Malahide Castle, Dublin re-opens to the public and the top ten thing to do in the area

Malahide Castle, North County Dublin

Malahide Castle and Gardens has recently re-opened following a €10 million refurbishment by Fingal County Council and Failte Ireland, which will restore its ranking as a first class visitor attraction and preserve it for future generations.

A popular and most valuable amenity in North County Dublin, Malahide Castle is surrounded by 450 acres of manicured park lands, managed walkways and mature trees and state of the art children’s playground which is free to the public all year round.

Up until 1975 Malahide Castle was the oldest and longest inhabited castle in Ireland, with the same family having lived there almost continuously since 1185 when Richard Talbot was granted ‘the lands and harbour of Malahide’ by King Henry II in return for rendering "one archer with a horse and coat-of-mail forever". When the last male heir Milo Talbot died in 1973, the estate passed to his sister Rose, who unfortunately was forced to sell the castle and its contents to pay the death duties. Thankfully the Irish Government had the foresight to buy the property and open it to the public and now that it has been completed restored and updated it should last another few years.

Malahide Castle has had a long and colourful history which will be further explained to you on a guided tour of the castle, which takes in the magnificent 600 year old Great Hall. Poignantly, a huge painting of The Battle of the Boyne fills the back wall for it was here in this very room that the Talbot family sat down to breakfast that fateful morning in 1690 not knowing that fourteen of them would be dead by nightfall. But, somehow the family survived that tragedy and evidently prospered, judging by the various additions that were made to the castle, including the twin round towers and the banqueting hall panelled in same Irish oak that graces Westminster Abbey in London. With the original gothic style tracery windows still letting in a strained light, Malahide castle is very atmospheric and not short of a few ghosts which is hardly surprising considering?

Open all year round except 24th,25th & 26th of December. Admission Adult €12 Child €6 Family €26 Concessions €8 Phone 01-8169538

For more information on Malahide Castle and Gardens or to book tickets online please click here

Ten other things to do and see in the area are -

1. Take a tour of Malahide Castle, re-opened October 2012 after major refurbishment, new interactive exhibition and project centre.

2. Visit the Castle Gardens, renowned garden and plantsman's paradise, over 5000 rare species, beautiful carpets of cyclamen under the Lebanese Cedar on the West Lawn in early autumn.

3. Avoca in the Courtyard, enjoy tea, coffee and homemade cakes or a light lunch either indoor or outside in the pretty pergola leading on to the garden or browse their famous home-wares, clothing and gift shop.

4. Blow the cobwebs away with a bracing walk and admire the mature trees throughout the 450 acres of parklands, which remain much the same as they have always been for the last 800 years.

5. Let the kids loose in the Castle Playground which was a real favourite of my kids, when they were young.

6. Take a stroll around the pretty village of Malahide, with its smart shops (the Village Bookshop on Townyard Lane is particularly delightful) bars, restaurants and marina.

7. Have a 'grand' carvery lunch or afternoon tea in the Grand Hotel, good old fashioned luxury with a modern twist.I would highly recommend the silver service luncheon in the restaurant for sunday lunch or a special occasion.

8. Drive the coastal route out around by Portmarnock strand and Golf Club to Sutton Village.

9. Take a left to drive out to Howth Harbour, have a walk along the pier, or enjoy any of the many great seafood restaurants out there.

10. Or veer right, back into Dublin to visit St Anne's Park and its famous rose garden, the Casino at Marino or a stroll on Dollymount Strand.

For more information visit http://www.malahidecastleandgardens.ie/

By Susan Byron author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/ and eBook Travel Guide Where to Eat, Sleep & Play in Ireland 2013

Top ten Irish gifts to buy online this Christmas 2012

Wilde and Wooley 

This is my personal pick of the Top Irish Christmas Gifts available online this year.

Some of them are eternally popular mega brands and some are extra special hidden gems that are starting to make a name for themselves internationally.

Buying Irish supports our economy but more importantly keeps those rural communities, that our visitors love, alive, thriving and vibrant.

1. Alan Ardiff Jewellery do you know someone with a ‘heart of gold’ that you would like to reward this year? Than this beautiful piece is the gift for them, all of Alan's pieces are handcrafted in Dublin.

2. Brown Thomas although if you cannot make up your mind a gift card from Ireland’s most prestigious department store with branches in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick is also bound to please.

3. Burren Smokehouse, for the foodies in your life, how about a hamper of delicious Irish artisan food goodies, choose from a huge variety of pre-packed options or create your own and remember to order early for guaranteed Christmas delivery.

4. Dubarry, I am still craving a pair of Galway Boots (hint, hint) these very stylish boots, while perfect for wintry walks (cosy and waterproof) would not look out of place on 5th avenue either. Web

5. Jameson for the ‘hottie’ in your life, how about a bottle of 12 year old special reserve Jameson Irish whiskey or better again get it personalised for him, only available in Ireland and the UK.

6. Cloon Keen Atalier, also on my wish list these candles are hand crafted in Galway, with specially blended perfumes, that genuinely go the distance, available singly or in presentation packs of three.

7. Lisa Ryder Designs winner of young Irish designer of the year Lisa’s luxurious, printed Italian silk scarves are a magical blend of natural and urban landscapes. I adore mine (they don’t crease) and have given several as gifts.

8. Lorge Chocolates my first encounter with Benoits' chocolates was at the Milk Market in Limerick, earlier this year. Which led me to his shop on the Caha Pass in Kerry, where I had the best hot-chocolate I have ever tasted and bought several beautifully presented boxes as gifts.

9. Seavite, another product(s) I cannot be without is Seavite’s exfoliating shower gel which is made from a blend of seaweed extracts. This miracle product was designed by the Mulrooney family of marine biologists in Kinvara, and is guaranteed to leave your skin feeling soft and silky.

10. Wilde and Wooley made from the finest naturally dyed yarns these lovely warm woollen hoods and gloves are designed to echo the natural land and seascapes of the West Coast of Ireland. Talented local lady Anto knits the garments while her beautiful daughter Mebh does the modelling.

Ta suil agam go mbanfidh sibh taitneamh as na rudai anseo agus Nollaig Shona Dhaoibh go leir... (I hope you enjoy the above and a very Happy Christmas to you all)

Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com and Where to Eat, Sleep & Play in Ireland 2013

Escape to Delphi Mountain Resort in Connemara - spectacular scenery, excellent food and pampering in one

Delphi Mountain Resort while little over an hour from Galway City is every bit as remote and beautiful as Machu Picchu and a whole lot easier to get to! 

The drive out through Connemara has to be one of the most stunning road trips in the world. Big mountains, dotted with curly horned sheep under even bigger skies that change constantly in an endless play of sunlight and cloud cover. Wild flowers and turf ricks line the route with the odd abandoned cottage sparking the imagination of the wannabee permanent deserter. Acid green fields give way to bogs that edge deep, inky blue loughs, where lone fishermen bob up and down on wind whipped waves.

It’s soul food of a kind that is unique to Ireland, thank God..

Winding around Ireland’s only fjord from Leenane Village (where the movie "The Field" was filmed) Delphi Mountain Resort appears like a scene from "The Hobbit", nestled perfectly into the landscape its rustic eyebrows winking a warm welcome to you as dusk falls.

By contrast the interiors are large and spacious with bright modern rooms with crisp white linen and warm fleecy throws. 

The main focus for many visitors is the wide variety of outdoor activities including, hiking, kayaking, surfing, crag climbing and hill walking. Although we were warned not to venture above the cloud line just in case. Connemara Mountain Rescue had no need to fear on our account the only scaling we were doing was up to the panoramic first floor dining room and the nearest thing to exposure/chill factor we were going to get was several bottles of ice cold Sauvignon Blanc.

Having bemusedly watched the kaleidoscope of changing light and weather that danced across Mweelrea mountain (the highest in Connaught) and feasted on hearty food including cinnamon spiced brown bread, homemade soup, Connemara lamb shanks, and fresh fish from that same fjord we slept like babies.  

Conveniently enough we slept right through the 9.30 am roster for the zip wire and wall climbing activities. Favoring instead a rendezvous with a lounger in the award winning spa at Delphi Mountain Resort. Treatments by a team of expert French therapists include everything you might imagine from facials to massages with the Delphi seaweed bath being the most popular. And while the rest of the them were 'out and about' we were 'busy relaxing' sipping on Delphi’s own blended herbal teas, happy out....(indoors)


December Trails at Delphi Delphi Mountain Resort have some great winter walking offers on this December. Experience these magical landscapes (some would say at their best) with an overnight stay which includes bed, hearty breakfast and dinner, with a guided walk and / or hot seaweed bath in the award winning spa. Sounds like the perfect way to escape the Christmas madness....

One night €119, Two nights €219 per per sharing.

By Susan Byron author of "Ireland's Hidden Gems"

For more information visit the Delphi Mountain Resort website here

All you need to know about Ireland - reasons why Ireland is a top spot for vacations

About Ireland? Well it is a small island off the West coast of Europe, about 32,000 square miles with a population of about 4.5 million people. So there’s a clue, being so sparsely populated it never gets particularly crowded, so if you are looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday you have come to the right place! Weather wise we don’t get extremes, with an average temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius in the winter and 15 in the summer. Neither do we have any nasty bugs, mosquitoes or snakes, we have St Patrick to thank for that.

Our prevailing winds blow in from the West over the Atlantic ocean which means we get a fair amount of rain (what we call soft days in Ireland) but zero atmospheric pollution either.

Which has given rise to Ireland's landscapes often being referred to as 40 shades of green....

We are very proud of our little green island, which is struggling a little bit with the Euro (our currency) along with our European partners and indeed the rest of the world. But we have a long history (predating the Egyptians) of resilience and optimism. We prefer to see our glass of Guinness as half full rather than half empty.

We are easy going, amenable and relatively laid back and while standards of food and accommodation are very much improved we are still not really any good on timekeeping (we are on GMT by the way) and our public transport system outside of the main cities is fairly minimal to say the least. But hiring a car is simple and cheap with good motorways linking the main cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast which is Northern Ireland, which always confuses people.

Ireland is made up of 32 counties, 26 of which are in the Republic of Ireland (Irish) and 6 in Northern Ireland (British) it’s a long story (800 years and more) don’t ask just feel free to travel the length and breadth of Ireland as a whole and enjoy it all.

For more information visit www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Hidden Gems in Irelands rockpools? - a new book of Irish landscapes

Ireland is renowned for it's magnificent landscapes being blessed with a diversity not many countries can equal, but having just picked up Daragh Muldowney’s beautiful new book even I have had to do a double take.

Called "Jewellery Box - Irelands Hidden Gems" (I wish I could have taken credit for it) but am more than happy to endorse his excellent work.

Daragh spotted something (under his feet) no one else did and had the creative genius to expose it, in this wonderful selection of images.

Inspired by Dulra (Irish for the natural elements) he spent the last summer exploring the miniature landscapes of Ireland's coastal rock pools. Getting up close and personal with these tiny universes, that are surprisingly teeming with life, prompted a deeper introspection, apprectiation and respect for nature in Daragh that he now stirs in us...

_____________________

Read more:

Ireland on the cheap - ten ways to save money in the Emerald Isle 

The weird and wonderful place names around Ireland

Forget speed-dating meet your perfect Irish mate on a hike up Croagh Patrick

Top ten interesting facts about Ireland’s capital, Dublin city - PHOTOS
_____________________


The results are spectacular and the digital imagery surreal at times, like the image above (my favorite) entitled ‘Inner Peace’, two pieces of random floating oarweed that could be a resin sculpture yet hint of much, much more... 'Rusty Contours' a fusion of lichen and algae, mirror the hand painted Chinese wall papers of Ireland great houses, while Picasso’s Eyes speak for themselves. Most telling perhaps the 'Origin of the Species' a back lit jellyfish in a froth of air bubbles, smacks of the big bang...

Michael Viney, Ireland’s most eminent naturalist wrote the forward (an accolade in itself) in which he, so eloquently, applauds the young self-taught Daragh's artistic eye in capturing more than just images but also the connection between man and nature that has existed since the time of cave paintings right up to and including the mad digital age we live in, when its often all too. There is no space or distance from which to view or marvel at nature in the way we might have once done as carefree children splashing about in rock pools.

This book is a rare opportunity to do just that, view the world with fresh eyes, Picasso Eyes...

For more information visit http://www.dulraphotography.com/

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com