Lifestyle

TRUMP International Golf Links and Hotel has appointed a new executive head chef to direct culinary operations at the Doonbeg resort. Ian Chambers who can boast over 25 years of experience working in five star luxury hotel brands, cruise ships and Michelin star restaurants in the Middle East, UK, Ireland and South East Asia, is the man taking charge. “A few of my career highlights over the past 25 years have included been being part of the team and gaining our fourth rosette when I was working in Chapter One,” says Ian, referencing the popular Dublin restaurant. “Working in conjunction with celebrity chefs Nobu and Jon Ashton on Crystal Cruises has been another highlight,” he adds. Ian has also cooked for the emperor of Japan while at the Sofitel Manila Plaza as well as various famous musicians and actors. “I am privileged to have been given the opportunity to work at Trump Doonbeg after returning home to Ireland after 24 …

BEER, craft brewing, sustainability and food pairings are among the topics of a new podcast series from the Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland (ICBI), supported by Bord Bia. Clare features strongly in the new limited edition podcast series, which is entitled ‘Craft Community, the Local Irish Beer Podcast’. Peter Curtin and Birgitta Hedin Curtin, of The Roadside Tavern, Burren Brewery and The Burren Smokehouse are ideally placed to provide expert insights and tips on food pairings and beer styles. They share their culinary and brewing secrets in Episode Five of the series, alongside the proprietors of The Dungarvan Brewery and The Whitefield Brewery. Hosted by beer sommelier and award-winning drinks writer, Susan Boyle, the podcast series aims to raise awareness of the Irish craft brewing sector and to encourage people in Ireland to find out more about the craft beers being produced locally.  Over six episodes, host Susan will be joined by some of Ireland’s leading craft breweries on themes including sustainability, branding, craft production, and business development. The weekly episodes will …

SHANNON Musical Society and Wolfe Tones are coming together for a fundraiser, which tests how well couples know each other. Entitled ‘Mr and Mrs’, it will be held at Wolfe Tones at 8pm on November 18 and Karen Barrett, chairperson of Shannon Musical Society, said it will be a very fun night. “It’s based on a TV show that was on in years gone by. A couple are brought onto the stage and then one of them is brought away while the other person is asked a series of questions. “The partner comes back and is asked the same questions and hopefully give the same answers! “There’s another round when they’re given a paddle, one side of it is pink and the other blue, they switch it over for the appropriate answer.” Karen said that there are some couples with links to the two organisations. “It’s a bit of fun really and while it’s a fundraiser for Wolfe Tones and …

THE now famous Clare Quilt has found a new permanent home right here in the county that inspired its design. The impressive quilt featuring 60 individual handmade squares depicting scenes from across the county was unveiled this week at its new home in Cois na hAbhna, the regional centre of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Ennis. This comes after Comhaltas were the lucky winners of a special raffle for the quilt which raised funds for two local charities West Clare Cancer Support and Sláinte An Chláir. It was thought that the quilt would be brought to Comhaltas headquarters in Dublin, however Labhrás Ó Murchú, Ardstiúrthóir generously suggested that if a home could be found in Clare then it should stay in the county. The creation of the quilt was the brainchild of Valery Larkin, who previously spear-headed the creation of the world’s largest knitted blanket with help from knitters all over the world. She was seeking a project to keep her occupied …

IT was glamour all the way in Ennis last Saturday as the town staged a day-long fashion and wellness extravaganza to showcase the variety of independent shops the town offers. Organised by Experience Ennis, the jam-packed event certainly put the fun back into the traditional shopping experience.  The day-long event kicked off at 11am with a prosecco brunch in Ennis’s hottest new venue, The Monks’ Society, formerly Cloisters Restaurant.   This was followed by a fashion show where broadcaster Lorraine Keane and stylist Laura Jordan discussed the latest trends and style tips and introduced highlights of the season from over 16 participating Ennis boutiques.   Following the fashion show, visitors went on to enjoy a wide range of events, entertainment and promotions in boutiques across the town.   Such was the buoyancy around the town, retailers reported a 30% increase in sales, and others noted it was the equivalent of Christmas Eve.  The day was wrapped up with a ‘Sex and Wellness’ panel discussion in …

JUNE Curtin from Spanish Point has been named Clare’s Most Inspirational Person by an initiative to shine a light on unsung heroes. The West Clare woman was this year’s Clare winner of the Gala Retail Inspiration Awards, run in association with Virgin Media. June’s extensive and inspirational work in the mental health and charity sectors within the local community earned her the title of Inspirational Person in this year’s awards. June really impressed the judges for her work in the local community and is a worthy winner of the county award for her inspirational efforts. The founder of Snamhaí Sásta, a community of swimmers, June promotes the benefits of sea swimming and the importance of minding your mental health. She also fundraises every December for the Simon Community by swimming three times a day from December 1 until December 21. From a huge volume of nominations, 26 county heroes were crowned. Noreen Murphy, from Bantry in County Cork, was named …

A NUMBER of Clare tourism attractions and companies were in London recently promoting the Banner at the ‘Flavours of Ireland’ 2022 expo. Representatives from Caherconnell Fort and Sheepdog Demonstrations, the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, Doolin Ferry Company, Secret Ireland Escapes (based in Killaloe), Shannon Ferries and Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg were among 60 Irish tourism companies present. ‘Flavours’ is Tourism Ireland’s annual B2B tourism workshop, where tourism companies from Ireland meet and do business with top global inbound tour operators. Now in its 20th year, ‘Flavours’ took place in the Guildhall, in the City of London, and was attended by around 100 global inbound tour operators who deliver business from all over the world, including the United States, Mainland Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa. ‘Flavours’ provided an excellent opportunity for the participating tourism providers from Clare to highlight and sell their tourism product and build valuable relationships with the key decision-makers in attendance. The global inbound …

EFFORTS to promote the attractions of East Clare to visitors from Germany are back up and running, with a group of journalists recently enjoying a river cruise in the region.  The group cruised the Shannon, taking in Tuamgraney, Mountshannon, Scariff and Killaloe, as guests of Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and German cruising tour operator, Le Boat.  Those visiting included representatives of popular travel magazines, a regional newspaper and a radio station – are here to find out more about cruising holidays on the Shannon and to experience at first-hand the spectacular scenery and the wealth of things to see and do.  During their time in East Clare, the group visited Wilde Irish Chocolates, McKernan Woollen Mills and Nuala’s Bar and Restaurant in Tuamgraney; Under the Oak in Mountshannon; McNamara’s Bar and Restaurant in Scarriff; and the Farmer’s Market in Killaloe. “Tourism Ireland was delighted to invite this group of journalists to visit County Clare and Ireland,” said Nadine Lehmann, Tourism Ireland’s Manager for Germany. “Fact-finding visits like this are a really effective way for …