Monsignor Horan, decked in his customary black cassock with amaranth red piping, buttons and sash, declares theatrically: 'What do you think is going on? We are building an airport.'
As the dust settles on the demolition of the Murray house in Bohermeen, near Navan, Co Meath, it is hard to find someone in the town who has not seen the pictures of the flattened property or heard the story of the long-running planning debacle.
A remote Donegal parish and its Gaeilgeoir priest became near household names last year when the nation awoke on Easter Monday to learn St Mary's Church in Derrybeg had burnt to the ground overnight.
Irish pubs have roots that go back to 10th-century Viking halls. And although we're talking about going so far back in time that precise dates and details can get a little sketchy, we do know there are a few pubs that opened not too long after that and are still in operation.
One of Caroline Alwright's earliest memories is sitting in a box of bananas, watching and listening to her granny and mother selling fresh fruit and vegetables on Moore Street. Alwright, who is 68, is the fourth generation of women in her family to work on the busy market street.
Irish desserts are, in one word, resourceful. They have to be; in a nation that grappled for centuries with conflict, famine, and outright war, luxurious ingredients were not accessible to most people. Instead, the Irish turned to local ingredients like sea moss, apples, and an impressive array of dairy products to satisfy their cravings for something sweet.
The Irish government will give 2,000 artists unrestricted weekly stipends in a program officials described as a "recognition, at government level, of the important role of the arts in Irish society." After a successful three-year pilot, the Irish government made its basic income program for artists permanent. Similar pilots have been launched here in the United States, but they're supported primarily by the nonprofit sector.
I just couldn't live in one of those bland houses, but I didn't have a plan for the interior design here. I simply love colour and I wanted to make the house feel warm and vibrant. The trend for grey and black, or beige and white interiors, has led to a plethora of samey-themed rooms that can look dreary, lack personality, and are unlikely to age well.
When Desmond Courtney bought The Schoolmaster's House in Ireland's horse heartland in 2002, he turned it into a "bachelor pad". The civil engineer did most of the restoration of the property himself, with some help from friends. After nearly two decades of living there alone, a random reunification with his long-lost love Monica (née Barron) transformed his life and his Kildare home.
I'm passing through Kilrush on the first bright, blue-skied day after weeks of non-stop rain and it's warm enough to leave the coat in the car and think perhaps there may be a sniff of spring in the air. I hope I'm not being previous. I'm here to check out two places I've been following on Instagram for a while, having never been to this part of west Clare before.
As a long-distance runner, I had always wanted to use running as a means of travel, a way to traverse a landscape. I'd heard of people running across Africa, or the length of New Zealand, and the idea of embarking on an epic journey propelled only by my own two legs was compelling. I had just turned 50, and some might have said I was having a mid-life crisis, but I preferred to envisage it as a sort of pilgrimage
McDonald's locations in the United States tend to be pretty staid and uniform in design, but head abroad and things start to change. While there are a few American McDonald's that don't feature the traditional golden arches aesthetic, in historic international cities, you'll frequently find the burger chain housed in beautiful old stone and masonry buildings - with only a small McDonald's sign offering any hint of what's inside.
Hop on a plane to Malaga, and you might expect to see passengers in flip-flops and sun hats, ready to spend a week on a lounger with a cocktail to hand. But in recent years, a different kind of traveller has set their sights on the Costa del Sol. Instead of staying by the sea, they head inland, to cycle the mountains of Sierra Nevada.
There are cheaper rents to be found in Roscommon, Monaghan, Donegal, Leitrim and Cavan. But what about day-to-day costs? It's no secret that Dublin is an expensive place to live. In fact, a 2025 report by Tradingpedia found that it's the fifth most expensive capital city in Europe. But what about the other towns across Ireland? Where can you eke out a cheaper way of life, spending less on everything from your morning coffee to your yoga class?
In September 2005, the course of Declan Dunlea's life was altered forever. At the height of the Celtic Tiger, he ran a successful oil and fuel distribution business called Core Fuels. He lived with his family in a beautiful five-bedroom period home overlooking Monkstown Bay in Co Cork, and spent his spare time renovating vintage cars. "After I left school, I started my own business as a coal merchant and did that for 15 years," he said.
I've never had a sense of direction. In a family where everyone knows where they're going, I'm the one who gets lost. When my son Charlie was small, he would listen as I outlined the day's itinerary-grocery store, library, post office-then interrupt. "Mama," he'd say, "I have a better way." And he did. He was five, and already knew where he was going.