RESTAURANTS AND FOOD

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

A Walk on the spectacular Sheep's Head, and lunch in Arundel's By The Pier.

A Walk on the spectacular Sheep's Head.

Lunch in Arundel's By The Pier.

Looking down from Seefin (where there is parking available), towards Kilcrohane village,
with Dunmanus Bay beyond.

Easy does it!

This Peakeen #57 was one of a few way-markers we passed on our short Seefin walk, a part
of a much longer trek. There are many walking choices in this beautiful part of Ireland.
That's Dunmanus Bay in the background.

Twenty-second video taken high up by Seefin on the Sheep's

Head Peninsula. It starts with a view down to Dunmanus Bay

on the right, then a sweep over the land

to Bantry Bay on your left.

Arundel's By The Pier. By the way, it is a very short distance from the pier.
If you are coming from the pier, they have parking on your right (before you pass the pub).
Take a break here, either before or after your Sheep's Head "stroll". By the way, a nearby pub, the Tin Pub,
is equally popular if the number of cars parked outside each is a guide.

This hake and chips was excellent, after a long wait. Had been expecting to see more fresh fish on the Arundel's menu. They did have smoked salmon and two variations of mussel dishes, no other fish.
There is a green grassy area with a few tables (same type as in the pic above) across the road, but in answer to a few queries from incoming customers, they said they couldn't serve people there. We walked over after lunch and found just one other couple there, and they were more intent on sunbathing.

The pier by Arundel's

Also on this trip:

An Evening in support of UNICEF's Children of Gaza Appeal at Rare Restaurant, Kinsale

An Evening in support of UNICEF's

Children of Gaza Appeal at Rare Restaurant, Kinsale

Chef Meeran Manzoor

On July 31st, Rare at Blue Haven will host a fundraising event for UNICEF Ireland’s Children of Gaza Appeal

Meeran Manzoor, Executive Chef, and his team at Rare will host a special evening in Kinsale on July 31st, with all proceeds from the night donated directly to UNICEF Ireland’s Children of Gaza Appeal. It’s a unique opportunity for guests to revisit Rare or experience the Michelin Guide-recognised restaurant for the first time, all in support of a worthy cause.

Meeran Manzoor, Executive Head Chef at Rare at Blue Haven, said, “We are really looking forward to welcoming guests for this dinner seating as it's a night to enjoy a thoughtfully curated dining experience by our team at Rare while giving back. Every cent of the evening's proceeds from food will go directly to UNICEF Ireland's Children of Gaza Appeal. We hope you’ll join us in supporting this vital cause.”

Guests will enjoy the seasonal tasting menu curated by Meeran and his team, showcasing the finest West Cork produce. The menu reflects Meeran’s signature style, a thoughtful blend of South Indian heritage and European culinary technique, expressed through hyper-local dishes crafted from the finest peak-season ingredients.

Guests can book from 5:30 pm to 7:45 pm on July 31st to support the fundraising evening. Booking can be made via www.rare1784.ie or by calling 021 4772 209.

Rare at The Blue Haven is located in The Blue Haven Collection, Pearse Street, Kinsale, Co Cork,

P17 NA72. Keep up to date with the latest news by following Rare on social at @rarekinsale

media release

Monday, July 14, 2025

Cocktail ace Joe Timbrell announced as new General Manager at Elbow Lane

Cocktail ace Joe Timbrell announced as new General Manager at Elbow Lane.

Timbrell, 34, from Innishannon, West Cork, has been with the business for 8 years and has worked his way up from barman to his current position on this young team. Over the years, he has developed and expanded the restaurant's cocktail list and created Elbow Lane's Amaretto. Called Joe's Amaretto, it took a Silver at the World Spirits Awards last year. (This is the primary ingredient in the restaurant's signature cocktail: 'The Sweet, The Smoked and The Sour'.)

This is one of the experimental new drink developments at Elbow Lane. The brewery also collaborates with local brewers and distillers to develop a host of new beers for its diners such as a gin barrel-brewed beer with Rebel Distillery called Skiddys Sour. In addition, the restaurant also houses a fermentary, which experiments with the by-products of the brewery to create new flavours on the menu.

The restaurant has won a slew of awards, including Best Casual Dining Munster, Best Employer in the Food & Drink industry and Best Restaurant Manager. Critics regularly mention it as one of the top 100 restaurants in Ireland. It is part of the progressive Market Lane Restaurant Group, which also includes Market Lane, goldie, ORSO and The Blackrock Castle Cafe.

"I am really looking forward to working with the fabulous team here at Elbow Lane to create memorable food experiences for our guests," says Timbrell. "I would like to build on the strong foundations laid down by my predecessors to provide top quality local produce and excellent service sustainably and to keep bringing new and interesting flavours to the people of Cork and beyond".

For further information, click on www.elbowlane.ie

Mizen Head. Two faces, one foggy, one sunny, of Ireland's most south-westerly point.

Mizen Head. Two faces in one day, foggy, sunny,

of Ireland's most south-westerly point.

Dunlough Bay

You are here!

Mizen Head, traditionally regarded as the most southerly point of mainland Ireland, had two faces for us last Tuesday morning. We’ve experienced all kinds of weather during our regular visits over the years, from scorching sunshine and pounding seas and now the fog.

On arrival, we thought we wouldn’t be able to see anything due to the deep fog. But by the time we had read our way through the various exhibitions, that fog had begun to shift, and the sun was starting to show. In any weather, perched on the edge of the Atlantic, Mizen Head is one of the most spectacular headlands on Ireland’s seaboard.

On arriving at Mizen, you'll find a pretty large car park with some great views (normally!) over the ocean. The entrance hall, including the ticket office and some exhibitions, is straight ahead. Here also, you find a café, shop and bathrooms. The indoor exhibitions, both by the entrance and down at the point, are fascinating.

Foggy morning

Once you come out in the open, you have a range of cliff paths ahead of you. Perhaps the main one is more or less straight to the impressive footbridge. You may be fit enough to do all the pathways, but do try to get up to the amazing viewpoints over Dunlough Bay.

The story of the Fastnet Lighthouse is well told at Mizen, as in this illustration.

In any case, you must not miss a stroll over that footbridge where you may well see seals far below. Continue straight ahead to the old signalling station, now a museum open to visitors. Quite a few more interesting displays here, including the lightkeeper at breakfast (though he hasn’t touched a bite since I was here last!

As many of you know, the 40th anniversary of the Air India bombing was marked recently at the memorial park in nearby Ahakista. Three hundred and twenty-nine people (208 of them Canadian) were murdered when the plane exploded off the West Cork coast.

But that wasn't the area's first disaster involving Canadians. I found this info on one of the many info panels at Mizen.

"HMHS Liandovery Castle, built in 1914 in Glasgow as RMS Llandovery Castle for the Union-Castle Line, was one of five Canadian hospital ships that served in the First World War. On a voyage from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool, England, the ship was torpedoed off southern Ireland, about 116 miles southwest of Fastnet on 27 June 1918.

The sinking was the deadliest Canadian naval disaster of the war. 234 doctors, nurses, members of the Canadian Army Medical Corps, soldiers and seamen died in the sinking and subsequent machine-gunning of lifeboats. Only 24 people, the occupants on a single life-raft, survived. The incident became infamous internationally and was considered, after the Armenian genocide, as one of the war's worst atrocities. After the war, the case of Llandovery Castle was one of six alleged German war crimes prosecuted at the Leipzig trials."

No fog now!

The nearby village of Crookhaven has had a distinguished history as the first and last port of call for ships going between Northern European ports and America. Over the centuries, ships stocked up here with provisions and bunkered. This drew radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi to the West Cork village in the early 1900s, and he guided subsequent communications developments that made sea traffic more efficient and safer. Read more in Mizenhead.ie There is still a property in the village called Marconi House.

Bovine Balance. On the edge!

After spending 90 to 120 minutes walking around the spectacular paths, why not drop into the Mizen Café, which offers a range of snacks, hot and cold drinks, and home-made treats including:

Teas, coffee and hot chocolate
Cold juices and soft drinks
A variety of home baked produce, including cakes, brown bread, apple tart and more...
Homemade soup and that West Cork favourite, seafood chowder
Local mussels and fresh fish and chips
A selection of freshly made sandwiches
Whipped ice-cream cones, perfect for cooling down on a warm day

As I drove down (R585). from Crookstown, the amount of flora growing on the roadside was
eye-catching. Early on, there were plenty of wild roses and more and more fuchia, meadowsweet
also, the further west I travelled. The area around Mizen, including Barleycove, has quite an
amount of flora, including some rare ones. This Sea Plantain is quite common on Mizen.

Short video Dunlough Bay

Also on this trip:

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Bar of the Year 2025 Finalists

press release

Bar of the Year 2025 Finalists

The Bar of the Year Awards 2025 has received over 1000 entries, making it the most competitive year yet. After intense deliberations, only the finest bars have been selected as finalists. The event will take place on Monday, 18th August 2025, at the prestigious Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road. If you're a finalist, you are encouraged to promote the voting form across your social media channels and websites to rally support and increase your chances of winning. Let the campaign begin!

5 STAR HOTEL BAR OF THE YEAR

Sponsored By London Essence
1757 at Mount Juliet Estate, Co. Kilkenny
no27 Bar & Lounge, The Shelbourne Hotel, Co. Dublin
Prince of Wales Bar at Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo
The Guinness Bar at Cashel Palace Hotel, Co. Tipperary
The Lounge at The Fitzwilliam Hotel, Co. Dublin
The Rooftop Bar & Terrace, Marker Hotel, Co. Dublin
The Savoy Hotel, Co. Limerick
The Sidecar, Westbury, Co. Dublin

BAR FOOD OF THE YEAR

Sponsored By Coca Cola
Bar Square, Co. Mayo
Blake's Bar Galway, Co. Galway
Durty Nellys, Co. Clare
Gearys BAR, Co. Cork
Gertie Brownes Bar and Bistro, Co. Westmeath
Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa,

Garinish Island. Glengarrif's Precious Gem

Garinish Island. Glengarrif’s Precious Gem

Leaving the Blue Pool for the island.

Garinish Island, officially known as Ilnacullin, and often spoken of as Garnish Island, is a small island of rare beauty, nestled in the sheltered coastal harbour at Glengarriff in Bantry Bay and nowadays in the hands of the OPW.

In the Italian Garden

We were lucky with the weather last week and made it our first port of call on the opening day of our short stay, using the Schull Harbour Hotel as our base. As usual, we headed for the Blue Pool from which the eponymous ferry company operates. Unusually, the ferry does not take credit cards, while the island entry point does.

The Temple

The boat took us close to Seal Island on our way out, and there were all sizes of seals lounging in the sun. Soon, we landed at Garinish and paid the nominal entry fee. There is also a little café here selling soup, scones, rolls, cakes, coffee, teas, hot chocolate and cold drinks.

Italian Garden

There is a recommended route, but don’t worry if you take a wrong turn, as you’ll soon find your way. It is not very big. The big attraction is the Italian Garden, its beautiful little building, ornamental pool, lawn and walled garden so pleasing to the eye.

Caha Mountains in the distance

Not all the walking is so easy, though. There are many steps up to the Martello tower, but do persevere as the views are stunning. There is also a designated viewpoint nearby if you don’t feel like taking the narrow internal staircase to the top of the tower.

English Border in Walled Garden

From the tower, head down to the Happy Valley and the Jungle (which has many imported trees and shrubs, some from South America, New Zealand and China, almost as international as the mix of tourists that know visit the beautiful place).

Casita Lawn

Be sure also to visit the popular temple, reached via an avenue of Italian cypress and giving superb views out to the sea and the Caha Mountains.

As I said, the island is quite small and you won't get lost. Probably best to buy the Visitors Guide (Ilnacullin, by the OPW at the entry office) and, if you follow this, you’ll enjoy your visit even more.

Having enjoyed our time there, we headed to the little harbour and soon our Blue Ferry boat arrived to take us back after a delightful 90 minutes or so in the shade and the sun.

Also on this trip: