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Fri, Dec 6, 2019
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Candles and Christmas lights. Photograph: Frank Miller How three families teach their children Christmas isn’t all about material things
  • Health & Family
  • Jen Hogan
  • December 6, 2019, 06:01

Giving to charity, fundraising, volunteering – all help children understand kindness

What will €145,000 buy in Albania, France, Spain and Co Mayo? What will €145,000 buy in Albania, France, Spain and Co Mayo?
  • Take 5
  • Emma Cullinan
  • December 6, 2019, 06:00

Take5: An Italian home amid centuries-old olive trees or a two-bed in Ballyvary

The schoolgirl wanted desperately to read a book. Her mother could not afford the €5 The schoolgirl wanted desperately to read a book. Her mother could not afford the €5
  • People
  • Hilary Fannin
  • December 6, 2019, 06:00

‘Your daughter has stolen a book. We found it wrapped up in her school jumper’

‘I’ve had a Christmas on my own, with no gifts at all’ ‘I’ve had a Christmas on my own, with no gifts at all’
  • People
  • Lauren Murphy
  • December 6, 2019, 05:00

All I want for Christmas . . . Jerry Fish: The singer-songwriter talks about his best and worst Christmases

10 great tech gift ideas 10 great tech gift ideas
  • Life & Style
  • Padraig Cotter
  • December 6, 2019, 05:00

Tech a look at these . . . These cool devices will delight the techies in your life

"Better sleep, consistent workouts and longer distances is really paying off" "Better sleep, consistent workouts and longer distances is really paying off"
Sponsored

David Phillips tested the Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch to attempt to establish a new habit of regular exercise

Sponsored by Fitbit
Four ways to lessen the stress of a home refurb Four ways to lessen the stress of a home refurb
  • Interiors
  • Denise O’Connor
  • December 6, 2019, 00:00

Budgeting for and choosing the correct fixtures and fittings can be a fraught process that requires careful planning

Irish living in the world's best city: 'I miss the Irish weather' Irish living in the world's best city: 'I miss the Irish weather'
  • Abroad
  • Rachel Flaherty
  • December 5, 2019, 15:57

Is Taipei really the top destination to move to work and live? Four Irish residents of Taiwan's capital share their views

Melania Trump wows in a canary yellow cape – but who is it a dig at? Melania Trump wows in a canary yellow cape – but who is it a dig at?
  • Fashion
  • December 5, 2019, 09:32

The first lady’s Buckingham Palace ensemble was both on trend and provocative

How to transform rice into a showstopping meal How to transform rice into a showstopping meal
  • Food & Drink
  • Yotam Ottolenghi
  • December 5, 2019, 06:30

Yotam Ottolenghi elevates a humble ingredient to the brilliant star of the show

Why I’d be slow to join a dopamine fast Why I’d be slow to join a dopamine fast
  • Health & Family
  • Padraig O'Morain
  • December 5, 2019, 06:01

The Silicon Valley trend seeks to control the effects of the powerful neurotransmitter

How to feel nothing now in order to feel more later How to feel nothing now in order to feel more later
  • Health & Family
  • Nellie Bowles
  • December 5, 2019, 06:01

The trend of dopamine fasting to avoid stimulation is spreading from Silicon Valley

Only a targeted housing strategy will fix Ireland’s property market woes Only a targeted housing strategy will fix Ireland’s property market woes
  • Homes & Property
  • Madeleine Lyons
  • December 5, 2019, 06:00

Residential market plagued by high costs, problematic supply and unaffordable rents

What will €275,000 buy in Dublin 8 and Connemara? What will €275,000 buy in Dublin 8 and Connemara?
  • Homes & Property
  • Emma Cullinan
  • December 5, 2019, 06:00

Town&Country: A two-bed in Inchicore or a six-bed overlooking a river in Galway

Insta-friendly artisan cottage in Dublin 8 for €305k Insta-friendly artisan cottage in Dublin 8 for €305k
  • New to Market
  • Alanna Gallagher
  • December 5, 2019, 06:00

This one-bedroom, mid-terrace property in the city centre contains a big surprise

Our Columnists

Hilary Fannin Hilary Fannin -

The schoolgirl wanted desperately to read a book. Her mother could not afford the €5

Padraig O'Morain Padraig O'Morain -

Why I’d be slow to join a dopamine fast

Michael Harding Michael Harding -

It’s not surprising cocaine has become rural Ireland’s new poitín

Tanya Sweeney Tanya Sweeney -

Why am I downplaying how much I adore my baby?

Homes and Property

A view of the coast in Vlore town in Albania. What will €145,000 buy in Albania, France, Spain and Co Mayo?
  • Take 5
  • Emma Cullinan

Take5: An Italian home amid centuries-old olive trees or a two-bed in Ballyvary

There are so many choices to make and so much to choose from if you’re not on top of things it’s easy to get bogged down. Four ways to lessen the stress of a home refurb
New-home market: Property Industry Ireland is calling on the Government to prioritise housing development. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA Wire Only a targeted housing strategy will fix Ireland’s property market woes
  • What will €275,000 buy in Dublin 8 and Connemara?
  • What the property experts saw in 2019 – and what’s in store for 2020

Food & Drink

Sweet spiced mushroom and rice pilaf. Photographs: Andrew Scrivani/The New York Times How to transform rice into a showstopping meal
  • Food & Drink
  • Yotam Ottolenghi

Yotam Ottolenghi elevates a humble ingredient to the brilliant star of the show

The Glass Curtain restaurant which opens today on MacCurtain Street in Cork New restaurant opens in former Cork city centre bakery
Making cottage pie or shepherd’s pie from scratch takes time, which is why may of us opt for the readymade version What is really in ready-made shepherd’s pie?
  • ‘I cracked the code for shifting that extra stone that most Irish men carry around’
  • Cosmic Crisp apple that ‘lasts a year’ to hit American stores

Health and Family

Candles and Christmas lights. Photograph: Frank Miller How three families teach their children Christmas isn’t all about material things
  • Health & Family
  • Jen Hogan

Giving to charity, fundraising, volunteering – all help children understand kindness

Dopamine fasting means cutting out anything that gets you motivated or excited. Why I’d be slow to join a dopamine fast
James Sinka and Andrew Fleischer during a dopamine fast, in their apartment in San Francisco. Photograph: Peter Prato/The New York Times How to feel nothing now in order to feel more later
  • Irish Times article about pregnancy and suicide wins mental health award
  • Why obesity is not a choice

Abroad

Shane McCarthy, Sandboxx military app marketeer in Washington DC: he says the city’s strong links with Ireland work in his favour ‘In the US, no one cares that I’m only 27 or what school I attended’
  • Barbara McCarthy

Wild Geese: Shane McCarthy is chief marketing officer for military social media platform Sandboxx

Jessica Toal: ‘Everyone was so welcoming, warm and hospitable.’ Irish living in the world's best city: 'I miss the Irish weather'
Grace Walsh on the farm in Springfield, Tasmania. ‘I grow many of our vegetables, bake bread, preserve, collect fresh eggs. In a time of climate disruption it’s both a privilege and enormous responsibility to be stewarding this pocket of land.’ How a heart-shaped island at the bottom of the world became home
  • Dublin ranked the worst city in the world to move to for housing
  • Bodies discovered off Wales could have drifted from Ireland, say Welsh police

One Change

Nordmann firs – which are the most popular Christmas tree – absorb carbon from the air while they’re growing. Photograph: iStock Real or fake Christmas tree – what’s better for the environment?
  • Life & Style
  • Sorcha Hamilton

One Change: If you buy a real tree, don’t drive far to get it, and make sure to recycle

India, despite its economic transformation, has managed to preserve a culture and philosophy grounded in sustainability. Photograph: iStock What’s the point in recycling when China and India pollute so much?
New alternatives, such as the Impossible Burger, are being hailed as one way forward. Photograph: iStock I’ve been trying to eat less meat, but now I like it more than ever
  • Gardeners, give up buying peat compost – it’s a disaster for the environment
  • Why don’t mainstream TV and radio rock the climate change boat?

Fashion

Fashion forward: Melania Trump and the US president on Downing Street. Photograph: Niklas Halle’n/AFP via Getty Melania Trump wows in a canary yellow cape – but who is it a dig at?
  • Fashion

The first lady’s Buckingham Palace ensemble was both on trend and provocative

Fashion Awards 2019: Erin O’Connor and Laura Whitmore on the red carpet. Photograph: Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty British Fashion Awards 2019: Stylish Irish Laura Whitmore and Simone Rocha
Clockwise from top centre: Dior Backstage Lip Palette, Laura Mercier Paint with Light Radiant Face Illuminator Trio, Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vol 3, Chanel Exclusive Creation les 4 Ombres, Nars Inferno Eyeshadow Palette. Five luxury makeup palettes that will make for thrilling Christmas gifts
  • Party time. But what to wear? Five people show off their unique festive style
  • Bags of style from Cathy’s White’s latest collection

Travel

Winter walks Nine looped winter walks around Ireland (with a great meal at the end)
  • Travel
  • John G O'Dwyer

Build up an appetite walking these trails, which all have a great restaurant to refuel in afterwards

Nature lovers will revel in the hiking trails in Shimla, India. Photograph: iStock Once in a lifetime holidays to take this winter
Two Lebanese women walk along the Beirut Corniche late in the afternoon in September, 2010. Photograph: iStock Visit Lebanon and experience a vibrant, open-hearted culture
  • Perfect Puglia: Something for all the family on holiday in Italy’s ‘heel’
  • Aviation as a hobby: ‘I fly planes – that’s kind of cool’

Motors

1: BMW 3 Series – Our top choice for 2020 reminds us why driving is fun
  • Motors

Top cars for 2020: Plug-in 330e is the epitome of what’s great about this German

2: Toyota Corolla – Ireland’s top seller, and rightly so
3: Kia eSoul – Quirky crossover that’s on an electric charge
  • 4: Tesla Model 3 – A genuine disrupter that’s in many ways quite brilliant
  • 5: Jaguar I-Pace – proves enthusiastic drivers have nothing to fear from electric

Outdoors

Purple jelly disc fungus spotted in the Phoenix Park What is this growing on a rotting log in Phoenix Park? Readers’ nature queries
  • Ethna Viney

Ethna Viney on purple jelly disc fungus, rooks and black slip wasps

If an island is lucky there’s a flock of choughs, the red-billed crows of Ireland’s western seaboard. Illustration: Michael Viney Ireland’s choughs: a prime and precious Wild Atlantic Way attraction
Swimmers take to icy waters during a Christmas swim in Dublin. Photograph: Kate Geraghty Winter swimming: The magic, not tragic, guide
  • Can you identify this chirpy creature? Readers’ nature queries
  • Monitoring the otter, Ireland’s elusive, enigmatic river-dweller

More Ross O'Carroll-Kelly

‘Boisterous? They’ve mouths on them like rappers. What if one of them drops a fock-bomb live on air?’ ‘Tubs sees the boys then and – in fairness – he gives them the benefit of the doubt’
  • Ross O'Carroll-Kelly
  • November 30, 2019

Ross O’Carroll-Kelly: Sorcha’s Toy Show dream quickly comes to an end when Ryan Tubridy meets the boys on set

“I’m looking at the goys and we’re all thinking the exact same thing. We’ve been stitched up here in a major way.” ‘The dude goes, the horse is a maniac. He’s the maddest animal I’ve ever seen’
‘Oh my God,’ Honor goes, ‘there’s a focking horse in the gorden!’
  • Ross O’Carroll-Kelly: 'Me and the goys are thinking of buying a horse'
  • ‘Center Porcs is kind of like a south Dublin version of The Truman Show’

People

Books are out of reach for some children. Photograph: istock The schoolgirl wanted desperately to read a book. Her mother could not afford the €5
  • People
  • Hilary Fannin

‘Your daughter has stolen a book. We found it wrapped up in her school jumper’

Jerry Fish. ‘I’ve had a Christmas on my own, with no gifts at all’
The blight of emigration on small towns in Ireland is still a curious cancer that eats at those who are left behind. Photograph: iStock It’s not surprising cocaine has become rural Ireland’s new poitín
  • What I thought about while my office was on lockdown after London Bridge
  • ‘I adore the way people speak English in Ireland. The language is amazing’

Sponsored

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The Novaya Opera of Moscow’s La Traviata is coming to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre from November 25th until 29th, 2020

Give the gift of luxury this Christmas with a Druids Glen gift card Give the gift of luxury this Christmas with a Druids Glen gift card

Whether it's a golfing break for dad or a spa package for your sister, a gift card is the perfect way to spoil a loved one this Christmas

The fire is so delightful … The fire is so delightful …

It’s not too late to book a cosy winter escape – here are eight luxurious places to escape the seasonal chill

A tradition worth starting this Christmas A tradition worth starting this Christmas

We are at the beginning of a season marked by tradition. Perhaps you could start a new one by giving the gift of warmth and comfort to families forced to flee

Subscriber Only

I just need to know now, how to distance myself from her on a day to day basis as interacting with her has become insane. Photograph: iStock ‘I find my wife’s behaviour utterly frustrating’
He tells me he needs treatment to fix his self-esteem. I tell him it would just be totally fake. Photograph: iStock I want to stop my husband from trying impotence medication
Houses of the Oireachtas: its Members’ Restaurant serves seven kinds of potato if you count ‘skinny fries and chunky chips’ twice. Photograph: Alan Betson Oireachtas Members’ Restaurant: Inside the secret dining room where TDs and Senators eat
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It’s Christmas Gifts, food, entertainment, interiors and fashion this festive season
 
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Atlantic Podcast A three-part series exploring the mystery of Peter Bergmann - the man who came to Sligo to disappear
 
The definitive delicious list 100 of the best restaurants, cafes and places to eat in Ireland 2019
 

Meet the Chef

The Irish Times Food & Drink Club Meet the Chef dinner with Garry Hughes in the Constitution Suite at the Shelbourne hotel. Photographs: Tom Honan Food Month: Michelin stars and magical meals
Michelin-starred Liath, in Blackrock, will open for dinner on Sunday, November 3rd, for an Irish Times Food & Drink Club event. Photograph: Alan Betson Want to eat at Michelin-starred Liath restaurant?
The Irish Times Food and Drink Club Meet the Chef event in chef Brian McDermott’s Foyle Hotel, Moville, Co Donegal. Photographs: Crispin Rodwell Like Indian food? Then this Irish Times Food & Drink Club event is for you
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Most Read in Life & Style

1 Polina Cosgrave: the English spoken in Ireland ‘has more humour, more charm, it’s a bit mysterious’. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw ‘I adore the way people speak English in Ireland. The language is amazing’
2 Jessica Toal: ‘Everyone was so welcoming, warm and hospitable.’ Irish living in the world's best city: 'I miss the Irish weather'
3 James Sinka and Andrew Fleischer during a dopamine fast, in their apartment in San Francisco. Photograph: Peter Prato/The New York Times How to feel nothing now in order to feel more later
4 Fashion forward: Melania Trump and the US president on Downing Street. Photograph: Niklas Halle’n/AFP via Getty Melania Trump wows in a canary yellow cape – but who is it a dig at?
5 The blight of emigration on small towns in Ireland is still a curious cancer that eats at those who are left behind. Photograph: iStock It’s not surprising cocaine has become rural Ireland’s new poitín
6 The Custom House next to the River LIffey in Dublin. Photograph: iStock Dublin ranked the worst city in the world to move to for housing
7 Number 42 Harty Place, Dublin 8 Insta-friendly artisan cottage in Dublin 8 for €305k
8 Limerick-to-Dublin rail commuter John Maguire, from Monaleen, Limerick, in Limerick Junction, where he catches the 6.45am train to Dublin. Photograph Liam Burke Press 22 The lives of Irish commuters: 'I'm in the car up to 5 hours a day, but I have no other choice'
9 10 great tech gift ideas
10 Winter walks Nine looped winter walks around Ireland (with a great meal at the end)
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