The Big Irish Times Quiz of 2024
From Ireland’s headline-makers to global events, music milestones, sports triumphs, and unforgettable quotes, answer Eoin Butler’s 100 questions correctly and you could win a luxury overnight stay for two
Magazine
Interviews, travel, recipes, fashion, gardening, advice columns, and more from the Irish Times Magazine supplement
Face it: if you’re the designated cook, there is no 15-minute Christmas
Be sceptical of false prophets, especially on television, who would have you believe it’s as easy as rolling off a yule log
Revealed: Ireland’s favourite wine and the most popular wine origins
How to Drink Better: The Irish Wine Market Report for 2023 tells us a lot about our drinking tastes, with a few surprises thrown in
Television infidelity is apparently a real thing and can be a major cause of door slamming
Herself told her colleagues that she and I have our own TV shows, which we watch separately. Cue a sharp intake of breath
Daddy Christmas: a short story by Paul McVeigh
‘To be or not to be gay? Coming out is a daily event – sometimes multiple times a day – and it’s tiring’
Christmas digestifs: buckle up for the strong stuff once dinner is done
Port and dessert wines are always delicious options but don’t miss some of the best drinks from Irish producers
Tasty vegetarian options for Christmas dinner that can be prepared ahead of time
Amid the traditional meal prep, non-meat diets can get overlooked. These two dishes will hold their own on any Christmas table
‘One Christmas Day my brother set me on fire’: seven writers spill their most bizarre Yuletide yarns
John Boyne, Ann Ingle, Michael Harding, Caitríona Ní Mhurchú and others on testing a mother’s limits, a marriage-threatening event, the Santa conspiracy and a misplaced bird
Sorcha is standing at the island with a boning knife in one hand and an espresso in the other, grinning at us like a serial killer
She’s preparing a 15-bird roast for her old pair the week before Christmas, and I can already feel the tension coming off her
Sweet and sour pot-roasted turnips with star anise, maple syrup and toasted hazelnuts
This is one you can pull out of the bag at the last minute
Amanda Coogan: ‘Belfast is a great city to be an artist. I pay the same rent here as I did in Dublin in 1992’
Performance artist Amanda Coogan on growing up as a child of deaf parents, embracing her love of performance, and the Irish fear of the avant-garde
Our restaurant reviewer’s top takeaway picks of 2024
Corinna Hardgrave’s favourite food to grab and go, from the best baked goods and jollof rice to fluffy falafels and passion-infused pizza
Still time to pick up a brilliant beauty buy for a last-minute Christmas gift
Guaranteed to impress even the most discerning beauty lover – no wrapping required
Here are my worst Christmases to help you feel better about your own
I worked in festive retail for many years and have a few tales to tell
Restaurant of the year, best value and Michelin predictions: Our reviewer’s top picks of 2024
Corinna Hardgrave’s favourite restaurants of a year that, despite the prevailing gloom, brought many pleasant surprises
The great trifle revival: ‘Two creamy, delicious things on top of a boozy, fruity, delicious thing’ - what’s not to like?
Baker Gerry Godley delves into the origins of trifle, that most celebratory of Christmas desserts, and combines the very best ingredients to assemble the ‘ultimate’ one
Ultimate sherry trifle
Breadman Walking’s trifle is the perfect Christmas dessert for plum pudding refusniks
Fashion in 2024: Simone Rocha’s Gaultier show kicked off an exceptional year for Irish designers
Irish fashion had an outstanding year, at home and internationally. We take a look back on 2024's many highlights
John Wilson: The ultimate gift guide for the wine-lover in your life
How to Drink Better: It is always better to buy one bottle of good wine than three or four average bottles
Plane-spotters unite: A trip into the high-altitude universe of ‘AvGeeks’
The aviation industry might have lost the heady glamour of its early years but new technology has only fuelled Irish plane-spotters’ passion for flight
‘I’m gay and I started a relationship with a very closeted man last year. He’s a nice guy but he’s doing my head in’
Four readers seek advice on life problems including comparisons with others, having a closeted partner and revisiting an old relationship
New poetry: Works by Niall Campbell, Elisa Gonzalez, John McAuliffe and John Fitzgerald
Reviews: The Island in the Sound; Grand Tour; National Theatre; and Long Distance
Daughter Number Four has been sucked into the slimosphere. We naively enabled it
Seán Moncrieff: Despite her earnest promises to be careful, it of course got into every nook and corner
Classic wines to serve with your Christmas dinner
Starting with bubbles invariably puts everyone in the mood, after which these perennial favourites will go down well
Coping at Christmas: ‘Not being a mother hurts more at Christmas, when a large part of the world is focused on a birth’
Not everyone likes the festive season, but there are ways to light up what can be the darkest time of year
Samantha Barry: ‘There’s not a moment where I’m not representing Glamour. I don’t get to switch it off’
As global executive editor of Glamour, the Cork woman is one of the best known media people in the United States
Christmas dinner with a twist: Classic beef Wellington and honey-glazed duck
Two show-stoppers that are easier to prepare than you might think. Much of the work can be done in advance
‘Act disgracefully, if necessary’: Advice for all ages, from Siobhán McSweeney, John Boyne, Tony Cantwell and more
People aged from their 20s to their 90s share life lessons for their younger selves
From root to tip: the best gardening books of 2024
In search of some great gardening books to entertain, inspire and inform you over Christmas? Fionnuala Fallon offers her top choices
The old dear goes, ‘I don’t want my vital work on the campaign Move Funderland to the Northside to die with me’
Before she falls asleep in the nursing home, she whispers a secret in my ear
Duck breast glazed in honey and lavender with red cabbage and sauce à l’orange
A cost effective and delicious meat synonymous with the festive season
Personally, I find it really hot when men are nice to women
Danny Dyer becoming the sex symbol of 2025 was not on anyone’s bingo card but it proves how radically the female gaze swerves from its male counterpart
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