Though November arrived gently, it brought with it a reminder of the winter to come. By Deborah Watkins Writing about the weather in Connemara is a risky business, particularly as conditions can change dramatically overnight, but with that caveat I think it is safe to say that November has arrived gently this year. It’s been…
A new book by An Spidéal-based professor Ricca Edmondson looks at how older people make a valuable contribution to those around them, through the concept of wisdom. In Ageing, Insight and Wisdom, Professor Edmondson (pictured) says that older people can be a great source of guidance but often they are not listened to. ‘If we…
Ultan Cooke is a name familiar to those interested in the world of food, having been the chef at Aniar in Galway during the time it retained its Michelin star over the past two years. Ultan has now started in a new role as head chef at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, taking over from the hotel’s…
Cliodhna Prendergast brews up a batch of meadowsweet cordial and jelly Rain jackets, tennis rackets, horse shoes, wetsuits, chicken pox and tonsillitis are some of the things that have featured heavily this summer in Connemara. But also blackcurrants, meadowsweet and dinners with friends; chilly barbecues, honeysuckle and gooseberries, piglets and muck. Laughter and rain showers,…
In early June, 20 professors from Aquinas College, Michigan and Lourdes University, Ohio attended a micro conference, ‘Interchanges’, in Renvyle House Hotel, which was held in conjunction with Connemara West. President of Lourdes University, Dr. David Livingstone attended with his wife Joan. Staff from GMIT Letterfrack, Teagasc and Connemara West also made presentations at the…
Every year for the past four years we have returned to Paros, Greece, for our family holiday, despite some of our more adventurous friends thinking we are boring. Over the winter we mull over a return and in the end we feel it’s just the easiest thing to do, and it works so well: the…
This month saw the completion of a year-long project carried out by a group of parishioners and friends of Christ Church, Clifden, under the watchful eye of fellow parishioner and tapestry expert Tricia Willder, writes Deborah Watkins. The initial idea came from Rosemary Evans, who had been part of a similar project while her husband…
Kefir is an easily made, fermented yoghurt type drink that has huge health benefits, one of which is building up the immune system. It is made from kefir grains, which are composed of friendly bacteria and yeasts that happily coexist, unlike most other fermented milk starters. It is said to have originated in the Caucasus…