A hit with happy locals since opening in summer 2022 - and now, increasingly, a destination for visitors to the city - Sean Lafferty's buzzy bistro is an ever-evolving labour of love. Bringing together great Asian and Japanese cooking ('Asian fusion wi ... more...
This four-star hotel on the edge of Portlaoise town dates back to the 1970s and - having been bought by the Galway businessman Pat McDonagh in 2015 - it is now part of his S0 Hotels group, well known for their friendly welcome and good value. &nbs ... more...
Brian O’Caoimh and Kevin Powell are the barista-and-chef A-Team behind Dublin’s deservedly lauded Meet Me in the Morning cafe and adjacent Reference Coffee, just off Camden Street’s casual dining hub; with Loose Canon they have stripp ... more...
Chef and entrepreneur Andrew Holmes, aka The Hogfather caterer, has excellent form that includes a five-year stint as head chef at Avoca and a solid reputation for pig-on-a-spit gigs as well as more formal catering (www.andrewholmescatering.ie). Favour ... more...
Originally from Germany, Maja Binder makes artisan cheeses of real character, and her husband, Olivier ‘On The Wild Side’ Beaujouan, collects seaweeds and makes numerous products from them, which are on sale at local markets.
Using summer ... more...
Built in the 1770s by Wills Hill (Ireland’s largest landowner, first Marquess of Downshire and Secretary of the American Colonies), Hillsborough Castle is a splendid late Georgian ‘Big House’ with a fascinating history. Today it is ... more...
Avoca handweavers, established in 1723, is Ireland’s oldest business. It’s a family owned craft design company which now has half a dozen branches throughout Ireland (most of which feature in this Guide) and the business originated here, at ... more...
Tom Durcan Meats was established in 1985, so this is far from being one of Ireland’s longest-established butchers - but it is one of the most highly-regarded and, being right next to the fountain at The English Market, very easy to find.
A membe ... more...
In north County Meath, on the border with Cavan and Westmeath, the extraordinary Loughcrew Estate is the location of the largest complex of ancient passage graves in Ireland - and also home to a very modern adventure centre, complete with zipwire.
And ... more...
Good homemade food is the hallmark of Sandra Earl’s eponymous café in Navan, which will come as no surprise to visitors who may have experienced her cooking before – in Co Limerick, for example, where she was responsible for the crea ... more...