Exciting developments in County Wicklow of late, with The Coach House in Roundwood re-opening in new ownership - and not just new ownership, but a seriously promising change of direction. After Simon Pratt, his wife Monique and two former Avoca associa ... more...
It can be rewarding to explore beyond the shoreside properties that tend to claim the attention in seaside towns, and Strandhill is a good example as the inquisitive visitor will find a lovely pub up on the top road overlooking the bay.
Conveniently ... more...
One of Dublin's oldest and best-loved pubs, Mulligan's 'wine & spirit merchant' is mercifully un-renovated and likely to stay that way - dark, with no decor (as such) and no music, it's just the way so many pubs used to be.
The only difference is ... more...
One of those magical places that visitors dream about finding, Conor Graham and Mark Commins’s cottagey pub-restaurant on the edge of the Burren is right on the rocks at New Quay, with wonderful views across Galway Bay.
Inside there’s a ni ... more...
Thérèse Staunton runs this great little pub near the beginning of the ascent to Croagh Patrick - genuinely traditional, with an open fire, it has the feeling of a real ‘local’.
Not really a food place, but home-made soup and ... more...
In a key position on Grand Canal Square, Dublin city’s most striking modern hotel opened as The Marker in 2013, and then re-branded Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel, in 2023.
With its unusual geometric white exterior - and despite its locat ... more...
John and Lucy Finn's attractive restaurant is on the river, in a charming little award-winning tidy town a few miles north of Tuam - a welcome sight for hungry travellers between Galway and Sligo.
John cooks an eclectic mix of international and tradit ... more...
Set romantically in its own parkland valley overlooking Clifden and the sea, the crenellated Abbeyglen Hotel is family-owned and run in a uniquely hands-on style by legendary hoteliers Paul and Brian Hughes.
It’s a place that has won a lot of fr ... more...
Serial Dublin-based restaurateur John Farrell has transformed a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it coffee shop at the entrance to Drury Street Carpark into an Aladdin’s Cave of a wine bar boasting big-flavoured small plates and some of the best peopl ... more...
Originally a tiny corner café and wine bar off Shop Street in Galway city centre, Il Vicolo was born out of Gerry McMahon's devotion to Italian food and wine. Despite the small space, plain bare wooden furniture and a miniscule kitchen in full ... more...