A river runs through itBellinter House, the hotel outside Navan, Co Meath, is offering fly-fishing packages that take advantage of the three-mile stretch of the River Boyne that runs through its grounds.
The package, for two people sharing, includes overnight
accommodation, breakfast and evening meals in the hotel's Eden
restaurant. An expert gillie will provide tuition and guidance, and
will take you out for basic instruction in casting and river craft
in the morning and afternoon. Tackle and other equipment are
provided. By the end of the second day, you'll have a decent grasp
of the art and hopefully will have caught some of the river's
natural stock of brown trout.
Two-night weekend packages cost €430 per person sharing,
while mid-week rates are €380 per person. There are also
cheaper one-night stay packages. Call 046-9030900 for more details
or see www.bellinterhouse.com.
Eoin Lyons
Dairy full of delight
A welcome addition to Portobello, Dublin 8, and a great place for a Sunday brunch is the newly opened 30-seater Lennox Cafe/Bistro at 31 Lennox Street, just a minute's walk from the Bretzel bakery. The lovely old building, which was formerly a dairy, has been stylishly transformed by owner Sallyanne Luyks, a well-known private caterer who, given the results, could easily set up an alternative career as an interior decorator.
There's a great all-day breakfast menu that includes everything
from the full Irish to home-made bircher muesli, and those ordering
tea receive it in pretty antique china cups and saucers. Nearly
everything is freshly made under the aegis of chef Albert
Broderick, formerly of the Berkeley Court, with main courses
varying from fresh crab salads and bruschettas to fillet steaks and
quesadillas.
Prices start at €5.95 for soup and go up to €18.95
for a mezze for two. Opening hours are from 8am-5pm, Monday to
Friday and 9am-5pm on weekends.
Deirdre McQuillan
The lives of flowers
Capturing the flora and fauna of east Cork in exquisite detail, with a hint of Japanese style, is the trademark of Belinda Northcote's botanical watercolours. Northcote is a graduate of the prestigious Society of Botanical Artists diploma course, and the eastern influence comes from living in Japan for a number of years. Her work draws inspiration from the land and seascapes near her home in Ballycotton, east Cork.
From her studio in Shanagarry, near Midleton, Co Cork, Northcote
also produces a series of limited-edition, fine-art prints on
watercolour paper, and all of her work is authenticated by her
family seal, which accompanies her signature on every item. Prices
are from €60 up.
Visitors are welcome to visit her studio, which is open seven
days a week, from 11am to 5.30pm (call 086-8116718 to arrange an
appointment), and her work is available to view and purchase on her
website,
www.belindanorthcote.com
Davin O'Dwyer
Coming up Rosenthal
The Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola is the latest
international name enlisted to create a range of china for the
Rosenthal Studio Line, and it's so quirky and unusual, that we
think it's worth an inspection by anyone who loves fine tableware.
The transparent porcelain is decorated with seven different reliefs
arranged asymmetrically. which lends a certain shimmering effect.
There is glassware, cutlery and table accessories to match. The
cutlery includes spoons that mimic the shape of 17th-century
English "marrow" spoons".
You'll find Urquiola's "Landscape" range at Rosenthal stockists
around the country (see www.rosenthal.com). Small plates start at
about €10.
Patsey Murphy
Temple of design
Put your best fashion foot forward as you trip through Temple Bar today, where the first of a new weekly "designer mart" is taking place. More than 30 Irish designers of fashion and furnishings are gathering in Cow's Lane to showcase their wares, with milliners, jewellers, dressmakers and sundry craftspeople all setting up shop for this Saturday fair. From John Shevlin hats through James Carroll furnishings to Claire Killian jewellery, all manner of designer delights will be available for the discerning shopper in this wild west end of Temple Bar known as Old City, an area fast establishing itself as Dublin's designer quarter. Fiona McCann
Motivate your weight
The long-term effects of our obesity epidemic have been well
documented, as have the preventive measures we need to take to
avoid a public health catastrophe - eat less and exercise more. But
Canadian obesity expert Dr Maurice Larocque, founder of Motivation
Weight Management Clinics and the author of seven books, feels we
need to add the concept of "mental weight" to that simple advice.
Larocque believes that motivational tools plus behaviour
modification are the key to reaching and maintaining your desired
weight. "I often say diets are like taking aspirin for a toothache,
you only get short-term results," he says. "The treatment of mental
weight is the core issue." Larocque will discuss his approach, and
his dedicated adolescent programme, in a lecture titled
Strategies for Long-Term Weight Managementat 11am next
Saturday, in the concourse at Beacon Court, Sandyford, Dublin 18.
Places are limited so registration is necessary. Send an e-mail
to
rsvpmotivation@procomm.ieto apply.
Davin O'DwyerMeaty music
Bono has given them the thumbs up, while Smashing Pumpkins
frontman Billy Corgan is also a fan. And though it's unlikely
either of the above will be at Kennedy's Underground on Westland
Row next Thursday, they're thankfully not the only ones being
steadily seduced by Kells's finest, Ham Sandwich. With a Meteor
Award for the "Hope for 2008" already in the bag, the buzz about
this indie five-piece is building, which means a full house for
their Kennedy's set this week whether or not their rockstar fans
show up. Ham Sandwich will be supported by Betamax, with the live
music followed by dancin' tunes from DJ Sinead Ní Mhordha on
decks.
The entire Thursday night delight is brought to you by the fine
folks of Ladyflash, and kicks off at 10pm.
Fiona McCann
Stay in a green machine
Hotels and spas are among some of the greatest energy guzzlers around - so when we hear of valiant green efforts being made, we applaud. So also, it seems, did Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) when, at the end of last year, they awarded Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa the accolade for best renewable energy project in 2007. The previous year, the west Cork hotel installed what was then the largest solar array in the country (80 square metres of panels), a massive wood pellet heating system, and a couple of heat exchangers. These initiatives prevent about 495 tonnes of CO2 per year from entering the atmosphere. There are further environmentally-friendly practices afoot in the management of the hotel's waste. The strand at Inchydoney (above) - although we'd almost prefer to keep it a secret - is one of the most beautiful in the country. The car park is soon to be given the Diarmuid Gavin treatment, to make it blend in more sympathetically with the landscape. ( www.inchydoneyisland.com)
Another seaside hotel and spa that has been making grand green efforts (with carbon-neutral wood chip heating and composting of waste), is Kelly's in Rosslare. ( www.kellys.ie) Jane Powers