Compiled by Nicoline Greer
SHAKEN NOT STIRRED
Eamonn Langton, owner of Kilkenny's Marble City Bar as well as Langton's hotel, bar, restaurant and night club, has opened yet another glistening new public house on the city's High Street called Carrigan's Liquor Bar. It was designed by the noted architectural consultant David Collins, who has worked for Langton before, clearly a high king of Kilkenny. Langton's son Conor tells us they were aiming for a New York-style bistro with this two-storey emporium, with a whiskey bar on the ground floor and a martini bar upstairs. They have a wood-burning pizza oven, and burgers are also on the menu. They were experimenting with a "Carrigantini" - a sort of orange martini, last time we spoke. Patsey Murphy
HIDDEN KINGDOM
Live Travel was founded by Phil Haines who is, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the youngest person to visit every country in the world, so you are in experienced hands. Live Travel organises tours to unusual destinations such as Mardi Gras in Haiti, and the tiny Asian kingdom of Bhutan, one of the most unspoilt countries in the world. The King is so keen on preserving the culture of the country that he has instructed the population to wear national dress at all times, and the inhabitants have only had access to television for the past five years. It has also recently become what is believed to be the first country to outlaw smoking. If you want to visit, there's a catch. The price of a hotel is approximately €200 per day - they are looking for the high-end tourist market. See www.live-travel.com and www.kingdomofbhutan.com
I'M IRISH, GET ME OUT OF HERE
Those relentless programmes about buying property abroad send us spiralling into giddy thoughts of more sun and less stress. If you have been worn down, check out a new range of books on the subject. Covering a second home, a business project, retirement or relocation anywhere from the usual suspects of Spain and France to Croatia and the Caribbean, they have lots of advice on finance and law as well as a few reality checks so your bubble doesn't burst as soon as you've parted with your cash. Buying a property books on specific countries including Italy, Portugal, Spain, France and Turkey - as well as a general book on buying abroad, which covers over 45 countries - are published by Cadogan Guides, €19.20.
ONE-STOP PARTY
Instead of trailing around shops trying to find all the bits and pieces for a children's party, avoid the birthday blues and get the whole package online at bestbirthdays.com. Spurred by the lack of choice available in retail outlets, mother-of-three Jennifer Clear set up the company as a one-stop shop for other busy parents. Invitations, plates, cups, tablecloths can all be bought on the theme of children's characters including Bratz, Disney Princess or The Incredibles. There are also pre-packed party bags to send your guests on their way with a smile on their faces. www.bestbirthdays.com, 048-90913625. (Although the best party bag we ever heard about contained a live goldfish!)
OSHKOSH BY GOSH
When everything in fashion nowadays is fast and disposable, spare a thought for real consumer durables. I'm thinking of the hickory-striped dungarees and denims from the US brand OshKosh, which has clothed everyone from newborns to presidents for more than a century and whose label once proudly boasted "union made". Oshkosh started in Wisconsin in 1895, when it made overalls for railroad workers and farmers. Today its children's clothes (from three months to six years) sell all over the world and include pinafore dresses and "carpenter" jeans renowned for withstanding rough-and-tumble play. OshKosh can now be found in Ireland in Debenhams, Dublin and Boots in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. Deirdre McQuillan
TEACH ON THE BEACH
A lot of us dream about taking time off to go and do something worthwhile in another country. There are few opportunities to do it unless you have a very specialised skill. So this is a reminder about i-to-i, the company which specialises in in "meaningful travel". Its projects cover different areas including sports, tourism, marketing, community development, conservation, health, museums, building, media and teaching. Prices range for the projects, which can be from one week to 12 weeks, and go to countries including Ghana, Honduras, Costa Rica and Sri Lanka. www.i-to-i.com (058-40050)
IT'S IN THE POST
Imagine renting a video and not being charged as you inevitably drop it back late. Screenclick.com is a new system of renting DVDs. Join up on the website, select and prioritise your "Wish List" of up to 25 movies. They then dispatch your first DVD that day, also sending you an e-mail to let you know which DVD to expect. Your DVD will arrive with a return freepost envelope and once they receive the DVD back they will dispatch your next movie and so on. You can add or delete movies from your Wish List at any time. It doesn't matter where you live, and they have categories that you won't always find in your local DVD rental shop like world cinema and Arthouse. But it costs from €19.99 a month, so you'd need to get about four DVDs a month to make it worthwhile. (01-4151202) www.screenclick.com.
SO THEY SAY
The Weather is a Good Storyteller (Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir) is a collection of 50 Irish proverbs and original photographs of Ireland and Irish life. The proverbs have been researched, translated and given a modern interpretation by Carmel Fitzgerald, and each is illustrated by Donegal-based photographer Ben Elves. Here are five of our favourites:
- The weather is a good storyteller - time will tell.
- God never put a bush in the mouth of a harbour - God never stopped the wheels of progress.
- The butter went through the colcannon on him - his plans misfired.
- It's a good boat that finds the harbour it left - it's good to remember our origins.
- It isn't a trout until it's on the bank - don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
The Weather is a Good Storyteller, Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir by Carmel Fitzgerald, is published by Ashfield Press, €20.
YOU GOT RHYTHM
Did Santa bring you a Trikke? If you see this being tested out on the roads, you may be a little confused. For a start, it's hard to figure out how the thing moves: there is no pushing and no pedalling. Basically, the rider moves the three-wheeled vehicle forward by rock 'n' roll. It has a look of skiing to it, as the whole body is involved in making it move. It can be used for getting from A to B, for exercise or for doing tricks in skateparks, and comes in three sizes. From €149 to €249. The Trikke is available from inSPORT Limited, insport@eircom.net (01-2874267) and selected World of Wonder toystores. www.trikke.com
YOUGHAL LISTEN UP
Le Gourmet, in Youghal's River Gate Mall, is a delicatessen which also caters for corporate and private functions. It is owned and run by award-winning chef, Jean Frances Bernard. Le Gourmet delivers local orders free of charge, and can send orders countrywide. The outlet has chilled and freezer cabinets, as well as a bread counter selling 10 types of bread baked by the owner. Whether you want to pre-order your lunch, or entertain on a big scale, Le Gourmet can do the job, sourcing all its produce locally, including potatoes from Ballycotton. Le Gourmet, 024-2000. Colette Sheridan