinning architects FG Stijl. The rooms are quite reasonable (from €125) and boast free internet access, fab bathrooms, and – yes, thank you, God! – a Nespresso machine. (thedominican.be) If you’re looking to mix business, pleasure, touristy things and Michelin-starred dining, then the ﬁve-

been around since the Boer War. (Quai aux Briques 60, bijdenboer.com) For somewhere just as distinctive, try Soul, an organic fusion restaurant close to the Place du Sablon. Using food sourced as much as possible from organic farms, Soul’s kitchen is free of butter and cream, its freshly prepared food free of additives, preservatives and white sugar. In a word? Delicious. (Rue de la Samaritaine, soulresto.com) Also close to the Place du Sablon is one of the city’s oldest bars – La Fleur en Papier Doré. Once frequented by surrealists Rene Magritte and Paul Rouge, this traditional place oozes history and art. Definitely worth a quick detour. (53 Rue des Alexiens, 0032 2511 1659, lafleurenpapierdore.be) lafleurenpapierdore.be)

star Radisson Blu Royal Hotel,, on Rue du Fossé-aux-Loups, is a wise choice. Note the Art Deco façade, but if that doesn’t get you then the Sea Grill restaurant and the hotel’s close proximity to a plethora of city-centre eateries most certainly will. Rooms from a very reasonable €111, all with free Wi-Fi. (radissonblu. com/royalhotel-brussels)

From far left, the terrace at the grand old Hotel Le Plaza, ﬁve-star style at Hotel Amigo, and above, a friendly welcome awaits you at A La Mort Subite.

Aer Lingus ﬂies from Dublin to Brussels daily, and from Cork to Brussels, Mon, Wed and Fri.

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InFlight

For your guide to our new and exciting On Demand movies and television programmes, including Boardwalk Empire (pictured), turn to page 96.

JULY 2012

| 89

WelcomeAboard Ar mhaithe de do chompord agus le do shábháilteacht ...

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 that you keep your seat belt loosely fastened throughout the flight.

Your seat must be in the upright position during takeoﬀ 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.

... iarraimid ort aird mhaith a thabhairt, ar an bhfoireann cábáin ag tús na heililte agus iad ag taispeáint conas an fearas slándála a úsáid. Iarraimid ort an cárta threoraca slándála atá i bpóca an tsuíocháin os do chomhair a léamh chomh maith. Caithfear criosanna sábhála bheith ceangailte le linn éirí agus tuirlingthe agus ag aon am a bhíonn an comhartha “Fasten Seat Belts” ar iasadh. Molaimid duit an crios sábhála bheith leathcheangailte agat i rith an turais.

Le linn éirí agus tuirlingthe, ní mór do shuíochan bheith sa suíomh ingearach. Ag am ar bith eile, is féidir an suíochán a chur siar ach brú ar an gcnaipe mór atá ar an taca uillinne. Tá cnaipí eile ann (ar an taca uillinne nó os do chionn, ag brath ar an eitleán) chun úsáid a bhaint as an solas léitheoireachta nó as an ngaothaire, nó chun glaoch ar bhall den fhoireann cábáin.

Portable electronic equipment Portable electronic equipment may interfere with aircraft equipment, creating a potentially hazardous situation. With safety as our priority, we ask you to pay particular attention to the following: Mobile phones and all other personal electronic equipment must be switched off and stowed safely as soon as the aircraft doors are closed. It is not permissible to use any electronic device to transmit or receive data during the flight, however devices equipped with flight mode, or the equivalent, may be used. Flight mode should be selected before the device is switched off. 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 BUT NOT DURING TAXI/TAKE-OFF/

INITIAL CLIMB/APPROACH LANDING: Laptops with CD ROM or DVD drive, palmtop organisers, handheld calculators without printers, portable audio equipment (eg Walkman, CD-player, Mini-disk player, iPod and MP3-player). For the comfort of other passengers, audio devices should be used with a headset. Computer games (eg Gameboy, Nintendo DS). Video cameras/recorders, digital cameras, GPS handheld receivers, electric shavers, electronic toys. Bluetooth devices with mobile phones in “Flight” mode, devices with “Blackberry” technology

90 |

JULY 2012

with “Flight”/Flight Safe” mode selected, laptops, PDAs with built-in Wi-Fi with “Wireless Oﬀ” setting selected. DEVICES PROHIBITED ✘ AT ALL TIMES: Devices transmitting radio frequency

intentionally such as walkietalkies, 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.

Aer Lingus is delighted to welcome you on board Tá áthas ar Aer Lingus fáilte ar bord a chur romhat Food and bar service

News, music and movies

Seirbhís bia agus beáir

Nuacht, ceol agus scannáin

A new range of food items – including sandwiches, confectionery and a range of snacks – is available for sale on all Aer Lingus scheduled services to and from the UK and Europe. A charge applies for all drinks on UK and European flights in Economy class. On long haul flights, there is a charge in Economy class for alcoholic drinks, while soft drinks are complimentary. Details of all items available for purchase are contained in an information leaflet, which is in all seat pockets.

On long haul ﬂights, we oﬀer you an extensive programme of viewing and listening options. For full details, turn towards the back of this magazine.

Tá raon nua bia ar fáil anois ar sheirbhísí sceidealta Aer Lingus a dhéanann freastai ar an Riocht Aontaithe agus ar an Eoraip. Ina measc, tá ceapairí, milseogra agus rogha sneaiceanna éagsúla. Ní mór íoc as gach deoch sa ghrád barainne ar na heitiltí seo. Ar eitiltí Trasatlantacha, tá costas ar dheochanna neamhmheisciúla go fóill ar fáil saor in aisce. Tá sonraí faoi gach rud is féidir a cheannach ar bord foilsithe sa bhileog eolais atá i bpóca an tsuíocháin os do chomhair.

Ar eitiltí Trasatlantacha tá clár leathan féachana agus éisteachta ar fáil. Le hagaidh tuilleadh eolais, féach deireadh na hirise seo.

with Aer Lingus. sant flight. Thank you for choosing to fly plea and able fort com a e hav you e hop We h maith agat as taisteal le hAer Lingus. raib go s agu t aga ach mh nea tait h dac Tá suil againn go mbíonn turas compor

Fearas iniompartha leictreonach Is féidir le fearas iniompartha leictreonach cur isteach ar threalamh an eitleáin, rud a d’fhéadfadh bheith contúirteach. Agus sábháilteacht mar phríomhchúram ag Aer Lingus, iarraimid ort aird sa bhreis a thabhairt ar an mír seo a leanas: Caithfear gach guthán póca agus gach fearas pearsanta leictreonach a mhúchadh agus a chur i dtaisce a luaithe agus a dhúntar doirse an eitleáin. Ní ceadmhach úsáid a bhaint as uirlis leictreonach ar bith chun sonraí a tharchur nó a ghlacadh i rith na heitilte. Is ceadmhach, áfach, uirlisí le cumas “mód eitilte”, nó a chomhionann sin, a úsáid. Caithfear an lipéad “modh eitilte” a roghnú sula múchtar an uirlis. GLÉASANNA A BHFUIL ✔ CEADAITHE I GCÓNAÍ: Gléasanna a bhaineann úsáid as

micreaceallairí agus/nó fotaichill; cluaisíní chúnta (gléasanna digiteach san áireamh); glaoirí (gleacadáin amháin); séadairí.

GLÉASANNA ATÁ ● CEADAITHE I RITH NA HEITILTE, ACH NACH

BHFUIL CEADAITHE LE LINN DON EITLEÁN BHEITH AG GLUAISEACHT AR TALAMH/AG ÉIRÍ DE THALAMH/ AG TABHAIRT FAOIN DREAPADH TOSAIGH/ AG DÍRIÚ AR THUIRLINGT/ AG TUIRLINGT: Ríomhairí glúine le tiomántán dlúthdhiosca (CD ROM) nó diosca digiteach ilúsáide (DVD). Eagraithe pearsanta boise. Áireamháin láimhe gan phrintéiri. Clostrealamh iniompartha (ms Walkman, seinnteoir CD, seinnteoir

Mini-disk, iPod, seinnteoir MP3). Ar mhaithe le compord na bpaisinéiri eile, níor choir na gléasanna seo a úsáid ach amháin le cluaisíní. Cluichí ríomhaire (ms Gameboy). Níl cead gaireas forimeallach a úsáid le cluichí láimhe ríomhaire am ar bith (ms paca forlíontach cumhachta a cheanglaítear le cábla). Físcheamaraí agus fístaifeadáin, trealamh digiteach san áireamh. Ceamaraí digiteach. Glacadóirí láimhe chóras suite domhanda (GPS). Rásúir leicreacha. Bréagáin leictreonacha (seachas bréagáin chianrialaithe). Gléasanna “Bluetooth” i gcomhar le gutháin phóca agus iad i “modh eitilte”; uirlisí a bhaineann feidhm as teicneolaíocht “Blackberry” agus “mód eitilte” nó “slánmhód eitilte” roghnaithe orthu; ríomhairí glúine; ríomhairí boise (PDA) le Wi-Fi ionsuite agus an lipéad “raidió múchta” roghnaithe orthu.

GLÉASANNA A BHFUIL ✘ COSC IOMLÁN ORTHU: Gléasanna a tharchuireann

minicíocht raidió d’aon turas. Siúlscéalaithe. Bréagaín chianrialaithe. Aonaid fhístaispeána le feadáin ga-chatadóideacha. Trealamh ríomhaire gan sreang (ms luch). Printéirí PC. Schríbhneoiri DVD, CD agus taifeadáin Minidisk atá sa mhodh taifeadta. Ceamthaifeadáin digiteacha agus iad ag athscríobh dlúthdhioscaí. Steiréónna iniompartha. Raidiónna póca (AM/ FM). Glacadóiri teilifíse. Trealamh teiliméadrach. Ní cheadaítear fearas LAN gan sreang (WLAN) a úsáid. Is féidir ríomhairí glúine a bhfuil WLAN ionsuite iontu (ms Centrino) a úsáíd le linn na heitilte ar choinníoll go bhfuil WLAN curtha as agus faoi réir na srianta a bhaineann le húsáid ríomhhairí glúine (thuas luaite).

SMOKING In line with Irish government regulations, Aer Lingus has a nosmoking policy onboard its ﬂights. Smoking is not permitted in any part of the cabin at any time. TOBAC De réir rialacháin Rialtas na hÉireann, tá polasai i réim ar eitiltí Aer Lingus nach gceadaítear tobac a chaitheamh. Ní cheadaítear d’aon duine tobac a chaitheamh in aon chuid den eitleán ag aon am.

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AerLingusNews

Aer Lingus as the official airline of Ireland’s Olympic Team wishes all those involved a happy and successful Olympic Games. We look forward to flying the team on the special homecoming flight to Dublin in August.

At T2 Dublin Airport – Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Mueller with Olympic hopeful, boxer Kati e Taylor.

AER LINGUS LAUNCH A DEDICATED FAMILY CHECK-IN DESK

Aer Lingus has made checking in when travelling with children hassle-free, with the launch of a new dedicated check-in facility for families at T2, Dublin airport. Families travelling with children can avoid queuing and drop oﬀ car seats and buggies in this new location close to the oversize baggage belt. Customer assistance staﬀ will be on hand to welcome little passengers, speed up the process and ensure that every trip starts on an easy, welcoming note.

LIAM NEESON FLYING HIGH WITH AER LINGUS AND UNICEF IRELAND AS THE PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATES ITS 15th ANNIVERSARY

Members of Aer Lingus cabin crew who are Ambassadors for the Change for Good partnership celebrate with Liam Neeson – from left to right, Harvey Gill, Liz Mangan, Lynsey Glasgow, Robert O’Reilly and Shane Hodnett.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Liam Neeson took time during his visit to Dublin to help celebrate the 15th Anniversary of UNICEF Ireland’s Change for Good™ partnership with Aer Lingus, that has raised nearly €12 million (US$15 million) for UNICEF‘s work for children in over 150 countries across the world. Every day, Change for Good™ collections take place on-board Aer Lingus transatlantic ﬂights but in times of crisis, special Change for Good™ collections also take place on all Aer Lingus ﬂights for UNICEF’s emergency fund. Aer Lingus would like to thank its customers for their generosity in supporting the UNICEF Change for Good campaign. We would also like to thank our cabin crew who have made a huge contribution to this achievement.

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AerLingusNews Gold CirCle Benefits

As a service to our Gold Circle applicant members we are delighted to offer existing BMI Diamond Club Blue, Gold and Silver members the opportunity to match their current Diamond Club status to their Gold Circle account. BMI Blue members are eligible for Gold level membership of our Gold Circle Club, BMI Silver members can avail of our Gold Circle Prestige level benefits and BMI Gold level members will be offered all the benefits of Gold Circle Elite membership. Gold Circle Tier membership offers you the ability to redeem your existing Gold Circle points for reward flights and all tier members have access to Gold Circle lounges when travelling on Aer Lingus flights. Full details of all Gold Circle membership benefits can be found on our website aerlingus.com To avail of this offer Gold Circle applicant members should visit aerlingusgreendiamond.com and complete the tier matching request form.

Aer Lingus gold circle Lounge T2, dublin airport

The Aer Lingus ViscounT AwArds

Left to right are Symon Ross, editor of Ulster Business, Paul McKernan, Chain Reaction Cycles, Declan Kearney, director of communications at Aer Lingus, Tracey Smith, Chain Reaction Cycles and Michael Taylor, editorial director at Insider.

The Aer Lingus Viscount Awards, in association with Ulster Business and South East Business Insider, took place in London on May 22nd. The Awards, now in their fourth consecutive year, look to honour those companies who have forged vital economic ties between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, in particular the South of England, thus playing an important role in the reciprocal development of these regions. Amongst the recipients, the Aer Lingus Viscount Award for Overall Excellence was awarded to Chain Reaction Cycles (pictured left), whose 30 per cent growth year on year was deemed by the judges to be the epitome of true excellence.

oVer â&#x201A;Ź20,000 rAised for unicef ireLAnd cycLe chALLenge

A special collection took place on board all Aer Lingus flights from May 24 to June 1. During this time Aer Lingus cabin crew member and UNICEF ambassador, Brian Rutter, along with a team of supporters, undertook a charity cycle between all Aer Lingus bases in Ireland including Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast. The monies collected will help to support the lives of vulnerable Zambian children through UNICEFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education programme.

Above, Mr. Tayto gets a helping hand from cabin crew members claire sutton and emma Mcdonnell as he boards his Aer Lingus flight to Poland to cheer on the boys in green. Aer Lingus would like to wish the irish team the very best of luck in euro 2012.

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iNFLiGHT ENTERTAINMENT

FLIGHTS TO THE US From Dublin to Boston, Chicago, New York and Orlando; from Shannon to Boston and New York; from Madrid to Washington. Movies available are listed below. All movie details and ratings can be accessed through your personal screen.

Movies

This Means War

FLIGHTS TO THE US THiS MeANS WAR

JOHN CARTeR

Action / Family/ Fantasy (PG 13) 132 minutes

Action / Adventure / Thriller (R) 110 minutes

Chris Pine and Tom Hardy portray the world’s deadliest CIA operatives who are also inseparable partners and best friends until they fall for the same woman. Having once helped bring down entire enemy nations, they are now employing their incomparable skills and an endless array of high-tech gadgetry against their greatest nemesis ever – each other. The woman they fall for is Lauren. Lauren can’t believe her luck as she has gone from being single to dating two very handsome and perfect men. As the guys realise they are attracted to the same woman, their competitive instincts kick in. This means trouble – This Means War!

Directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton, this inventive science-fiction film is based on the novel series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Former military captain John Carter is inexplicably transported to Mars, known as Barsoom. Stranded on this lush, wildly diverse planet whose main residents are twelve-foot tall green barbarians, Carter becomes a prisoner of these creatures. When he escapes, he reluctantly becomes embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions. Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realises that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

An unprecedented blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking, Act of Valor stars a group of active-duty US Navy SEALs in a film like no other in Hollywood’s history. Act of Valor features a gripping story that takes audiences on an adrenaline-fuelled, edge-of-their-seat journey. A mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative results in the discovery of a terrifying global threat, as a result an elite team of highly trained Navy SEALs must immediately embark on a heart-stopping secret operation. This ultimate action adventure movie showcases the training and tenacity of the greatest action heroes of them all: real Navy SEALs.

STARS Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Chelsea Handler DiReCTOR McG

STARS Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, Thomas Haden Church, Willem Dafoe, Emily Mortimer DiReCTOR Andrew Stanton

Action/ Romance/ Comedy (PG 13) 97 minutes

ACT OF VALOR

Act of Valor

STARS Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano DiReCTOR Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh

More Movies On Demand

John Carter

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GONe Amanda Seyfried W.e. Abbie Cornish MAN ON A LeDGe Elizabeth Banks YOUNG ADULT Charlize Theron GOOD DeeDS Tyler Perry GAMe CHANGe Julianne Moore STARBUCK Patrick Huard THe GReY Liam Neeson

DARK TiDe Halle Berry JOURNeY 2: MYSTeRiOUS iSLAND Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson A WARRiOR’S HeART Kellan Lutz LADY AND THe TRAMP Peggy Lee TOOTHFAiRY 2 Larry The Cable Guy DUMBO Verna Felton TANGLeD Mandy Moore

FLIGHTS FROM THE US From Boston, Chicago, New York and Orlando to Dublin; from New York and Boston to Shannon; from Washington to Madrid. Movies available are listed below. All movie details and ratings can be accessed through your personal screen.

Movies

Albert Nobbs

FLIGHTS FROM THE US ALBERT NOBBS

BiG MiRAcLE

21 JUMP STREET

Five-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close stars as Albert Nobbs in this emotional and thought-provoking tale of a woman forced to live as a man in 19th century Ireland. After 30 years of keeping up the charade and passing as a man in order to work and survive, a new love threatens to destroy everything she’s worked so hard to build. Some 30 years after donning men’s clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making. She hopes one day she might live a normal life as we catch a glimpse of a freespirited woman caught in the wrong time.

Set in Cold War-era 1988, Big Miracle tells the true story of a small-town news reporter and Greenpeace volunteer (Barrymore) who enlists the help of rival superpowers to save three majestic grey whales trapped under the ice of the Arctic circle. The media uproar captivates viewers around the world, unifying the globe in a single cause of hope. Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, this is a truly amazing tale of those who joined forces with those of differing beliefs to save a family of majestic grey whales in small town Alaska.

In the action-comedy 21 Jump Street, Schmidt and Jenko are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a drug ring. They soon discover that high school is nothing like they left it a few years earlier – and neither expects the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.

STARS Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Brendan Gleeson, Brenda Fricker, Janet McTeer DiREcTOR Rodrigo García

STARS Drew Barrymore, Dermot Mulroney, Ted Danson, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell DiREcTOR Ken Kwapis

Drama (R) 113 minutes

Comedy / Drama / / Family (PG) 107 minutes

Action / Comedy (R) 109 minutes

21 Jump Street

STARS Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum,ska. Brie Larson, Rob Riggle, Dave Franco, DeRay Davis DiREcTOR Chris Miller

More Movies On Demand

Big Miracle

cONTRABAND Mark Wahlberg THiS MUST BE THE PLAcE Sean Penn cHRONicLE Alex Russell WUTHERiNG HEiGHTS James Howson ONE FOR THE MONEY Katherine Heigl GHOST RiDER: SPiRiT OF VENGEANcE Nicolas Cage HAYWiRE Michael Fassbender LA DELicATESSE

Audrey Tautou JEFF WHO LiVES AT HOME Jason Segel JOYFUL NOiSE Dolly Parton THE VOW Rachel McAdams ScOOBY DOO! MUSic OF THE VAMPiRE Frank Welker TOY STORY 3 Tom Hanks THE PRiNcESS AND THE FROG Anika Noni Rose BENEATH THE DARkNESS Dennis Quaid

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INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Television On Demand TV gives you the opportunity to select and view your favourite TV shows at your leisure. Look out for the most anticipated new shows on TV in this extensive choice of comedy and drama as well as a variety of exciting genres. Brand New COMEDY HIGHLIGHTS take in New Girl, Raising Hope, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, Mike and Molly and from HBO don’t miss Enlightened, How to Make It in America, Bored to Death and Curb your Enthusiasm. Classic comedy features the brilliant Gavin and Stacey and two episodes and a treat for the ladies in Sex and the City. As we witness a golden age in TV drama, Aer Lingus brings you a captivating choice of DRAMA TV with the availability of both one-off and multiple episodes. Watch out for an episode of Homeland, an intriguing drama with an immensely talented cast, this gripping thriller stars Clare Danes, “Showtime’s edgy, edge-of-your-seat series, is, bar none, the best thriller on American TV.” (New York Post) Also featuring is Boss starring Kelsey Grammer, as well as Ringer starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, “The show is great fun, and clearly the star herself is having fun in the lead roles.” (San Francisco Chronicle) The always popular CSI NY

Mad Men

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enhances this choice of popular Drama programming. Exclusively available On-Demand are six episodes of Season 2 from the HBO triumph Boardwalk Empire, Steve Buscemi stars in this award-winning and hit drama series that charts the continued rise of organised crime at the dawn of Prohibition. According to the Hollywood Reporter, “It’s essential viewing. All of the promise of last season looks to be realised with impressively deft storytelling, beautiful cinematography and impeccable acting.” Premium HBO drama continues in Treme with the first six episodes of Season 2. This Emmy-nominated drama series takes place during the rebuilding of post-Katrina New Orleans, and charts the interconnected stories of several struggling musicians and locals as they attempt to rebuild their lives through the music and cultural traditions that make them, and the city, unique. One of TV’s distinctive series is Mad Men, set in a 1960s advertising agency in New York; this complex, intelligent and entertaining slick drama imagines midcentury Americana as a dreamily, if painfully, transformative era. Available On-Demand are six episodes from Season 4. Six episodes of Season 2 of Blue Bloods starring Tom Selleck is one to watch. Blue Bloods is a solid, characterdriven, multi-story serial drama. Selleck’s character serves as the anchor for four generations of police officers. Award-winning drama continues with The Good Wife – a drama about a

Treme

ON DEMAND

Modern family politician’s wife who pursues her own career as a defense attorney after her husband is charged with political corruption. Julia Margulies has been widely recognised for her portrayal of Alicia Florrick, winning an Emmy in 2011, Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2010 and 2011, a Golden Globe in 2009. Available On-Demand are six episodes from Season 3. TEENS onboard can view Glee, Shake it Up and 90210 and kids can enjoy Angelina Ballerina, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Pingu. LIFESTYLE, SPORT AND MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS include Other Voices, The Brit Awards 2012, Glastonbury 2011, Destination London, UEFA 2012 Magazine Show, HSBC Golfing World, Masterchef Ireland, Jamie Cooks Summer, Project Runway, Biography Channel (retrospective on Whitney Houston), Movie Talk and Inside the Actors Studio (Brad Pitt). DOCUMENTARY HIGHLIGHTS take in Megafactories (Jack Daniels), National Geographic’s Most Amazing Photos, David Attenborough’s First Life, The Making of Human Planet, Destination Extreme, Waterways (The Royal Canal), Extreme Frontiers (with Charlie Boorman), Horizons, and the feature documentary Rise and Shine: The Jay Demerit Story.

Radio

ON DEMAND

Fitzpatrick Hotels

Chart Hits

Best of Moncrieff

This is a contemporary easy-listening collection of songs from both sides of the Atlantic, brought to you compliments of The Fitzpatrick Hotel Group USA. With two hotels in downtown Manhattan, Grand Central and Fitzpatrick Manhattan, Fitzpatrick’s is the place to stay in NYC. Visit their website for more information fitzpatrickhotels.com. Fitzpatrick Hotels USA are also on Twitter & Facebook.

Chart Hits lets you discover the latest chart hits as well as keeping tabs on your favourite artists. This upto-the-minute Pop show unveils the biggest smash hits from the world’s biggest artists. Featuring newcomers to the scene – Nicki Minaj and Emeli Sandé as well as established artists Katy Perry, Usher, Coldplay, Adele and the queen of pop Madonna – do not miss the exciting sounds of Chart Hits.

Best of Moncrieff is a lively mix of funny, engaging and irreverent features. Its insightful format gives listeners a unique listening experience. Tune into Best of Moncrieff every weekday from 1.30-4.30pm on Newstalk 106-108fm for a lively mix of phone-ins, text messages and stories from around the world and down your street. Text 53106, email afternoon@ newstalk.ie or follow Sean on Twitter @SeanMoncrieff.

Off the Ball/Sport Saturday To coincide with the UEFA Euro 2012, Newstalk presents Off the Ball and Sport Saturday – highlights include interviews with Paul McGrath and Niall Quinn. The PPI award-winning Off the Ball is innovative and engaging and manages to combine serious discussion with an ability to make you laugh. Catch the lads every night from 7pm. Sport Saturday presenter Ger Gilroy follows the action as it happens with his team of reporters. Tune into Ger Gilroy every Saturday from 2pm. newstalk.ie

Documentary On One Documentary On One is the multiaward winning radio documentary strand from RTÉ Radio 1 (88-90FM). Currently the most successful documentary unit in the world; the documentary featured here is “On a Cape Clear Day” and focuses on an American couple who retired to Cape Clear Island off the coast of Ireland. The website rte.ie/doconone contains over 900 radio documentaries – all freely available to listen to/podcast. You can also download the free Documentary on One iPhone and/or Android app. Twitter @RTEDocOnOne

Classical Daytime

My Tunes

Jazz Alley

Niall Carroll presents a selection of great music from the heart of the core classical repertoire. Classical Daytime features some of the world’s most loved relaxing classics including Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Rodrigo’s Guitar masterpiece Concierto de Aranjuez and Saint-Saens Symphony No.3, “Organ”. This show is the ideal accompaniment to your flight and Classical Daytime can also be enjoyed on RTÉ lyric fm MondayFriday from 10am-2pm.

In this edition of My Tunes Aedín Gormley invites film director John Boorman to select, listen to and discuss music from his films. The renowned film director has made Ireland his home and here he discusses a lifetime of making films with a particular emphasis on the role of music in his films from the duelling banjos of Deliverance to Richie Buckley’s snazzy saxophone tunes in The General. My Tunes is on RTÉ lyric fm on Mondays from 7pm-8pm. Twitter @RTÉlyricfm

Donald Helme devotes Jazz Alley to the most popular instrument in the western world, the guitar, in both 6 and 7-string form. Helme focuses on the guitar which only came late to jazz, once the amplifier was invented in the 1930s. Featured artists include Anthony Wilson, Chuck Wayne, Howard Alden and the inventor of the 7-string, George Van Eps. Jazz Alley is on RTÉ lyric fm on Wednesday evenings from 7pm-8pm. Twitter @RTÉlyricfm

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Radio

ON DEMAND

Tubridy

Ronan Collins

Ceol na nGael

RTÉ Jr

Ryan Tubridy’s unique showmanship, intelligence and wit is broadcast to the nation every weekday morning. Spontaneous, unpredictable, entertaining and intelligent, Tubridy takes in everything from the day’s news to huge competitions, from big interviews to human-interest stories. Ryan Tubridy is one of Ireland’s most prolific broadcasters and his RTÉ 2fm show raises the bar for morning radio. Twitter @Tubridy2fm

RTÉ Radio 1 presenter Ronan Collins’ easygoing personality is a welcome interlude from the busy world around us. With a cheeky grin, Ronan enjoys the challenge of filling his programme with the kind of music that will make you smile, relax and reminisce. Tune in to hear old favourites, new hits and hidden gems. Twitter @RTERadio1

Ceol na nGael is a traditional and folk music programme presented, in Irish, by Seán Ó hÉanaigh. Seán presents the weekly music programme Sruth na Maoile on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. The station is the national Irish language broadcaster in Ireland, and celebrates 40 years on air in 2012. Ceol traidisiúnta agus ceol tíre den scoth, le Seán Ó hÉanaigh. For more visit: rte.ie/rnag. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta is on Facebook and Twitter @RTERnaG.

Join Colm Flynn and all his friends from ‘The Club’ on RTÉjr Radio for a fun packed show to enjoy during your flight! There’s music, a Disney quiz, fun facts about flying, books, and special guests Jedward! RTÉjr Radio is Ireland’s only radio station that’s just for children. You can tune in on your digital radio, online rte. ie/digitalradio/rtejr Saorview and on the RTÉ Radio Player on your mobile device to hear more.

Phantom 105.2

The Big 10

Cleared for Take-Off

Copeland Classics

Phantom 105.2 is quite simply the home of the very best music played on any Irish radio station. Phantom is committed to playing brand new music, Indie Rock but really we will play all genres of music – if it’s a great track, we will play it. Oh, we also like having a bit of craic along the way so why not try something different and tune into Phantom 105.2 – we promise you won’t be disappointed! We are Phantom – music that rocks!

The Big 10 on 98FM features ten songs with a connection. Tune into the countdown every Sunday morning at 10am as we countdown The Big 10, each week a different set of songs are featured each with a different connection. Presented by Darragh O’Dea of Dublin’s 98 FM, this special edition of the show focuses on the acts that will be playing concerts in Ireland this year.

You’re cleared for take-off every weekday morning from 6am until 10am with Pat Courtenay on Radio Nova. Also tune in to Nova for Breakfast Reheated every Saturday from 8am until 10am. Courtenay’s show is a perfect combination of entertainment and of course the world’s greatest guitar-based songs. You can call Nova Breakfast on (01) 440 4 100. We’re online at nova.ie and you can download our app to listen to us wherever you are in the world.

Welcome to the music of Copeland Classic Hits brought to you courtesy of Louis Copeland and Sons, a name synonymous with men’s tailoring in Dublin. Louis Copeland is a world renowned master tailor and provider of men’s designer suits for over 100 years. Louis Copeland and Sons can be found in Dublin on Capel St, Pembroke St and Wicklow St and beside the IFSC, as well as at Dublin Airport and in Galway on Merchants Road. From Armani, Brioni, Hugo Boss and Paul Smith – all leading labels are available at their stores. louiscopeland.com

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DUBLIN’S OLDEST THAI RESTAURANT LOCATED AT THE HEART OF DUBLIN CITY CENTRE

Dinner Tuesday - Saturday from 5.30 Lunch Tuesday - Sunday from 12.30 2 Course Lunch c9.95 2 Course Early bird c14.95 3 Course Set Menu c25.00 Al la Carte Menu and Extensive Wine Menu 1 Annes lane | South Anne Street| Dublin 2 www.chiliclub.ie Reservations online or +353 1 6773721

On The Doorstep of the Merrion, Shelbourne, Conrad,Westbury and Fitzwilliam Hotels

“There’s no shop quite like this”

All profits to are donated ’s ren d il h C h is Ir Charities THE MUSEUM IS HOME TO IRELAND’S

LARGEST PERIOD DOLL’S HOUSE

Explore the magical miniature world of Tara’s Palace Museum of Childhood at Powerscourt House. Each room in Tara’s Palace is furnished with miniature masterpieces, hand painted ceilings and hand crafted wooden and marble floors. Perfect for all ages from 5 to 105. Blackabbey, Adare, Co. Limerick - (061) 395734 – www.oldcreameryco.com Find us on Facebook

Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, Ireland CALL: +353 (0)1 2748090 EMAIL: info@taraspalace.ie

www.taraspalace.ie

Wellbeing Aer Lingus is pleased to bring you some suggestions and light exercises to enhance your comfort and wellbeing during your flight: Suggestions and light exercises to enhance your comfort and well-being during your flight: Wear loose-fitting clothes on board to allow your skin to breathe, and apply a good moisturiser throughout. Stretch your legs as much as possible by taking a stroll through the cabin. Circle your ankles clockwise and anticlockwise. Bend and straighten your ankles in a brisk manner with the knee straight. Trace the letters of the alphabet with your foot by moving your ankles.

Exercising your feet and legs periodically helps to reduce any 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. And remember to move your neck and shoulders during long flights to prevent stiffness. We wish you an enjoyable experience.

Reducing the eﬀects of jet-lag

Passengers with wheelchair requirements

To help reduce the effects of travelling and jet-lag before, during and after your flight, we have introduced an audio programme (available on Channel 6), which will play every other hour, offering 60 minutes of soothing and relaxing audio environments. The programme is designed to enhance your physical and mental wellbeing during the flight.

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.

Apart from tuning in to the inflight relaxation programme, here are some other simple things that you can do to prepare for your journey. Ideally, avoid heavy food, alcohol, tea or coﬀee the day before you travel. When you arrive at your destination, try to adjust your activities gradually to the new time zone. Mild exercise on arrival will also help to stimulate your circulation.

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:

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. AER LINGUS

55cm (22ins)

email: specialassistance@aerlingus.com

Maximum weight

10kg

(Ireland) 0818 365 011 08:00 - 18:00 Mon-Fri & 09:00 - 17:00 Sat & Sun (UK) 0871 718 20 21 (Europe) + 353 1 886 8333 (USA) 516 622 4222

43cm (17ins)

(22 lbs)

20cm (8ins)

Telephone:

AER LINGUS REGIONAL

40cm (16ins)

Maximum weight

7kg (15 lbs)

28cm (11ins)

20cm (8ins)

Additional small items, such as cameras, personal stereos, overcoats and handbags are allowed on board. 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.

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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.

I’m for seeing my mates in the States. And flying from Shannon, it couldn’t be easier. With 22 flights a week direct to Boston, New York and Toronto, and the added convenience of US pre-clearance before you travel, it’s easy to hop over to the lads.

I’m for Shannon Willie, Dairy Farmer, Boher

shannonairport.com

BEFORE

AFTER

RouteMaps EUROPEAN ROUTE NETWORK

Helsinki Stockholm

Aberdeen Edinburgh

Glasgow

DUBLIN

Hamburg

London

Birmingham

Kerry

Vilnius

Isle of Man Blackpool Manchester HEATHROW

Cardiﬀ

Southend London

Bristol Bournemouth

GATWICK

Paris

Rennes

Warsaw

Dusseldorf

Brussels

Jersey

Berlin

Amsterdam

Frankfurt

Stuttgart

Prague

Munich

Vienna

Zurich Geneva Lyon

Bordeaux Bilbao

Santiago de Compostela

Toulouse Perpignan Madrid

Faro

Milan

Marseille MALPENSA Nice

Budapest

Venice Verona Bologna

Bucharest Dubrovnik

Bourgas

Rome

Barcelona

Ibiza

Lisbon

Milan

LINATE

Krakow

Naples

Palma

Izmir

Alicante

Catania

Malaga

Athens

Lanzarote Tenerife

Fuerteventura Gran Canaria

To & From Dublin Austria Vienna

Czech Republic Prague

Belgium Brussels

Finland Helsinki

Bulgaria Bourgas

France Bordeaux Lyon Marseille Nice Paris Perpignan ■ Rennes Toulouse

Canary Islands Fuerteventura Gran Canaria Lanzarote Tenerife Croatia Dubrovnik

Germany Berlin Dusseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Munich Stuttgart Greece Athens Hungary Budapest Ireland ■ Kerry

Italy Bologna Catania Milan (Linate) Milan (Malpensa) Naples Rome Venice Verona (new route) Lithuania Vilnius The Netherlands Amsterdam

Poland Krakow Warsaw

Palma Santiago de Compostela

London (Heathrow) Jersey Manchester

Portugal Faro Lisbon

Sweden Stockholm (new route)

■ United Kingdom Aberdeen Blackpool Bournemouth Bristol Cardiﬀ Edinburgh Glasgow Isle of Man Southend

Romania Bucharest Spain Alicante Barcelona Bilbao Ibiza Madrid Malaga

Switzerland Geneva Zurich Turkey Izmir United Kingdom Birmingham Edinburgh London (Gatwick)

■ Aer Lingus Regional routes operated by Aer Arann For more information on schedules, please visit www.aerlingus.com

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INFLIGHT ROUTE MAPS

EUROPEAN ROUTE NETWORK

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Knock

BELFAST

SHANNON

Dublin WATERFORD

Manchester Birmingham Luton Southend

Bristol London Heathrow LONDON GATWICK

CORK

Jersey

Amsterdam

Brussels

Paris

Rennes

Munich

Nice

Barcelona

Rome

Palma Lisbon Faro

Alicante Malaga

Lanzarote

Tenerife

Las Palmas

To & From Belfast, Cork, Shannon, Waterford & Gatwick FROM BELFAST Canary Islands Lanzarote Las Palmas Tenerife

FROM CORK

FROM GATWICK

Belgium Brussels (new route)

Italy Rome

Portugal Faro

Canary Islands Lanzarote Tenerife Las Palmas

Portugal Faro Lisbon

Spain Alicante Barcelona Malaga

France Nice Paris ■ Rennes

Spain Alicante Barcelona Malaga Palma

United Kingdom London Heathrow

Germany Munich

The Netherlands Amsterdam

United Kingdom London Gatwick London Heathrow ■ United Kingdom Birmingham Bristol Edinburgh Glasgow Jersey Manchester

Ireland Cork Dublin Ireland West Airport (Knock)

FROM SHANNON France ■ Rennes United Kingdom London Heathrow ■ United Kingdom Birmingham Bristol Edinburgh Manchester

FROM WATERFORD ■ United Kingdom Luton Manchester Southend FROM KNOCK ■ United Kingdom Birmingham

■ Aer Lingus Regional routes operated by Aer Arann

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JULY 2012

USA ROUTE NETWORK

Chicago

Boston New York Washington

Shannon

Dublin

Orlando

Madrid

To & From Dublin, Shannon & Madrid FROM DUBLIN

FROM SHANNON

FROM MADRID

USA Boston Chicago New York Orlando

USA Boston New York

USA Washington DC

(Via New York/Boston with JetBlue)

Chicago Orlando

JULY 2012

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INFLIGHT ROUTE MAPS

CONNECTING EUROPE, USA & CANADA Edmonton

Calgary Winnipeg Vancouver Seattle Portland OR

Minneapolis

Omaha Salt Lake City

Sacramento San Francisco San Jose

Kansas City Denver

Oakland

Nashville

Long Beach

Los Angeles San Diego

Phoenix

Houston

Columbus WASHINGTON DULLES

Lexington

Portland ME BOSTON

Nantucket NEW YORK

Baltimore Washington NATIONAL

Richmond Raleigh - Durham

Charlotte

Dallas (Fort Worth) Austin

Syracuse Rochester

Pittsburgh Burlington

Cleveland

Indianapolis Cincinnati Saint Louis Louisville

Las Vegas

Burbank

Detroit

CHICAGO

Toronto Buﬀalo

Atlanta

New Orleans

Jacksonville Orlando

Tampa Fort Myers

West Palm Beach Fort Lauderdale Miami

Aguadilla

San Juan Ponce

FLY BETWEEN THE FOLLOWING CITIES VIA DUBLIN, SHANNON, NEW YORK, BOSTON & CHICAGO 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. Now 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: When you arrive from Dublin or Shannon, simply hop on the Air Train to JetBlue’s Terminal 5 for your domestic connection. 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. ■ 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 Aer Arann) 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.

All routes correct at time of going to press

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Helsinki Stockholm

Aberdeen Edinburgh

Glasgow

Isle of Man Hamburg

Manchester

Dublin Birmingham

Shannon Kerry

London

Southend

Cardiﬀ Bristol

Berlin

Amsterdam

HEATHROW

Warsaw

Dusseldorf Brussels

London

GATWICK

Krakow

Frankfurt Paris Vienna

Munich

Geneva Milan

Venice

LINATE

Dubrovnik

Alicante

Faro

Alicante Amsterdam Barcelona Berlin Birmingham Brussels Dubrovnik Dusseldorf Edinburgh Faro Frankfurt Geneva Hamburg Helsinki Krakow Lisbon London (Gatwick) London (Heathrow) Madrid Malaga Manchester Munich Palma Paris Rome Stockholm

Malaga

Venice Vienna Warsaw ■ VIA DUBLIN with Aer Lingus Regional

Aberdeen Bristol Cardiﬀ Edinburgh Glasgow Isle of Man London Southend Kerry

■ VIA SHANNON with Aer Lingus London (Heathrow) ■ VIA SHANNON with Aer Lingus Regional

Naples

Palma

Lisbon

■ VIA DUBLIN with Aer Lingus

Rome

Barcelona

Madrid

Manchester Birmingham Bristol Edinburgh

■ VIA NEW YORK with JetBlue

Aguadilla Austin Baltimore Buﬀalo Burbank Burlington Charlotte Chicago Denver Fort Lauderdale Fort Myers Houston Jacksonville Las Vegas Long Beach Los Angeles Nantucket New Orleans Oakland Orlando Phoenix Pittsburg Ponce Portland ME Portland OR Raleigh-Durham

Rochester Sacramento Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco San Jose San Juan Seattle Syracuse Tampa West Palm Beach

■ VIA BOSTON with JetBlue

Baltimore Buﬀalo Chicago Dallas Fort Worth Denver Ford Lauderdale Fort Myers Jacksonville Las Vegas Long Beach Los Angeles Nantucket New Orleans Oakland

Orlando Phoenix Pittsburg Portland OR Raleigh-Durham Richmond Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco San Jose San Juan Seattle Tampa Washington (Dulles) Washington (National) West Palm Beach

■ VIA CHICAGO with United to USA

Atlanta Austin Charlotte Cincinnati Chicago Cleveland Columbus Dallas (Fort Worth) Denver Detroit Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Lexington Los Angeles Louisville Miami Minneapolis Nantucket Nashville New Orleans Omaha Phoenix Pittsburgh

Portland OR Raleigh-Durham Sacramento Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco San Jose Seattle St Louis Tampa

■ VIA CHICAGO with United to Canada

Calgary Edmonton Salt Lake City Toronto Vancouver Winnipeg

■ Aer Lingus Regional routes operated by Aer Arann JULY 2012

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FlightConnections

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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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

R A I LT O U R S

1916

IRELAND

First Class!

The GPO Dublin

Book Today - Travel Tomorrow

• Cliffs of Moher & Bunratty • Waterford & Kilkenny • Cork & Blarney Castle • The Giant's Causeway • The Ring of Kerry • The Aran Islands • Connemara & Galway Bay • Titanic Rail Trails ONE DAY TOURS TO Blarney Castle NINE DAY TOURS FROM and Gardens DUBLIN Cliffs of Moher

Visit Letters, Lives and Liberty in Dublin’s GPO and uncover the story of the Rising and the Irish Post Office in the place where history was made. General Post Office O’Connell Street Dublin 1

Car Free - Care Free

www.railtoursireland.com

TEL:DUBLIN + 353-1-856 0045

www.anpost.ie/heritage

e-mail: info@railtoursireland.com in association with (Irish Rail)

VISIT OUR NEWLY RENOVATED RESTAURANTS

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

south king st | blanchardstown | dundrum | cork | belfast

lunch menu €9.95 take out menu available wagamama ireland

Chatham Row, City Centre Dundrum Dun Laoghaire

Voted B e Restaura st Dundru nt m Town Ce ntre

www.mymao.ie

INFLIGHT SKY SHOPPING

Spicebomb by Viktor & Rolf Eau de Toilette - 50ml Spicebomb is the new masculine fragrance from Viktor & Rolf. Electrifying, captivating and fearless. He doesn’t just explode – he goes boom. Spicebomb oﬀers a highly addictive explosion of spices, tamed by an invigorating freshness. This new fragrance is the weapon of mass seduction!

hope in a jar

60ml by philosophy A unique souﬄé texture originally created for the medical profession and recommended by plastic surgeons and dermatologists. It will improve the look of multiple skincare concerns including ﬁne lines, rough texture and dehydration. A drink of water for your skin.

Aer Lingus Fun Plane with FREE key-ring Aer Lingus fun plane with realistic engine sounds and ﬂashing lights. It comes complete with batteries for hours of fun. Also included is a FREE gift of a miniature plane key-ring.

Miss Dior Eau Fraîche Eau de Toilette - 50ml Enjoy the elegant chypre fragrance of Miss Dior in this new fresh and luminous version with its blend of bergamot and gardenia against base notes of patchouli.

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Naked2 by Urban Decay A taupe-centric palette of twelve neutral shadows (ﬁve brand new) in shades ranging from pale to deep, matt to sparkly. More beige in overall tone than their ﬁrst Naked palette, this collection still delivers subtle, neutral looks, smoky dramatic eyes and everything in between.

Shamballa Bracelet with Crystals and Natural Stones by Aeon This high-quality Aeon unisex crystal and natural stone beaded bracelet is part of a growing trend in jewellery that incorporates the healing properties of natural stones into fashion jewellery design. The crystals have always been a renowned symbol of peace, tranquillity and happiness. The fully adjustable 18cm to 23cm bracelet comes presented in an Aeon organza pouch.

Scents of Ireland Luxury Candles by Tipperary Crystal

These luxury scented candles are made in Ireland using luxury fragrances that evoke memories of Ireland. This charming gift box contains two wonderfully natural scented candles. The Mourne Memories candle has a fresh, clean mountain air scent while the Sligo Shores candle will bring back memories of the wild Atlantic shore to your mind. Also contains two picture postcards.

Sky Shopping

Tem pt in g

treats a n d grea t savi n gs

Aer Lingus welcomes you to our extensive range of amazing quality items at reduced prices onboard during July.

Storm Husky Puppy Storm is a super-soft Husky that will always be ready for a cuddle! A beautiful puppy that will bring a smile to his new owner.

Skagen Black Leather Strap Men’s Watch Genuine style. This men’s watch with a black leather strap connects to a brushed stainless steel case. The shiny black dial features twelve chrome and white luminous numbered indicators, a 24-hour dial and date function.

Please check your Sky Shopping brochure for all prices

Skagen Silver Mesh Strap Women’s Watch Stainless steel appeal. Signature Skagen silver mesh bands connect to a slim stainless steel IP gold case with gold border. The vertically brushed chrome dial features twelve indicators made with CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski elements.

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Mind maps

Writer Monica McInerney travelled the world from an early age – through the pages of countless novels.

efore I ever set foot on a plane or a ship, I was a world traveller. Books were my passport. I grew up in a small country town in South Australia, in a family of seven children. Much of my childhood was spent perched on the tin roof of our family home, with a pile of novels for company. Up there, in the shade of the chimney, under a big Australian sky, I sweltered in 40˚C heat, listening to Australian birdcalls coming from the gum trees nearby and Australian accents filtering up from below. But as I read, my imagination transported me far away. I chased smugglers across the moors in Devon with the Famous Five and floated on a raft going down the Mississippi with Huckleberry Finn. I explored villages and castles I had never seen in real life. I remember reading about 112 |

JULY 2012

snow for the first time. Afterwards, I went to our fridge and dug out a handful of ice from the freezer, wondering if this was what real snow would feel like. At the age of 19, I flew to London on my first overseas trip. It was winter time. The first day I was so jetlagged I could have been on Mars. I went to bed and woke up at 6am. The world was different. There was no sound. I opened the window. It had snowed overnight. The streets, the houses and the trees were covered in a thick layer of white. I ran downstairs in my bare feet, without a coat. I stood there, beaming, oblivious to the cold. This was it; this was what I had read about all those years before. Snow, real snow! Since then, I’ve visited many different cities and countries. For the past 20 years, I’ve moved between Australia and Ireland, my

Above right, author Monica McInerney, brought up in sunny Australia, was 19 before she ﬁrst experienced snow on her ﬁrst overseas trip to London, above left.

husband’s home country. I now live in Dublin. Twelve years ago, I started writing my own books. My ten novels are international, set in Ireland, Australia, the UK, the US, Germany and Italy. My characters love travelling as much as I do. Th Thee wonder of fi first rst learning about a place through the pages of a book has never left me. Before I travel, I always read a novel set in my destination. It adds another dimension to every trip I take – a kind of travel déjà vu. Whenever I arrive somewhere, I’ve already been there – fi fictionally, ctionally, at least. Before going to Edinburgh for the fi first rst time last year, I read Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series for a glimpse of the city’s gracious side, then Ian Rankin’s Rebus crime novels to get the grit. Frances Mayes’s Under the Tuscan Sun entertained and educated me first trip to Italy. before my first Graham Greene’s The Quiet American helped prepare me for five startling days in Vietnam. Writers such as John Updike, Anne Tyler and Garrison Keillor have enriched my American travels. In the months before I came to live in Ireland, I read novels by Maeve Binchy, William Trevor, John McGahern and Molly Keane among many others. They were like a cultural crash course, giving me insights into Irish society, past and present. When I’m homesick for Australia, I read Tim Winton, Helen Garner, Kate Grenville or Miles Franklin and feel back in the southern hemisphere again. It’s 40 years since I was that child on the roof of my family home in South Australia, but some things haven’t changed. I still read two or three books a week. I still marvel at the magic of fiction and its power to take us into other people’s lives and worlds. And I still get excited by snow. Monica McInerney’s Lola’s Secret (Pan Books, €7.99) is out July 17.

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL BOYNY

TRIP OF A LIFETIME