Business Post View: Guinness brand looks to be key to Diageo as wider shake-up on cards
From the cobblestones of 18th-century Dublin to the icy grandeur of imperial Russia, Diageo's brand narrative is soaked in centuries of brewing and distilling legend.
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Irish Times
28 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Irish people are talented at many things. But we have our shortcomings too
Ancestrally speaking, and just between us, there are things Irish people are and are not good at. Digesting dairy? We're very talented at it. Our lactose intolerance rate is under 5 per cent, which is way under the 65 per cent global average. That makes us almost superhumanly good at digesting butter, as well as exporting it. We can enjoy it without a roiling gut and an afternoon of debilitating cramps. Our ancestors equipped us to digest the foods around us, which is apparently largely dairy, and whatever the British weren't first having themselves. Knowing the secrets of everyone in the small town where we grew up? Nobody is better at that either. We are like a nation of grizzled but lovable private detectives. We all know Jimmy 'the wagon' (unfortunate and insensitive nickname – classically Irish) is off the wagon again when we see him sitting inside the window of the local Supermac's eating garlic cheese chips without a fork at half 11 in the morning. We are all familiar with the widely circulated rumour that Mary from down the road killed a man in a disagreement over scratch cards in 1984. Crucially, since they never found a body, she's still the school lollipop lady (we are all innocent until proven guilty). There are things Irish people are good at. Emigrating and then remaining very Irish in almost hermetically sealed cabals of their own despite being in Canada, or Australia , the Philippines, or wherever else. Alcohol consumption – unfortunately, we earned that reputation fair and square, and my numerous family members with drinking problems will readily attest to it as, I'm sure, will yours. READ MORE We have many gifts and talents. A penchant for the creative – art, literature and music. A sort of hardiness that comes of being largely cold and wet for hundreds of consecutive generations. (We might be genetically coded for immunity to trench foot.) A fitting and solemn respect for a dinner that is mostly carbohydrates as long as it has gravy on it. But we have shortcomings too. Many of these are not our fault, and I would argue strongly that one example is our poor ability to adapt to other climates. We have pollen in Ireland, of course, and the summer season is an absolute pain in the face (quite literally) for anyone with hay fever in a country richly carpeted in grass Living in Australia, I've seen more than one man red as a beet in a Mayo jersey, his boiled forehead audibly sizzling under the Australian sun as he declares it's 'actually unbelievable to feel the heat' on his face. 'My friend,' I think, 'the heat you are feeling is radiation scrambling your DNA. Get some factor 50 on or you'll be scraping your forehead skin up off the floor.' [ Hay fever and asthma sufferers face more severe symptoms due to agricultural fertilisers - study Opens in new window ] Those of Celtic heritage developed their skin tone, as I did, vaguely in the vicinity of Limerick, where sunlight is a thing we mostly read about in books and consider a rare and special treat, like having pancakes for dinner. It's all well and good for us to be going to California or Sydney or the UAE or wherever, but we would be foolish indeed to think that we don't need to take precautions to protect ourselves against a climate we are ill-equipped to survive in. We need sunscreen, ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) clothing and a decent hat or we will, quite simply, perish. Pollen is no different. We have pollen in Ireland, of course, and the summer season is an absolute pain in the face (quite literally) for anyone with hay fever in a country richly carpeted in grass. We would go to visit my great aunt who lived on Bere Island every summer when I was a child. Each year, just as I was taking in the verdant majesty of my favourite part of the country, my eyes would promptly swell shut. Because it was the 1990s, nobody thought to actually do anything much to assist a temporarily blinded seven-year-old with restricted airways. In fairness, my great aunt did say she'd pray for me, which was good of her. Unfortunately, in the depths of my youth and physical discomfort, this promise served only to convince me that I was dying. So look, I thought I 'knew' pollen. She has been my old nemesis, reeling drunkenly forth each year as spring slurs blowsily into being, and staying long past her welcome once September arrives, still swaying alone on the dance floor as people are stacking chairs in the background. 'The season is over, you relentless slattern,' I would think. 'Go to bed'. And, eventually, she would. My airways would clear and my eyeballs decrust, and there would be room to promptly catch a cold that you couldn't shake till April, like every other respectable Irish person. Still, somewhere out on the vast, mountainous horizon, there are plants desperately trying to have sexual intercourse with one another Then, I moved to Canberra, the hay fever capital of Australia, which does have a primary pollen season during the summer but also enjoys a rolling repertoire of other, less extreme pollen seasons through most of the year. You can actually see the pollen, rolling in mucky clouds, on a windy day. It furs window screens and sills, parked cars and public benches, giving everything it touches the look of something long neglected on Miss Havisham's diningroom table. It gathers in your hair and eyebrows, clinging to your clothes. You can see it running down the drain when you wash your face at night. It plagues people with asthma, who are advised to shower on arrival at home during the worst of the year, lest they keep repollinating themselves each time they move. [ The challenging art of pollen forecasting Opens in new window ] Now, it's autumn in Canberra, as the Irish climate warms up, and I somehow still have hay fever. The leaves are falling, limp and yellow, and my thermals are on and my feet are cold, and still, I am sneezing. Still, somewhere out on the vast, mountainous horizon, there are plants desperately trying to have sexual intercourse with one another. Possibly, there's some sort of lesson in all this, but I'm too congested to glean what it is. It does make me miss Limerick a bit, though, and its chaste plant-life that has the decency to die – or to play dead – once autumn shuffles in. Sign up to The Irish Times Abroad newsletter for Irish-connected people around the world. Here you'll find readers' stories of their lives overseas, plus news, business, sports, opinion, culture and lifestyle journalism relevant to Irish people around the world If you live overseas and would like to share your experience with Irish Times Abroad, you can use the form below, or email abroad@ with a little information about you and what you do. Thank you
Extra.ie
31 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Emily Barker details three months on remote Irish island
Former Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Emily Barker has moved back to the UK after spending three months on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. The 28-year-old revealed she was making the move back to Ireland at the start of the year, having spent six years here during her time on Dancing with the Stars. The British dancer spent six seasons on the RTÉ dancing competition, winning alongside broadcaster Carl Mullan in her sixth and final season on the show. Former Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Emily Barker has moved back to the UK after spending three months on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. Pic: Emily Barker/ Instagram Having returned to Ireland at the start of the year with her partner Olly, Emily has now provided a social media update admitting that the move 'didn't quite go to plan.' 'Or maybe it was everything it was meant to be AND SO MUCH MORE!' she reasoned. The former dancer explained that she had been quite online for much of 2025 and was now ready to share her experience of living on an island. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emily Barker (@emilybarker123) Emily explained that moving back to Ireland had been their plans for the whole of 2024, due to their love for the country as well as Emily's company and clients being mostly based there. 'We put plans in place, found a gorgeous little cottage in Wexford and put down a deposit, secured tenants for our home here in the UK and began to pack our whole lives into my little fiat 500 (Ollys car broke 2 weeks before the move and had to have a full new gear box… just the start of the twists in this eventful story),' Emily shared. Two weeks ahead of their before, Emily explained that they got an offer 'we just couldn't refuse.' Having returned to Ireland at the start of the year with her partner Olly, Emily has now provided a social media update admitting that the move 'didn't quite go to plan.' Pic: Emily Barker/ Instagram The pair were approached about living and working on a remote island off the Irish coast, and initially ignored the message, but later decided to reply and see what it was all about. 'As we both run remote businesses we thought… What could go wrong!? Just us… 19 wild horses, 2 border collies and Nancy and Ralphy of course,' Emily said. Emily and Olly made the move on January 4, bringing three weeks worth of food shopping to the remote island they were set to call home. Emily and Olly made the move on January 4, bringing three weeks worth of food shopping to the remote island they were set to call home. Pic: Emily Barker/ Instagram Following on with her recollection of the experience, Emily said the first few weeks were 'like no other' with sunsets and sunrises, a private beach and 'all the freedom in the world.' Noting that food shopping was ordered via click and collect every three weeks by boat, Emily joked that 'if you didn't buy your Prosecco in advance… Friday night is going to be pretty boring.' The pair resided on the island during Storm Eowyn, which Emily branded 'mad.' Likening the experience to lockdown, Emily explained that she refrained from sharing her journey online as she wanted to take time away to re-evaluate her journey in life and the next steps. Following on with her recollection of the experience, Emily said the first few weeks were 'like no other' with sunsets and sunrises, a private beach and 'all the freedom in the world.' Pic: Emily Barker/ Instagram Following three 'AMAZING months,' Emily and Olly decided to re-emerge back into society. She said: 'We have since moved back to the UK for some time to debrief and collect our thoughts after the most crazy adventure of our lives. 'Who knows if we will ever move back to Ireland but for now I have the most incredible memories from a three month trip of a lifetime!!' Friends and followers took to the comments, obsessed with Emily's life update, with one person writing: 'Now that's a life changing experience!!' Another added: 'Wow! That sounds like the best experience ever! Fair play to you. Best of luck with the next plan. X.' A third commented: 'The dream!!'
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Does owning a barge restaurant float your boat? La Peniche on Grand Canal in Dublin 4 guiding at €350,000
The Riasc, trading as La Peniche, is a familiar floating landmark at the fourth lock of the Grand Canal on Mespil Road in Dublin 4 . Moored on the south bank of the canal, the lipstick-red vessel commands a prime location, with footfall from office workers at the European headquarters of both LinkedIn and Irish-founded fintech Stripe at Iput's newly developed Wilton Park across the water. This corner of the city has been a cultural hub since poet Patrick Kavanagh and novelist and playwright Brendan Behan traded insults, in between sipping pints of stout and balls of malt. A bronze of Kavanagh sits on his favourite park bench here, where he drew inspiration for the poem entitled Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin. The Riasc barge is a familiar landmark on the Grand Canal. Photograph: Alan Betson The Dutch barge, whose mooring location is protected, was designed by Captain Sam Field Corbett, a businessman who owns 12 craft and who got his sea legs sailing the waterway with his father on a 60-footer on trips west to the Shannon as a child. READ MORE 'I had it built at a shipyard in the UK,' he explains. It was 1998. Dublin was beginning to boom. His sister Clodagh was coming home from San Francisco and wanted to open a cafe. He suggested she set up business on the barge. She was soon turning out about 130 meals a day from its compact galley, which Field Corbett estimates measures about 12sq m (130sq ft). The physical space the chef has to work in amounts to about 26sq ft, less than 2.5sq m. About a decade later he set up La Peniche, partnering with Eric Tydgadt of Belgian restaurant La Mer Zou, which at the time was located on St Stephen's Green. 'I build and design the boats and work closely with the operators. I don't run the businesses but have a shareholding in each,' says Field Corbett. The barge sets sail from Mespil Road up the canal to below Ranelagh bridge, offering diners a moving tableau of vistas as guests work their way through their courses. The Riasc sailing west on the Grand Canal The barge in one of the canal's locks The business operates successfully; Field Corbett says turnover was about €400,380 in 2024 and €360,000 in 2023. A cafe element is currently occupied and trading under a tenant who pays €26,000 per annum. The lease has expired, but the tenant has expressed willingness to renew under agreeable terms. Field Corbett studied at Cork Maritime College and trained aboard the MV Cill Airne, a 1960s vessel that he now owns; moored on the river Liffey at North Wall Quay, it operates as a boat bar and bistro. Another of his fleet is the canal-boat restaurant Cadhla , a 1922 Guinness brewery barge. He feels there is scope to develop the daytime business of the MV Riasc: 'It could become a co-working space or a coffee shop.' There is high footfall and a thriving lunchtime market in the immediate area. 'People are looking for experiences, for something different,' says selling agent Dave McCarthy of Drinks Advisor Ltd, which is seeking offers in excess of €350,000. 'The barge is very Instragrammable.' The vessel extends to about 148sq m (1,600sq ft). The saloon-like diningroom on its lower deck can accommodate up to 40 people. Its furniture comprises built-in seating with drop-leaf tables and affixed lamps. The tables can be moved to accommodate different-sized parties and then resecured in place. About the same number of diners can be seated under a canvas awning on the upper deck. La Peniche: The lower deck can accommodate about 40 diners. Photograph: Alan Betson The boat operates under all necessary safety, food hygiene and waterways regulations and is moored via a long-standing arrangement which will transfer to the new owner, subject to approval. After 26 years in business, Field Corbett is weighing anchor and setting sail in a new direction. Ever an adventurous spirit, he is expanding his business, in which escape rooms are installed on vessels of varying sizes in Dublin's docklands and on the quays in Galway, where he bought a dock in 2009. His Sea Stay Galway enterprise, meanwhile, rents out boats as tourist accommodation.
