City buzzing as thousands enjoy ‘best jazz weekend ever’
Members of the OhnO! Jazz Band from the Netherlands with a group from Cork School of Dance who took part in the jazz parade through the city centre during the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival.Picture: Denis Minihane.
THE Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is set to get bigger and better in the years ahead, local publican Paul Montgomery has said.
Mr Montgomery, who owns the popular nightclub Reardens, said there were thousands of people on Washington Street alone enjoying the jazz festivities over the weekend.
“It was one of the best jazz weekends ever. It was completely trouble free and everyone seemed to have great fun.
“The quality of music was of a very high standard. I think a lot of venues are really putting in the effort to stand out this year and it has lead to a stellar line-up across the city.”
Taking part in the jazz parade through the city centre during the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival which is celebrating 40 years.
Picture: Denis Minihane.
Mr Montgomery said everywhere was buzzing and there was more of an emphasis on a family friendly experience rather than just pubs and clubs.
Looking ahead to next year, Mr Montgomery said he expected the festival to continue growing.
“I think Diageo and Guinness have made a strong commitment to the festival and to the expansion of the celebration.
“I think it is expanding beyond the bars to include wining and dining experience which is an added bonus.”
Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Tony Fitzgerald pictured at The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival Parade in Cork city centre on Saturday
Lord Mayor Tony Fitzgerald agreed the festival had potential to get even bigger and also said this year’s celebrations were some of the best he had ever seen.
“It has been an amazing weekend. One of the best ever. There have been so many visitors that I have met, over from USA, New Zealand and the UK, thanking me on behalf of the Cork people for their hospitality and warm welcome.
Mr Fitzgerald paid tribute to the organisers of the festival along with the founders of the festival that had the vision to start it all off 40 years ago.
“I think it is having a very positive impact on the reputation of Cork on an international scale and it is a model of best practice on how to organise a festival for the public. We have a lot to offer, great food, great venues, lovely people and excellent music, it is important we showcase that.”
Child’s play: Creating a bedroom for children is not all about money
October, 2017
Kya deLongchamps
Creating a bedroom for the most precious tenants before they fledge and finally fly is an evolving project. Get it right and you will allow space for the individuality of the child and it’s not all about money.
Wall murals, stencilling and stickers, blackboard walls, or pink tulle netting — the room’s primary purpose is as a relaxing haven for daily fun, plenty of daydreaming and sound, regular, sleep.
Cute child-sized furnishings from outlets like IKEA and Argos come at a high price as a few years race by. Look instead for sleep, storage, and study ranges that grow as they do. Clearing the floor is an adult obsession and a kid’s dreaded nag and 45cm is a good depth for a lower shelf, made sturdy enough to take a loaded small crate of instep-bruising toys.
Utilise cubbies and shelves with symbols or one-word descriptions for fun, lightening clean-ups when asked.
As they stretch out, reposition the shelving up the wall or reorientate it to suit other furnishings. All high chests, shelves, and drawer units should be securely fastened to the wall to prevent topples if toddlers decide to scale new heights, pulling heavy furniture down on themselves in the process.
By the time your child touches their teens, you will have a pretty good idea who they are in terms of styling. This Circu room set from Portugal with its hand-carved mirror is WAG expensive bought piece by piece. Still, their collection is dripping with up-cycling inspiration. Shop with your youngster, exploring some clever buys from sale warehouses like HomeSense. The combination of mink, pink, and flashes of gold and velvet is on trend for 2018 — and a bed vast enough for six girls to gossip on — get to work! Pick up some Beag (pink) from Colourtrend, €26 per l.
One corner, multi-tasks, no problem. System furniture can be composed into sleeping, reclining and storage to suit your floor space. Frooti Cabin bed with drawer storage, part of a range that offers desks and storage solutions all contained in the framed area of the bed. Seasonal offers from €810 in this line with offers on Little Folks Furniture Fargo multi-compositions with daybeds from €850. Jellybean, St. Patricks Mills, Douglas Cork, jellybeangroup.com.
Flexa of Denmark has championed the adapt and grow principle for their products since 1972. Invest now and save yourself a depressing drag to the landfill with those saccharine sweet toddler pieces in a few short years. These retro styled Play beds have ash legs and are available in range of colours with feet to match. They make an excellent sofa conversion if outgrown by a six-footer. €219 each, matching safety rails €73, Flexa, Fota Retail Park, Cork, flexashop.ie. Create this tree with low tack Washi-tape.
One corner, three tasks – not a problem – system furniture can be composed into sleeping, reclining and storage to suit your floor space. The room demanded of a small double bed here delivers up a roomy desk, a sleep over sofa, storage and a bunk to dream about. Don’t put children under six years old in bunks or mid-sleepers even with a rail. Shown €1350 off sale. Offers on Little Folks Furniture Fargo multi-compositions from €850, Jellybean, St. Patricks Mills, Douglas Cork, jellybeangroup.com.
Giving up? Let them at it with the Snurk Trampoline bedding set. Very naughty and just €53.90 for light leapers, amara.com.
A night light provides a comforting visual and emotional anchor as well as guiding little feet to the loo by night. Ask over time if the child wants the light left on. This little cloud would look lovely as an ornament between books floating out on lit duty or not, €5.45, dotcomgiftshop.com.
Bishopstown Credit Union will be closed on Monday, the 16th October. This is due to the severe weather alert given as hurricane Ophelia approaches Ireland. We should remain open for business as usual from the 17th October onwards.
It’s a row show in Skibbereen as moustachioed heroes return.
October 09, 2017
It’s not the Magic Kingdom, but for the heroes of West Cork’s rowing fairytale, home is where the heart is.
World rowing champions Shane O’Driscoll, Paul O’Donovan and Mark O’Donovan with Denise Walsh on stage in Skibbereen. Pictures: Dan Linehan
Skibbereen came to a standstill yesterday to welcome home its international rowing stars following their efforts at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida, last Friday.
Thousands turned out to welcome Team Ireland’s Skibbereen contingent, including medal winners Paul O’Donovan, who defended his men’s lightweight single sculls crown, and Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll who won gold in the men’s lightweight pair.
Despite taking a breather between the championships and their triumphant return, the rowers admitted it was good to be home.
“We’re probably more excited to be home to say hello to everyone and to see the lads again,” Mark O’Donovan told RTÉ.
“We’ve been away for a while — Disneyland and Universal are good, but you can’t beat Skibbereen at the end of the day,” he said.
The trip home will be a short one, as Gary, Paul, and Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll head to prestigious Head of Charles Regatta in Boston next week.
Waiting for the world rowing champions at Main Street, Skibbereen yesterday.
Emily Dulohery, Skibbereen Rowing Club PRO, said the homecoming planning was a team effort that saw a number of volunteers and organisations pull in the same direction.
“The Main Street was full, the whole community got behind it. It was a lovely evening to celebrate great achievements,” she said.
“A lot of work went into it, there was a good bit of effort behind it, there were volunteers, marshals, everyone chips in for evenings like this. The gardaí supported the closure of Main Street and the county council also supported us.”
The men’s facial grooming has inspired a legion of moustachioed minions.
Emily said the whole team are an inspiration to the young people of the town. “They’re absolutely brilliant, the athletes are super encouraging of all youngsters, even those not even into rowing,” she said.
Denise Walsh, who returned home having competed in the women’s lightweight single sculls final, plays a key role in nurturing the next generation of Skibbereen rowers.
“Rowing Ireland has a programme called ‘Get Going, Get Rowing’. Denise and I bring this rowing programmes to schools. It’s all about participation, where first we get them to try rowing machines in schools, then once they’ve learned some technique they get out on the river.
“It’s about getting them to try something mightn’t have before,” she said.
A section of the huge crowd who turned out to greet the town’s world rowing champions.
The star power of the children’s teacher never fails to capture their imagination.
“We watched Denise row on TV in school, and the following week then she is there with the kids in PE class,” said Emily.
“It’s a great connectivity with the kids, and particularly a great inspiration for girls in sport to see their heroes up close like that.”
But as St Fachtna’s Silver Band led the homecoming procession down Skibbereen’s main thoroughfare, it became evident that the rowers’ love for their sport isn’t the only thing that’s coming into fashion in West Cork.
The men’s facial grooming has inspired a legion of moustachioed minions, with kids donning false whiskers to emulate their idols.
The trend hasn’t gone unnoticed, joked Emily.
“It seems to be catching on, it’s all a little bit worrying.”
Rose Martin reports on some of the highlights of London Design Week.
Pinch Coffee table with spray gun at L’Abbatoir in The Conran Shop, Marylebone High Street.
AND so to London on a Ryanair flight that left when it said it would, and returned when it said it would, for Design Festival Week. Choosing from a sprawl of venues is difficult as everyone is now getting in on the act all over the capital, including the V&A museum.
This time round, the glories of 100% Design at the Olympia, which is a bewildering array of furniture, fixtures and fittings for the design trade, was eschewed in favour of the lesser known and more punter-friendly, Focus 17 at the Design Centre in Chelsea Harbour.
Those familiar with the dripping condescension of the chi-chi shops in this country will be familiar with that particular brand of the high art offered in stores here — not all, but some — especially those with no price tags on their goods. But for the most part, people were kind, generous with their time and with their information.
In particular, the Samuel Heath store was a friendly, efficient showroom with a range of Birmingham-made glories of the bathroom world.
The design is head and shoulders above the ubiquitous Italian brands we get here and while expensive, I was assured by the store’s designer, (they’re not shop assistants here, but professionals), that taps, shower heads and more would last a lifetime and Samuel Heath will oversee design and installation for their products — just to see things through.
Yes, they are a luxury brand — a top of the range, Landmark collection fit-out for a shower in burnished brass, or gleaming chrome, (shown above), comes in just short of €3,500, but they are knockout in a subtle, Bauhaus style.
Also showing quality, restrained, but top class products was Italian brand Flexiform, whose showroom was not only welcoming, but again, informative. Prices are not cheap here, (what do you expect in Chelsea Harbour?), but the sheer size of their sofas and their monstrous beds was a wonder to behold. This is really quality, tasteful stuff, without a hint of fashion — this was style. (See above)
The number of shops selling fabric was bewildering, but in particular, the Style Library stood out, not just because of its bright, fresh and open showroom, but because of it’s range of quality fabrics.
It also does paint and paper by Sanderson,Anthology and more, but the Harlequin range of velvets caught my eye, as it was the first 80/20 matt cotton fabric that offered quality at a good price — around €60 per square metre — but in a delicious range of colours.
Also in fabrics, good old Roma couldn’t have been nicer and showcased a superb range of fabrics and upholstery from a mere €40 upwards in its showroom. Again, a word to the wise, know what you’re looking for before you go — as the range is huge and you could get lost for hours.
There were too many shops and stops to mention, shops with suede upholstery in rolls, pressed and stamped leather panels in medieval colours and lush, silks and velvets in you-don’t-want-to-know prices — a lot of oligarch fittings because this is London, after all.
Armani had to have the nicest store, however, a dark, welcoming cave with tactile, alluring furniture in room settings that draw you in and seduce. Again, the rule of the higher the price, the nicer the staff, applies and in this case, the designer at Armani couldn’t have been nicer. Helpfully showing off his wares, despite knowing there was no way on God’s earth we’d buy, it made for a very pleasant experience in this hushed, womb-like space.
A Murano lantern, in a glowing orange red was a beauty and had the magnetism of a winter’s fire — yours for just under €4,000. Oh and the lounge chairs — finished in leather — were masterpieces.
Many hours later, we emerged into the V&A to see their contribution to the festival, which we’ve covered here, and it was well worth the time. The V&A is free, and is a labyrinth, (again, use the map), but we got to see the Tapestry Room with that snake-like installation and the light show — very impressive.
Also had a quick run around the plywood exhibition, disapointingly small, but was rebuffed at the door to the Pink Floyd show, as you needed £20 tickets — so dedicated fans only at that price.
(By the way, the V&A has the best cakes, do stop off at the cafe on the ground floor, or sit outside in the plywood, skater-shelters, which are part of the ply show and are a real draw for adults and children alike.)
We also managed to cram in a visit to Skandium — the nicest store, with a huge range of affordable, Scandinavian design, on Marylebone High Street, along with the Conran shop, ditto, which is worth it alone for the people-watching. Scandium is a small shop with a huge range crammed in over two floors, so it’s worth your while having a good look around, or check out the website.
Conran, on the other hand, is a design wonderland, with everything from cute children’s toys, to boutique, artisan perfumes, (at very reasonable prices), to lights, to furniture and more. It doesn’t just stock Conran stuff, but is a carefully edited collection of design staples and design flourishes. Well worth a visit and the cafe on the ground floor is good too, and reasonable for London.
The front window was taken up with the work of Irish duo, Pinch, which not only showed the finished product, but showed the process too, including a cupboard of models, (above) partially constructed stools and the coolest, coffee table ever in the process of being sprayed.
Conran call this exhibition space, L’Abbatoir — which is shocking — but maybe that’s the idea. Either way, this was a clever show — illustrative of the designer’s work and methods, as befits Sir Terence’s modus operandi.
He’s still going strong into his nineties and supporting designers.
If you need help to finance your home improvements then don’t hesitate to get in touch and we would be happy to help you out.
Revealed: The brands Irish customers rate…and the ones they don’t!
Ryanair and Mytaxi have both fallen out of the top 100 brands in the annual Irish Customer Experience report from CX Company, the digital solutions provider.
The results, based on a survey of over 2,500 customers, come after a turbulent few weeks for the two companies.
Ryanair last week announced that it was axing 34 routes across Europe this winter in a move that will hit almost 400,000 more passengers, as it struggles to contain a roster debacle.
The number of affected passengers is on top of the 315,000 that have already been hit by flight cancellations by the airline, which slipped from 77 to 115 in the list of top brands.
Meanwhile Mytaxi (formerly Hailo), tumbled 94 places to 137th. It recently came under fire after it confirmed that customers of its booking app are set to be charged an extra €2 for each booking. The team behind the app said this previously came out of drivers’ incomes.
Elsewhere in the travel sector, the report found that intermittent industrial action on trains and buses has undermined trust in brands such as Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus.
While dissatisfaction with airport delays saw the Dublin Airport Authority fall 55 places to 109, Aer Lingus has, however, maintained its top 30 position, coming in at 26.
At the top end of the ranking, credit unions have emerged as the winners for the third year running, with Lush Cosmetics and An Post completing the top three positions.
A spokesperson for the Irish League of Credit Unions, which represents over 270 credit unions here, described the result as a “hugely positive endorsement” by the public.
“Credit unions are different from other financial institutions, not just because we are not-for-profit, but because decisions are made at a local level and tailored to the individual needs of members,” a spokesperson said.
Describing customer experience as something that cannot be switched on and off “like a special offer”, CX Company chairman Michael Killeen said that the top three brands in the survey were also Ireland’s most trusted brands.
“In that context, reports that An Post plans to close hundreds of branches will be of great concern to consumers,” Mr Killeen said.
Retail, with 52 companies in the top 100 and four in the top five, was the top-performing sector this year, with electrical goods chain Powercity recording the biggest jump in ranking, moving up over 50 places to number 50 in the table.
One of the main drivers of retail’s success and the success of brands in the entertainment sector, was the rise of digital brands such as Amazon, Netflix, and Google, according to the report.
One exception in the rise of digital and entertainment brands in the Irish Customer Experience report was Facebook, which fell 15 places to 124.
Mr Killeen said he believes the Irish consumer has recognised a positive digital impact in their lives.
“What makes the digital brands stand out is their ability to humanise the experience they give customers through the use of data, demonstrating that they understand their needs and expectations,” he said.
In the supermarket sector, all of the main players dropped positions, with the exception of SuperValu. When it comes to customer experience, Ireland continues to lag behind the UK and the US, although there have been small improvements year-on-year.
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Read more
Cookies
To make this site work properly, we sometimes place small data files called cookies on your device. Most big websites do this too.
What are cookies?
A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. It enables the website to remember your actions and preferences (such as login, language, font size and other display preferences) over a period of time, so you don’t have to keep re-entering them whenever you come back to the site or browse from one page to another.
How do we use cookies?
This website uses cookies from Google Analytics to gather data on your browsing preferences, so we can improve our websites and make it easier for you to find the information you want.
How to control cookies
You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish – for details, see aboutcookies.org. You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed. If you do this, however, you may have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit a site and some services and functionalities may not work.
