The Limerick Magazine - December 2015

free 2015 magazine issue 04

DECEMBER

ISSN - 2009-8650

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Welcome

TO t he li merick magaz i n e The Limerick Magazine is a fun and informative monthly free-sheet keeping you up to date with what is happening in Limerick

City and County, with reviews, event listings, interviews, men and women’s fashion, lively opinion and interesting articles to get you talking.

Publisher - Fusion Media - 74 O’Connell Street Limerick - 061-597627 Editor - Kayleigh Ziolo

Email - kayleigh@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627

Designer - Keith Aherne

Email - design@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627 Editor in Chief

Michelle Costello

michelle@fusionmedia.ie

Advertising - Conor O’Sullivan

Advertising - Oxana Kuzava

Phone - 061-597627

Phone - 061-597627

Email - conor@fusionmedia.ie

TLM contributors:

Photographers:

Cornelia O’Riordan

COVER: Eoghan Lyons

Mary Kiely

Leanne Aherne

Rebecca Egan Olivia Chau

Olivia O’Sullivan Rebelle Haze

Fernando Sanchez Sintija Zorge

Christine Costello

Jane Butler O’Halloran Sharon Slater

Kayleigh Ziolo Kaur Ellermae

Tarmo Tulit

Anna Hurkowska Caleb Purcell Sean Conroy

Piquant Media

Email - oxana@fusionmedia.ie

This is a free magazine. You are free to give it away (in unmodified form) to whomever you wish. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

This magazine is designed to provide information to our readers. It is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged to render any type of legal or any other kind of professional advice.

The content of each article is the sole expression and opinion of its author, and not necessarily that of the publisher. No warranties or guarantees are expressed or implied by the publisher’s choice to include any of the content in this volume. Neither the publisher nor the individual author(s) shall be liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, financial, or commercial damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential or other damages. Our views and rights are the same: You are responsible for your own choices, actions, and results.

Julian Santiago

@limerickonline

02

@thelimerickmagazine

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

03

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Christmas in lime ri c k

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and the most wonderful thing about Christmas is that it means so many different things to different people.

Here’s what the people of Fusion Media towers love most about Christmas here in Limerick. Whatever you have planned for the festive season, we hope you have a great Christmas 2015 and a very Happy New Year!

“We’ll be spending Christmas week at home in the

Nothing makes Christmas more perfect than a hot

“I’m not from Limerick originally but I do spend

to have a couple of ‘mini Christmases’ with family and

good catch up, or pulling on a big chunky knit and

home. I just love the laziness of it all, not having to

UK for the first time in two years, so we’re planning friends here either side of that. Christmas at home

here in Limerick usually involves making things magical for our daughter Saoirse, 3, going to see Santa at Stonehall Visitor Farm, getting a tree that’s

far too big to cram into our tiny cottage, me being far too ambitious in making Christmas crafts and ending

up looking like I lost a fight in a glitter factory, and eating (and drinking) everything in sight.”

Kayleigh Ziolo - TLM Editor

04

whiskey with friends by the fire in Fennessy’s for a

layering up for the Milk Market when the air is so frosty it makes the food and hot chocolate taste so much sweeter. Christmas is truly complete after

a skate in the rink by Arthurs Key, looking across the water to King John’s Castle and the old Ballaí Luimnigh.

Rebecca Egan - TLM & Fusion Magazine Arts and Culture

most of the Christmas period here in my adopted go to work and strolling around town meeting friends

for coffee which normally ends up being a tour of

Limericks finer watering holes. The buzz about the

City always intensifies at Christmas time which I love, everyone is happy, the streets are packed and the

sense of togetherness across the City is fantastic. Best thing of all about Christmas is that you don’t know what day of the week it is and you don’t even care!”

David Cuddihy - Fusion Magazine Columnist

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

When CommuniCation is everything

ConferenCes | seminars | Corporate events

My favourite thing to do in Limerick during the

holidays is to go for a walk through the city on

THOMOND PARK STADIUM

Christmas Day when all the shops are shut. The city is very quiet, almost eerie that day, it is beautiful.

Sharon Slater - TLM & Limerick’s Life

TO BOOK YOUR EVENT

Call 061 421100 Email: events@thomondpark.ie Visit www.thomondpark.ie 05

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

a rti st Pro file Mary Gilleece a stone artist from the heart of Limerick Have you always been creative?

Oh indeed I have, ever since I was a child I have been

artistically inclined. I remember winning a Texaco art

competition when I was about thirteen, I felt great for it! Then when I was in Mary Immaculate College

studying to be a teacher years ago, I used to be very

popular when it came to making charts and posters.

Of course you couldn’t buy them in shops then or

borrow them from a library, you had to make them from scratch yourself. I used to help all my friends

design them, the calligraphy and the images. Needless to say we couldn’t exactly print them out then either!

What artistic pursuits have you had in the past?

Well now, there has been a bit of a variety in the past.

I used to design batiks and I had exhibitions years ago in the then Belltable with friends. It was well before anybody knew what a Batik was, I loved working on those. I also published a book with Folens in 1986

called “Crafts for young Children’. I’ve always loved anything creative and I have lots of friends with artistic tendencies and talents as well.

When and how did you get into this latest endeavour?

Well only in the past year. I was trying to think when

exactly and it is much more recent than I had thought!

The idea came from me wanting to give a personal and thoughtful gift. I’ve had weddings and Christenings aplenty over the past while and I find, particularly at

weddings people just give money now. Of course I

understand why and I would give that as a gift too, but I felt it wasn’t quite enough. The money will soon disappear but if I’m invited to a celebration like that

06

it is because I share a relationship with these people, I want to give them a token to treasure, a gift personally

from me, for them to cherish, something small that won’t disappear. As well, everybody has everything

they want these days. Years ago you knew a set of delf-ware or silverware would be needed and used

by a couple but everything is mass produced now so items like that are available so cheap and handy, there

isn’t as much value in it as a gift. That’s why I thought,

if I could make something special, something unique, I could give these friends a bit of me.

What a lovely sentiment! Obviously they went down well if you have taken to selling them for others now?

Yes they have. The first gift I gave that started it all off was actually a picture of the bride and bridegrooms names I spelled out of stone on Fenore beach. After I gifted it to them they told me they had previously

written their names in the sand on that very beach so the picture meant a lot to them.

Do you focus a lot on wedding gifts?

I guess I do, but I have done some lovely little buggies

with teddies in them for Christenings. A lot of my work isn’t obviously targeted at an event, the pieces are

just nice artworks you can buy for yourself or others.

I know some people have bought some as Christmas gifts and they’d be ideal for housewarmings too. The

stones have lovely colours and tones, they are natural and neutral so fit in any home.

Do you ever design the same piece twice?

I find you can’t. Every stone is unique and individual so every end art piece is unique and individual also.

I think that is nice too, because everything is so massproduced now it isn’t often you find things that are a single copy, just for your wall or your counter.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

07

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Where do you collect your stones?

All the beaches along the west. I go to Ballybunion and Fenore and loads of other places. You soon learn

what beaches have what colour and kind of stone.

Ballybunion has lovely black stones that I use a lot.

Have you developed collections all focused on one concept, such as the weddings or flowers for example?

I haven’t yet but would love to. It’s a great idea, and

as I’m only at it for a year now I am always planning and working ahead to get to ideas like that. I have

friends that collect the pieces now and hang them as a collection in their houses, which is really fantastic, it

obviously means a lot to me to see that. I like to think

08

that my stone artwork is like a jigsaw piece making up part of a home.

Is it intricate work? Also, what scale is the finished product?

It can be. It’s funny the more time I spend working on pieces the quicker my eye sees a potential design

for a few stones or even a single stone sitting before

me. I’m only discovering as I go all the different

colours and shells that can be incorporated into the art pieces. They can all be so individual. The scale of

my work isn’t too large, it’s smaller stones and pebbles

I work with so small shells fit in perfectly if it’s the right shape. The framed stones tend to be about 8” x 8” in size.

Where can people see or even buy your artwork?

I’m actually scouting for places for an exhibition at

the minute with some painter friends, so keep eyes

and ears peeled for that! Otherwise, I’m hoping to get

into the Craft Hub and have my application in for processing but I am in The Hunt Museum and I have a website GiollArt where you can see my work.

Article by: Rebecca Egan

Photography by: Eoghan Lyons

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

09

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

l im e r i ck 2 0 2 0 …with Mike Fitzpatrick and Sheila Deegan Unless you’ve been completely cut off from civilisation for the past few weeks, you’ll know that Limerick2020

have been shortlisted for European Capital of

Culture. It’s an enormous achievement not just for

the bid team, but is a testament to the strength of the city, which step by step is gaining more international recognition. As the bid reaches the next exhilarating stage, we grab Mike and Sheila for a chat, and they

tell us about the experience up until now, and what comes next.

How has the process been for you up until now?

Mike: Well it’s certainly been an immersive process, we’ve been on an amazing journey. Something that

made us realise how far we have come was the recent

visit from a group from the Irish Economic Forum, who noted the potential and possibility in the city, and most importantly that culture is now at the heart of that. It’s an amazing evolution and exciting moment.

How has the mood changed now the city has been shortlisted?

Sheila: The gloves truly are off now. We suddenly have all this freedom to come up with really great creative

ideas, that thought of freedom probably makes it

harder! But people are now seeing this as not just about culture, but as a competition, because the city

is up for something the fighting spirit of Limerick is coming through.

Mike: Another thing is that people are starting to ask

what do we do if we don’t win?, which is ok, because the answer is whether we win or not all of this is

helping us arrive at things that will make us better for the future.

10

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

What was the presentation like?

Sheila: It was nerve-wracking! There we were in a big echoey room, in front of 10 serious jury members. We had 30 minutes for a pre prepared presentation, then an hour of questions. Plus the added complication

of speaking Limerickese to people with English as a second language (laughs). We had a mixture of

officials, artists, and people who have generally made a strong commitment to Limerick. The presentation

got us a round of applause, but there was nothing

else to give away their thoughts. We had presented at 8.30am but had to wait around until 4.30pm to hear

where we’d come. It was a challenging experience, to stand up and overcome that fear of failure. And I

suppose that’s what we’ve been doing all along in the process, learning to lose that sense of fear - we were

afraid and embarrassed for so long as a city, we’ve been

very good at saying no and not taking opportunities as a result. Now we’re saying yes and going for it.

What chance do you think Limerick really has of gaining the title?

Sheila: We bid in 2001 for 2005, and we didn’t get

it. It was in hindsight a good thing we didn’t win, because we weren’t ready. We are now. We have an

increased sense of ambition and strategic thinking. It’s our time, and we are working to ensure that culture is embedded in all visions and strategies in Limerick.

Mike: We’re telling our story with confidence we’re acknowledging the difficulties we’ve faced and

embraced our edginess, the fact we are a city full of students studying creative subjects. The perception of

what we are has changed. Now we are sitting here

wondering what Troy Studios will be like, when even the idea would have been a crazy dream a few years ago. We look at places like Ormston House, this

fragile environment going from strength to strength

11

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

and becoming internationally renowned in the art

What’s next for the bid, and what can people in

Even the likes of Fusion Media being able to say ‘now

Mike: Our challenge at the moment is this: What

world.

we can be in Limerick’, instead of somewhere like

Dublin, and continue to do work that’s important to them. Why not make dreams come true here? Dreams that are often stronger than the reality, people here are

other things can we do to change Limerick forever?

What could be the next ‘Granny’, but without being the same kind of thing?

making it happen. People are beginning to do things

Sheila: We’re working on the concept of using the city

chance because people are now believing what we

making it the backdrop to amazing ideas.

based solely on their level of ambition, we have a good were asking them to believe.

What does European Capital of Culture mean to a city like ours in terms of tangible effects?

Mike: Before they went out, Dublin estimated it would have been worth €1bn to them, Limerick2014

was worth €44m to us that we know of, what could this do for us?

Sheila: Look at Glasgow, since they were European

Capital the idea of the city has changed across Europe, even for people who’ve never even been there. And

it’s changed Glasgow people’s sense of themselves too.

Plus, it’s not just a question of Limerick on its own,

as a canvas, putting culture where you wouldn’t think,

Mike: And we’re also thinking about events and where we can take them - what might EVA be in 2020 for

example? Whatever we do, our people have to be the centre of it. Events will be important to draw people

in, but it’s important to not be superficial. It’s about giving people a meaningful authentic experience of who we are as a living city, not just ticking a box for things to see.

As far as people getting directly involved goes, we’re going to be consulting but it will be more targeted

now. We’re looking for people to bring a bit of magic and express solid ideas.

or in Ireland, but our position in Europe. It means

Sheila: The jury will be coming to us in the next

We have a shared history and heritage, and it’s a

showing off ! The whole city.

we ask ourselves what does it mean to be European? chance to share and reveal that. European Capital of

couple of months, so we have to be ‘on’, performing,

Culture started off as simply a programme of events,

Mike: It’s very odd asking a whole city to do that isn’t

transformation, economic regeneration - you have to

Limerick 2020 bid.

that was the initial aim. Now it’s much more - social

need it and want it. We really need, and we really want it.

Mike: A lot of Europe exists on ideas, that’s what leads to a better life, and to job creation. We’re doing it for

the young! This is for the future, it’s our responsibility to create something for generations to come.

12

Limerick do to help?

it? But that’s exactly we need to do, to get behind the

Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo

Photography by: Eoghan Lyons

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Li me ri ck N EWS : 69 O’Connell Street to revert back to Belltable name We suspected it would never stick, 69 O’Connell

Educating the future

JANUARY OPEN DAY

INTRODUCING SECOND-LEVEL TEACHING PROGRAMMES AT MIC ST. PATRICK’S CAMPUS, THURLES

TARA BUILDING| SATURDAY 23RD | JANUARY 2016 | (11AM-1PM)

Street formally known as The Belltable was always a

bit of a mouthful! So it was welcome news that the

theatre will be simply known as Belltable from now on, as Limerick City and County Council agreed a

new service agreement for the Lime Tree Theatre to continue management of the venue. In addition to more of the excellent standard of events we’ve already

seen this year, the venue will also provide office space, rehearsal space, hot-desks and administration services “to emerging, mid-career and established artists who want to create, develop and make new work.”

Bringing home the bacon which will shine a light on the 150 year old association

Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, is a university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts, serving the needs of a growing and diverse student population of over 3,500 students

Limerick ham and bacon remains internationally

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

A new heritage project was announced last month, the city has with the bacon industry.

famous to this day. Back when the industry was at its peak here, Limerick bacon producers invested in new

techniques, being among the first to use ice to allow

curing to continue in the summer. The project will be conducted in partnership with Mary Immaculate College by Limerick Museum and archives.

BA in Contemporary and Applied Theatre Studies: (MI001) *NEW BA in Liberal Arts: (MI004) B.Ed. in Primary Teaching: (MI005 and MI006) BA in Early Childhood Care and Education: (MI007) B.Ed. in Education and Psychology: (MI008)

INTRODUCING MIC ST. PATRICK’S CAMPUS, THURLES

Limerick City and County Council has announced

BA in Education, Business Studies and Accounting: (MI009) BA in Education, Business Studies and Religious Studies: (MI010) BA in Education, Irish and Religious Studies: (MI011) BA in Education, Irish and Business Studies: (MI012)

footfall on the streets of Limerick City and the county

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

Christmas parking details of a new parking incentive aimed at increasing towns of Kilmallock, Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale

this Christmas. Under ‘Free From 3’, parking at all

on-street parking spaces will be free from 3pm from

Mary Immaculate College also offers a wide range of postgraduate qualifications up to and including Masters and Doctoral degrees in the Liberal Arts, and in Education.

Thursday, 3rd December to Thursday, 24th December,

FURTHER INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES AVAILABLE FROM: Admissions Office, Mary Immaculate College, South Circular Road, Limerick

of debate, as many feel the cost puts people off

T: + 353 61 204929 / + 353 61 204348 F: + 353 61 204903 E: admissions@mic.ul.ie

inclusive. Parking in the city has long been a matter

coming into the city centre. A temporary reprieve

www.mic.ul.ie

for the festive season may be all that’s on offer, but

it’s a conversation that is sure to continue in future planning for the city.

Limerick Magazine 137x350

13

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Christmas

g if t ideas

Under €10

Under €20

The perfect stocking fillers

Beautiful bargains

Bizzaro Ceramics Christmas Decorations – The Craft

Sunvale Soap Company Bath Bomb. – The Craft

Tara Robinson Christmas Decorations – The Craft

Intricate porcelain decorations that would be the perfect

Cute stocking fillers from the all natural, local skin care

Unique, locally made decorations to add that special

Nail Tree – Next €10

Solar Powered Robot – Tiger €7

Gentleman’s Shoe Shine Kit – dotcomgiftshop

A quirky gadget to have on your desk for some child like

Supreme quality shoe shine set for a pristine shine on

Hub Lower Cecil Street Limerick €10

addiction to any Christmas tree.

A selection of 9 different nail polishes with shades to suit every occasion.

Hub Lower Cecil Street Limerick €4

company

entertainment.

Hub Lower Cecil Street Limerick €16

element to your Christmas tree.

€14.95

gentleman’s footwear, the ideal set for excursions and travel.

14

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Under €50 Something Special

Benefit Brighter & Badder – Debehnams €19.50

Mix & Go Blender – Russell Hobbs €29.99

RJR John Rocha Wallet – Debehnams €44.25

The perfect duo to create an effortless dramatic eye look.

A mixer and portable bottle all in one, ideal for someone

This designer wallet is crafted from soft brown leather

Popcorn Holder and Cups – New Look €14.99

Linda Wilson Knitwear – The Craft Hub Limerick

Bush Retro FM Radio – Argos €24.99

A cute and simple way to create that cinema atmosphere

Keep warm in this gorgeous locally designed hat and scarf

Take yourself back to the golden age of radio and revel in

in the comfort of your home.

who is always on the go.

Hat €40 Scarf €40 set this winter.

with a popper tab fastening and chunky stitched trims.

the stunning design of the era with this battery powered gem.

15

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

fa shi on Special C O S a rri ve s t o l i m e ri c k ’s bro w n t h o m a s Famed fashion brand COS first launched in London’s

Regent street in 2007 as part of the H&M group

and has now launched its fifth concession in Ireland within Brown Thomas Limerick. This is the brand’s third Brown Thomas concession in Ireland with a

further two BT2 concessions and a COS stand-alone store on Wicklow Street, Dublin. The womenswear

only concession opened with the COS Autumn/

Winter collection containing palettes of ice blue, forest green, deep navy and grey tones. As always

with the COS brand proportions continue to be a

focal point of the collection, and combined with the glacial shades and essential technical details gives the

collection an outdoor yet creative feel. Marie Honda, COS Managing Director says, ‘We are delighted to be continuing our expansion within Ireland into the

historic setting of Limerick whilst extending our existing relationship with Brown Thomas.’

The balance between calm and drama, and contrast between cloth that’s either draped or energised with

functionality, is at the heart of COS for Autumn/

Winter 2015. Japan is a key influence, from the draped layering of the kimono to the dramatic minimalism of the Mono-ha art movement. Technical details, and

glacial shades from the photography of Olaf Otto Becker, bring the outdoor life to a collection that

16

plays with proportion and the way clothing sits on the body.

Accessories for women include a black leather Chelsea

boot with a squared sole inspired by old ski boots, and

a felted wool heeled sandal also with a squared sole.

A mineral grey felted wool backpack has metal bar fastening, while leather is bonded onto grey felted wool to create necklaces, earrings and flat bracelets.

Inspirations

for

the

collection

include

Tara

Donovan; Oscar Niemeyer; Koji Enokura; Susumu

Koshimizu,and Oyvind Tangen’s photograph of the multi-coloured iceberg.

COS

is

fundamentally

H&M’s

older,

more

sophisticated sibling. COS have been described as

starting off where H&M finished, this is certainly true in terms of style, price range and quality. COS pride

themselves on producing impeccably made garments.

The great attention to detail and structure is clearly

evident in each collection while still maintaining the

customer friendly prices we would all associate with their sister brand H&M.

Brown Thomas Limerick are delighted to host the

third COS concession in Ireland this Autumn/ Winter. Brown Thomas Limerick General Manager Liam Dwan says “we are looking forward to

introducing COS to Brown Thomas Limerick, which

will now be the largest COS concession in Europe.

We have recently introduced a range of new brands to

the store including Giorgio Armani and Nars, with a

Nespresso boutique to launch in December and more exclusive brands to follow in the new year.”

Article by: Cornelia O’Riordan

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Draped Silk Skirt - â‚Ź135.00 - This long skirt is made from pure silk with a layered

Curved Dart Dress - â‚Ź175.00 - Designed with a curved dart at the front, this dress

back zip.

from the waist towards to hemline, it has a round neckline, in-seam pockets and a

drape design. A flared A-line fit, it has a wide front slit, minimal finishes and a hidden

is made from a cotton blend with light-catching effect. A straight shape, flaring out hidden back zip.

17

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Th e li me rick magazine

Fas h i o n So, this month’s column is a little different!

As a lot of you who follow me will know, I competed

in Miss Universe Ireland this month as Miss #LoveIrishSkin and was placed 1st Runner Up. I’m

obviously thrilled to be placed and it was a fantastic night, especially as I got to meet some amazing people.

It was such a glamorous night and everyone was admiring my wardrobe, so if you were one of those

wondering about any of my frocks keep on reading…

On the night there were 4 rounds:

with Shauna Lindsay Instagram - @shaunalindsay

1. Cocktail Dress 2. Bikini Round 3. MacDoll Boutique Fashion Show 4. Evening Gown

Cocktail Dress My Cocktail dress was from a Limerick Boutique

‘Be Fabulous’. Owned and run by Will O Brien and Barry Costello.

This is without a doubt one of my favourite stores in

Limerick, as they can dress you for any occasion no matter how casual or glam, plus you’re bound to have some giggles when you visit!

I chose this black bandage dress as it really hugged my body in all the right places! (Bootaaay)

18

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

bikini round Up next was the Bikini round. Our colour scheme

was Red or White. Let me tell you - it’s hard enough

to find a bikini at this time of year, let alone a red or

a white one! Luckily I found an Orangey-red one in Vamp in Limerick City. As I’m quite small chested

this Bikini worked wonders as it has cups just like a

bra where you can slip in some extra help for lift if needed…

MacDoll Boutique Fashion Show Macdoll Boutique were the official dress sponsors of

Miss Universe Ireland 2015. They are a small store located on Grafton Street and they have some of the

most gorgeous dresses I’ve ever seen, both short and long. I wore this long, black, low cut dress that I fell absolutely IN LOVE WITH.

evening gown The last round was of course, evening wear. I got this dress from ‘Be Fabulous’ in Limerick and I had

it altered in The Zipyard in Limerick. There was originally mesh in this middle by the bust but I had

it taken out to add that extra bit of sexiness. I was the only one to wear a white dress on the night and it’s safe to say this dress definitely stood out!

Photography by: Blink of an Eye Photography

19

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Th e li merick magazine

Beauty with Mary Kiely

Glitter Eye s Here’s a simple step by step on how to create that perfect festive gold glitter Smokey eye. Glitter can be hard to work with at the best of times but here is how to apply glitter and have your eyes sparkling this Christmas season.

20

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

To complete the whole look the products used were:

Complexion - Armani Luminous Silk Foundation 5.5 Armani High Precision no2 concealer Contour - Armani Sun Fabric 200 Highlight - MAC Soft and Gentle

Brows - Armani Brow Maestro Wedgwood MUA: Mary Kiely

Model: Sarah O’Leary Hair: Sabrina Higgins

Photography: Leanne Aherne

Step 1

Step 2

Start by priming the whole eyelid right up to the brow

Ingots Duraline oil is by far one of my favourite

the lighter colour on the lid and working the darker

Duraline with MAC GOLD glitter first, then get a

bone. Apply your eyeshadows as normal, starting with

colours up to and into the crease of the eye - loads of blending for that real smokey effect.

Eyeshadow palette used here was MAC 15 Warm

Eye palette, such a versatile palette for multiple looks.

products, I always have it in my kit. Here I’ve mixed small flat brush dip it into the mixture, then press it

onto the eyelid, bringing the glitter up to the crease of the eye.

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Next is eyeliner, used here is MAC Backtrack gel

Use a big eye blending brush, add some bronze and

For that real Christmas glamour look I’ve added a

Eyes to kill mascara for extra length and volume.

of the eye. Bronze used was Armani Sun Fabric 200.

on pigment with a stunning velvet feel.

liner. Apply lashings of mascara, I’ve used Armani After mascara if desired apply falsh eyelashes.

start blending outwards with it just above the crease Then, more blending!

strong deep red by Armani Lip Maestro No 406. Full

21

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Th e li me rick magazine

Mus i c Cave Ghosts Cave Ghosts are something completely fresh and different

for a heavy rock scene. With their beachy vibes and their ever so classy, vintage looks, it’s hard to ignore that they

are bringing something different to the musical table.

With a new single out, Jen from Cave Ghosts chats to TLM about their time together and their motto on life and music.

You guys have only been together for 3 years but you’ve already a great following as well as played

numerous festivals and shows all over Ireland. Tell me how you first got together?

The time has flown but it’s been a lot of fun! Aoife

and I first met as small-town girls in a new city (I’m from Limerick and Aoife’s from Kerry). We circled each other’s ‘Musicians Wanted’ ads and bonded

over our mutual infatuation with David Lynch, Wim

Wenders and bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain.

We both loved bittersweet pop and our own stories of love and loss soon blossomed into our first songs. Our

jingle-jangle drifted through the streets of Dublin and found fellow dreamers Sundara, Maggie and Jonny. We call it our Broken Hearts Club.

Some of the bands you like are the Beach Boys, Shangri La’s and The Sonics. How did these bands come to be your influences? Did you always love them?

The short answer is yes, we’ve always loved those bands! We’re drawn to the teenage naïveté of the Shangri-Las and the Beach Boys and the darker

garage grit of the Sonics. We each draw from a variety

22

of influences, from grunge to avant garde to 60s girl

groups and back again, which I think is what makes

things interesting sonically. What we all share is a

common love of melancholic pop, strong melodies, captivating harmonies and above all else, good songs.

I love your slogan “Support Your Local Girl Gang”, where did it come from?

Thank you! It comes from the work of artist Nick

Thomm. He created a beautiful neon piece that incorporated the slogan and as soon as I saw it, my reaction was “f yeah!”. To me it encourages girls

in their endeavours, it could be music, art, sport, literature, science - really whatever interests girls wish

to pursue. Everyone in the band supports both male

and female bands and artists by attending shows, buying music, zines, art prints etc. but at the same

time I think it’s worthwhile offering specific support to girls. Giving someone a hand up or that little

extra ounce of encouragement can be the difference between someone following their dreams or not. I think the slogan delivers this message in an inspiring way. A lot of other people have picked up on the slogan since too, which is brilliant.

Neon must be a recurring theme with the band, as it’s featured on the artwork of your new single…

Definitely. For me, neon conjures up romantic images of 50s drive-in movies in the desert while still retaining

that darker Lynchian edge so it fits in perfectly with

the vibe we are going for. We were really excited to collaborate with Brooklyn-based neon artist Kate Hush for the artwork on our upcoming single All My

Life/Mariposa. We’ve followed her work for a while

and love what she does. We also have some other

neon-related things in the works, but they’ll have to remain a secret for now!

I’m also loving the fact that there are more and

more female-dominated groups emerging around

Ireland, almost all of which aren’t girl bands of the sugary, manufactured, pop variety. Would you say

that it’s about time and wonder why it almost took this long for it to happen?

In my experience, it often happens unintentionally.

Creative projects tend to begin when friends with common dreams get together to start something. It

can depend on who your circle of friends are and also who shares your outlook, so I can understand why

a group of girls might connect with each other and feel comfortable enough to start a band. It’s great to see more all-female bands cropping up, the more the

merrier! That’s not to say that guys aren’t welcome to the party. We’re not about exclusion at all, the

combination of mostly girls and one guy works well

for us and that’s down to the blend of personalities over gender. The important thing is that we have fun

together and support others who want to do the same.

You’ve played Castlepalooza for the last couple of years. Would you say it’s one of your favourite festivals around?

We played Castlepalooza for the second time this summer and had such a wonderful experience, it’s

definitely one of our favourites to play. There’s a lot to be said for small festivals, there’s a real sense of community and we love the DIY ethos - everyone

pitching in and making things happen for themselves.

We also played Wales Goes Pop festival last spring on

our first mini-tour of the UK. That was really magical.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

someone’s letterbox and running like hell. Mariposa

is named after a desert flower and is also the Spanish for butterfly. Aoife wrote it about trying to be a better

person and abandoning the follies of the past for the love of a good man. We singles were recorded with Ben McAuley in Start Together Studios in Belfast and Mark Chester in The Pop Inn in Dublin and

mastered by Fergal Davis. The recording process was really relaxed and enjoyable and hopefully that will come through on the recordings.

Where can we pick up a copy of your single and when and where can we see you guys live?

Our debut double A-side single ‘All My Life/

Mariposa’ is out on CD and digital download from

Road Movie Records which is out now. We have lots of fun surprises , so stay tuned!

It’s set in an old church, so the ceilings were really

we’re really excited to be recording and releasing

in front of the stage. There was such an incredible

about how we want the new songs to sound. The new

high and the crowd sat in church pews and danced atmosphere, we saw so many inspiring bands and

made a lot of friends. We can’t wait to get back to the UK next year.

You already have a 3 song demo out and have made some contributions to compilation albums on Popical Island and Dutch label Candy Twist

Records, and you have been recording your debut

single which is out now. Tell me about writing and

recording the single and the process of putting it together…

The response to the demos and the albums we contributed to has been really overwhelming but

music on our own terms. We’ve had time to think

Article by: Olivia Chau

Photography by: Sean Conroy

singles ‘All My Life/Mariposa’ still have the essence of our earlier songs but we’ve expanded the sound

and added a little more polish. I think the theme that

ties all the Cave Ghosts songs together is honesty.

I always loved the Hemingway quote, “Write hard and clear about what hurts”. It really rings true with

these new songs. There’s a real sense of melancholy

and longing but it’s delivered in this happy pop song format which harks back to the old 60s classics. ‘All

My Life’ is about wearing your heart on your sleeve.

I’ve always been a hopeless romantic and writing songs has been the perfect catharsis for me. I see

this song as writing a love letter, slipping it through

23

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

1 2 g igs of

Christmas

Christmas is a time of celebration, entertainment and enjoyment. What better way to escape the winter cold than to attend an array of fantastic concerts being held over the Christmas period around Limerick city and county. We have compiled a list of the 12 best gigs not to be missed this Christmas season.

The Priests 8th December – University Concert Hall - 8pm

Fathers Martin O’Hagan, Eugene O’Hagan and David Delargy have sold one three million albums and play concerts to hoards of crowd across Europe

and USA each year. They are an act not to be missed at the University Concert Hall.

Tickets: €35 / Conc. €32.50 Available Online at www.uch.ie

Eimear Quinn 10th December – The Lime Tree Theatre - 8pm

Eimear Quinn’s voice first captured the nation when she won The Eurovision Song Contest in 1996. Since

then she has been entertaining audiences across the country. Eimear will be bringing her own special rendition of Christmas classics to The Lime Tree Theatre.

Tickets €20 Available from The Lime Tree Theatre Box Office & Online at www.limetreetheatre.ie

Jerry Fish & The Electronic Side Show featuring The Strypes 10th December - Dolans Warehouse - 8pm

For the first time ever, The Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow

arrives in Limerick. A taste of electric picnics most stunning stage, Jerry Fish brings a stellar line-up of

artists to perform. The Strypes will perform their only Irish date this side of Christmas and are joined by Limericks own Paddy Dennehy.

Tickets €20 Available online at Dolans.ie or at Dolan’s Box Office

The Alvin Purple Experience

is a fantastic opportunity to see a world-stage show in

11th December – KASBAH Social Club – 9:30pm

at 0879944245

Self proclaimed as being The Best Noizy Glam Rock Party Band in the World The Alvin Purple Experience take their highly anticipated live show to the KASBAH Social Club. - SOLD OUT

Dolerentos 12th December - The Lime Tree Theatre - 8pm

Since their formation in 2005 Dolerentos have

established themselves as being one of Ireland’s top alternative rock bands. The Lime Tree Theatre is pleased to host Dolerentos as part of their Home Again acoustic tour.

Tickets €20 Available from The Lime Tree Theatre Box Office & Online at www.limetreetheatre.ie

Randalf & The Crokers 12th December – Charlie Malones

Randalf & The Crokers have been together since

late 2011 and have spent the last few years writing, recording and playing live shows. The band has played

locally in various Limerick venues and will be playing in Charlie Malones as part of their EP tour.

Free Admission

High Kings Christmas Concert 17th December – Glin Church - 8pm

The High Kings have released three studio albums, two live albums and two live dvds, with each album

having gained fantastic sales gaining the band a top place on the worldwide Billboard music chart. Having

toured around the world this concert in Glin church

24

an intimate setting.

Tickets available from local shops or contact Siobhan

Irish Chamber Orchestra 17th December – St. Mary’s Cathedral - 8pm

The Irish Chamber Orchestra has gained a reputation

as a fresh and vibrant force in both the Irish and

International music scene. Under Katherine Hunka‘s

leadership, the Irish Chamber Orchestra offers a richly diverse concert tour around Ireland. The Irish Chamber Orchestra will be performing their fantastic

show titled ‘A Scandinavian Christmas’ in the idyllic setting of St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Tickets available online at www.irishchamberorchestra. com

Paddy Casey 19th December – Upstairs at Dolans – 8pm

After a five year hiatus Paddy Casey has made a

return to the Irish music scene and is better than ever.

Following the release of his latest album ‘The Secret Of Life’ Paddy embarked upon a nationwide tour

playing in towns and cities across the country. Paddy’s long awaited return to Limerick will take place on Saturday December 19th.

Tickets €20 Available at Dolans.ie or at Dolan’s Bar

Ash 19th December – Dolans Warehouse - 8pm

Since the bands formation in 1992 ASH have

become seasoned professionals in the Irish and International music scene. With six studio albums in

the bands repertoire after twenty three years in the music industry is it safe to say that ASH know how to

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Robert C Kelly and University Concert Hall present

put an entertaining show after playing shows across the globe, as well as sharing a stage with Weezer in

the US. This is certain to be a great night for any alternative rock fan.

Tickets €22 Available online at Dolans.ie or at Dolan’s Box Office

Walking on Cars 20th December – Live At The Big Top - 7pm

Walking on Cars is Ireland’s best kept secret on the

music scene right now. Hailing from the coastal town of Dingle Walking on Cars have been going from strength to strength in recent years selling out shows

all over Ireland and the UK. With an array of charttopping singles behind them and a highly anticipated

debut album in the making Walking on Cars are certain to the breakout act of 2016. Walking on Cars

will be playing their biggest headline show to date in Limerick at Live At The Big Top, Cornmarket Row this Christmas.

Tickets €24.90 Available online at ticketmaster.ie

Kíla December 30th – Dolans Warehouse - 8pm

With a career that spans over twenty years Kíla have solidified themselves as one of Ireland’s most successful Irish folk bands. Kíla have an outstanding on stage presence with the band being described as ‘softly spoken offstage and complete lunatics on it.’

Tickets €18 Available online at Dolans.ie

Written & Directed by Karl Harpur Choreographed by Belinda Murphy

University Concert Hall, Limerick 16th December – 3rd January 2016 Tickets from €17!

Now Booking: 061 331549 / www.uch.ie MEDIA PARTNERS

25

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

dj p r ofi le Name: SHAQ

Preferred weapons of choice?

From: Limerick City.

CDJ 2000’s, a Pioneer DJM 900 mixer & a Pioneer

Age: 40 years young.

Day Job: Studying Music Technology, Sound Production & Event Management at L.C.F.E. How long have you been a DJ? 20 years approx.

What first got you interested?

I first started Clubbing around the age of 18. Proper

Clubbing. I remember watching the DJ spin at this Club and being totally mesmerized by what was

Normally my weapons of choice would be 2 Pioneer RMX 1000 effects unit.

Where have you gigged?

I am currently a Resident at SoundLounge here in

Limerick but have also played at the Ministry of

Sound (London), Pacha (London), EGG (London), Oxegen (Ire), Aquaphonic Festival (Prague), GAS (Sydney), Pharmacy (Melbourne), various Clubs here in Ireland.

going on. Transitioning from one turntable to the

Where can we catch you next?

I was hooked more or less straight away. Needed to

The Library. We will be announcing our Xmas Party

other. Watching the crowd respond to each mix. Ya learn how to do this. There was no turning back from that point.

Your first gig?

My first gig was when I played at a friend’s Birthday

party at the legendary McKnight’s Bar in Limerick City. My first experience playing in an actual Club

was supporting John Digweed in the Gallery back in ’96.

Type of music you play?

I play a wide variety of genres. From melodic deep house to tech house with elements of techno. It might

sound like a cliché but if it sounds good and I think

it will pack a punch on the dancefloor – then it’s in the bag.

26

You can catch me every month at SoundLounge @ date very soon which I’m really excited about. I’m also

spinning at the Underbelly @ The Blind Pig on Dec 8th with more dates to be announced in the run up

to the Christmas/New Year period. Exciting times ahead… Roll on 2016!

Article by: Olivia Chau

Photograph by: Beata Pietras

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

27

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Limerick panto Season

Sleeping Beauty Every year across the nation the pantomime people

come out to play. Limerick is a hot house for spectacular performances and the Panto in UCH has earned a name

far and wide amongst audiences of all ages shapes and sizes. These pictures may be an indication to the madness that will be provided at both the UCH performance of

Sleeping Beauty and the Limerick Panto Society’s (LPS)

production of Goldilocks the Circus Panto. Somehow, between the mayhem and the flurry I managed to

wrangle both producers into sparing some time to enable us to envision how things work through their eyes.

Be sure to book your tickets early this Christmas and don’t forget your Kleenex to wipe away those joyful tears!

Wednesday 16th December- 3rd January 2016 Robert Kelly, Producer of Sleeping Beauty, opened

a window into the world of production and pantomime…

How long have you been producing for? Have you produced other productions?

I have been producing theatre for over thirty years, and have produced hundreds of shows in that time.

Do you have any on-stage role in Sleeping Beauty?

I auditioned for Prince, but it seems a small fat middle

aged man with a bad attitude wasn’t what the part called for.

I guess that wouldn’t be fitting. What do you most enjoy about producing?

28

Naturally lots of elements but one thing always

gets me. There is a moment on each opening night

where an audience finally sees the culmination of everyone’s hard work. Even when the production

process is difficult or stressful, it is in that moment I am reminded why I do this job.

How does your team deal with the unpredictability of working from audience reactions?

We have a great cast, with years of experience, who thrive off the reactions of their audience. The unpredictability is something I think they enjoy.

What is your favourite thing about Panto season?

I started by producing variety shows full of talented

singers and dancers, my career has now gone in

a different direction, so I enjoy getting back to the comedy, the singing and dancing. It really brightens the days when the weather is so dark and miserable too.

What is your most dreaded factor of the Panto experience, if any?

That no-one will come!

Oh Janey! Well I doubt that will happen as I have

heard of people with tickets from much further afield than Limerick! Do you have any surprises in store for the audiences this year?

That’s great, news like that will take the fear away! ...We always have a few tricks up our sleeve, but I

wouldn’t want to ruin the magic for anyone by telling you we have a flying car.

Do you partake in the casting process? Do you have any ‘household names’ involved this year?

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Absolutely. I don’t cast anyone I haven’t met. Before

You run a tight ship so, which always brings great

What has been your own funniest experience with

a room with me that I may look them in the eyes

is it really? What about the teenagers who are in

you laugh until you cry?

anyone is hired for the first time they must be in

and determine what level of madness I am dealing with. And also to make sure they have something

extra special to bring to the best panto in Ireland.

This year we have Keith Duffy, Richie Hayes, George

McMahon, Hilda Fay, Leanne Moore, Myles Breen, and Richard Lynch.

results. I often hear the line ‘for all the family’, but

denial about leaving the house to hang out with their parents and younger siblings, will there be gags there they’ll appreciate?

Our writer, Karl Harpur, prides himself in writing

Panto, a memory you will always cherish and make There was a scene in our production of Aladdin, where

two of our cast re-enacted a bit from a D’Unbelievables sketch. Every time I think of it I laugh.

panto scripts that will make every child laugh, from the age of 3 to 103.

29

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Goldilocks Limerick Panto Society, Lime Tree Theatre

Sunday 27th December 2015 – Sunday 3rd January 2016

Having nabbed one director I was delighted to

see how another Panto directors’ experience may

differ. Tony Cusack, director and producer of LPSs’ Goldilocks the Circus Panto took the time to talk to TLM.

How long have you been directing for? Have you directed other productions?

I have been directing shows for over 30 years – I am a founder member of the Limerick Panto Society and I have directed many musicals and variety shows and

have been involved with many societies, groups and schools in the Mid-West area. Recently I directed We

Will Rock You, the Queen musical, with Ard Scoil Rís, and I directed the first amateur production of

Pigtown, the acclaimed play by Mike Finn, which tells the story of Limerick through the 20th century.

What do you most enjoy about directing?

I really enjoy the planning stages of the production

– deciding on what is the best show to do, getting the production team together working through all

the various elements script, sets, props, choreography, venue, casting etc.

When we are doing the Panto we are generally

starting with a blank canvass – we decide what show

we are doing - once the decision is made script writer John Finn will either re-vamp an existing script or write an original one.

30

How do you deal with the unpredictability of working from audience reactions? As director are

you nervous or trusting (or both) of the characters/ actors?

There is an old adage in theatre that every audience is different and I think this is very true. When I am

backstage I often here the cast saying things like

“They are a Warm Audience tonight” or sometimes

“They are a Hard Audience” – the important thing

from my point of view is that the cast and crew retain

the standards that I set for them and that we have a consistency of performance. I don’t really get nervous just excited to see all the work coming together and you have to trust your cast and crew to deliver.

What is your favourite thing about Panto season?

My favourite thing about the Panto is meeting old

friends and new. We have a loyal following in the Mid-West and many people that attended our shows

as children are now coming back with their children.

In terms of the society itself it is like a reunion each

year as all the members get together to deliver the

Production. We remember old friends that may be no longer with us – we discuss previous productions and we share funny stories and memories - we basically catch up with each other’s lives.

What is your most dreaded factor of the Panto experience, if any?

I don’t have a dreaded factor except maybe the

weather – as we perform in December and January there is always a risk of poor weather affecting the

attendances. In recent years to reduce the risk we have scheduled more matinee performances as people are more inclined to travel in daylight hours.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

We are very fortunate to have Emma O’Driscoll

on board again this year playing the title role of Goldilocks – Emma is a talented young lady and a wonderful ambassador for Limerick.

We have 10 lead performers in the show and a chorus

of 50 young people from the Limerick area. We also

have children’s chorus numbers which are provided

by Spotlight Stage School and Expressive Arts on

alternate shows - all performing with a live orchestra.

We often hear the line ‘for all the family’, but is

it really? What about the sceptical teenagers for example?

Advertising slogans are easy to come up with but hard

to live up to. I would like to think that the Panto is for all the family – there are jokes for the children obviously but there are also jokes that are above the heads of the younger members of the audience aimed

specifically at the adults and slightly older children.

We incorporate songs from the charts in to the production and the music generally goes down well with all age groups.

Articles by: Rebecca Egan

Do you have any surprises in store for the audiences

How do you deal with the casting process? Do you

We always have surprises - this year as the setting

Casting is always difficult – the talent in Limerick

this year?

is a Circus it means that we can provide plenty of

colour and as well as the usual Panto elements of audience participation we will endeavour to create a

fun atmosphere as people enter the venue. Clowns will greet the children as they arrive and there will be

some face painting and other fun elements in order to improve the experience of the patrons.

Photography by: Eoghan Lyons

have any ‘big names’ involved this year?

is endless and we have some fantastic singers and

performers in the Society. There are never enough parts to go round and of course there are specialist

roles such as the Panto Dame and in that regard we are well served. Our Dame is Tim Cusack and Tim

has a unique ability to relate to both the younger members of the audience and the not so young.

31

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

ch r istma s tv How well do you know Christmas TV? Tis the season to be jolly, to be merry, and to live up to the true spirit of Christmas.

Now, what that means these days is up for debate, but for a good few of us, the reality of Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day is full of reheated turkey and Cadbury’s Roses wrappers strewn all over the living room, as we squash together on the sofa with our extended family in front of the gogglebox. To keep everyone’s festive mood alive, TV providers usually grace us with a few classic goodies over the 10 odd days of celebrations.

We all know the old reliables, those films and shows which are guaranteed to get their yearly outing over Christmas. We have watched them all, over and over.

But how much do you really know about them? Here are some perhaps less commonly known facts about what went on behind the scenes of these well-worn classics so you can impress your family with some trivia…

The Wizard of Oz Based on a novel written by American author Frank Baum at the dawn of the century, The Wizard of Oz is a mix of musical-comedy-fantasy-drama fare following the adventures of young girl Dorothy Gale ( Judy Garland) and her trusty pet dog, Toto, after they are both magically transported to the land of Oz by a freak tornado.

The Wizard of Oz is full of magic and charm, and catapulted Judy Garland to worldwide stardom.

The movie is also chock-full of curiosities; Toto, for instance, though specifically mentioned to be a male dog in the novel, is portrayed on screen by a female Cairn Terrier named Terry. And though Terry featured in 16 movies throughout its career, The Wizard of Oz was actually Terry’s one and only credited role. She made good money for it too: according to official figures, Terry got paid $125 per week!

Margaret Hamilton’s performance as the Wicked Witch of the West was so powerful that most of her scenes had to be edited or cut altogether, as they were deemed to be too terrifying. And Hamilton’s role in the movie almost ended in tragedy when a botched special effect landed her in hospital with severe burns.

The Wizard of Oz cost $2,777,000, a truly monumental amount of money for the time (remember, this was back in 1939!). On release however, and despite the mostly positive reviews, it only earned about $3m. It wasn’t an easy ride for the actors, either. Most would work a gruelling six days a week schedule, often being

32

requested to be on set at 4 or 5 in the morning for their makeup and costume sessions, and ending their work day at 7 or 8 in the evening most days.

Miracle on 34th Street Some might say this takes the crown as the quintessential Christmas movie. Though multiple versions of this film exist (four, to be precise, plus a Broadway musical), most prefer the original 1947 film, with Ireland’s own Maureen O’Hara in the lead role and a very young Natalie Wood featuring prominently as little Susan Walker. Miracle... won three Academy Awards (Best Screenplay, Best Original Story, and Best Supporting, Actor Edmund Gwenn in the role of Kris Kringle). Also, Natalie Wood was working on another movie while shooting. Sometimes she would work on set for Miracle... during the morning and then travel to the set of The Ghost and Ms. Muir for an afternoon shoot. Miracle... was shot on location after closing time at the real Macy’s store in Herald Square in New York. The crew worked through the night to avoid disrupting the store’s daytime business.

On the evening the film premiered, Macy’s closed early to allow its employees to watch the movie.

In 1985, the original footage was re-mastered and colourised, causing fury among film purists. But whether in colour or in black and white, Miracle... remains a must see for people of all ages.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Tim Burton fans are usually not disappointed over the Christmas period. The cult favourite The Nightmare before Christmas normally shows up once or twice every year, and what a deserving classic it is.

According to Burton, he got the inspiration to create the movie after he saw Halloween merchandise being replaced by Christmas products. It took 100 people

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

working together over almost three years to complete the movie, which features 12 stop motion moves for every second of the film.

Though Burton himself did not get to direct it (he was busy filming ‘Batman Returns’), ‘Nightmare...’ was very successful. And it took all of Burton’s might to convince Disney not to do a sequel, as he felt the film had a kind of purity in it which might get spoilt by follow up movies of perhaps lesser quality.

A Christmassy Ted To end this piece on a homegrown note, Irish TV would be a very dull place indeed, were it not for the wonderfully and quintessentially Irish Father Ted. And of course, the series’ Christmas special, ‘A Christmassy Ted’, is sure to put an appearance at some point.

Now, Father Ted is one of those series that polarises audiences. Fortunately, most Irish people do love the adventures (or in this instance, misadventures) or Father Ted Crilly and Father Dougal McGuire. A Christmassy Ted is notable for its length; at almost 55 minutes, it’s more than double in length to any of the regular episodes. And, as diehard fans surely know, this episode’s most memorable scene, the group of priests lost in the lingerie department, was shot inside the actual lingerie section in the Ennis branch of Dunnes Stores.

I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas in front of the TV. Article by: Fernando Sanchez

27th Dec 2015 ~ 3rd Jan 2016 SHOW TIMES 12 Noon, 4.00pm & 7.30pm Group Rates:From €15

BOOKING: 061 774 774 limetreetheatre.ie Charity Night In Aid of:

33

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Health & Wellbeing A Happy, Healthy Christmas Celebration season is here, joy and sparkle are all around us, and tasty treats and sweets dominate

TV adverts and dining room tables everywhere. It’s

the one time of year we are all entitled to indulge in a few of our favourite things, but it’s important to not get carried away and ruin that sense of truly

treating ourselves. Yes it’s cold outside and we all like to be cosy by the fire sipping on hot chocolate with marshmallows, or better yet feasting on some

gorgeous Christmas dessert. But hold on, it’s not Christmas yet!

No one wants to be a Christmas killjoy, but a too lengthy slip into bad habits could lead to even

worse, unhealthy attempts to redress this in the New

Year. The danger is being tempted towards the bad decision of hard dieting after/before Christmas as

some kind of punishment or attempt to rebalance.

Dieting shouldn’t be on your mind at all as it will

disturb your metabolic rate and it will take much longer to finally heal your body. Again, the only way

to maintain healthy weight is to adapt and maintain

a healthy lifestyle. It is possible to enjoy the festivities without going off course on your health goals. By

adapting long term every day healthy habits, you

are not limiting out food groups. By controlling the food intake and burning off calories daily, especially extra calories from those deliciously naughty foodie

goodies, you can have the best of both worlds. Treat, don’t binge. Maintain, don’t crash diet.

The whole reason behind Christmas celebration is to be with loved ones and to enjoy their company, while

sharing food that tastes good together. But so often

we tend to rush through days of buying and eating

34

food unconsciously, working way too much to get

feel and enjoy the pleasure of sensational feast at

enough, which can lead to bad health effects. Try to

try it keep up with the healthy lifestyle.

ready for the Christmas break and not exercising

keep focus on your goal. No it won’t be okay to give

Christmas. That would be excellent achievement, so

in to bad habits, as you will end up with regrets, bad

Once you stay conscious and in control of everything

Merry Christmas. It takes less time to gain fat weight

really appreciate all the things you love. Clear your

mood and probably fat gain, not the recipe for a very

then to lose it, so if you start saying to yourself that

it’s okay to have a “binge” at the weekend you must remember that you will have to pay a price for it.

What about that gym membership, have you been “lacking time” to attend or rescheduled training session? December can be very hectic with people

rushing after material gifts and making time to visit

friends and relatives, it can be very stressful. The best way to reduce stress is doing some exercise and maintaining your training sessions. Whether you are a morning person or evening; think about maintenance of your healthy lifestyle habits. Don’t drop out from

your fitness class /gym sessions / workouts because of the Christmas season. If you’re struggling to stick to

your usual gym routine, change it up, and introduce

some workouts that will fit around your Christmas activities. For example, you could invite your friends

for a crisp winter morning park run and warm up in a café afterwards, as an alternative festive gathering.

Make a promise to yourself that you will avoid a lengthy binge on treats and sweets because in return

you will be able to enjoy the actual meaning of this celebration. Clear your body and get rid of unhealthy

habits (at least until Christmas Eve), maintain and be physically active. Trust me, your body, mind and

spirit will really thank you for it. Imagine your ideal Christmas dinner, with your loved ones where you

can say that you are proud of yourself because you have done your best to avoid all the temptation, have

given up on your naughty habits, just so you can really

you do and distance yourself from bad habits, you will mind and body with right choices, don’t surrender for temptations. And always challenge, but never punish yourself.

Reward is coming for all your good effort. Merry Christmas!

Article by: Sintija Zorge

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

t e k r a M k il M e h T @ s Christmas @ The Milk Market a Christm Colouring Competition

Choirs Competition

Best Dressed Stall

Christmas Dates

Select Christmas Markets from the 4th Dec with a full week of markets 17th to 24th.

Further info at www.milkmarketlimerick.ie It will feature up to 60 stalls & shops.

All packed with a wide range of artisan food, craft & gift possibilities, Christmas crafts & gifts, quality festive & speciality foods, collectables, bric-a-brac, toys, books, fashions, seasonal decorations & more!

35

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

mental health Sarah Jane Hennelly Sarah Jane Hennelly, Social Democrat candidate for

Limerick. has set up an initiative called Our Mental

Health to bring awareness to the issue around Limerick.

This is the first initiative of its kind where a city comes

together to create effective and constructive solutions to a mental health crisis.

What inspired you to set up this initiative?

I have a background in mental health, working in community based organisations and having done

research in the field. Being involved in politics myself

I strongly feel that there are a lot of issues and voices not being heard in Government, mental health being one of those issues. I am now running in the general

election for the Social Democrats, because we are

a new party we are able to push forward our own agendas and at the top of mine would be mental health

and I plan on taking the lead on policy in that area.

All of those reasons together is why I decided to set up the initiative, again coupled with the fact I believe that mental health is not discussed nearly enough in

politics. Mental health is all encompassing; it affects every aspect of your life and is vitally important for every individual.

Do you think the people of Limerick are open to speaking about mental health?

I have gone to conferences about mental health across

the country, and Limerick is the most honest city in

terms of speaking about personal mental health issues.

Limerick is going through a crisis; we have a shortage

of acute services & crisis services. The special thing

about Limerick is that communities have driven the city and county to be what it is. The community

and voluntary groups are doing as much as they can.

36

Limerick has lead in so many other ways, tackling issues of crime and anti-social behaviour and has

dealt with these issues in our own unique way. We

are now leading by example on a national scale, so why can’t we do this with the issue of mental health?

We are the first city to do something like this, where

you bring every group together in a forum where we can speak openly. We have many different mediums

that we hope we can make a difference through, whether that is by involvement with the political side

or through the empowerment of volunteering. I think

Limerick both needs and deserves this initiative and

is definitely in a position to take the reins on this issue.

Like you said, Limerick city is going through a crisis

period with high rates of suicide and self-harm, what do you think are some of the factors leading to this?

You can never say what definitively leads to these

issues. You can speak to so many people: family members, health-care professionals etc. and never

find an answer. From my own personal perspective, having a background in mental health research we

looked at how your physical environment affects your physical and mental well being, even your aesthetic

environment can take a toll: for example: if you are living in an estate with a burned out house, or an

area with no green area for children to play, simple

things like that can have an impact. To highlight a more specific issue: vacant shops and building around

Limerick city have an impact. Another thing that can

jeopardise mental health is your ability to socially

engage. Something that jumps out at me, being 27, is the fact that we have had three hundred thousand

young people leave the country in the past five years, this has a huge effect on young people’s view of the

country. Hope is also very central to people who find themselves in a state of despair, when you have nobody

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

to engage with and no formidable employment it is difficult to maintain a sense of hope.

There have been quite a lot of highlighted cases of

poor mental health among the elderly, what are your

service would be readily at their disposal. The services currently available in Limerick are fantastic but are unfortunately understaffed and underfunded.

thoughts on this?

For more information on the initiative search “Our

much at our first open meeting. A big issue with the

health strategy for Limerick city and county” on

The topic of elderly people and loneliness came up so

older generation and loneliness is that in their time people did not speak openly about mental health, it

simply wasn’t a done thing, so there is a much bigger need for the elderly to be able to identify when they

Mental Health - A chance to create our own mental Facebook.

Article by: Cornelia O’Riordan

are going through a mental health crisis. Another

major theme at the first initiative meeting was that people simply did not realise when they were falling

into poor mental health. People need to take time

to sit and think about what is going on in their lives and what is going on around them; people need to be

more conscious of how they feel day to day. Having

brought this point to attention concerning the elderly

many people have suggested connecting with the church on the matter. For many elderly people going

to church would be the focal point of their social

engagement, maybe it is time to connect with the church and formulate a system to help the elderly people of Limerick.

Do you think that there are enough mental health

services around Limerick, are they well funded and maintained?

First of all I believe that there is a total lack of

awareness about mental health and the available services around Limerick. People find it very difficult to know who to speak to when they are feeling low; a

simple solution to this would be to set up a centralised database. By using the database someone would just

need to google search ‘mental health services Limerick’ and the details of every available and appropriate

37

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

l imeri ck cha r i ty

A time for giving The Christmas season is a time for the giving and receiving of gifts to family and loved ones, but also

to reflect on our lives and think about what we can

provide to the wider world. There are many charities and organisations around Limerick city and county that do fantastic work all year round and should

be remembered and included in the giving spirit

of Christmas time. We have profiled a few very important and worthy causes in need of extra support this Christmas.

Console – The National Suicide Charity Console aims to meet the needs of those who come

to them for support. Some people require advice, guidance or information. Others may need a listening

ear, in person, or on the phone. Some need the support

of face-to-face counselling. Whatever the need, contact the Console helpline, or your nearest Console Centre to discuss how we can best help. Console offer

an array of very important and life-saving services

such as: a 14 hour suicide helpline, individual and family counselling services, support groups, suicide bereavement liaison services, training services and public awareness initiatives.

Console says: ‘’We seek to respond to the spiritual,

emotional and psychological needs of our clients.

Our mission is to provide professional therapeutic

counselling, support and helpline services to people in suicidal crisis and to those bereaved through suicide with respect, dignity and compassion.’’

Console’s Limerick offices are located at 114 The Grange, Raheen.

To donate text HELP to 51444 or visit www.console.ie

38

Cliona’s Foundation Cliona’s Foundation is a unique charity in Ireland that actually provides financial funding to families to help

alleviate the financial costs incurred while looking

after a sick child. The simple things can be hugely

costly for families in these situations e.g. car parking, accommodation, lunch/evening meals, travel costs etc.

Cliona’s Foundation was founded in 2007 after

Cliona, the daughter of Terry and Brendan Ring died as a result of an inoperable brain tumour. Cliona was diagnosed in 1998 and after undergoing almost 16

months of chemotherapy, she went on to live a very full and terrific quality of life until her death in December 2006. Throughout the intervening years between 1998 and 2006, while Cliona attended medical

appointments and sometimes had short hospital visits, the Ring Family encountered numerous families struggling to cope with the everyday non-medical expenses incurred while parents look after their sick child. More often than not there are other children at

home being looked after by family and friends. This situation can be quite stressful for everybody.

The charity says: ‘’We here at Cliona’s Foundation

know the difference it makes to a family when they

contact us to say how comforting it is to know that somebody somewhere is thinking about them and has their best interests at heart.’’

Perhaps you would like to hold a fundraiser or may know a family who are struggling financially as a result of having a sick a result of having a sick child.

To donate text CLIONA to 50300 or visit www. clionasfoundation.ie

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Le Chéile Youth Mentoring Project Le Chéile was established in 2005 to provide a mentoring service to children and young people aged

12-18 years engaged in Young Persons Probation. It was set up to meet the needs of the Mentor (Family support) Order under the requirements of the Children Act 2001.

Le Chéile has since expanded to encompass a Parent

Mentoring service for parents of young people who are involved with YPP. Le Chéile also supports families by funding and running the Strengthening Families Programme on behalf of the Probation Service.

The charity says: “Our mentoring project is a

community based volunteer led service, which works

with young people who have offended. Volunteers come from all walks of life, and meet with s young

person once a week. Together they work on small goals, try new activities and give support to that young

person in their community. Volunteering is flexible

and can take place at the weekend or during the week.

For young people, mmentoring is proven to have positive effects on family relationships, developing

hobbies and interests, attitudes to community, education and training – all of which decrease the risk of offending.

Le Chéile also provides a Restorative Justice project in Limerick that is the first in Ireland to work solely

with young people. Restorative Justice works with

people who have been affected by crime (offenders, victims, families and communities) to repair the harm caused.

We use a number of different approaches tailormade to the needs of the young person and the victims. Restorative Justice Volunteers support

the work of the Victim Impact Panel, by acting as

proxy victims, sharing the effect of offending on

of good quality clothing and many other items for

recent evaluation revealing that for every €1 invested,

are in the process of expanding our facilities in The

a victim. The project has seen great results with a

€3 is returned, with significant benefits for victims, communities, families as well as young people.”

Volunteering with Le Chéile is a great way to get

involved in your community, and support a young person or parent. For more information visit www. lecheile.ie or email volunteer@lecheile.ie

Limerick Animal Welfare Limerick Animal Welfare rescue and re-home dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and many other animals when they find themselves homeless through no fault of their own.

LAW says: The animals remain in our care until we

find the right homes for them. Animals for re-homing are cared for at our Field of Dreams Sanctuary in

Kilfinane. Visitors are welcome Monday to Saturday, 11am to 3pm and Sunday 12pm to 3pm. We also

have two shops in Limerick City. Our shops are on

Parnell Street & William St, and are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. The shop welcomes offers

sale, which in turn helps to fund our Sanctuary. We Field of Dreams Sanctuary, Kilfinane, so that we can

help even more animals. Come and visit us sometime.

Take a stroll through our beautiful walks which wind

through the grounds. You will see our rescue ponies, goats and pigs chickens and rabbits. We also welcome

educational school visits which can be arranged by ringing the sanctuary to pre book.”

If you would like to volunteer your services, LAW would love to hear from you, whether you just want to walk a dog or help in the kennels or general maintenance.

If you would like to help us with fund raising call or email with your name address and contact number which will be kept on file.

063 91110

Email: lawsanctuary@gmail.com www.limerickanimalwelfare.ie

Article by: Cornelia O’Riordan

39

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Poetry from s tanza s

Green

by Julian Santiago The poets all teeming with feeling

Call me ugly

What gives them the right!

I don’t care, I will slither by your ankles

To carry more burdens

While you jump

To taste always crystals of truth.

I will strike at your heel

I am filled with bitterness

Inside you.

Bursting at the fangs

I am bitter,

Deep in tender flesh

Because I am weak

And because I hate

And cannot choke you.

Who feel too much

And I cannot silence you,

Ethereal creatures

Call me hideous, that is fine.

What gives a poet the right to feel more than me,

While you dance

To wear away

In the ecstasy of your vowels

Like a cobra full of venom

Stanzas takes place monthly in Hook and

Ladder, Sarsfield St at 7pm. The group aims to encourage and develop new and emerging writers. The next event takes place on January

22nd and is themed “Hangover” – there will be

guest poets, a reading from Stanzas books, and a large, inclusive open mic section.

Because I crave to sink them

I am always bitter

Only because I can

Because I am thin

Warm-blooded curs

I am frail, and quiet,

Who bask in the heat of their own life.

So I bite.

I am cold, always cold

I live to corrupt

I’d rather never feel the sun again

On your clean floors

The blood of the poet.

A shadow and drown

But I’d rather be cold and unfeeling,

To leave my slime

If I could have the pleasure to freeze

To make your world

I would willing linger in the frost

Your dreams.

Than endure the pastel smell

And I will pass

Congealed in my own agony Of a chipper songbird.

Till one day

You see, I am like a snake

Dry in the sun,

Those that shine the brightest,

Of a venomous nobody

Burn my dark sight,

He bit himself.

All to introduce a little gloom

Because he found

My bony carcass,

In that only thermally I see.

Will tell the tale

Whose reds and pinks

That died because

Those, I bite,

Bit himself,

A little ugliness,

No one else to bite.

To numb them from their hearts.

40

And let my venom course

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

v i s u ali si ng l imerick: Piquant Media Piquant Media are one of those Limerick success stories

that comes out of loving, living and breathing everything about our fine city. Busy as they must be, as they continue

to help shape the identity of Limerick2020, we were lucky

enough to chat to the team – Conor, Roisin, Oliver and

Kevin, to find out how they go about creating an identity that encapsulates the complexities and multiplicities of Limerick City.

The Piquant team is small, and very obviously close

knit, so it’s little surprise to learn that they all went to college together. “We were all studying graphic

design, with the exception of Roisin. Then we all went on to do our own things, and all of us moved independently to Dublin.” Both Oliver and Kevin worked with agencies, with Oliver spending time in

Toronto and Melbourne before eventually moving back to Limerick. Roisin spent 5 years working at

RTE as a director and producer, before answering the call to go home. Conor, who is the Creative Director

of the company, decided Limerick was the place he wanted to set up his own business, which became Piquant Media.

It seems like they were all destined to join forces.

What is it like to be part of a team that is so well aligned? “There’s a lot of coffee involved!” Roisin

chuckles. “And deciding whose turn it is to make it, which often falls to Kevin because he’s the best at it.”

“We have a communal space, we eat lunch together.

We keep things pretty flexible, we don’t have set office hours, which often means we end up being here all

the time! When it comes to dividing up the work and deciding who is best placed to take the lead on

work that comes in, we’re pretty good at being able to assess whose strengths it will play to as we know

how each other works so well. And we’re honest with

one another too, so if something perhaps isn’t working

42

quite as expected we can come in and say ‘maybe it’s

worthwhile projects you can really gel with, and we

we also have great respect for each other’s opinions,

with passionate people who we can gel with and

time for a rethink.’ We respect each other’s talents, and so even though it’s not always what you might want

to hear you always appreciate being able to give and receive that feedback.”

Even if you don’t know the Piquant name, you certainly know their work. They are responsible for some truly iconic imagery and videos that really get to

the heart of the city and the organisations they work with. Do the team have a particular favourite project they have worked on?

One they agree on is The Limerick Spring. “That’s one we keep coming back to, and got a really strong

response. The Limerick Spring is a political festival

that has been running for the last two years and will be returning in 2016. People see it and love it, and they really connect with it, as do we, it’s something

we really believe in and had a good time with, and

that’s what it’s all about. We actively seek out those

get just that. It’s so important to us to be able to work develop a strong relationship with a clear vision.”

Of course we couldn’t talk about favourite projects

without immediately moving on to Limerick2020.

The team were tasked with coming up with the visual

identity of the bid, as well as creating videos and other

visuals to encapsulate why Limerick is deserving of the European Capital of Culture title. Not a small

ask, then? “It’s a huge challenge! The thing about the

identity of the bid, and brand identities in general, is that they aren’t static, they are evolving and changing as what they represent evolves and changes. Now we are at the stage where the city has been shortlisted, it’s

time to look again and see where it can go next. It’s a

challenge but such a great and rewarding opportunity.”

As people who believed in Limerick enough to go

against the grain of moving away from home and actively making the decisions to keep their work and lives here, how have they seen attitudes and views of the city change over recent years?

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

“Definitely, there’s a real sense of belief in Limerick

“There is a sense of emerging from a darker place, a

the idea from the start, to keep the core elements so

somewhere very exciting. And as we realise that,

of recession, people see what’s going on here, more

everything around that to be fluid and changeable.”

as a creative place, which is transforming and moving people are engaging more in conversations about mistakes that have been made in the past, poor

planning and so on, and looking at what needs to

happen to rectify those things. Even the people who

ordinarily wouldn’t be that engaged with what is happening here, who just do their own thing, they are

starting to take notice and realise just how much we have in Limerick.”

feeling that applies nationwide too as we come out activity, small businesses and young entrepreneurs starting up here, which is a great thing. The bid identity had to show all those things, show where we

are and where we’ve come from. It’s not just about

the arts, culture is what is happening on the street and the lived experience of the city. So yes, as we

said the conversation is still ongoing as to where the Limerick2020 identity is going to go, and that was

simple – just some lettering and brackets, in order for For any of us with a creative interest, it’s fascinating to gain an insight into the process behind creating a

visual identity for the city we all know so well but in so many different ways. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo

Photography and images by: Piquant Media

43

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

bu s iness p r o fi le

Who is Miss Moneypenny?

Unlike the character from the James Bond franchise, Limerick’s own Miss Moneypenny is taking the lead

role as a trailblazing entrepreneur, bringing virtual office assistance and peace of mind to businesses across Ireland. Her name is Rani Daly, and she tells us how she got started…

You were living in London before you came to Limerick. What led to the move?

Just before I moved to Limerick I was working in PR

with Channel 4. I worked on some incredible shows

including Sex and the City and Big Brother and it was a great job, but I was beginning to tire of the London life. I viewed the city like a naughty child

– great fun to play with for a while but it’s nice to be able to hand it back and escape! Plus most of my

friends and family were living elsewhere. My mum

is from Newcastlewest and my dad is from India. As a child I would spend the Summer in Ireland with all my aunts uncles and cousins, and Winter in India

with my grandfather. It was a bit of a whirlwind existence for a kid! Newcastlewest and Limerick were

where I felt most at home, so when it came to moving

on from London, I followed my heart. I didn’t even have any job opportunities lined up, I just had a gut feeling and I believe in following that.

How did you go about finding work?

There wasn’t, and still isn’t really much in the way of PR opportunities here, you’d have to go to Dublin or already have the contacts to build a viable freelance career. I started working in office admin, it wasn’t

the dream job but that didn’t matter, lifestyle was more important to me and I had a good balance. In Ireland in particular it’s all about making connections

and who you get to know that you begin to realise opportunities. And it was a job with the construction

company that my husband was working for that in a

roundabout way started me on the path to where I am now.

44

So it was there you had your ‘lightbulb’ moment?

Pretty much! The company was contracted to install water meters in the region – this meant that the design

and build stage of the program was very busy, while the operation stage was drastically quieter. I would

commute from near Newcastlewest to Annacotty, this

was before the new road, so I was essentially putting

in a fourteen hour day, all for an admin job. A lot of the time I would be in the office on my own. It

just seemed crazy that the company was paying rent, which pre-crash was sky high, electricity, heating and

all the other costs that come with running an office, for one person to sit there with little to actually do

until the quarterly busy period. So I started thinking, and actually drew up a 70 page proposal document for flexible working, which worked out right down to the last penny how much running the office cost. Most of

what we did was virtual anyway so I showed how we could do everything remotely, offered to work from

home myself in the quiet periods, on a pay freeze, which was fine by me as I’d saving on travel, and I

worked out that it would save them around €100,000.

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, I thought it was an awesome idea and they would be mad to turn it down!

What did your company think of the proposal?

Well, that’s the thing. My boss didn’t see it that way at all, he was simply not impressed! He just couldn’t

see it, construction is very conservative in how they do things, it’s like, it’s always been this way so why

change it? And at the time remote working wasn’t really the done thing in any industry, at least not here in Ireland.

What did you do after that?

Not long after, the recession hit and my job was gone, along with my husband’s. That was a pretty dark time for us, I had a month’s wages left, we couldn’t afford

to heat the house. As bleak as it all seemed, something in me still believed in my virtual working idea, in fact

I felt that there should be even more demand for it as small businesses look to reduce costs in recession

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

but may not have the means to employ staff, set

up payrolls, accounting for taxes etc. There’s a lot

involved, so virtual assistance takes those pressures off.

It enables business owners to focus on their business, to reinvest with savings from office space, and grow and shape their company the way they wanted.

What do you think is the most important aspect of your service?

Peace of mind, that’s what so many clients say we

provide. It’s paramount to me that we don’t just

offer the services, but really get to understand each

client’s business in terms of ethos, strategy, principles, direction. It takes time to do that and I make sure

we don’t over dedicate team members, so they can

pay that attention to each client. Miss Moneypenny assistants are also all degree educated and have verified experience across a range of industries.

Do you think it’s time to say goodbye to the traditional office?

The way we work is changing and I am proud to play a part in educating people, to show them there is

another way. The five day 9-5 working week is almost certainly dead. People want a faster, more flexible way of working, there is greater emphasis on a life outside

of work and reducing stress. Work is life but it shouldn’t

have to take over your life, with virtual assistance you can run a business without running yourself into

the ground, it’s more efficient and effective. I think more and more employers and employees will start to to survive. I began doing some research and realised

What does Miss Moneypenny do for clients?

companies providing virtual office assistance in the

which is a great pressure off companies, meaning they

I was right, there was a market, there were many US and UK – at that stage it was a billion dollar industry and it’s nearly doubled since. I decided I wanted to be a trailblazer and make it happen in

Ireland, so I applied to the local enterprise board for funding, scraped together my paltry life savings and ran it from the back room of our house. I got one

client, then they mentioned me to another, I added

telecoms to the service and slowly, very slowly, started to build.

We provide telecoms services, 0800 or 061 numbers, don’t have to set up with Eircom etc, but the biggest

aspect of Miss Moneypenny is virtual assistance. The team helps tackle to-do lists and keep offices ticking over with everything from calendar management

to email, travel itineraries, research and a myriad of other tasks.

Many of the clients who have come to us are at a

embrace this thinking, and with that the rise of the freelancer will continue too. When you think about how much unused talent there must be out there, on

the dole or in office jobs worrying about their security, if they have more freedom to go out and actually sell

their skills, to anyone in the world, it’s better for them, and the economy. We’re evolving as human beings and it’s about time our working culture did too!

Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo

turning point in their business. They are often a one

man band struggling to cope. They need assistance

45

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

th e li me rick magazine ch r istma s foo d & drin k Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing Total Cooking Time - 5 hours 30 minutes 16 servings

ingredients 2 pounds chestnuts

preperation

2 cups butter

• Prep 45 m

2 cups minced celery

• Ready in 5 h 30 m

1 teaspoon dried thyme

• With a sharp knife cut a cross on the flat side of

2 cups minced onion

10 cups dried bread crumbs

• Cook 4 h 30 m

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

each chestnut. Simmer, covered with water, in a

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

the shells and inner brown skins. Cover with fresh

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Drain. Chop coarsely.

1 teaspoon dried savoury

saucepan for 5 minutes. Drain. While hot, remove

12 pounds whole turkey, neck and giblets removed

water. Boil for 20 to 30 minutes until tender.

• Roast turkey 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours in the preheated

oven, until internal temperature of thigh reaches

180 degrees F (80 degrees C) and stuffing reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). A foil tent may be placed over the turkey during the last half of

roasting time to avoid over browning. Remove

from oven, place on platter, and allow the turkey to stand for 20 minutes before carving.

• Carve and enjoy!

• To prepare the stuffing, melt the butter in a medium

saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions and celery, and cook until tender. Thoroughly mix in

bread crumbs and chestnuts. Season with thyme, marjoram, savoury, and rosemary.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

• Wash turkey with cold water, and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper into body cavities. Loosely spoon

stuffing into body cavities. Close skin with skewers

or kitchen twine, and tie drumsticks together.

Place turkey on a rack in a medium roasting pan.

46

Photography by: Tarmo Tulit

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

47

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

cherry pepper martini

Ingredients: •

1 ounce Absolut Pepper Vodka or other pepper

•

A few drops of grenadine

•

infused vodka

Juice of 1/2 lime

Directions: •

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with

ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime slice or a hot pepper.

Homemade Pepper Vodka Makes 1 whole bottle of vodka

Ingredients: • •

1 (750 ml) bottle of vodka

5 or 6 whole chills, any kind (jalapenos, Serrano, habanero, etc.), washed and dried, halved lengthwise

Directions: •

Pour vodka into a large bowl or jar. Slice peppers and add to vodka. Let soak for 7 to 10 days

in a cool dark place. Strain vodka through a cheesecloth back into the empty vodka bottle.

Photography by: Tarmo Tulit

48

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

49

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Ch r istma s time For Tea Christmas is knocking on our doors soon and many of

us are throwing dinner parties to entertain friends and family. Why not try and make tea a part of the festivities?

This inexpensive drink can be the star of your evening.

I am going to give you a few ideas how to bring the extraordinary out of this ordinary product.

When you are entertaining and looking to finish your

extraordinary meal with something light and herby

Asian Iced Tea •

Serves 4-6

•

24 mint leaves

• • • •

in the late night after stuffing yourself with gorgeous

food, why not empty your herb and spice cupboard and go crazy. My favourite way to serve herbal teas

is to put mugs of hot water on the table alongside a

few bundles of herbs (thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs,

fresh rose petals, dill, bay leaves, coriander, basil, mint, parsley), some slices of ginger, cinnamon sticks, star

anise, lemongrass, cloves, chillies, lemon, lime, and of

course don’t forget sugar and honey and whatever else you can find in your cupboard that you think you can make tea from. Tell your friends to help themselves

and make their own flavour combinations, you have to drink the tea with the herbs still in it, I prefer this to a soggy tea bag floating around.

While throwing a dinner party, you would want to

prepare food and drinks that are easy to make and not too time consuming, you don’t want to end up all

over the place and wrecked and not able to enjoy your friends and food you cooked for everyone. Here is a

lovely easy drink that will get your night started with no mess, and with ingredients that are inexpensive and easy to get.

50

• • • •

3 limes cut into wedges 4 teaspoons of white sugar

180 ml of blended whiskey Jameson, Powers, Bushmills

300 ml sweetened jasmine green tea, cooled to

room temperature (make and strain the jasmine tea and sweeten to taste while warm) 100 ml clear apple juice 4 apple crisps, optional

To make your life easier in the kitchen, you can

also prepare tea flavoured simple syrups, to use in

lemonades, sparkling water, homemade iced teas, or spoon it over vanilla ice cream. To make the syrups

you only need your favourite tea, sugar and water.

Bring one cup of water to the boil, add sugar, stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat and add your

teabags or leaves, steep up to 30 minutes. You can add

vanilla pods that have been scraped open. It will make an amazing Black Tea Vanilla syrup, you could flavour

steamed milk, infuse double cream with it and so on.

Cool it and bottle it, those syrups have a shelf life of up to 6 months.

Place the lime wedges, mint and sugar into a

carafe, decanter or jug and bruise. Add crushed ice and the remaining ingredients. Pour into four

ice filled glasses and garnish with the apple crisp.

Article by: Kaur Ellermae

Photography by: Tarmo Tulit

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

51

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

#e at i nli merick with Olivia O’Sullivan Twitter & Instagram: @eatinlimerick

Can’t wait for the Christmas Markets…

There is nothing else like the weeks leading up to Christmas when the chill in the air is one of

excitement, and festive lights, sounds and smells wind their way around the city streets, often leading to open-air craft and food markets full of festive treats.

The European tradition of Christmas markets can be traced back to the 13th century in the German

speaking parts of Europe and surrounding countries, when the religious season of Advent was welcomed

with the opening of markets in town squares selling

food, drink and seasonal items from market stalls accompanied by traditional live entertainment.

Nowadays, the Germans are renowned for their Christmas markets as tourists flock to them every year

from around the globe. Two million shoppers descend upon Nuremberg every year, one of Germany’s biggest and most famous Christmas markets, for

the 180 candy-cane-striped glittering stalls that fill

the main square with crafts, ornaments, and toys.

The air is perfumed with gingerbread, glühwein, and

smoke swirling from bratwurst grills. Strict traditions

admirably enforced by market officials to maintain

authenticity include no plastic wreaths or recorded Christmas background muzak is allowed.

Fine handmade crafts, nativity figures, baked

specialties, and mulled wine are just some of what you can expect at these markets, and it’s not too

52

unlike the offering nearer to home as more and more Christmas Markets are taking off in Ireland. With

our homegrown produce so good, we don’t have far to look for quality fare at Christmas time. From sprouts to brandy butter, hams and puddings, mulled spices to

The Urban Co-Op Christmas Market: Dec 18th & 19th (Fri & Sat )

warm apple cider, a feast awaits us all from our local Limerick markets.

Enchanted by Franc at King John’s Castle: Dec 3rd – 20th (Fri-Sun) A magical medieval Christmas experience for all the family is promised at King John’s Castle this

year. Journey back in time inside the castle walls and enter an enchanted snow covered village where you

will meet the characters who once lived here from

knights and jesters, to cooks, magicians, falconers, and minstrels. Once you arrive, you will be issued with the inclusive ‘Castle Currency’ - the tokens (included

in the admission fee) can be used by the children

to collect a delicious hot chocolate and homemade

cookie from the castle kitchens and their very own Husky puppy soft toy.

There will be a selection of market stalls with all

sorts of unique and wonderful opportunities to do

some Christmas shopping as well as observe some ancient crafts while the aroma of cooking ribs and other seasonal treats all await. ‘Enchanted by

Franc’ will run every Fridays to Sundays inclusive

until 20th December. More info can be found at enchantedbyfranc.ie.

The

Urban

Co-Op

(formerly

the

Limerick

Community Grocery – now rebranded) will hold a

Christmas Market in its recently refurbished store

at the top of Mulgrave Street on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th December between 12 midday and

4pm, showcasing the best of local produce from their regular suppliers.

The Urban Co-Op is the first community cooperative grocery store in Limerick, owned, controlled and

operated by its members to sell wholesome food at affordable prices from a wide range of certified organic

producers of fruit, vegetable and wholefoods, as well as additional locally produced foods. The Christmas

Market will offer a range of festive local produce. Plus there is free car parking onsite.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

53

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

th e saffron cl ub The Saffron Club is the ultimate social dining network, and by far the most prestigious members dining club in the country. Whether you are looking to enjoy a meal with

friends or organise a special business dinner The Saffron

Club has the perfect restaurant, all that one must do is

join to enjoy the experience and reap the discounts. We spoke to The Saffron Club’s Director Keith O’Sullivan to learn more about this unique membership club.

What was the inspiration to set up The Saffron Club?

I’ve always been involved in hospitality and knew

from a very early age that it would become my career.

My introduction to the hospitality industry was

collecting glasses at a wedding in Tipperary. That quickly became my summer job and I advanced to waiting on tables. I became hooked to the excitement

of hospitality. Every event brings its challenges and I think it was that diversity of work that made me realise, this is for me.

I grasped every opportunity I could & jumped from

different department within Masterchefs Hospitality

to see the different ways of how everyone approaches an event. I was mentored in finance, HR and even

spent a while cheffing for functions of up to 500 people, which was undoubtedly one of the hardest jobs to date, so I have a profound respect for chefs.

In between I did a four year honours degree in

Business Studies with Event Management in L.I.T. This course gave me a very broad overview of the event business and allowed me to explore different options within the industry. As part of the program

I conceptualised an event called Savour Limerick, which was a showcase of Limerick’s best restaurants held in Thomond Park. All the top restaurants took

stands & showcased their cuisine, it turned out to be a

54

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

fantastic evening and even Michelin Star Chef Derry

What would you hope for a client to take away from

table. I think as a young business manager I’m very

a student in learning I donated all proceeds to CARI.

From the second you walk through the door of a

the Masterchefs team to call on if I’m unsure about

Clarke of l’Ecrivain did a cookery demonstration. As

That was my first time working with a syndicate of

independent restaurants and the feedback I received

was phenomenal. I always thought that there was something there but I hadn’t quite put my finger on

it yet. The opportunity arose when I had to either complete my Final Year Project. which was a theory based thesis or a business plan of a concept. With my father’s entrepreneurial support I chose the latter.

After countless hours of brainstorming and hundreds

of research pages later the business plan for The Saffron Club was born. I knew there was something in it so after I graduated I pitched the concept to

Enterprise Ireland and I was placed on the New

Frontiers Entrepreneur Development Program for 6

months. Here I got access to further mentoring and

support from a superb team which helped me finally launch it as a business.

How would you describe a typical client?

Our members are anyone that likes to dine out and

enjoy themselves. The Saffron Club makes dining out affordable so our clients come from all sectors

of the community. We meet all sorts of people from the avid foodie who has travelled the world sampling

different cuisines, to the corporate executive who

an experience using The Saffron Club?

Saffron Club member restaurant you should feel like

you are in the hands of professionals. This is why we partner with the best restaurants in the region

because their attention to detail is flawless and their hospitality is astonishing.

It’s very important that the restaurants offer that

‘escape’, where you can sit with family, friends,

be part of that.

prestigious events like the Volvo Ocean Race Finale

in Galway, Marilyn Manson and Dita Von Teese’s

wedding, Michael Flatley’s wedding, and many more.

Our members get up to 50% off their total food bill

affordable prices. So you can continue to do what you

love time and time again in restaurants that you may not have tried before.

I know that I am a total foodie coming from the background I have but nowadays everybody is into

food and they appreciate quality, innovation and origin. That’s what our member restaurants offer; they are all leaders in driving a quality food culture for

the region. I am confident our members will have an experience second to none at affordable prices.

Throughout the year we will be organising events for members to attend. These could range from wine

tasting evenings to championing local food producers, cookery demonstrations and much more.

Having worked with Masterchefs for the past 10

dine well and enjoy themselves and I’m delighted to

with Masterchefs and work on some of the most

The Saffron Club is that it offers you that escape at

experience is an enjoyable one. The great thing about

each person together is there love for dining out, in network so all members turn up in the one place to

I was fortunate to work my way up through the ranks

What are the full benefits of a The Saffron Club

Explain The Saffron Club’s close connection to

the best restaurants, at affordable prices. It’s a social

something.

business clients or whoever it may be, and that the

entertains clients on a regular basis and the standard

of restaurants we have suits them perfectly. What ties

lucky to have a vast amount of talent around me in

Masterchefs Hospitality…

years it was always going to be the case. The Saffron

Club is very much a father/son partnership. My father Pat has built up Masterchefs to become Ireland’s premier Corporate and Event Catering Company so he obviously brings a lot of experience to the

membership?

when dining with our member restaurants. The total food bill is divided by the number in the dining party and the club member always dines free.

The offer applies from Thursday-Sunday with the

exception of a few restaurants who have chosen to run

with it every night. It excludes beverage, its food only.

We also run several member events throughout the year and keep our members up to date with the latest

happenings in the foodie world. We use our APP to keep members up to date with new restaurants joining, invites to events, special promotions etc.

We are constantly adding promotions and additional

benefits for members to explore. Our aim is to take this nationwide so as a member you will also be able to enjoy the benefits in all the main urban centres. It’s

very much so a social foodie network so sign up, dine and enjoy.

www.thesaffronclub.ie

Article by: Cornelia O’Riordan Photography by: Tarmo Tulit

55

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

t elli ng a li m eri ck food story

For anyone who loves and frequents the Milk Market, or for those who need an introduction, a new video

has captured the essence of this artisan food and craft

their food.

haven.

The video, filmed and edited by Pallaskenry based

Filmed over a number of busy Saturday mornings

longer than many of us might at the stalls, speaking

from first light, the video provides an insight into

the passion, pride and love with which local artisan

food makers produce the simple, honest, and delicious foodstuffs which are eagerly snapped up by some

20,000 people who visit the Milk Market each week.

It’s all part of a drive to tell Ireland’s food story, and to make Limerick a notable part of that tale.

What is a Food Story?

The idea of a countrywide food story has been seized

upon by Fáilte Ireland, in order to show our history, heritage and collective culture through our approach

to food. Words and phrases such as warm, easy going, natural, honest litter the official literature, showing we

can just as easily be talking about the people as much as the ingredients and produce.

Limerick’s Milk Market is a prime example of that

warm, natural and honest approach to food and life. Soaking up the atmosphere on a Saturday and

chatting to stallholders stimulates your senses, your intellect and the feeling of buying locally sourced and produced food and crafts is second to none.

The Milk Market food story is certainly one worth telling. The traders follow in the rich tradition of superior food production in Limerick and its

hinterland, some of the food producers have been around for decades, while we also witness the

resurgence in high quality start-up producers in recent years. The video features a selection of the finest artisan food within the region, with many of

the traders having received national acclaim and

56

multiple awards for the excellence and uniqueness of

filmmakers Matt Kelly Productions, lingers a bit

to the artisan producers to find out a little more about their business and goods. To name just two food producers that appear: Wilde Irish Chocolate explains

the process of reaching the bliss point of chocolate,

bringing it to precise temperatures. Wellnice Pops, the healthy juice pops with a unique range of flavours

including ginger and carrot, explain why they really are one of a kind. The Green Apron, Sunflower

Bakery, Lisduff Traditional Fine Foods, Harpers, Country Choice Bon Appetit, and Rene Cusack

Fishmongers complete the list of producers featured in the film. David Fitzgerald of the Milk Market

board of trustees tells us the purpose of the project from his point of view: “The Limerick Milk Market

are delighted to get behind the Food Story initiative

launched by Fáilte Ireland in an effort to promote

food tourism as a key driver of local employment and to encourage small producers to showcase the passion

and quality of their produce available locally in this beautifully crafted video.

The Food Story video is also an excellent medium to convey to members of the public the asset that these

Artisan producers are to Limerick; who are right on

their door step in the heart of Limerick City centre. It serves as a snapshot of the passion, attention to detail

and provenance of quality food that is delivered by

experts in their chosen field of food production served in a welcoming manner as is custom in the Milk Market serving the people of Limerick since 1852.”

Head to www.milkmarketlimerick.ie for more information and to see the video for yourself.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo

Photography by: Caleb Purcell / Munster Images

57

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

1 2 p ub s of The 12 pubs of Christmas is a very popular Irish tradition, where groups of friends visit up to 12 pubs in 1 night over the Christmas season. Wearing silly jumpers and

Christmas The 12 Pubs of Christmas Challenge

The 12 Pubs of Christmas Rules

1. 12 Pubs to be visited in one night

To make things fun there are optional rules for each

3. Maximum of 30 minutes per pub

followed teams should decide the standard forfeit in

flashing ties are a must – it’s an unwritten rule to look as ridiculous as possible - all while playing games in the different venues.

Fun is the name of the game here, and we all know that too much alcohol can ruin that for everyone. Be sure to

grab a bite to eat as well as plenty of water along the way, and alternate between soft and alcoholic beverages. No

one wants to be “that person” along the way! It’s all about enjoying some of Limericks favourite pubs in the company of your favourite people.

2. One drink per pub

4. All participants must wear a Christmas jumper (at least)

pub which participants can follow. If rules are not advance.

• The right-handed pub – all drinks to be handled with the right hand only

• The fake accent pub – each participant to speak in a different accent for the duration

• The no pointing pub – no pointing •

The no swearing pub – no swearing

• The no names pub – no using other participants names / nicknames

• The left handed pub – no using left hand to hold drinks

• The strangers pub – no acknowledgement of other participants

• The sitting down pub – no standing or visiting the toilet for the duration

• The no resting pub – no sitting, leaning or resting your drink

• The swap shoes pub – swap one shoe with another participant

• The try and stay going pub – no rules, come on, nearly there!

• The final furlong pub - you’re there, relax, enjoy the sense of achievement!

58

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

59

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Opinion: Rebelle Haze is celebrating Christmas as a fabulous singleton

It’s that time of year again, the time where the whole

prying questions. This can range from the genuine (I

can be put to much better use. Not to mention you

only be enjoyed when we couple up. Everywhere you

(I didn’t fancy buying so many presents this year) to

like!

world comes together and decides that festivities can

look there are happy couples shopping, indulging in PDAs and being loved up. Before you go running off

making some dodgy ‘too much mulled wine’ under the mistletoe decisions (no judgement, we have all been

there) let me remind you of some of fabulous upsides to being single and give you some tips to surviving the festive season.

Let Us give thanks for the Ones That Got Away

just haven’t found the right person yet) to the flippant the angry ( Just f*ck off Aunty Maureen will ya!) – whatever you’re comfortable with, just be prepared.

Enjoy Sharing The Love Ok so you don’t have a significant other to lavish affection and gifts upon, no biggie, simply focus

your positive energy elsewhere! Grab your friends, family and loved ones and make their day by sending them presents or flowers. Better yet have a singles Christmas party, celebrate your single & fabulous

There’s nothing quite like Christmas to remind you

status. Cocktails, a decadent dinner party, a movie

You thought you would simply fall apart and that the

choice. You’re the last singleton? No problem, you can

Yeah, you might still have some feelings left over from

do your soul good to be selfless for a lil bit and make

of the ghosts of exes past. But look on the bright side;

marathon, or a pampering evening, it’s entirely your

world would end when they left but look at you now.

volunteer your time to help out a worthy cause. It’ll

the whole encounter but you are here getting on with

your good life- go you! They weren’t the one for you and now you are free to find someone who will adore

and nurture and can handle your adoration – if that is your choosing of course. So when a family member

starts harping on about Johnny and Mary down the

road who got engaged, just nod and smile because you are not engaged to a wrong ‘un.

Come up with a good comeback for nosey relatives If there’s one thing to guarantee you regressing

someone else’s Christmas a little brighter.

But Not With An Old Flame It’s okay to feel a little bit lonely around Christmas

or a lot lonely it can be a tough time for some people.

How and ever that is never ever an excuse to drunk dial/text your ex(es). Delete all numbers that may

out or however you see fit- yipeee. I’m all for self-love and self-care, one way to share the love is through

presents. Treat yourself to something just for you.

Go on spoil the one you love this Christmas. No half measures now get something you really want and

wrap it up just for you. It might seem like an awful lot of effort but you deserve something wonderful.

Fill your time If you’ve been single for a while, you’ll probably be

a dab hand at planning and filling your time. And

that’s no bad thing – how often do you hear coupled friends moaning they can’t go out because ‘Rachel has

promised to cook me dinner this evening’? Whereas, you have no one else’s calendar to worry about. Grab

the festive season with both hands; attend parties, see old friends, do what you like, because you can!

The only person falling into your bed stinking of

All those hours you would have spent deciding on a

60

can now be spent on treats for you, nights in, nights

judgement.

memory lane, do not let the festivities cloud your

bearing down on you at a family gathering you’ll do

well to have some stock answers to their potentially

That money you would have spent on extra pressies

come from a moment of weakness wandering down

about your love life. Yes it’s petty, but the fact is that

when your smug distant cousin and his new wife are

Remember to treat yourself

Celebrate not having to deal with the Aftermath of Someone else’s Party

cause temptation or hide all technology. No good can

Rejoice because there will be no fretting about what to buy the in laws for Christmas

to being a sulky child, it’s a nosy relative enquiring

can spend your hard earned money on whatever you

thoughtful, appropriate pressie for the monster in law

booze and chips is you. Well you and whoever you choose to bring home, you naughty minx.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

by Citylink

Avoid Romantic Festive Movies Like The Plague Even if you enjoy them, it is for your own good. This is

especially to be avoided if you are going to indulge in a tipple or two, unless you’re determined to spend the evening depressed and testing the waterproof abilities

Limerick to Dublin Airport Non-stop

of your mascara.

Get away from it all If you honestly can’t face Christmas at home, take

the chance to be completely selfish and have a winter break. Relish your lack of responsibilities and spend

a week lying on a beach, not sparing a thought for

from only

€15

*

each way

overeating and enforced jollity.

& If All Else Fails: Write the day off as a commercially driven holiday and remember Easter is coming, a holiday to celebrate chocolate-without the emotional baggage.

Article by: Rebelle Haze

In only 2hrs 30mins 16 Daily Services Book at www.eireagle.com Tel: 091 564164

*Promotional Fare.

Applies to advance bookings made online only.

WC

61

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

pa r enti ng Christmas Calamities Christmas should be a time of joy and goodwill, but we all know that long periods spent at home and with

family can come with its own unique complications.

Here is a guide about how to survive the problems of the season…

Problem #1 Whose family?

The commencement of the Christmas season in the

O’ Halloran household can usually be identified by

the tentative question ‘whose house will we go to this year?’ This seemingly innocuous query normally

escalates into a full blown conflict of seismic proportions.

‘Are we going to your parents or my parents or are you going to cook for once?’ the husband enquires.

‘We have gone to your parents the last three years so this year we’re going to my parents.’

‘Ya but your family is weird, like the dog has his own

high chair and special organic turkey. Also your sister

gets carried away with the sauce and always tries it on with me. It’s too much.’

Problem #2 Giving AND Recieving Now we are too old to write to Santa with specific

instructions, we have to rely on the judgement of

Solution: Do not panic. Simply remove the skirt and pretend that your granny knickers are hot pants. No one will know the difference and no one will care.

others when it comes to getting the presents that

we want. Call me shallow but Christmas is about

Problem #4 Toddler vs.

Decorations

the presents. I want a massive box with a shiny bow

Safeguarding one’s house against one’s own children

filled with the most opulent and decadent delights,

and other people’s children is often troublesome at

my annual compensation for being such an amazing

the best of times. It becomes slightly more difficult

wife. Last year I was coveting the YSL Black Opium

to keep one’s house looking immaculate with the

perfume, Ugg slippers and an iPad. Imagine my face

addition of wreathes, fairy lights, decorations and

when I tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a food

alcohol. Hitherto, my toddler has pulled down the

processor, a Tesco brand hoover and an iron. I don’t

Christmas tree, drank some leftover mulled wine, and

even use an iron.

came close to starting a fire with a berry trifle Yankee

The presents problem is usually compounded by the

Candle.

fact that I have my birthday a few days after December

Solution: Leave the decorations in the loft and claim

25th. This guarantees one thing: People seem to think

you are trialling a minimalist trend in Christmas

that it is socially acceptable to provide one gift to

décor. Alternatively offload the children to an

cover both occasions. It’s not. Everyone else gets both

unsuspecting relative for the entire Christmas season,

birthday and Christmas in one year.

warning them of any tendencies towards pyromania,

Solution: Abandon the subtle hints and start actively

just in case.

from say, January 6th, to allow them to plan. And

Hopefully this guide will help you to avoid some of

telling people what you want earlier in the year, practice your ‘I love it’ face to hide any inevitable

the rooky Christmas pitfalls and guarantee a fabulous

disappointment.

festive period for all the family.

‘Then there’s your cousin, she handed me an address

Problem #3 Self control

Article by: Jane Butler O’ Halloran

amphetamines and anti-histamines when discussing

in mince pies and chocolate is not so much a problem

‘Accidentally seeing you naked once does not mean that she ‘tried it on’ or wants to repeat the experience on a more regular basis.’

for N.A. and fled before I could explain I’d confused

Being compelled to consume one’s own body weight

my allergies,’ he pleads.

at the time of the event. It is merely an inconvenience

Solution: ‘Fine I’ll cook here but I’m not cooking anything traditional.’

62

when your pencil skirt splits up the middle while shaking your jelly in Icon on New Year’s Eve.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

63

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

L IF E i NTO

Art As a unique selection of work by members of the Limerick

the support of the UL Arts office, the artists started

Gallery of Art, we find out why founder Mark Heng set

campus. The Society continues to flourish - artists and

Figure Drawing Society go on display at Limerick City up the society and why figure drawing is so important.

Mark Heng, a Limerick based artist, studied painting

at Boston University. He moved to Ireland in 2006, and since then has worked as an illustrator and

caricaturist, specialising in quick sketches of guests

illustrators of all styles, backgrounds and ages have

been members of the society ever since. “Interestingly, a number of the members are past students of

Limerick School of Art and Design, who studied under the late Jack Donovan,” Mark tells us.

at parties and events. Last year, Mark took part in

For the first time, the members work will be displayed

painting a portrait of the actor Colm Meaney.

City Gallery of Art.

the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Competition,

together in a unique exhibition thanks to the Limerick

Naturally, as he specialises in drawing people, life

The exhibition was opened by Úna McCarthy, Director

and practice. So much so, in 2011 he founded The

December 6pm, at Central Buildings Gallery located

drawing has a big part in his artistic development Limerick Figure Drawing Society, which organises

life-drawing sessions. Mark says that his reasons for

doing so was to make it more accessible to anyone interested in drawing. “There are years of practice

required to gain some kind of mastery in drawing

the human figure. Study of the human form by visual artists dates back to antiquity and has always been

considered to be one of the most difficult subjects to master. Life drawing fell out of favour for a time

when the emphasis of contemporary art moved from

the representational to the conceptual. However, a recent surge in the value of and popularity of life

drawing has created a demand with artists who are

interested in working with live models. For instance, the RHA in Dublin holds regular life drawing and painting sessions in their “Life Room”. The LFDS

was created to make it more affordable and accessible to the people of Limerick.” How much interest and

support was there for the idea? “Luckily, there were

others who agreed it was a valuable pursuit, and they

joined to split the cost of hiring models.” With no available venue the weekly life drawing sessions took place in Mark’s garage until they found a space in the

City Centre through the Creative Limerick initiative.

In 2013 the society had grown considerably, so with

64

meeting in Dromroe Village Hall on the University

of the Limerick City Gallery of Art on Thursday 3rd

at 51 O’Connell Street, next to the Whitehouse. The

show will continue daily until Sunday 13th December.

“This is a unique opportunity to view a collection of figurative art by local artists using a variety of artistic

mediums including charcoal, pencil, ink, watercolour and oils,” says Mark. “People can expect to see work

done from direct observation of the nude model in a variety of media. Artists have also created portrait

based work and studio creations inspired by the

drawing sessions.” It’s always inspiring to see talented

professionals who are so passionate about their craft, they want to share the process and help to educate

others. As part of the exhibition run, LFDS will also host two “Portrait Circles”, at which people

take turns drawing and sitting to be drawn for 20

minutes. The first will be on Saturday 5th December,

3­-5 p.m., and the second will take place on Thursday, 10th December from 7­-9 pm, with society members invigilating on both nights. Anyone wanting more

information on the exhibition or anyone interested in

joining the society is welcome to visit and admission is free.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

For those who want to find out more about Mark and

his work, he tells us about his most exciting recent achievement: “This year I was shortlisted for the

Hennessy Portrait Prize. My entry, ‘Self Portrait with Hat and Apron’ will hang in the National Gallery of

Ireland until 14th February 2016.” The portrait can be found on his own website and that of the National Gallery of Ireland and is, as you might expect, full of ‘life’. It’s not photo-realistic, but you get a real sense

of the aura and persona of the artist. Mark says of the

painting in an accompanying blurb: “I wear this hat

when drawing caricatures in front of an audience. It helps me get into my persona as a public entertainer

and provides shade for my eyes. The facial expression is also representative of my persona in that I want my

subjects to feel at ease with me and be encouraged to smile. The apron is what I wear when painting in

the studio. This particular piece also incorporates my interest in the way light is related to colour and can

create odd and surprising effects. I hope my portraits create a feeling of empathy and interest in what is going on behind the eyes.”

Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo

65

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

would like to wish all of our readers a

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

66

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

67

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Discove ri n g the Pas t When Charles Dickens read A Chri stmas Carol in Limerick Each year Christmas creeps up earlier and becomes more

elaborate, with decorations both inside and outside houses, and multiple gifts to everyone and their dog.

It has not always been this way, even fifty years ago

Christmas was a much more subdued affair, with only a single gift and a family dinner being the norm.

The festivities of Christmas were associated with the

Roman Catholic faith, and as such were celebrated

primarily by the rural poor, as practicing the Roman Catholic faith was forbidden for almost 150 years

in Ireland. Oliver Cromwell preached against “the

heathen traditions” of Christmas carols, decorated

trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated “that sacred event.”

In Dickens’ childhood in England celebrating

Christmas had become virtually obsolete in the towns and cities. This didn’t change until the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 established Christmas as an officially recognised holiday in both England and Ireland.

Charles Dickens grew up in poverty. When he was 12

years old he had to go to work in a factory. Here he

worked 14 hours a day, six days a week. His childhood

experiences undoubtedly influenced his novels, which often worked around a central poor character.

In 1842, aged 30, Dickens put pen to paper and began

to write what would become A Christmas Carol. On its first release the following year the story made

68

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Cruise’s Royal Hotel, where Cruise Street is today.

though we could have made heaps of money by going

the oddest place of which nobody in any other part

On the first night in Limerick Dickens read his

On his first night he wrote to his nephew “This is of Ireland seems to know anything. Nobody could answer a single question we asked about it.”

“ Limerick is the oddest place of which nobody in any other part of Ireland seems to know anything. Nobody could answer a single question we asked about it.”

On Wednesday evening September 1, 1858, Dickens took to the stage at the Theatre Royal. The Theatre

Royal on Henry Street was built in 1841 by Joseph Dickens little money, but it made him famous and spawned a series of copycat books and plays. Although

he could not have known it at the time, in this novel Dickens invented Christmas as we know it today. This

was the same period in which Queen Victoria and

her German husband popularised a decorated tree as a Christmas tradition.

On August 21, 1858 Dickens arrived in Dublin by

ferry as part of a book tour of the British Isles. While in Ireland he visited Cork and then Limerick. At the

time Dickens was considered a celebrity, and news of

his arrival and dates of shows were widely publicised.

When he arrived in Limerick he took a room in the

Fogerty. It was a single story building where the Smyth’s Toy Store is today. It was the theatre of

choice in the nineteenth century, though with the

advent of cinema plays became an infrequent activity.

In January 1922 the theatre was destroyed by fire.

to Dublin instead.”

Christmas Carol, “give from his own lips the details

of Ebenezer Scrooge’s sinister peculiarities,” the

following night he also read “Boots at the Holly Tree Inn.” On both nights the local press stated that he

was dressed in the fashion of the day, “a rose in the

coat, and the snow whiteness of the shirt was further relieved by sundry gold studs.”

It is believed by some historians that Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is responsible for our continued

observance of Christmas and the customs of gift

giving, thanks and time spent with family. The story

revived very old customs that had been on the verge of dying out and the Christmas season would be a

very different without “A Christmas Carol”. Charles

Dickens died in 1870 at the age of 58 and is buried in Poet’s Corner at London’s Westminster Abbey.

Article by: Sharon Slater

Picture of Charles Dickens: Left is an illustration by

John Leech from the original A Christmas Carol, 1843, Previous page: Charles Dickens by unknown artist, 1842.

Dickens said of the theatre, “There is one large room, and I read in the Theatre – a charming Theatre. The best I ever saw, to see and hear in.”

His first evening at the Theatre did not go as

professionally as Dickens was accustomed to, stating the following day “Arthur says that when he opened

the doors last night, there was a rush of three Ducks!

We expect a Pig to-night.” Despite this he thought

the tour successful stating, “I am very glad we came,

69

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

70

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

AVAIL ABLE NOW IN STORES AND ONLINE

WWW.FUSIONMAGAZINE.IE

71

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

th e li me rick magazine E v e nt gu i d e Lough Gur Santa Experience Weekends from 27nd November - 22nd December Lough Gur County Limerick

Visit Captain Santa at the Flight Deck

Christmas with The Priests

Saturday 12th, Sunday 13th, Saturday 19th &

University Concert Hall, University of Limerick,

Tuesday 8th December @ 8pm

Sunday 20th December @ 1pm, 2pm or 3pm

Castletroy, Limerick

County Clare (20 minutes from Limerick)

Faulty Towers Dining Experience

December Dublin Road, Limerick

Limerick On Ice

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

Santa arrives at the Jetland Shopping Centre

@ 10am - 10pm Arthur’s Quay Park, (opposite the

Santa’s Grotto at Parkway Shopping Centre From Friday 27th November - Wednesday 23rd

Aviation Education Centre Link Road Shannon

Thursday 26th November - Sunday 10th January

Tuesday 8th & Wednesday 9th December @ 7.30pm

Abba Forever

Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre), Limerick

Wednesday 9th December @ 8pm

The Santa Experience

Homeless This Christmas: An Exhibition from the Simon Community

ROH: Cavalleria Rusticana/ Pagliacci Live

Saturday 28th November – Wednesday 23rd

Wednesday 2nd - Wednesday 9th December

Friday 27th November @ 6.30pm

Jetland Shopping Centre, Ennis Road

December

Santa at Bunratty Saturday 28th November - Wednesday 23rd December Bunratty County Clare

Visit Santa at Adare’s Old Creamery Friday 4th - Wednesday 23rd December

Adare’s Old Creamery, Black Abbey Road, Adare, Co Limerick

Stonehall Visitor Farm Santa’s Grotto

The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street, Limerick City

Friars Gate Theatre, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick

Thursday 10th December @ 7.15pm

Odeon Limerick and Limerick Omniplex

Eimear Quinn

Enchanted by Franc - A Magical Medieval Christmas Experience

Thursday 10th December @ 8pm

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays from December 3rd -

Courtbrack Avenue, Limerick

King John’s Castle, King’s Island, Limerick

The Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow

You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Katherine Lynch

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

December 20th

Monday 7th December @ 8pm

University Concert Hall, University of Limerick,

Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College,

Thursday 10th December @ 8pm

Coppélia Friday 11th December @ 8pm

Castletroy, Limerick

Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College,

Curraghchase, Kilcornan, County Limerick

Demo - Christmas with Keith Pigott

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

The Claus House

Tuesday 8th December @ 7pm - 9.30pm

Saturday 5th December - Tuesday 22nd December

From Saturday 5th December

The Old Convent, Bruff, Co. Limerick

72

Hook and Ladder, 7 Sarsfield Street, Limerick

Courtbrack Avenue, Limerick

Friday 11th December @ 9pm

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

The Alvin Purple Experience Friday 11th December @ 9.30pm

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

Croom Christmas Market and Car Boot Sale Saturday 12th December @ 10am - 12pm

Croom Community Centre, Croom, Co. Limerick

Christmas With Judy Supper Club Special

Walking On Cars Live

Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th December @ 9pm

Live at the Big Top, Limerick Milk Market,

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

Cornmarket Row, Limerick

Sleeping Beauty - UCH Panto 2015 Wednesday 16th December - Sunday 3rd January

Limerick City Big Band and Friends

Castletroy, Limerick

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

Sunday 20th december @ 7pm

University Concert Hall, University of Limerick,

Sunday 20th December @ 8pm

Goldilocks…the Circus Panto!

Saturday 12th December @ 1pm - 2.30pm

The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker Live 2015

The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street,

Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College,

Limerick City

Wednesday 16th December @ 7.15pm

Odeon Limerick and Limerick Omniplex

Courtbrack Avenue, Limerick

Tony Ward Book Signing

Christmas with Ancór: 10th Anniversary Concert

Crooning at Christmas with Liam O’Brien

Wednesday 16th December @ 8pm

Wednesday 23rd December @ 8pm

St Mary’s Cathedral, Bridge Street Limerick City

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

SEE for Cinema – Queen of Ireland

Shannon Airport Christmas Racing Festival 2015

Wednesday 16th December @ 8pm

Saturday 26th - Tuesday 29th December @ 12.30pm

69 O’Connell Street, Limerick

Limerick Racecourse, Greenmount Park,Patrickswell

Kathleen Turner

High Kings Christmas Concert

Munster Rugby v Leinster Rugby

Saturday 12th December @ 8pm

Thursday 17th December @ 8pm

Sunday 27th December @ 5.15pm

Glin Church, Glin, Co. Limerick

Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick

Rand olf & the Crokers

Gavin James Live

Saturday 12th December

Friday 18th december @ 7.30pm

Rubberbandits Christmas Fistfight

Tribal Spirit Drumming with John Bowker

Saturday 12th December @ 3pm

O’Mahony’s Booksellers, 120 O’Connell Street, Limerick

Santa Paws Christmas Concert Saturday 12th December @ 7pm

Caherconlish Millennium Centre, The Square, Caherconlish, Co. Limerick

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

Charlie Malones, 19 Wolfe Tone Street, Limerick

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

Asa, A Christmas Story

ASH

Monday 14th @ 7pm & Tuesday 15th December @

Saturday 19th December @ 8pm

10am & 12am

Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College, Courtbrack Avenue, Limerick

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

Sunday 27th December - Sunday 3rd January

Sunday 27th December @ 7.30

Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick

Christmas Show - Limerick Printmakers 4th December - 31st December

The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street,

73

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

the l i m e ri ck magazi ne g ig of the month

74

Continental Fistfights with The Rubberbandits.

What can we say about the Rubberbandits that

you already don’t know? Very little to be honest. If

we were to explain to people who had never heard

They are back in Limerick this month for their annual show in Dolans Warehouse on

or seen them, then it would go something like this;

Sunday December 27, 2015: 19:30 - 23:30

bags on their faces, while singing songs about Spastic

Tickets are €18

They are two lads from Limerick, who wear plastic Hawks, their Dad’s crazy best friend and have a song

about how it’s ok for guys to f**k each other. This

explanation doesn’t even cover who these guys are, you have to seem them in the flesh. Having started out with prank phone calls and gaining popularity

over the years through various other mediums and

songs, their satiric comedy has won audiences over, around the globe.

Get them now as it’s sure to be a sellout.

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

75

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

distribution list Limerick City Centre

Newsagents & Petrol Stations

College & university

Newsagents

Corbally

University of Limerick

Supermarkets

Ennis Road

L.I.T

Bars

Castletroy

Mary Immaculate College

Cafes

Castleconnell

Limerick College of Further Education

Restaurants

Raheen

The Limerick Tourist Office

Thomandgate

Shannon Airport

Dublin Road

Culture House

Father Russell Road

The Limerick Art Gallery

O’Connell Avenue

Selected Retail Stockists

Dooradoyle Cratloe Dock Road Ballinacurra Ballysimon Caherdavin

Call to our office for your FREE copy - 74 O’Connell Street Limerick or visit www.thelimerickmagazine.com for The Limerick Magazine online 76

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

place your advert here

c o n ta c t u s n o w

need help advertising?

Advertising - Conor O’Sullivan

Email - design@fusionmedia.ie

Email - conor@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627

Phone - 061-597627

77

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

Closing Time 1 0 m inutes wit h … A N N B L A K E If Ann Blake were a stick of rock, she’d have the

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew

Describe your ideal weekend in Limerick?

member of Limerick Youth Theatre, and founder of

Something between an actress, a rock star, and to play

Belltable and then maybe a sneaky pint or two in my

word ‘Theatre’ running through the middle. A former Impact Theatre and Choke Comedy Improv, she has

appeared in numerous productions including Misery, Broken Glass and Ghosts. She has also written and

up?

for Liverpool FC (my brothers got to me when I was young).

directed, with her 20 minute play At A Loss winning

Favourite all time quote?

As if that wasn’t enough, Ann can also be found

honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing

her the Jerome Hynes Memorial Award in 2009. performing with the Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, and

was responsible for their reformation after a brief

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more nothing.” - George Bernard Shaw

Friday: Go see a great show in The Lime Tree or lovely local, Charlie Malones.

Saturday: Into the Milk Market for brekkie, coffee, bumping into folks and chats. In the afternoon take

the dogs for a walk and, depending on the time of year, but not too much, head for a swim in the Shannon in a beautiful spot in Annacotty (where I swim all

year round). Go to dinner in Freddy’s Bistro and then

hiatus. We find out a little bit about Ann’s life ‘behind

Most recent book you read?

What motivates you in the morning?

Are you superstitious,/do you have any personal

Sunday: We are limited for brekkies on Sundays in

I’m not superstitious as such, though I do believe in

bit too soon after the night before). Otherwise back

the scenes’…

Generally, the promise of food.

What one thing do you never leave the house without?

Jacket - I do live in Ireland.

Any hidden or lesser-known talents?

I’m quite good at football. (Please don’t anyone challenge me to a game).

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

rituals for good luck etc.?

being prepared for gigs and plays. I don’t like to be rushed or running in the door. Before I go on stage I tend to do a few stretches to relax and energise.

How would you sum up your life in six words?

Living, laughing, loving, laughing, learning, laughing.

on to a gig in Dolans. Stay there and try not to get dragged to Costelloe’s - but I am only human.

Limerick but Dolans do a lovely one (it might be a

to the couch, with my partner Jenny, and very likely give The Mogul a call for a takeaway.

Countdown to Christmas, or Bah Humbug?

Let the Countdown begin!

Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo

Photograph by: Eamonn O’Mahony

78

THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE

79