Lifestyle Loves: Books, dresses with pockets, getaways and more that we enjoyed in April
The Lifestyle team share their highlights from April
This month I've been enjoying superb service at Adare Manor where the views are as good outside as in.
I've been hanging out in The Burren, enjoying the great art, artefacts and hospitality in Gregan's Castle.
And I've discovered the amazing views from the top of Djouce mountain in County Wicklow, which we climbed with our Miniature Schnauzer.
I'm counting this as a win for this month even though the swap itself took place back at Christmas. A while back I was recommended by a friend to check out 'Cork Plant Swap' online. It's a group for people in the Cork area to swap cuttings, seeds, and plants. People also use it to request or give away spare flower pots or gardening equipment and sometimes you'll see someone who's emigrating giving away absolutely gorgeous, thriving plants. Or maybe someone has a plant that's grown too big for their balcony or bathroom and they want it to go to someone who has room for it. Anyway, I saw someone in my area offering monstera cuttings and I swung by and picked up the little sprouted stems in a soup container. At the same time I gave away some 'pups' from succulents that have been doing well on a sunny ledge. Of course, with any live meet-ups arranged online you have to be careful — a middle-of-the-day handover in a busy street as I was passing through worked for us. The cuttings have come on a bit in the last few weeks so I'm delighted with this success now.
A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey. This crime thriller series is a great mix of fast-moving detective work and deliciously and painfully slow personal life gains. For a cracking set of detectives, Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are the last to cop onto something fans spotted nearly a dozen books ago. Fair play to Casey for not giving in to fan demands for a neat romance conclusion along with a knotty crime solve. She knows how to give a little and make readers wait and work for more. If you're not a fan already then I'd recommend checking this series out.
You might think it's a bit niche but Derek Guy @dieworkwear on twitter is just so funny. He'll have you engrossed in why a suit might have two buttons on the cuff or how the neck is cut. But he also blends this with incisive commentary on political and social figures who might be making more of a statement than they intend with their tight jackets or shiny trousers. He's analysed the fashion choices of everyone from Conor McGregor and Piers Morgan to Kermit the Frog, Tristan Tate (Andrew Tate's brother), and Cary Grant. You'll never take a lapel width or cuff length for granted again if you go down this rabbit-hole of tailoring and wit.
I disagree that you dress like Cary Grant. In this thread, I will list some of the ways in which your dress differs and why such important details matter. 🧵 https://t.co/6hTiPgpxSX
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) April 28, 2024
Earlier this month, myself and my partner decided to spend a few days of annual leave at the CABÜ cabins in Killykeen Forest Park, and thought it would be the perfect opportunity for a digital detox. We locked our phones away and spent the time forest bathing, luxuriating in outdoor hot tubs and drinking hot chocolates in the sitooterie (an outdoor space with blankets and griddle tables for s'more making in front of a big fire). While it wasn't a complete screen-free time (we spent much of our evenings watching Netflix on the smart TV and also brought along our Kindle), just being away from our phones for a few days was glorious - and I've been waxing lyrical about the cabins ever since.
As I move into my late twenties, I am making more of an effort to veer away from cheaper clothing and instead invest in clothing that feels good on the skin and will, hopefully, last a bit longer as well. To that end, I've found myself shopping a lot more in Marks & Spencer, and my latest purchase is this Pure Cotton V-Neck Midaxi Waisted Dress from Nobody's Child (€109). Made of 100% cotton, it feels gorgeous on and I've already worn it dressed up at an event and dressed down at work. Plus, it has pockets!
The brighter days! The first real day of sunshine I spent with friends sipping cocktails and enjoying the new brunch menu at Urban Brewing in Dublin (the Spiced Sweetcorn Ribs were everyone's favourite btw, make sure to order those). We were all giddy on the sunshine (before we'd had a sip of alcohol), and it made me so excited for the days to come. Roll on summer...
Spring-inspired nails. At last, it is time to break out the pretty patterns and bright colours for nail appointments. Inspired by spring, I decided to incorporate some flowers into my manicure this month, and I think it may be my favourite set so far. I wanted something simple with a hint of the new season and my dainty Daisys have been making me feel a little brighter.
Kylie Minogue. I’ve rediscovered my love for Kylie Minogue this month and the addition of the Aussie pop star to this year’s Electric Picnic line-up was fabulous surprise. If you’re a pop fan and in need of a feel-good tune, I recommend her Fever album from 2001. Love at First Sight has been playing on a loop in my house for the past few days.
Atomic Habits. As part of an upcoming article for the Feelgood section, I’ve been diving into James Clear’s Atomic Habits. The New York Times bestseller looks at the importance of building healthy habits and how to make small, but powerful changes. For the past month, I’ve been using it as a tool to help me wake up earlier each morning and so far, so good.
May is Sustainability Month here at Irish Examiner HQ - of course we try our best to be eco-aware all year around - green is the new black, kids!! - but we put an extra focus across all our platforms in May. So, I couldn't refuse an invite to join The Montenotte's Wine Club most recent event - A Sustainable Dining Experience. Kicking off with a zero-waste gin cocktail reception, we were treated to a six-course tasting menu created by executive head chef/food genius Rudi Liebenberg. He talked us through the menu explaining his focus on low waste, nose-to-tail, root-to-tip and farm-to-fork ethos. Sustainable - and scrumptious! What that man can't do with a cauliflower isn't worth knowing, that's all I'll say. All paired with natural wines, an exquisite night out, with added smugness for the zero waste learnings. themontenottehotel.com
My hair ain't my crowning glory, so I'll try anything that'll claim to make it fuller/shinier/not look like a mad woman's armpit. I absolutely love this IN A FLASH: The 7-Second Bond Builder by JOICO® Defy Damage. I can't be faffing with hair masks because I never have enough time to be flouncing around waiting to rinse them over. But even I can manage seven seconds. It really did work - well I won't be giving Rapunzel a run for her money any time soon, but it went from a liquid to creamy paste in the shower in the promised time frame, and my hair was totally tangle-free and felt lovely after I dried it. Time will tell if it actually makes it stronger but I've used this three times now and I ain't stopping any time soon. It's available from JOICO salons and beauty e-tailers for €31.90.
I'm getting obsessed with outdoor furniture - one sniff of the sun and I'm imagining BBQs and sophisticated soirees in the garden, when the reality is a bald-patched garden from soccer balls and a small swamp down by the shed. Ah well, one can dream. I love the outdoor pouf collection from Cork-based online decor store, Juxtapose. This Amina spice and navy one is by Palais, and is on their website for €259.
Loulerie are having a pop-up event in the gorgeous Look-Out Room in The River Lee on Saturday, May 11. There are two available times slots, 10am - 1pm and 1pm to 5.30pmso you can get a signature bespoke one on one service. The team will be bringing a selection of their entire collection including the latest Mignonne Gavigan drops - form an orderly queue please! Tickets are €10, and are redeemable against purchases on the day, tickets at Loulerie Cork.
Ceoltóirí Chualainn: The Band That Changed The Course of Irish Music (Mercier Press). Seán O'Riada was a singular figure in the preservation and modernisation of traditional Irish music - and this tome, penned by his son, composer and broadcaster Peadar O'Riada, provides an invaluable history of his work with Ceoltóirí Chualann, the band with whom he laid so much of those foundations. A definitive written history, 400 arrangements of traditional Irish tunes played and preserved by the band, examples of written scores, a full discography and numerous photos, posters, tickets and other memorabilia - all serve to make this an essential for any house where the living tradition is part of the rhythm of daily life.
Louise Gaffney - Slow Violence Hailing from the West of Ireland, multidisciplinary artist Louise Gaffney has been a steady presence in Irish independent music for a number of years, including guest vocals for Dublin outfit Enemies, and the incredible motion graphics in the video for Meltybrains?' single Donegal. On a solo basis, her 2021 EP 'Not Even Here' built a world on warm, tape-hazy beats, but the pace is slowed to steady minimalism for new single 'Slow Violence' - delicate, emotive vocals gently cutting a niche into plaintive piano and swelling synths, proceeding to a quietly devastating conclusion. Listen on headphones.
City Rocker Quarterly At a moment of massive worldwide grá for all things Irish, it's heartening to see something like City Rocker, a zine printed and distributed by Dublin-resident Laois man Eddie Kenrick, reaching into some of the deeper lore that lives in our attics, secondhand shops and spare rooms. Part culture-jamming exercise, part genuine reverie to the Irish print media of the 1980s and '90s, City Rocker takes scanned curios from old newspapers, lifestyle magazines and other sources - sometimes manipulating them into cultural commentary or absurdist cracks at well-worn tropes, and sometimes leaving them preserved exactly as originally published - casting them in a vibrant alternate reality where ads for Irish Rail still hold the promise of cross-country adventure, and small ads beam out escapist visions of an evening's cinema listings, or the allure of having satellite television installed.
I've recently spent a week in Dubai visiting family and it's somewhere I recommend everyone visits at least once in a lifetime. Dubai is a very different holiday experience, it offers the biggest and the best shopping malls, theme parks, restaurants, hotels, and parties. Any experience you can conjure up is possible. Although the highlights of my trip were mostly within its history and culture, which is usually kept low-down in the tourist guides. I'd recommend a trip to Old Dubai, a desert safari, and visiting the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. And sure, renting a yacht for the day to weave in and around The Palm wasn't so bad either.
As a self-confessed Eurovision fan, I've been counting down to Eurovision week by listening to each country’s entry in advance of the qualifiers, which kick off on May 7. I'm currently loving the entries from Switzerland, Belgium, France, Croatia, Netherlands, Ukraine, and our course of our very own Bambie Thug. This year also marks 50 years of Abba winning the Song Contest so it would be rude not to have Super Trouper on repeat.
As a first-time buyer, I'm currently swapping fashion for furniture and finding it extremely difficult to find anything that's not in the realm of grey, beige, and neutral palettes. Thankfully Penneys and HomeSense have saved the day with all the colours one could dream of. Penneys' spring/summer collection of brightly coloured vases, mugs, pillows, and jugs is everything I've been looking for. And where else would I get a disco ball for the kitchen but the weird and wonderful land of HomeSense.
This black dress from Dunnes was the hero piece of my holidays and I just know that it'll be worn on-repeat this summer. The material feels weighty and somewhat luxurious. At €40 it's a steal as it can easily be dressed up with heels or dressed down with some fancy flats. I would recommend sizing down as it tends to fit better on top. Oh, and it has POCKETS!!
Funny Story by Emily Henry I devoured Emily Henry’s latest romance, which was released in April. Funny Story follows Daphne and Miles, who find themselves living together after Daphne’s fiancé dumps her for Miles’ girlfriend and faking a relationship to make their exes jealous. Henry writes such well-rounded characters that you can’t help but root for them. A perfect read for the sunny days ahead.
: Fallout, Prime Video I started watching Fallout not really expecting much – a post-apocalyptic tale inspired by a videogame was already done to perfection by last year’s The Last of Us. Thankfully I was wrong and hooked from the first scene. It’s grim and gory but oh so funny too.
Chocolate Afternoon Tea, The Metropole I joined some friends for a day of notions in town earlier this month and we booked in for chocolate afternoon tea at the Metropole. A limited special that ties in with Easter, it is running until Friday, May 31 and includes treats like milk chocolate éclairs, chocolate macaroons and a white chocolate blondie. Even more impressive was the alternative for the coeliacs among our party – their afternoon tea looked almost identical to the regular one and got resounding thumbs-ups.
Like seemingly everyone else in Ireland, I’ve been gripped by Baby Reindeer, on Netflix. Richard Gadd has created one of the TV shows of the year and it’s obviously all the more interesting because it’s his own true story. Viewers go from LOL moments to feeling slightly creeped-out to being downright disturbed as the layers of the story are unveiled.
I’ve also joined the consensus on That They May Face The Rising Sun, the superb adaptation of John McGahern’s final novel. Slow and steady is Cork director Pat Collins’ trademark, and you’ll feel like you’re sitting in that country kitchen as the elderly locals and the young couple are having the chats. Standout for me was Lalor Roddy as the cantankerous Patrick.
There are still a few months to enjoy the Crawford Art Gallery before the Cork facility closes in the autumn for its major renovation. I see the Virtual Reality take on Sean Keating’s Men Of The South has been selling out quickly (free but needs to be booked), but an open exhibition well worth catching is A Matter Of Time. Loosely-themed around the concept of time, it gathers an eclectic range of pieces from 25 artists, including Dorothy Cross, Sara Baume, and Patrick Scott.
