Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Taste of the Week. Union Hall Smoked Salmon Paté


Taste of the Week
Union Hall Smoked Salmon Paté

Quite a selection of products from the Union Hall smokery in Bradley’s when I called to the North Main Street shop (established 1850) a day or two before Christmas.

At that stage, most of the shopping had been done but I thought to myself that their Smoked Salmon Paté would come in handy over the Christmas. It didn’t last that long, more or less demolished that very lunchtime. 

Ready to eat it says on the pack and I, having come back from the city and a call to Davidson’s, our local butchers, to collect the festival order, was ready to eat it. 

The Nolan family have been producing good quality smoked fish products in the small fishing village for the past 30 years and Missus Nolan’s delicious paté has its own unique flavour, mainly salmon of course but with a nicely judged element of a peppery spice along with citrus notes. Excellent on fresh Arbutus sourdough and our Taste of the Week. Taste of the Day more like it! It comes in a 100 gram pack and retails for €3.29.

Union Hall
West Cork
028 33125

Monday, December 30, 2019

Christmas Cheer Reviewed. Including Drinks Gluten Free & Alcohol Free


Summer Beer Downed In December
Including Drinks Gluten Free & Alcohol Free

Very much into seasonal when it comes to my food. Not so much when it’s beer. Especially when there’s a can handy, a can from Eight Degrees called Orange Ball 5. It’s part of their 8th year anniversary celebration series called Rack ‘Em Up and intended to be a summertime sup.

But I come across it late-ish, on a December night on the run-in to Christmas, spot the 3.9 abv and I say to myself that this Fruity Pale Ale fits the bill. Athgarret Malt, Ireland’s newest maltsters, as suppliers of the wheat and oats, get much of the credit. Credit too though to the brewers at the Mitchelstown brewery who came up with this fruity sessional pale ale, silky sunshine on a cloudy day. Just the job to fit this Bill, late on a windy Friday night. A juicy wet sunshine-ey kiss, declares the label. A kiss for all seasons, methinks.


Staying a bit out of sequence here, all the better to draw your attention to the Blue Ball, number 2 in the series. This one’s a coffee infused Vienna Lager (4.50%). You usually come across coffee in stouts but the Eight Degrees boffins went outside the box - they usually do - when they got together with local coffee roaster Badger & Dodo.

I admit to be being a little sceptical when I pulled this one. So it was quite a pleasant surprise when I found the combination worked a treat both on the nose and on the palate. The balance is just spot-on, another winner racked up in North Cork. By the way, who is Dodo? I have met the badger, better known as Brock.

The Christmas dinner was excellent, both food and company, and gave me a chance to pot the black. The  #8 Black Ball Metric Stout that is! Aged in Jameson whiskey barrels, the big bold (11.5%) stout proved quite a match for the Christmas pudding.

For all the excellent beers in the Rack ‘Em Up eight, my favourite remains the Howling Gale Irish Pale Ale. It is the first beer Eight Degrees ever brewed, back in 2011. Perfect then. Perfect now.

Just going back to Christmas Day. We had quite a few visitors. Some were driving so I made sure to have a few non alcoholic beers in the house. The newish Dungarvan Brewery Main Sail was one and that went down well. One guy enjoyed the Erdinger but no one tried the Russian Baltica.

The big alcoholic attraction though was the Chateau Turcaud "Cuvée Majeure" Bordeaux blanc, a beautiful wine in an impressive magnum, a present for our 50th earlier in the year!

As usual there were bubbles - of various types. And here a local Elderflower cordial, made by Maura’s Kitchen and bought at Killavullen Market, came into its own, drawing lots of compliments. Sometimes, it was mixed with sparkling wine and, where the request was for no alcohol, with sparkling water. Really made quite a favourable impression all round.


Bīru, appropriately enough since it is the Japanese word for beer, is the name of a premium light lager with an abv of 4.3%, which also proved a favourite. It is a Japanese inspired rice beer;  ingredients also include water, malted barley, maize and hops and is also gluten free.

It certainly tastes pretty well with a very smooth mouthfeel. Easy-drinking, light and refreshing, with very little bittering, it is an ideal session drink. It is contract brewed by Cork’s Cotton Ball Brewery.

As you probably know, the 9 White Deer Brewery, from Baile Bhúirne, have a full range of Gluten Free beers and their Stag Bán ale was very popular with our guests. 


So there you are. More than one way to a Happy Christmas! Now here’s to a happy 2020.

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Amuse Bouche



Steve Buissinne via Pixabay

It was the smell of bread always baking, the smell of turf-smoke, the smell of onions, of boiling, the green tongue of boiled cabbage, the pink one of bacon with grey scum like sins rising, the smell of rhubarb that grew monstrous at the edge of the dung-heap, the smell of rain in all its iterations… the living smell of wool, the dead smell of stone, the metallic ghost stench of mackerel that disobeyed the laws of nature and like Jesus outlived itself by three days.

from This is Happiness by Niall Williams (2019). Very Highly Recommended.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Amuse Bouche


“First we eat.”
And eat they did, none of the food that appeared at their table ordered by either of them, and none of it on the Marine’s laminated menu or on the list of plats du jour chalked on the blackboard… Before one dish had been see off another arrived: flash-fried fillets of red mullet; a grilled pepper and anchovy salad des Pecheurs; a couple of pavé steaks; a platter of cheese; and, finally, baked apples in Calva.
And all the while, the two men talked. The Cabrille affair… and the shoot-out in Pélisanne.
“The old man was a psycho,’…

from The Dying Minutes by Martin O’Brien (2012). Highly Recommended.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The Magic of Fermentation - Sat 25th Jan

The Magic of Fermentation - Sat 25th Jan


To kick off 2020 we are revisiting the wonderful world of fermentation with a twist. 


Book here now or keep reading to learn more. 


We kick off 2020 with three wonderful practitioners of the art of fermentation. 

  • Tom Stack is a dairy farmer in conversation to organic based in Limerick. He follows the Korean Natural Farming method and fermentation is an integral part of that approach. 

  • Ronan Coughlan is Head Brewer with KO Kombucha who produce a range of organic fermented drinks in Offaly - Their website 

  • Terri Ann Fox runs fermentation workshops in Wicklow and the list of foods she ferments is over 25 long! -  Her instagram

You can buy your ticket(s) here and we look forward to meeting you on the night - do say hello.

Buy someone a ticket or two for Christmas :-)

Keith (Biabeag) & Julie (Highbank Organic Orchard)

 

086 2300702


(press release)

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Cork Food Policy Council presents an evening of insights into Cork’s Food Landscape

Cork Food Policy Council presents an evening
 of insights into Cork’s Food Landscape
A new interactive food map sparks debate and discussion about the food system in Cork

The Cork Food Policy Council (CFPC) will host an evening of talks called Cork’s Food Landscape: Interactive Insights, inspired by the recently developed Cork Food Map. The talks will cover a range of topics including Food Poverty in Cork, Sustaining a Food Business in Cork City and the Cork Urban Soil Project. All are welcome, and entry is free but please reserve a seat via Eventbrite.
Speakers include Joe McNamee (Irish Examiner), Virginia O'Gara (My Goodness) and J.J. Healy (Cork Institute of Technology). The event takes place on Wednesday January 22nd 2020 from 6.30pm–8.30pm In Cork University Business School (CUBS) 1, Lapps Quay Cork City.
The Cork Food Map was commissioned by the CFPC as part of a larger, ongoing project to develop a complete profile of the food system in Cork to identify and address food-related issues affecting the people living in the region. 
Funded by the Healthy Ireland Fund and developed by Tomás Kelly, the Cork Food Map provides an analysis of the different types of food businesses that exist in the city, and the patterns relating to where they are located. The map presents the information in an easy to use interactive format available publicly online via the CFPC website.
The event on the 22nd of January will be chaired by food writer Joe McNamee, and include a number of presentations:
  • The Power of Knowledge and the crucial role it can play in bringing about a truly sustainable Irish food system (Joe McNamee, Irish Examiner)
  • An Introduction to the Cork Food Map (Janas Harrington, Chair Cork Food Policy Council)
  • Utilising the food map for an assessment of Food Advertising in Cork City (Kaspurs Puspurs, School of Public Health, UCC)
  • Food Poverty in Cork City (Caitriona Twomey, Cork Penny Dinners)
  • The Cork Urban Soil Project (Virginia O'Gara, My Goodness)
  • Argumentum ad populum (argument to the people) - Do restaurants have a high failure rate? (J.J. Healy, Cork Institute of Technology)
All are welcome, so please join us for this evening of discussion of the Cork Food Landscape. Seats can be reserved via Eventbrite.

press release

Cork Airport's First Airport In Ireland To Roast Its Own Coffee Beans

Cork Airport's First Airport In Ireland To Roast Its Own Coffee Beans
New sustainable café concept, Blue Bird Coffee Roasters opens at Ireland’s fastest growing and most punctual airport


Cork Airport is officially the first airport in Ireland to roast its own coffee beans as it welcomes the opening today  (18 Dec 2019) of a new sustainable café concept, Blue Bird Coffee Roasters.

Opened by KSG Catering in the check-in area, the contemporary Blue Bird Coffee Roastery Café at Ireland’s fastest growing and most punctual airport, champions sustainable initiatives. Using ethically sourced speciality grade coffee beans direct from Columbia, the coffee is roasted daily and stored on-site in reusable sealed containers, lowering its transport carbon footprint. All disposable packaging offered on the premises — including cups, lids, straws and cutlery — are compostable and bio-degradable, while crockery is set as the default option to help reduce the generation of waste packaging. This is the second Blue Bird Coffee Roasters to open in Ireland and the first outside of Dublin.

Commenting on the launch of the new café, Head of Aviation & Commercial Business Development at Cork Airport, Brian Gallagher said: “We are delighted see the launch of our new café offering, Blue Bird Coffee Roasters, making Cork Airport Ireland’s first airport to host an on-site roastery. Our unique food and beverage offerings — from the Airport’s Taste of Cork specialities, to now our very own freshly roasted coffee — ensures that passengers choosing to fly from Cork are in for a treat the moment they enter the terminal.

“At Cork Airport, we take our sustainability commitment very seriously, and this year we signed a landmark commitment to become net zero for our carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest. Blue Bird Roastery Café’s sustainable model works in tandem with this, with a focus on waste reduction and segregation, reducing general waste and in turn increasing recycling.”

KSG’s Blue Bird Coffee Roasters replaces the offering from the company’s Refuel Café at the Airport, which operated at the transport hub for over six years with high customer satisfaction rates. The experienced staff of Refuel Café will be serving customers in the new Bluebird Coffee Roasters and have been trained on making the perfect cup of speciality coffee by KSG’s Head of Coffee.

The new spacious coffee house offers a diverse menu with a broad range of breakfast options and snacks along with signature sandwiches, healthy rice bowls, salads and of course your favourite beverage roasted in the cafe.
  
Commenting on the launch of Cork Airport’s Blue Bird Roastery Café, Managing Director Michael Gleeson at KSG, Ireland's leading restaurant service provider, said: “This is our second Blue Bird Coffee Roasters to open in Ireland, with an outlet already on-site at University College Dublin. The idea is simple — source the best AA grade beans direct from farmers in Colombia complimented by seasonal guest coffees from around the world, all speciality grade, along with having conscious sustainability initiatives around disposable packaging and single-use plastics.

“At KSG we are committed to using Irish and local suppliers as much as possible and our food in Blue Bird Coffee Roasters is freshly prepared in the café. The menu incorporates on-trend breakfast dishes, full deli offering, hot lunch bowls, bakery from Cork’s own Hassetts Bakery and, for those in a hurry, a range of grab and go sandwiches and salads made freshly in the café every day.”
 press release

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Taste of the Week. El Door’s Wholemeal Sourdough


Taste of the Week
El Door’s Wholemeal Sourdough

MacCurtain Street’s El Door is now a reasonably regular call for us, usually on our way home from town. The Polish owned bakery has been there for about two years, their breads also available at farmers markets in Killavullen and Ballincollig

We usually get the regular sourdough but this time we threw in a wholemeal sourdough as well. I was just into my first slice of the wholemeal when I found myself concentrating on a beautiful experience of flavour and texture. Everything else faded away for a moment or two before I said to myself that’s my Taste of the Week. Well worth a try if you happen to be passing that way.

They do quite a range of bread types here and also offer a slicing service (not at the markets). I generally prefer mine unsliced though!

They also do a range of doughnuts and, more recently, Cornish pasties. And it’s not all take-out. They have a limited number of tables in MacCurtain Street and you can order a coffee with your cake.

El Door Bakery
MacCurtain Street
Cork
089 961 0998

How to make a right royal Irish Coffee - the Grace O'Malley way.



a media release

Six Christmas & New Year Wine Doubles!

Six Christmas & New Year Wine Doubles
In no particular order! 


(Click on the individual wines to see short reviews and Irish stockists.)

I      Gallina de Piel, `Ikigall` Penedès (DO) 2018, 11.5%, €20.99 Liberty Wine
Blackrock Cellar; Baggot Street Wines; McHugh’s Off Licence - Kilbarrack Rd; Bradley's, North Main St., Cork
www.winesonline.ie

           Gallina de Piel Mimetic Calatayud (DO) 2018, 14.5%, €20.99 Liberty Wine
Baggot Street Wines; Blackrock Cellar; McHugh’s Off Licence - Kilbarrack Rd; McHugh’s Off Licence - Malahide Road; Drink Store Ltd; Bradley's, North Main St., Cork; www.winesonline.ie


II    Angiolino Maule, La Biancara, Masieri Bianco Veneto (IGT) 2017, 11.5%,               €18.85;  64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny
       Angiolino Maule, La Biancara, Masieri Rosso Veneto (IGT) 2018,  14.0%,               €22.25; as above


III   Diwald Grüner Veltliner “Goldberg” Wagram (Austria) 2015, 13%, €20.75             Mary Pawle
          Domaine de la Bonne Tonne Morgon (AOC) “Cote du Py” 2015,                14%, €28.75 Mary Pawle




IV   De Alberto Organic Verdejo Rueda (DO) 13.5%, O’Brien’s
           De Martino “Gallardia” Cinsault Itata (DO) 2017 , O'Brien's


V    Lo Abarca Riesling 2017 €12.00 Marks & Spencer
       Chateau Vincens “Prestige” Cahors (AOC) 2013, 13%, €23.50 Vanilla                        Grape Kenmare

VI    Castellani Vermentino Toscana (IGT) 2017 €10.00 SuperValu
           Campo Viejo Garnacha Rioja (AOC) 2017 €10.50 SuperValu

Click on the individual wines to see reviews and Irish stockists.

Monday, December 16, 2019

COBH MANAGER TAKES HOME TOP HONOUR AT PRIDE OF CENTRA AWARDS

COBH MANAGER MICHELLE TAKES HOME TOP HONOUR AT PRIDE OF CENTRA AWARDS

-Annual Award Ceremony Applauds Centra Employees-


The sixth annual Pride of Centra Awards ceremony took place recently in Dromoland Castle in Co. Clare, where a selection of outstanding Centra employees were honoured for their passion and commitment shown in the workplace this year. There were 54 employees from across the country shortlisted across six categories with Michelle McCarthy, Department Manager of Centra Cobh, Co. Cork, taking home the Department Manager Award but also named as the Overall 2019 Pride of Centra Award winner.  

Presented by Sybil Mulcahy, the Pride of Centra Awards celebrates the dedication and enthusiasm demonstrated by employees. Each of the shortlisted finalists have gone above and beyond their role to emulate the Centra brand values and ensure their store is at the heart of their community. The overall winner was selected from six category winners; Employee Award, Department Manager Award, Store Manager Award, Length of Service Award, Community Champion Award, Outstanding Customer Service Award & Overall Pride of Centra Award 2019.

Commenting on the Pride of Centra Awards, Dan Curtin, Centra Sales Director, said; “These awards were established to recognise and celebrate the incredible individuals who consistently live by the Centra brand values, each and every day. Centra stores operate in the heart of communities across the country and these awards not only provide the opportunity to showcase the amazing work that Centra staff do every day within the store, but also highlight the remarkable and selfless work they do within their local communities. Customers tell us time and time again that the number one driver of shoppers to Centra is our staff and we are proud and grateful for their dedication, commitment and passion for our brand.”

Pride of Centra 2019 Category Winners:

  1. Pride of Centra Overall Winner & Department Manager: Michelle McCarthy, from Centra Cobh, Co.Cork
  2. Pride of Centra Employee Award, Nikita Kelly, Centra Kells, Co. Louth
  3. Pride of Centra Store Manager Award, Connie Lynch, Centra Piltown, Co. Kilkenny
  4. Pride of Centra Length of Service Award, Brendan Deane, Centra Belmullet, Co. Mayo
  5. Pride of Centra Community Champion Award, Bridget McLaughlin, Centra Moville, Co. Donegal
  6. Pride of Centra Outstanding Customer Service Award, Rachel Ellis, Centra Kells, Co. Meath


Commenting in relation to overall winner Michelle McCarthy, Judge Paul Ellison said; “Since joining Murphy’s Centra Cobh, Michelle has helped turn the shop into a local landmark, famous for its fresh food and high-quality service. She is an inspirational leader that has built a fantastic team of staff and created a positive culture through continuously motivating, involving and encouraging all employees of the store. Michelle is loved by all the customers with her wonderful positive attitude, friendliness and enthusiasm and she is hugely involved in the community dedicating her time to many different initiatives and charity events every year. She truly embodies the Pride of Centra Award.”

The 54 finalists represented 19 counties; Dublin, Cork, Sligo, Waterford, Wexford, Donegal, Galway, Clare, Cavan, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Laois, Tipperary, Kildare, Kilkenny, Kerry, Carlow and Offaly. All shortlisted candidates were recognised for their ongoing commitment to their work with community initiatives, charity organisations, customer service and engaging activities in-store.


 press release

Sunday, December 15, 2019

That was the year that was! Rewind 2019


That was the year that was!
Rewind 2019

When you go over the hill, you go faster. And certainly this year, 2019, went faster!

Cask "toasting". Wine, Whiskey and Beer evening  at the Franciscan Well

It was a good one though, some terrific visits to producers of all kinds, delicious meals, excellent stays at everything from B&Bs to five star hotels and friendly festivals as well.

And great to be able to confirm that friendliness is still a huge and engaging factor in the Irish hospitality sector. There were warm welcomes, above and beyond, in many places and our front of house laurels go to:
and to the entire team at Wicklow Heather in Laragh
With Mary T (right) at Castle Grove

On the Gastro Pub scene, you’ll find it hard to beat the Victor led front of house at O’Mahony’s of Watergrasshill. And in accommodation, the nod goes to Mary T and the Sweeney family at Castle Grove House in Donegal. Always a terrific welcome too at both the Trident in Kinsale and the Celtic Ross in Rosscarbery. Top guesthouses: Perryville (Kinsale) and Sheedy’s (Doolin).

Breakfast is a key part of accommodation of course and we came across some gems this year. Aldridge Lodge  in Wexford is absolutely outstanding while Sheedy’s of Doolin is another excellent place. I don't do breakfasts in restaurants often but ORSO in Cork gets an honourable mention! The most impressive breakfast room we came across is the beautiful conservatory in the Quay House  in Clifden and the breakfast is good too as it is in Kinsale’s Perryville.
Fish breakfast at Aldridge Lodge

O’Mahony’s of Watergrasshill is an outstanding venue for pub grub while Gallagher’s in MacCurtain Street Cork impressed on a pre-theatre visit.

Goldie
The fish offering is also improving all the time and we came across two quite innovative places this year: Fisk in Downings in Donegal and Goldie in Cork City. Kudos too to the Wild Strands Café (Malin, Donegal) for their use of seaweed and fish. Superb fish dinner as always in the Bayview Ballycotton, the village is also well served in that regard by Pier 26, and there was an excellent fish lunch at the Mountain House in Ardfield, West Cork. In Cork City and in a few Kerry towns, you'll find, as we did, the ever-reliable Quinlan's.

Great variety in the restaurant scene nowadays, including the famed vegetarian (and wine!) offering at Cafe Paradiso, also on Leeside. Crab claws were superb at Pier 26 (Ballycotton) and Naughton's (Kilkee) while the best steak was served at Liberty Grill (Cork). Hard to beat Nash 19 Cork for pork and the Market Lane group for lamb (especially when the Blasket Lamb is available). When it comes to variety on the menu, Cork’s Dockland is the place to be.
Liberty Grill steak

Enjoyed the Palestinian fare at Izz in Cork though the ethnic highlight was the Pickle Pop-up with Sunil Ghai  in Sage Midleton. Another good one was Richy's Curry Series with his excellent Indian chef Meeran Gani.
Pearse Lyons Distillery

Lunch is an important time if you're on the road. The Woollen Mills Café in Foxford , St Francis Provisions (Kinsale), TIA in Louisburgh are all worth noting - great salads and more. In Cork city, put the Farmgate (celebrating 25 years) and Crawford Gallery Cafe on your list, not forgetting Vikki's in Sunday's Well, O'Callaghan's (Mitchelstown) and Seasalt in Cobh. Something more substantial? Then put Tramore’s Copper Hen in your diary. And go for the lunch tasting menu at Greene’s Cork if you are looking for something really special. Off for an afternoon? Why not the extra special Afternoon Tea in the River Lee Hotel?
Ichigo Ichie. "Every moment we change"

We enjoyed a few special dinners. The Sake dinner at Ichigo Ichie was outstanding. Great company, wine and food at the Rizzardi Wine dinner in Courtmacsherry’s Lifeboat Inn. And fantastic wine and fish at a FEAST event in the Bayview. And another excellent night was the Barnabrow Gourmet Evening with ENO Wines.
Paradiso Cork

Indeed, FEAST was our top festival this year. It has made huge strides in recent years. The Pickle Pop-up here was a good one and another very enjoyable meal was the Picado Mexican Pop-up during the West Waterford Festival. 
Quay House, Clifden

Oh, I nearly forgot dessert. Indeed, I’ve been known to skip it sometimes. But two that I remember with pleasure are the Mocha Choca Yumma at the Ballymaloe Cookery School Garden Café Truck and the Apple and Berry Crumble at the Copper Hen (Tramore).

Dessert at Ballymaloe CS truck
Both Eight Degrees and Kinnegar breweries, two of the best around, took time out to show us their breweries. Another very enjoyable event was the Wine, Whiskey and Beer evening  at the Franciscan Well. Other producers visited included Clonakilty Black Pudding, Seymour Biscuits (Bandon), St Tola Cheese (Clare), Hegarty's Cheese (Whitechurch).

On the wine side, there was a very impressive Spit 2019 day in the River Lee. Best wine bar we visited was the Gallery in Westport. More and more non-alcoholic drinks, good ones, are coming on the market and our favourite this year is the Highbank Orchards Organic Drivers Cider.

A couple of excellent distillery visits too including to Clonakilty and Powerscourt (both new). Perhaps the most memorable was the lovely Pearse Lyons distillery  in Dublin’s Liberties, big thanks there to our guides Bernard and James.

Speaking of guides, we had the lovely Karen Coakley include us on her excellent Kenmare Food Tour, lots of good food and variety in this small Kerry town. Kenmare is excellent but our top town of 2019 for good drink, excellent food and off-the-scale craic is Clonakilty. My highlight in Clon is the annual Street Carnival. In the city, we enjoyed the Long Table Walk in June and the Gourmet Trail (part of the Oyster Fest) in September. And in mid-summer, we thoroughly enjoyed a West Cork Farm Tour where another three top class guides - the O'Donovan family - showed us around..
Downings

Can’t go without mentioning pizza. I know there are many good ones around nowadays but my nod goes to newcomer Curley Stu  (check his Facebook here for venues) and the well established Pompeii (regulars at the Franciscan Well and in Waterville for the summer).

Lunch at Greene's
Great to see so many places now putting the emphasis on local and Blarney’s Square Table, champions of local, have been doing exactly that since they started. The Europe has, we think, the best five star hotel lounge/bar while Powerscourt has the best pub. 

For comfort and ticking all the other restaurant boxes as well, it has to be the Cornstore in Cork. Always a good atmosphere here. This year though the best buzz we came across was at Tapas de Lola (Dublin) and The Bullman (Kinsale).

Always get around to the farmers markets and it usually pays off! And it paid off on the double when we called to Killavullen before Christmas as it was here that we found the best ever Mince Pies (Noirin) and the best ever Sausage Rolls (Ciaran).
Bray Head walk

Some Random Bits
Top walks for auld fellas: Knockadoon, Ballycotton Cliff Walk, Nire Valley Gap, Bray Head (Valentia)  and Carrigfadda (West Cork).
Film: Satan and Adam (Netflix)
Books: Beautiful Affair (Mike Hanrahan), Suzy Suzy (William Wall), Rewind (Catherine Ryan Howard), all different but each with a strong East Cork connection.
Museum: Little Museum of Dublin.

So that was 2019, or at least a summary. If you have any suggestions for 2020, you know where to find me!