Travel & Leisure

from Kilkenny Observer 24th September 2021

by Kilkenny Observer

Paul Hopkins

No one does food like the Big Apple

LET’S be honest: No be honest: No one does food like New York City. With ve di erent boroughs, all full of delicious food options, choosing just one can be tough. But why choose only one, when there are so many food tours to be had?

One could easily spend an One could easily spend an entire weekend eating their way entire weekend eating their way through the city, and these food tours are here to do just that. Each one combines a little bit of history and culture with the food that has helped shaped generations to create something altogether unique and classic New York City. If food is the reason one is visiting New York, these are the food tours that should be on the list.

7. Brooklyn: e Original Brooklyn Pizza Tour

When it comes to pizza, speci cally, Brooklyn is cooking it up the way it’s meant to be. e Original Brooklyn Pizza Tour takes guests on a ve-hour trip around the borough’s most notable pizza joints. e bus leaves from Manhattan and makes its way to Brooklyn, where stops are made at places like Grimaldi’s and L&B Spumoni Gardens. As an added bonus, tour-takers will have the chance to see lming locations from iconic movies such as Goodfellas and Saturday Night Fever.

Tickets: $80 for adults, $70 for children age 11 and under

6. Harlem: Taste Harlem

ose looking for a side of history with their good eats should consider taking the Taste Harlem tour. is two-hour walking tour takes guests on a unique route through Harlem, with a knowledgeable guide educating them on the history of the area in between six delicious stops.

Tour-takers will be rewarded with Caribbean and African dishes, as well as a taste of Harlem’s traditional soul food. It’s one of the rare tours that combine culture and cuisine to create a unique experience altogether.

Tickets: $78 for adults, $55 for children ages 6-11

5. Greenwich: Nice Guy Tours

Greenwich Village may have gained some fame from Friends but, in reality, it’s one of the most beloved neighbourhoods in the Lower East Side. is tour lasts three hours and consists of stops for the city’s best falafel, bagels, pizza, and even cupcakes. e tour also includes notable Hollywood stops such as the apartment from Friends and historical stops such as the former home of Washington Irving. is is a great option for those who aren’t familiar with the city, as they’ll gain a sense of food knowledge and actual knowledge of the quieter part of Manhattan.

Tickets: $65/person

4. Chelsea & e High Line: Foods Of NY Tours

No trip to New York City is complete without a stop by the High Line, and Chelsea is a great neighbourhood to spend some time in. e only thing that could make it better is a food tour, which is exactly what visitors will nd from Foods of NY Tours.

Guests on this tour have the chance to try an authentic NYC hot dog, Brooklyn-based ice cream, and will have a thorough tour of both Chelsea and Gansevoort Market

Tours: $58 for adults, $35 for children ages 3 to 12

3. Chinatown & Little Italy: Ahoy New York Tours & Tasting

It goes without saying that Chinatown and Little Italy are home to some of the most iconic food stops in all of the city, and Ahoy New York Tours & Tasting is the best way to experience them both in one day.

Along the way, samples of cannoli and charcuterie are to be had at Little Italy, while dim sum is on the menu for Chinatown. Tour guides are well-versed in the history of both neighbourhoods, making this an engaging experience.

Tickets: $60 for adults, $45 for children under the age of 12

2. Queens: Athens Next Door Greek Food Tour In Astoria

Everyone loves Greek food and those who don’t have been turned into fans thanks to this tour through Queens. Tours start with an intimate group of only six people and last three hours, featuring formal sitdown tastings at beloved Greek restaurants.

Guests will have the chance to try authentic, traditional Greek foods such as baklava, calamari, feta, olive varieties, and more on this tour, leaving no one with an empty stomach.

Tickets: $119/person

1. Manhattan: Hell’s Kitchen Food Tour And Central Park Tour

ere’s perhaps no other neighbourhood in the city with a reputation for food like Hell’s Kitchen. If there’s anywhere a person will nd a meal to satisfy their cravings, it’s here. is tour takes guests on a wild ride through both the history and avours of this Manhattan neighbourhood, complete with a diverse range of food tastings from around the world. e tour ends with a tour of Central Park (optional), giving visitors a complete tour of the best parts of New York City.

Tickets: $125/person, $100 without the tour of Central Park.

DEADLINE TODAY

COMPETITION TIME WITH Observer The Kilkenny WIN A YEAR’S FREE MEMBERSHIP

COMPETITION ENTRY FORM TJ Reid Health & Fitness have kindly given The Kilkenny Observer two gift vouchers for a year’s membership for two of our lucky readers

Competition Rules

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..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... County............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Mobile................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Email................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Question: What year did Reid Health & Fitness open in Kilkenny? Answer.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

HOW TO ENTER COMPLETE THE ENTRY FORM ABOVE YOU CAN DELIVER THE COMPLETED ENTRY FORM BY POSTING OR DROPPING IN TO, THE KILKENNY OBSERVER, UNIT 7, FRIARY STREET, KILKENNY EMAIL TO: sales@kilkennyobserver.ie

1. Vouchers can only be used TJ Reid Health &

Fitness 2. The closing date for entries is Friday,

September 24th 3. The winners will be chosen by a draw held at the office of The Kilkenny Observer 4. The prize is non-transferable; no cash equivalents may be claimed. . 5. All competition entries must be completed on the above form only. 6. The winner will be advised by phone / e-mail . 7. After being notified, the name of the winner will be posted in the next edition of the

Kilkenny Observer. 8. Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to have agreed to be bound by them when entering the competition. 9. The competition is not open to The Kilkenny

Observer employees or their families.

Pupils can win four-day trip to European Parliament

GRADUATE.IE is a free online competition for Second Level students to take part in and learn about important local and national topics.

Students who complete the competition can be entered to win one of many educational trips to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Graduate.ie’s mission is to “engage, inform and inspire young people” and this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. It is a Government, Local Government and EU funded Citizenship & Democracy programme for secondary students.

All winning students to Strasbourg will be accompanied on the trips by quali ed teachers/ Garda vetted personnel.

There are also many opportunities to win very valuable weekly and monthly prizes.

The prizes will range in value from €2,000 down to €100

The top prize will be a free four-day educational trip to Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, when it is deemed safe to travel by the relevant authorities.

Other prizes will include gift vouchers and monthly cash prizes.

There is no cost to enter as all prizes are totally sponsored by government and local government organisations.

Logon to www.graduate. ie and register to take part in the weekly programme.

All travel prizes will be for 3rd, 4th and 5th year, second level students.

Address ‘platform’ workers, says Clune

FAIRER conditions for platform workers such as Deliveroo drivers must be urgently tackled, says Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune.

Many platform workers such as in Ireland and across Europe are classed as ‘self-employed’ meaning they miss out on bene ts as employees. MEP Clune said we must focus on ensuring that workers are not ‘misclassed’ as self-employed when they have no desire to be selfemployed.

Ms Clune said: “We must ensure that there are fair working conditions for people. For many people it would not suit them to be self-employed and companies like Deliveroo should ensure that they o er fair working conditions to their drivers. It is not fair to classify someone as ‘self-employed’ if they do not have the means or desire to be self-employed, especially if they are working for a company under a certain contract.”

Platform work uses an online platform to enable organisations or individuals to access other organisations or individuals to solve speci c problems or to provide speci c services in exchange for payment. Not all platform workers want to be employees, some like the freedom of being self-employed and they will continue to do so but everyone who works as an employee must be granted the rights of an employee if they wish.

“I would like to join with the EPP Group in urging the European Commission to come up with a legislative proposal to ensure fair rights and working conditions for platform workers as soon as possible,” MEP Clune added.

400 clean-ups of beaches remove 42 tonnes of litter

AFTER a break in 2020, the Big Beach Clean took place over the weekend of September 17 with Clean Coasts being overwhelmed with the incredible support and commitment shown by communities across Ireland. e Big Beach Clean is an annual call to action that takes place in September at the end of the bathing season. Volunteers around Ireland were asked to register their clean up event and take part in a worldwide citizen science project, as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), operated internationally by Ocean Conservancy. is year, a record number of over 400 clean-ups were organised by volunteers who removed 42 tonnes of litter across the country. In addition, more volunteers joined clean-ups facilitated by Clean Coasts o cers in eight di erent locations around Ireland.

Statistics show that the number one cause of marine litter is litter dropped in towns and cities. anks to the involvement of An Taisce National Spring Clean programme, the Big Beach Clean was open to all residents of Ireland, including non-coastal counties, who contributed to the problem of marine litter at its source.

In Killkenny, volunteers organised clean-ups in six different locations, removing approximately half tonne of litter. SAFETY on a stretch of the main Kilkenny to Castlecomer road needs to be addressed, according to Councillor Pat Fitzpatrick.

A section of the route at Webbsborough, just north of e Cave bar, has been the scene of numerous crashes.

Cllr Fitzpatrick raised the matter at the monthly meeting of Castlecomer District and was told that Transport Infrastructure Ireland has committed to a review to see if there is an issue with the road surface.

Councillor Fitzpatrick told KCLR news that must happen as a matter of urgency: “It’s imperative that the TII and Kilkenny county council investigate this section of roadway and talk to all of the other services that have had to come to the scene, like the Fire Brigade and the Garda Síochána who’ve had to come to the scene of many an accident out there.”

Time for women to get down to business

FEMALE entrepreneurs and budding businesswomen from across Kilkenny are being encouraged to look to the future and register for this year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day after the line up for the event was announced. e Local Enterprise O ce (LEO) initiative, now in its 15th year, will be hosted by broadcaster Aine Kerr. Traditionally, National Women’s Enterprise Day has taken place locally with LEO Kilkenny putting on events for businesswomen across the county and those who may have a business idea they want to get o the ground. However, the event went online in 2020 due to restrictions and will take place online again this year. e free event, titled ‘Build e Future’, takes place online on the October 7 and will feature some of Ireland’s best known female entrepreneurs including the likes of Aimee Connolly of Sculpted by Aimee, Rachel Doyle of e Arboretum and Sharon Keegan of Peachy Lean, who was recently supported on Dragon’s Den UK. Also speaking at the event on the day will be our nominated Leading Light Kay Lyng, promoter of K Kajoux Jewels based in Clonmantagh. K Kajoux started out as a hobby, became a side hustle, progressed to a full- time job and is now an employer with exciting growth plans on the horizon.

Covid- 19 initially hit the business very badly with all retail stockists having to close their stores. While in lockdown, Kay again engaged with the Local Enterprise O ce for supports to help increase tra c, improve SEO and content on her website. e results were fantastic, within weeks revenue was matching the wholesale business in ordinary times. e day’s programme will cover a whole host of areas on how to build the future of a business covering topics like, how to get started, internationalisation, nding new markets, trading e ectively online, sustainability and innovation.

Castlecomer road safety concerns

Winner of the Teac Tom ‘You’re a Star’ Quilt

“After six weeks of fundraising the winner was announced last week of the ‘You’re a Star’ quilt, made by the members of the South Midlands Branch of the Irish Patchwork Society and ra ed in aid of Teac Tom. e ra e raised a fantastic €2,870 for Teac Tom and with a further donation from e Kilkenny Observer, this brings the total to €3,020 which will go towards providing continued support and counselling for those a ected by suicide or struggling with their mental health. e ra e was held in the garden at Teac Tom and the lucky winner of the quilt was Kathleen Mahon from Dublin. In addition there were two runner up winners who each won a beautiful cushion in the same star pattern as the quilt. e winners of the cushions were Bernie Stevenson from Kilkenny and Meg O’ Hanlon from Dundalk. ank you to everyone who supported this wonderful fundraiser for a great cause, a special thanks to KCLR, e Kilkenny Observer, Meubles and St. Canices Credit Untion and not forgetting Mary Palmer (Textile Artist).

Pictured L-R: Angela Hayes CEO of Teac Tom, Judy Byrne, Teresa Broderick and Margaret McEvoy, members of the South Midlands Branch of the IPS

Community Group

Malbork Cup 2021

KILKENNY native Dylan Nolan recently took part in the Medieval armoured combat “Malbork cup” in Malbork, Poland on 11th-12th September. e Malbork Cup 2021 was originally the 2020 IMCF (International Medieval Combat Federation) World Championship in Spain, but due to the pandemic this had to be postponed (twice) and eventually cancelled, to be scheduled for Malbork in May 2021.Once again, postponement and rescheduling in September, but due to the lack of countries able to travel it no longer quali ed as a world championship so was renamed the Malbork Cup. Dylan has been a participant in the sport of medieval combat since early 2018. Initially training in padded gear then kitting himself in full armour. He is now a member of MACI (Medieval Armoured Combat Ireland) a well established group of enthusiasts who are constantly seeking new members. MACI is available to stage tournaments for events/festivals but is ultimately a sports club. Dylan also used his love of everything medieval to start up his own walking tour, becoming a quali ed tour guide and giving tours of our beautiful medieval city of Kilkenny as the “Knight for Hire”, dressed in a full suit of armour (no easy feat!) You will often see him around the town or visiting the market on the Parade on ursdays and Saturdays. Malbork, twinned with Kilkenny, is a peaceful town dominated by its medieval castle (the World’s largest and truly impressive). e people are very friendly and welcoming leading to a pleasant and relaxing stay. e competition itself was hotly contested, you have to be there to get a true sense of the sheer power of these men (and women) in full suits of armour going head to head with swords, mace and axes. e sound of steel crashing on steel is mesmerising, evoking days gone by, of chivalry and derring- do. e knights ght with a vigour and ferocity that is unequalled in any other sport, but at the end of the battle show respect and genuine affection for each other. e individual ghts were split into categories, long sword, sword and shield and polearm. Dylan took part in long sword duels, ghting against 3 di erent opponents from Italy, Belgium and Poland. Ireland team captain Kyle won a gold medal in the polearm category and a bronze in long sword, putting up a splendid show of strength, stamina and technique. David, the third Irish team member to travel to the competition took part in sword and shield achieving 4th place, displaying an impressive talent. After the individual duels came the group ghts, and this is where it really gets exciting for spectators. Two groups of knights, armour re ecting the sun, facing o across the list. e call goes up, “Fight” and the battle begins .Who will be the rst to strike? e two opposing sides charge, meeting in the middle of the list, an axe strikes a helmet……. Sheer power and force compete for dominance until there is only one knight standing, determining the winner of the melee. e Irish team -United Knights (combined Ireland/Estonia/ Italy) received bronze medals in the Buhurt (group) category. e winning is in taking part, enjoying the camaraderie of sharing a love for a sport that has survived the centuries and today provides an opportunity to travel the world meeting likeminded friends to physically challenge each other for ultimate glory. Medals were presented at the closing ceremony by the mayor of Malbork, a notable Kilkenny visitor.

How to buy a home in 2021 – a Romanian couple’s journey to buying their first home in Kilkenny, Ireland ( Part Two)

WE thought that the struggle was gone, we will nd a house in no time, and we can move in a month or 2, but we were struck by reality, when we sow the rst house and the agent told us about the €5000 sale agreed fee and about an extra €5000 solicitors and other fees.

We were not aware of such fees and our calculations were blown away a little bit.

Our next step was to nd a solicitor, as we needed to make sure we were taking the correct steps to insure the purchase of a house would be smooth.

We were advised that the €5000 deposit fee would be taken from the 10 %( what a relief!) and that we only have to have the €5000 in fees.

Well, my dears, one would say that €5000 is not a lot of money, but for us, at that moment, it was a lot

I’ll be honest and say that someone loves us up there, and we had help from family and friends to gather the missing €5000.

So with the above sorted, we only needed to nd a house.

Easier said than done, because the house prices skyrocketed from 2020 to 2021. We all thought that process would go down because of the pandemic, but because of high demand and almost no houses on the market, the prices went up 40k even 50k.

So a house that used to cost €170-€180 thousand now was €220 thousand and above.

Quality was not there either. It felt like people were selling houses and they were looking for an arm and a leg in the process. en the GEM appeared on the market. It was the best looking house we have ever seen. So clean and beautiful, you were even afraid to go inside with your shoes on. ere was 2 living rooms, 1 master bedroom, and 2 large single rooms,2 bathrooms and a decent landscaped garden, the house could have been considered the best house for a new family. Sadly, we could not a ord the gem…. But I am sure there is a happy family living there now.

A few months have passed, and my husband and I were on daft. ie like 2 addicts. We were calling agents and trying to see every house that was in our budget.

Some were nice, some were small, and some I wouldn’t have put the cat that I don’t have in…

One day a nice 3 bedroom appeared online. EXCITEMENT!!!

I called the agent; I booked an appointment and went to see it on a Monday afternoon. I went alone as my husband was working. I had mixed feelings as by now, I had experience in house viewings and I tried not to keep my hopes high. e house was great, clean and spacious, with 3 bedrooms and a nice living room and a big kitchen. I was sold on the spot.

I went back home and I waited for my husband to come back from work that evening so we could talk about the house. We liked the house and wanted to bid on it, but in the morning the agent called me and told me she had an o er of the same amount we wanted to bid. I was sad, but could do nothing about it. As I felt we couldn’t o er more, because I was afraid we would overbid and the price was already at the top of our budget.

After a week, I thought the house would have been sold, like all the other ones before it, but I was surprised to see it was still online. I called the agent right away and told her my husband would like to see the house as well.

I woke him up and I told him that this house will be ours! e next day, he saw the house and we made an o er. It took a few days for the owner to accept the bid, but she did and I am happy to say that we are only a few weeks away from living in our new forever home!

It was not easy, and we are still at the paperwork phase, but I am con dent that all will go well.

We will celebrate our 7th year anniversary in our new home! is article was possible thanks to Romanian Twilight Communities support.

If you wish to contribute and to get involved contact us by email kclw.ro@twilight.ie