Dear Editor,
Thanks to Ireland’s Blue Book country houses and historic hotels for sponsoring the first prize, which I won in the Irish Farmers Journal Christmas quiz to the Castle Grove Hotel Donegal.
On arrival at the family run hotel we were greeted by Irene, who is very professional and friendly, as were all the staff at the hotel.
Mary and Raymond Sweeney made us feel at home with their interesting stories and conversation.
The house and grounds are beautiful. On chatting with Mary and Raymond who bought the house, it is obvious that they brought it to what it is today with love and passion by keeping it to the character of its era with the exceptional decor and furnishings. The grounds are beautifully manicured and very relaxing to wander around.
In their walled garden they grow fruit and vegetables for the restaurant, where they serve sumptuous food. It is a wonderful place to relax and chill out.
The Castle Grove Hotel can be booked through the Blue Book or through their own website.
This hotel lives up to the motto of the Blue Book.
Regards,
Martina Jordan
Co Mayo
The amount in euros of the starting cost of a domestic biodigester, which transforms food waste into fuel or compost.
Consumer
[Fishing] brought roughly about £3,000 into every household before Christmas. It made a huge difference to the parish … it meant you could replace the horse with a small tractor, farmers could build hay sheds, fellas who were dairy farming could buy a milking machine.”
Paul O’Shea, co-founder of Dursey Boat Trips
Kerry Quinlan and Juan Sotoparra run SKETCHICO contemporary digital art prints in Galway
This week Maria Moynihan meets Kerry Quinlan, who, along with Juan Sotoparra, runs SKETCHICO contemporary digital art prints in Galway.
Meet the maker
with Dr Catherine Keena
Teagasc Countryside Management Specialist
Ox Eye Daisy
Look out for ox-eye daisy, or dog daisy, which is another positive grassland indicator plant in ACRES. This familiar summer plant grows tall in drier grassland and flowers brightly all summer long. It is one of the first to recolonise disturbed ground. The lower leaves are oval and stalked, while the upper ones are oblong and stalkless. The cluster of tiny yellow florets in the centre surrounded by larger white florets provide pollen and nectar to a wide variety of invertebrates, which in turn become prey to other predatory invertebrates like bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, ladybirds and spiders. Noinín mór is part of our native Irish biodiversity.
Shay Coady, Birr, Co Offaly, taking a break from the bog. / Photo Bryan Coady.
Janine Kennedy
Has consumer confidence bounced back after months of uncertainty? According to the latest Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index, our spending confidence increased in the month of June to 63.7 from 62.4 in May; meaning our worries around increasing costs eased slightly. The survey called the increase “an ongoing, albeit limited, easing in the cost of living concerns,” and indicates that while we are feeling marginally better, consumers are still ultimately feeling cautious around spending. The survey results also indicate that holiday spend is an area especially hit hard by the cost of living crisis; telling us that 27% of Irish consumers “can’t afford a holiday” this year, while 30% say financial pressures will “curb their holiday spending”.
Dear Editor,
Thanks to Ireland’s Blue Book country houses and historic hotels for sponsoring the first prize, which I won in the Irish Farmers Journal Christmas quiz to the Castle Grove Hotel Donegal.
On arrival at the family run hotel we were greeted by Irene, who is very professional and friendly, as were all the staff at the hotel.
Mary and Raymond Sweeney made us feel at home with their interesting stories and conversation.
The house and grounds are beautiful. On chatting with Mary and Raymond who bought the house, it is obvious that they brought it to what it is today with love and passion by keeping it to the character of its era with the exceptional decor and furnishings. The grounds are beautifully manicured and very relaxing to wander around.
In their walled garden they grow fruit and vegetables for the restaurant, where they serve sumptuous food. It is a wonderful place to relax and chill out.
The Castle Grove Hotel can be booked through the Blue Book or through their own website.
This hotel lives up to the motto of the Blue Book.
Regards,
Martina Jordan
Co Mayo
The amount in euros of the starting cost of a domestic biodigester, which transforms food waste into fuel or compost.
Consumer
[Fishing] brought roughly about £3,000 into every household before Christmas. It made a huge difference to the parish … it meant you could replace the horse with a small tractor, farmers could build hay sheds, fellas who were dairy farming could buy a milking machine.”
Paul O’Shea, co-founder of Dursey Boat Trips
Kerry Quinlan and Juan Sotoparra run SKETCHICO contemporary digital art prints in Galway
This week Maria Moynihan meets Kerry Quinlan, who, along with Juan Sotoparra, runs SKETCHICO contemporary digital art prints in Galway.
Meet the maker
with Dr Catherine Keena
Teagasc Countryside Management Specialist
Ox Eye Daisy
Look out for ox-eye daisy, or dog daisy, which is another positive grassland indicator plant in ACRES. This familiar summer plant grows tall in drier grassland and flowers brightly all summer long. It is one of the first to recolonise disturbed ground. The lower leaves are oval and stalked, while the upper ones are oblong and stalkless. The cluster of tiny yellow florets in the centre surrounded by larger white florets provide pollen and nectar to a wide variety of invertebrates, which in turn become prey to other predatory invertebrates like bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, ladybirds and spiders. Noinín mór is part of our native Irish biodiversity.
Shay Coady, Birr, Co Offaly, taking a break from the bog. / Photo Bryan Coady.
Janine Kennedy
Has consumer confidence bounced back after months of uncertainty? According to the latest Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index, our spending confidence increased in the month of June to 63.7 from 62.4 in May; meaning our worries around increasing costs eased slightly. The survey called the increase “an ongoing, albeit limited, easing in the cost of living concerns,” and indicates that while we are feeling marginally better, consumers are still ultimately feeling cautious around spending. The survey results also indicate that holiday spend is an area especially hit hard by the cost of living crisis; telling us that 27% of Irish consumers “can’t afford a holiday” this year, while 30% say financial pressures will “curb their holiday spending”.
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