Instagram Inspiration

Some sharp-eyed readers might recognise the name “Shane Finn” from when he featured on our cover back in January 2018 – before he was due to run and cycle across America (yes, America) in aid of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland.

It’s no surprise that Shane (@_shanefinn) has been keeping himself busy during lockdown on the bike and running the mountain landscapes around his home near the Dingle Peninsula. And we have been loving the pictures and reels he has captured while doing so.

Letter to the Editor

Dear editor,

Firstly, well done every week on your highly entertaining and informative Irish Country Living magazine. I love it.

I especially loved it last Good Friday, as I babysat my 3 and a half year-old nephew, AJ.

Having scribbled and counted his way through the children’s section, at a speed on a par with Lewis Hamilton on a track, I searched for more photos to keep him entertained.

The cover story (The Begley Brothers; 1 April) picture of the crosses did the trick.

“The article says eight crosses AJ, how many do you see?,”

“1,2,3... 12. There are 12 red crosses, Anne.”

Grandma, who hails from the Kingdom, was delighted that the population had expanded since the article was written!!

Yours sincerely,

Anne Fitzpatrick

Sallins

The ICL team congratulates AJ on his excellent maths skills! Great counting, AJ.

Tweet of the Week

Chef Janine’s Tip

The lower temperatures of the past week have put me back into braising mode. I recently purchased some delicious beef short ribs, which often require a long, slow braise to become tender. A braise uses “combination wet and dry heat” method. You start by searing the meat on all sides, in a very hot pan. Then, you sauté aromatic vegetables (like carrots, onion, celery and garlic) in the same pan before deglazing with enough liquid to cover the meat. Add the seared meat back in, cover and move the dish to the oven (usually takes a minimum of 1.5 hours of cooking time). This is a great method for tougher cuts of meat, like pork or lamb shoulder, veal and beef shanks and lesser known (but absolutely delicious) cuts like beef cheek and tongue (to see how I braised the beef short ribs, find the video and recipe on irishcountryliving.ie).

Number of the Week

3

A row over Ford’s use of Ferguson’s three-point linkage system ended up in legal action and with friends Henry and Harry falling out

Quote of the Week

Edward Byrne from our My Country Living page.

Did you ever see the blacksmith’s ass well-shod? You never get around to doing work for yourself, do you? It’s always tomorrow