Latest news with #Aran
The Herald Scotland
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's best scenic walks with gorgeous bakeries at the end
Housed in a gorgeous, whitewashed building in the heart of Dunkeld, this bakery and patisserie is owned by Flora Shedden, who was the youngest-ever finalist on The Great British Bake Off when she took part in the TV contest back in 2015, then aged just 19. Flora Shedden on the Great British Bake Off (Image: PA) She opened Aran two years later. The menu includes sweet and savoury Danish pastries – from gooseberry, creme fraiche custard and shortbread to spinach, artichoke and radish topped with feta – as well as croissants, chocolate swirls and sausage rolls made from pork, sage and apple. The walk: There's some lovely routes around Dunkeld, including along the River Tay towards the majestic Birnam Oak and Beatrix Potter Garden. Another gem nearby is the spellbinding woodland setting of The Hermitage, home to a waterfall, folly and hermit's cave. The Fat Batard Bakery, Peebles Nope, that's not a typo. This memorably named shop has built a loyal legion of fans thanks to its award-winning bread and delectable array of baked goods. Sourdough takes centre stage here, utilised in everything from yummy loaves to brioche rolls, doughnuts, scones and brownies. The pastry selection is sublime, with a nigh-on-impossible-to-choose-from list of varieties – including butter, almond, chocolate, chilli & cheese – and not to forget the legendary 'cruffins', a delicious hybrid of croissant and muffin. The walk: For a history-themed amble, explore the paths and trails that link Neidpath Viaduct, Neidpath Tunnel and Neidpath Castle, along the banks of the River Tweed. Read more Narture Artisan Cafe, Ayr This cheery, brightly decorated eatery sells bread, pastries and cakes, made just around the corner at the Narture Sourdough Bakery. Not only is the food tasty, but the premise behind the social enterprise is rather brilliant too. The brainchild of artist father and daughter team Robert and Saskia Singer, Narture was founded during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, a project aimed at repurposing empty spaces for cultural and creative uses, as well as helping to boost the regeneration of Ayr town centre. The walk: It would be remiss to visit Ayr and not take in the golden, sandy beach, with its views of Ailsa Craig and Arran. Or stretch your legs on a section of the River Ayr Way, a 44-mile route which concludes at Ayr Harbour, having wound its way from Glenbuck Loch. Arisaig Bread Shed, Lochaber This rustic bakery is a balm for the soul. We're talking sourdough loaves, baguettes, plum frangipane tarts, apple and blackberry Danish pastries, chocolate and hazelnut whirls, croissants and pain aux raisins. Arisaig Bread Shed also hosts seasonal pizza nights on Saturdays, based out of its converted 1974 Citroen H van nicknamed 'Hector'. Tuck into wood-fired, Italian-style classics, such as margherita, piccante and primavera – or plump for the meaty feast of a 'Highland', which is topped with haggis, pork and venison salami, chicken and red onion. The walk: For glorious coastal views, picture-postcard beaches and magical wildlife-watching opportunities check out the magnificent Rhu peninsula. Havn, Bridge of Allan Inspired by the bakeries of Copenhagen and others in a similar vein around Europe, this petite spot packs in the joy snacks – quite literally – with perfect pastries and heavenly sourdough bread. Havn exudes a wholesome vibe, where stepping through the door is akin to being embraced in a warm hug. The selection changes regularly as the in-house team experiments with fresh ideas. Pop in to pick up a croissant – or three – and a takeaway coffee. The walk: The Darn Road links Bridge of Allan to Dunblane, stretching roughly 2.75 miles (4.25km), passing along the Allan Water. It follows an ancient trackway, believed to date from Roman times. It can be done as a circular, or one-way returning by train or bus. Susan Swarbrick is a columnist and freelance writer who loves history and the outdoors. Follow her on X @SusanSwarbrick and Bluesky @
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Business
- Sunday World
Brand new HQ and service launch for Irish cleaning company
Ireland's first subscription-based window and gutter cleaning service officially opened its new headquarters last week. also used the glitzy bash to announce three new service divisions and Founder and managing director Luke Joyce hosted the launch, that included KIN star Yasmin Seky, to showcase the new space and mark the expanded services. Callum gives his dad Kyle some help at the grand opening The €200k upgrade of their Dublin HQ is the exact building where Luke's granny's knitwear factory was. Kitty Joyce was founder of Cleo and among her most iconic commissions were four Aran sweaters for Marilyn Monroe, worn during her movie 'Lets Make Love'. 'This building has history, heart, and hard work woven into its walls,' Luke told the crowd. 'Restoring it was not just a sustainable decision but a personal one. We're proud to give it a new life, while honouring the legacy of strong Irish craftsmanship and entrepreneurship that came before us. "The launch of and is a natural evolution for our business. These new divisions allow us to bring the same level of quality, reliability, and customer focus that we're known for to a wider range of home and property services. Combined with the opening of our new headquarters, this expansion represents our commitment to growth, innovation, and better serving our customers across Ireland."
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Blades of Fire review – forging a new style of hack-and-slash combat
MercurySteam have created a deep and intriguing fantasy world where creative melee combat is unequivocally the main attraction. Providing you don't mind getting turned around every so often, Blades of Fire delivers a worthy twist on the Soulslike template thanks to its unique combat and weapon-crafting system. Don't be fooled by the protagonist's broad shoulders and burly beard. There's far more thought given to Blades of Fire than what its Xbox 360 era aesthetic and character designs may initially suggest. It's a third-person action-adventure about going on a quest to protect a fantasy kingdom from the forces of evil, yes, but beneath this relatively ho-hum premise is a new kind of combat system that quite literally puts out the more you put in – thanks to the ability to create and modify your own weapons. As such, taking on enemies is always stuffed with a lot more meaning and risk than you'd find in other typical hack-and-slash fare. And while the systems outside this core hook aren't quite as exciting, it's hard to deny the thrill that comes from repairing, recycling, and creating your own spin on the game's namesake whenever heading back to the forge. At the centre of this fiery tale is Aran De Lira, part-time reluctant hero and full-time master forger, who finds himself in the rather unique position of being one of very few still able to craft steel following Queen Nerea's spell that has since turned everyone else's weapons into stone. His determination to do something about this properly begins after being gifted with a magical hammer by a young squire, Adso, that inspires the pair to fight their way to the queen's royal palace. It results in a road trip of sorts that challenges Aran to fight and forge through all kinds of interlocking dungeons and areas. From here Blades of Fire falls into a structure that is very Dark Souls in style, although in a way that reshapes your expectation due to the nature of weapons that will over time become blunt and degrade. Knowing that the weapons you've hammered into shape and spent time gathering better materials to make will eventually wear might sound disheartening. And yet, it's a core part of the Blades of Fire experience, one that forced me to think better about my actions both in and outside of combat. See, specific weapons are more and less susceptible to different enemy types, to the extent that, say, a polearm won't do as much damage to someone in full body armour. From here you can either switch weapons from the four Aran can carry at any one time, or you have two other options: change the stance with your equipped weapon or try to target a part of the enemy's body that is vulnerable to a certain directional swipe. As you can probably already tell, developer MercurySteam has placed a lot of depth into the way you not only can – but should – approach combat scenarios; a fact that quickly prevents you from being able to just continually button mash your way through crowded areas. The god of war Aran De Lira is not, and therefore it always pays to seek out the green outline on enemy limbs, being the best way of quickly telling whether your crafted weapon will deal out the most damage it's capable of. From Twin Axes to Greatswords to Spears, there are seven different weapon types you craft at the forge in total. The better you hammer the metal into each one's shape at the forge, the more damage they'll do when swung – not to mention the more times you'll be able to quickly repair it so as to avoid the need to start forging entirely from scratch. Forged in fire Once you get past how to swap weapons in and out on the fly and how to switch stances to slash, thrust, or otherwise, facing down goblins, spirit creatures, and bosses becomes a delicate dance of knowing not just when to attack, but how. The result is a genuinely unique and refreshing mode of third-person hack-and-slashing that is more meaningful than it is mindless, and something totally different to the usual combat language of 'attack, parry, block' that most modern action games can sometimes use as a crutch these days. Outside of combat is where the light that usually burns bright within Blades of Fire tends to dim somewhat, since story-wise there's not a whole lot going on here surprisingly. I spent a good ten hours, for example, barrelling my way through zones before I was reminded about Aran and Adso's mission, and it's still a while longer before Queen Nerea makes a full appearance. Sure, this makes the extent of her evil and power all-encompassing. But in terms of actually having a tangible adversary present in the narrative? Meh, I personally would have enjoyed learning more about her whole deal much earlier on. Thankfully, there's a small but impactful cast of quirky characters that the central pair bump into, such as the magical witch Glinda and Melcart the old and forgetful spirit. As opposed to the villain, these personalities help coat Blades of Fire's world with some much-needed texture. Speaking of which, the locations you visit throughout Blades of Fire could have absolutely been the stars of the show, were they not a tad irksome to navigate. The huge map being interconnected is one of the most effective ways MercurySteam sold me on Aran and Adso's adventure being a colossal road trip. However, it's when exploring each individual zone, fort, or dungeon that navigation can often be a real pain, where more than a few times me working out where to go next simply boiled down to guesswork. There's a compass on screen at all times that points to the closest forge or previously dropped weapon, but they weren't enough to keep me set on the correct path. Thankfully, some areas like The Doyen Graves are better laid out than others. So often, however, did I find myself turned around due to some inconsistencies in layouts more than I'd like, which led to me being occasionally frustrated with traversal and exploration. Shallow narrative hooks in the early game and the odd annoying biome aside, Blades of Fire excels in presenting an alluring and brand-new fantasy world I couldn't wait to dive into and chip away at further. Even in instances where I was bashing my head at a wall unable to find the next best route forward, I knew that persevering would be worth it since it meant getting to test out my newly forged, more powerful weapon at the next gaggle of enemy soldiers who lined up for slaughter. I can't say I ever truly invested in Aran's personal plight, but I very much enjoyed the way he goes about resolving it, all thanks to one of the most unique and thoughtful melee combat systems I've experienced in the past few years. Blades of Fire borrows from the past, but when it comes to combat and creativity it also forges its own way forward.
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Bray composer who worked with Gavin James, Lisa Hannigan and Hozier wins prestigious award
Aran O'Grady specialises in the creation of large-scale collaborative opera as well as chamber works featuring non-traditional instruments and creating reimagined versions of well-known works. The prolific London-based arranger's piece, titled Columns, which was written for solo soprano saxophone, was inspired by the columns on the façade of Russborough House in County Wicklow. The emerging composer composition competition is an ongoing partnership presented by the West Wicklow Festival and the Contemporary Music Centre to provide opportunities for emerging composers in Ireland. In 2025 there are two competition categories – the first invited submissions for works for solo soprano saxophone, and the second is for solo viola works. Aran, whose music has been described as 'expressive, flexible and genuinely original' (Opera Magazine), has been performed in France, Singapore, the Netherlands, Michigan (US), and across the UK and Ireland. he has also been commissioned by Sky Arts and New Music Dublin, and is also the resident composer and arranger for Glasshouse Ensemble, the music ensemble and arts organisation based in Dublin. Aran was the recipient of the Irish Heritage Music Bursary for Composition in 2020, and was selected for Making Music UK's Adopt a Music Creator programme to develop a co-created work with the Southend Vox Chamber Choir for performance in late 2025. He is currently working on a full-length opera with the support of Arts Council Ireland, Dlr Council and Wicklow Arts. A prolific arranger, Aran has reimagined the works of countless artists for orchestra and chamber ensembles. Including David Bowie, LCD Soundsystem, Kate Bush, Bon Iver, Joni Mitchell, Aphex Twin and most recently, Ryuichi Sakamoto. These sets have been performed at Ireland's leading music festival and to sold out shows at many of the country's top venues including the National Concert Hall and the Pavilion Theatre. Aran has worked with some of Ireland's leading music acts including Gavin James, Lisa Hannigan, Trinity Orchestra, Rachael Lavelle, Soda Blonde, Caoi de Barra, Hozier and Glasshouse. Columns will be premiered by Irish saxophonist Robert Finegan as part of the West Wicklow Festival Rising Stars Concert at St Mary's Church in Blessington, on May 10. Aran will also be interviewed by CMC during the concert, offering an insight into his practice and the development of the winning work.
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Osprey couple return to their nest for a third year in a row
Are you ready for a beautiful but rocky love story? This pair of ospreys, named Aran and Elen, have been reunited for a third year in a row after returning to Porthmadog in Gwynedd, North it hasn't been plain sailing... The birds of prey are thought to have migrated to West Africa for the colder winter months and have now returned to their newly restored nest, where conservationists are hoping they will create more new life. Ospreys are known to mate for life, and this couple raised two chicks in their first year together and three more last year. How did Aran and Elen meet? Aran, the male osprey, has been a resident in the Glaslyn Valley for over 11 years. He was previously partnered with another female called Mrs was one of the UK's most successful breeding female ospreys but is thought to have died in observing Aran via a webcam above the nest said he was really sad to not see his long-term partner return from migration. He was said to have spent many months alone on their nest, but he was then introduced to Elen, a new female. She took over as the dominant female in the area, and it wasn't long before Aran and Elen became parents. Three years later, they are still going strong and recently returned from migration separately, three weeks apart. However, it was a rocky reunion. Elen arrived back at the nest first (in March), and Aran returned three weeks later to find another male osprey attempting to charm Elen in his absence. Aran then started bringing Elen lots of fish to eat in order to win back his companion and stake his claim on the nest. It worked, and Aran and Elen have been happily nesting ever since. Osprey numbers are on the rise after successful breeding programmes across the UK - mostly in Scotland. According to the Dyfi Osprey Project, there are thought to be around 300 pairs of ospreys in the UK.
