There is a community feel to the charming Little Bird Café. It is full of locals, most of them quietly nodding to the tables next to them as they sit down with a book, or with a friend for a catch up over a rice bowl, that week’s special ( ... more...
Fans of real-deal Thai street food should make a beeline to Parliament Stree,t where Thai chef Ju McCarthy and her Irish husband Derek have garnered quite the fanbase since opening early in the pandemic (July 2020). Chef Ju hails from Isaan in north-ea ... more...
A wine bar with exciting food, great cocktails and cool tunes, Note is a fresh and inspiring addition to Dublin’s dining scene. A café by day and bistro by night, it’s the work of brothers Essa (ex-head chef at 777 and Amy Aust ... more...
Brother and sister, Dermot and Hannah Ward, run this lovely little café and garden centre just outside Birr.
Hannah trained with Darina Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery School and that wholesome philosophy is seen in the delightful café, wher ... more...
When Praba Sankaran opened this warmly inviting restaurant in the centre of Gorey in 2019, it was the realisation of a longheld dream for the classically-trained chef and his family - and, although the challenges of the pandemic were soon to follow, th ... more...
Just a stroll across from the Guildhall and close to the Derry city walls, El Tapas Grá is located in a central area that's always busy with tourists, locals and day trippers passing through - perfect for a casual restaurant that's open every da ... more...
Home to a series of restaurants on and off for decades - and handier to the city centre than it first appears - this attractive venue is near Elizabeth Fort (17th-century star fort) and alnost literally under the spires of St Fin Barre’s Cat ... more...
The brother and sister duo behind The Strand Inn in Dunmore East – Clifden and Louise Foyle – brought a contemporary new look to the building that used to house The Bowery pub when they opened here in late 2023. Wonderful high ceilings and ... more...
Roots Community Shop & Café opened in the pretty little West Limerick village of Kilmeedy in December 2020, but the premises have been home to a shop serving the people of Kilmeedy and beyond for well over a hundred years. Re ... more...
At this lovely waterside location, the Neuville family offers residential fishing holidays; the restaurant is not open to the public in the usual way, but people on boating holidays may come in off the river when there is room - there are pontoons at t ... more...
Summer may be a long time coming this year, but when the sun is out and you’re off on a break there’s nothing that says ‘down time’ like alfresco dining. So here are just a (very) few of this year’s favourites to enjoy in lovely places on your summer travels around the country.
The first year of spontaneous travel since the beginning of the pandemic, 2023 may have had its ups and downs - including some challenging weather - but overall it was a joy, thanks to the freedom to move around, re-visit old haunts and discover a surprising number of new ones.
Travelling the roads of Ireland more than most, we know what a difference a good journey break can make - and we have dozens of favourite pit stops dotted around the country. As many are on much shorter hours this year, we’ve picked some of the best that open every day or are managing keep to something like pre-pandemic hours for those relaxing en-route meals.
Summer in Ireland and seafood is at its best...With dozens of seriously good speciality seafood restaurants around the country, our selection below is just a drop in the ocean. Better get started with this little taster then – always remembering there are plenty more (including many deservedly famous places) to choose from as well...
Georgina Campbell suggests some interesting destinations for an off-season break at this time of plenty. These are just a few of the places where nature's bounty is celebrated in wonderful ways: foraging expeditions, cookery courses and, of course, delicious seasonal meals that make the most of the harvest - often with a special focus on vegetarian cooking
Although always popular, Sunday lunch has moved into a whole new phase of late and it can be a seriously classy outing, where the venue is chosen with care so that family members of all ages can get together in lovely surroundings and enjoy the very best of food - and at a more reasonable price than is usual at dinner. It’s an especially appealing proposition in spring too, as the days are lengthening - perhaps a voucher could be the perfect treat for Mother’s Day. And accommodat ...
No surprise that Kerry came top of a recent survey polling favourite counties for Irish holidays - sure wasn’t Queen Victoria herself a fan? August is a time for casual dining - out of doors if you're lucky - so this month we’ve picked some great summer pubs to enjoy in the top ten 'staycation' counties
Discerning diners are always interested to know where their food comes from, and what could be more delightful than taking a stroll around the garden where it was growing just hours - or minutes - before it landed on your plate. More and more restaurants are taking ownership of their fresh produce supplies now, and these are just some of the most interesting kitchen gardens.
There’s a growing feeling that Ireland is now ready to focus on the needs of the ‘food tourist’, as opposed to the visitor who simply enjoys good food as part of the overall experience. The true food tourist (international and domestic) will choose their holiday destination specifically to explore it through its food.
A special opportunity to celebrate the wonderful women in your life with an indulgent Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea in the Conservatory.
A beautifully curated afternoon experience includes an elegant selection of sweet and savoury treats and freshly brewed tea, complete with a special gift for all mums to make the day even more memorable
With a rich historical and maritime legacy, East Cork has a truly unique variety of attractions to offer the visitor.
It is a haven for family holidays with a huge range of activities and attractions to keep the whole family entertained for hours.
In this extensive county, the towns and villages have their own distinctive character. In West Cork, their spirit is preserved in the vigour of the landscape with the handsome coastline where the light of the famous Fastnet Rock swings across tumbling ocean and spray-tossed headland. The county is a repository of the good things of life, a treasure chest of the finest farm produce, and the very best of seafood, brought to market by skilled specialists.
The town of Killarney is where the Ring of Kerry begins and ends for many, among the lakes and mountains where they are re-establishing the enormous white-tailed sea eagle, has long been a magnet for visitors. Across the purple mountains from Killarney, the lovely little town of Kenmare in South Kerry is both a gourmet focus, and another excellent touring centre. As one of the prettiest places in Ireland, Kenmare puts the emphasis on civic pride.
That Galway Bay coastline in Co. Clare is where The Burren, the fantastical North Clare moonscape of limestone which is home to so much unexpectedly exotic flora, comes plunging spectacularly towards the sea around the attractive village of Ballyvaughan.
Connemara, the Land of the Sea, where earth, rock and ocean intermix in one of Ireland's most extraordinary landscapes, and is now as ever a place of angling renown - you're very quickly into the high ground and moorland which sweep up to the Twelve Bens and other splendid peaks, wonderful mountains which enthusiasts would claim as the most beautiful in all Ireland. Beyond, to the south, the Aran Islands are a place apart.
Rivers often divide one county from another, but Fermanagh is divided - or linked if you prefer - throughout its length by the handsome waters of the River Erne, both river and lake. Southeast of the historic county town of Enniskillen, Upper Lough Erne is a maze of small waterways meandering their way into Fermanagh from the Erne'e source in County Cavan.
Co Cavan shares the 667 m peak of Cuilcagh with neighbouring Fermanagh. No ordinary mountain, this - it has underground streams which eventually become the headwaters of the lordly River Shannon, Ireland's longest river that passes south through many counties before exiting at the mighty estuary in Limerick. A magnet for tourism now with boating, fishing, cycling and walking-a-plenty.
Between the sheltered bays at the foot of the Glens of Antrim, the sea cliffs of the headlands soar with remarkable rock formations which, on the North Coast, provide the setting for the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway.
A selective companion guide to our famous broad-based online collection, the ‘glovebox bible’ includes a uniquely diverse range of Ireland's greatest places to ...