Articles

Right in the centre of Athlone, Thyme Restaurant is one of the town’s most popular eating places. 'Delicious food at affordable prices' is the stated aim at this cosy little spot and it's clearly getting it right as its appeal to people of all ages means that weekend tables need to be booked well ahead.
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Happy the food lover visiting Ireland’s western capital who happens on Aoibheann MacNamara’s trio of restaurants at Spanish Arch. A wonderful stone-built medieval customs house overlooking the Claddagh Basin is home to Ard Bia (literally ‘High Food’) and its sister restaurants, Ard Bia Café and Nimmo’s, plus a constantly changing exhibition of modern art.
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If good looks were the secret of a restaurant’s success then Tony and Bobbie Schwarz could just sit back and watch customers flocking to the door, as their cosily thatched White Sage Restaurant is probably the cutest of all the chocolate-box-pretty houses in Ireland’s prettiest village.
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Just outside Longford Town, this beautiful Georgian house dates back to 1740 and was taken on as a labour of love by the current owners, James and Beryl Kearney, in the 1980s. Since then, they have gradually worked on the house and developed its magnificent gardens, and there was always a plan to open a restaurant...
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Food lovers have many good reasons to head for beautiful and unspoilt West Waterford, and one of the best is the mouthwatering prospect of a meal at O’Brien Chop House, in the Heritage Town of Lismore. The O’Brien name stands out proudly in relief above the shopfront of this old grocery-bar, which is now home to an atmospheric restaurant, run by Justin and Jenny Green of nearby Ballyvolane House in East Cork.
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Although only open in this characterful Donnybrook premises for a year, O'Connells Restaurant has held a unique position on the Dublin dining scene for over a decade. In 1999, Tom O'Connell and his brother Rory (brothers of Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School) got together to open a new kind of ingredients-led restaurant...
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Since buying Tankardstown House in 2002, Trish and Brian Conroy have restored and renovated this lovely period property near Slane with consideration and taste – and, thanks to their efforts, it also stands proud once again on the parkland that belonged to the original estate.
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Beautifully situated near Smerwick Harbour on the Slea Head scenic drive and Dingle Way walking route, Sile and Vincent Gorman's guesthouse is, as they say themselves "just a great place to relax and unwind". It's a lovely place to stay, at any time of year, and the Gormans are knowledgeable and helpful hosts...
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Full on kitchen gardening has been a new experience for thousands of allotment virgins this last couple of years, and it’s a fair bet that a good few are wondering what on earth to do with all this sudden abundance of food. There are quite a few things you can do with excess fruit and vegetables, and some of them could make you money.
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Sister number one has caused unpardonable offence to sister number two by referring to her work chairing an arts organisation as a 'piddling little job'. This is a slight that will resurface over the years and none of its sting will lessen. The contemptuous dismissal of another's modus vivendi is an affront on so many levels; one’s years of toil, experience, reputation all erased in a few words. The pain will linger.
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