Latest news with #Colm
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Irish Times
Walking the Bray Celtic Camino: a Famous Five adventure for adults
Dare I utter the words 'hidden gem'? Especially when referring to Bray, Co Wicklow? I think I dare. The Camino de Santiago de Compostela is a network of pilgrimages across Europe which leads to St James's Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. I know scores of people who have done it for spiritual, physical and craic-centric reasons. They all come home with a sort of knowing air of, 'It's fabulous. It's a pity we don't have that kind of walking infrastructure here.' We do in fact have that kind of infrastructure here, albeit on a much smaller scale. There are two Camino routes in Ireland, one from Tralee to St James's church in Dingle, and one from the Bray seafront to St James's Gate in Dublin 8. Cut to me having half a notion to travel abroad to try the Camino, and then deciding that there would be no harm in availing of a free trial at home. READ MORE My two walking companions want to do the route backwards, going from St James's Church in the Liberties to the Bray seafront. I'm pretty adamant about finishing five minutes from my house in Dublin 8, flopping on the couch and ordering takeaway, but Hugh and Colm win me over with the promise of a dip in the Irish Sea at the end of the long road. It will become apparent as you read this that we are not masters of logistics. In the first instance, we had agreed to set off from St James's with our Irish language pilgrim passes at 11am. With the best of intentions, we depart from the grey stone steps of the church at midday. Delays aside, the first 10 minutes are extremely rewarding and flat. We pick up stamps in St James's Church, St Audoen's Church and Christ Church. Gleeful, we stop for coffees and a lemon slice. We maybe peak too early. Hugh O'Reilly Fitzgerald, Colm Maye and Niamh Browne at St Audoen's Church The first logistical hiccup involves bicycles. Colm has a fanatical relationship with cycling; there's nothing he loves more. If the bicycle and I were drowning at the Bray seafront, Colm would be cycling to my funeral. He insists on cycling to meet me at our starting point. The issue is, he then doesn't want to leave his treasured possession locked outside St James' unattended for hours on end. As a result, he decides he'll walk with it some of the way, deposit it at the first convenient Dart station, and collect the bike en route home. It is not a surprise to anyone who knows him that he walks and wheels it for the entirety of our 30km passage. So there are four of us in our walking party. We start in St James's Church, which is the home to the Camino Society Ireland. Here you can buy your passport, pick up a map and get further information about what you're about to get yourself into. We then walk through Dublin 8 past Christ Church, cros the river to see the Famine memorial, zigzagged back over the Seán O'Casey Bridge, and amble happily over Grand Canal Dock and along the river Dodder until we hit Sandymount. From Sandymount onwards it is navigational plain sailing and we hug the coast till we reach our final destination. The second big issue is that the three of us are chatterboxes. Every available opportunity to stop and chat – about the weather, the Irish language, saving the ocean, then saving the planet, anything at all – is seized. We have made eight stops by the time we reach the halfway point of Dún Laoghaire and are too late to collect our stamps at the tourist information office and the James Joyce tower. [ Bray-Greystones cliff walk: 'It's a big attraction. We have got to get it reopened' Opens in new window ] 'But sure, it's about the journey rather than the destination,' says Hugh. Although this is true, I had been feeling pretty goal-orientated clutching my stamp book. It is at our ninth stop, in Dún Laoghaire, when I start to get impatient. 'Right lads, we need to pick up pace,' I say. The result of this is nine stops pre Dún Laoghaire, two stops post Dún Laoghaire. But even with our second-half urgency, we still arrive at the pebbly beach on the Wicklow border at 8.30pm, some 8½ hours after kick-off. With two kilometres to go until we reach the Victorian sea resort, Hugh cheerfully asks me: 'What is the name of the church? Could you pull it up on Google there?' 'St James's, I assume,' I say naively. After a couple of quick clicks on my phone I realise that there is no St James's in Bray. The church we are supposed to get our pilgrim passports stamped at is 1km behind us – Crinken (St James) Church in Shankill. Colm Maye and Niamh Browne on Killiney Hill Road At this stage of the walk I am sweaty, tired, sunburned and hungry. To go backwards feels like an impossible feat, a huge psychological loss. However, the stamps are saved from the jaws of exhaustion. Colm is the human incarnation of a Duracell bunny and he gladly agrees to cycle back and collect our stamps from Crinken Church. Hugh and I sit at a bus stop with a man whose car broke down with our own broken bodies and wait. We have to eat our words having made fun of Colm for wheeling his bike all day and it turns out they aren't tasty. Niamh Browne at the start of the Bray Celtic Camino Niamh Browne on the Dart home after completing the Bray Celtic Camino By the time we reach Bray, it is past sunset, and the moon is rising. Hugh is too exhausted to even swim in spite of advocating for this orientation of the route for that exact purpose. I slowly (oh so very slowly) side shuffle down the shore with my tired feet and plunge myself into the shallow water. It is enormously relieving. Suddenly I am focused on being cold rather than sore and it feels brilliant. Niamh Browne's stamped Pilgrim passport from the Bray Celtic Camino We hobble from the beachfront to an excellent Pakistani restaurant called Daata, where we devour hearty bowls of creamy and spicy curry, fluffy rice and sweet naan. We are fit only for bed, but just before catching the Dart, we crawl to the famous Harbour Bar for one delicious pint. The beads of condensation drip down the side of the pint glasses like sweat, the music is bluesy and the chairs are plush. It is the single greatest achievement of the day that we manage to peel ourselves away and get the last Dart home. The Verdict The Celtic Camino felt like an adult Famous Five excursion – complete with picnics, swimming, hiking and lashings of ginger beer – although the only adventure was our own knack for creating artificial elements of inconvenience. I'd happily recommend it to anyone, but perhaps with better timekeeping and hiking in the opposite direction. A couple of things to keep in mind: The route is 30 kilometres-ish in total, but it can be broken up into segments. You could do the Dún Laoghaire to Bray stretch, for example, or just the city centre part to practise. Even if we hadn't taken 8½ hours to complete our journey, it still probably would have been better to plan to start earlier. It's long whatever way you dice it but if you want to reach all the stamp venues early enough to collect the seven stamps along the route, it's best to go in the morning. Lastly, wear sunscreen and comfortable shoes. Given that it's an urban trail, most essentials such as water and snacks can be purchased en route. The only non-negotiable item I'd advise you bring with you is sun cream – and lots of it. Further information about the Bray Celtic Camino Coastal Route can be found at .
The Irish Sun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Magical news', cry fans as former Miss Ireland announces she's expecting first child with Cork hurler Colm Spillane
FORMER Miss Ireland Aoife O'Sullivan has announced she is expecting her first child with Cork GAA legend Colm Spillane. The Irish model, 28, and the hurler, 31, recently tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Mount Juliet Estate in Co Advertisement 3 Aoife O'Sullivan and Colm Spillane are expecting their first baby 3 Aoife and Colm shared a photo of their baby scan on Instagram 3 Fans all congratulated the pair on their exciting news Just a year after they became husband and wife, Aoife and Colm have now revealed they are set to become first-time parents. Taking to The Aoife cradled her bump and smiled down at her belly, while Colm leaned in to give her a sweet kiss on the forehead. Advertisement READ MORE IN SHOWBIZ The lovebirds then wrapped their arms around each other and grinned from ear-to-ear. The mum-to-be penned in her caption: " The best chapter is yet to come . #baby2025." Fans and friends all raced to the comment section to congratulate the couple on their exciting news . Helena gushed: "So so happy for you both I could cry!!! Can't wait to give you a big squeeze." Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN Lauren said: "Glowing angel, congratulations lovely!" Elle wrote: "Eeeeep!! Magical news , congrats guys!!" Atomic Kitten star, 44, pregnant with first child after years of struggling Ciara added: "Beyond excitement for both of you. Cannot wait to meet Baby Spillane." And Erin commented: "Huge congratulations to you both, exciting times ahead." Advertisement Aoife, who won the Miss Ireland crown in 2018, works as a primary school teacher in Glounthaune in Cork city. WEDDING BELLS Colm, who announced his retirement from inter-county games in 2021 due to injury, is also a maths and PE teacher. The pair met online in 2017 and they hit it off straight away. Colm popped the question five years later whilst on the couple were on a romantic holiday in Italy . Advertisement The sporting star rented a private boat and and only told the skipper minutes before that he was planning to pop the question. The newly-engaged couple put their wedding on hold until 2024 when they found the perfect date on June 24.
Newsweek
21-05-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Hysterics at Shelter's Appeal To Adopt Cats Who Will 'Never Like You'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An animal rescue organization has gone viral for the unique way it shone a light on their less-loving pets for adoption. The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA), based in Ireland's capital, took to its Facebook page on May 14 and asked a simple question: "Are you looking for a cat who won't love you?" In a post alongside a photo of a cat hissing angrily at the camera, the society said it has cats available for adoption who "don't dream of cuddles and affection but of your absence and distance and to be left alone." Head of cat operations at DSPCA, Colm, who gave his first name only, told Newsweek: "We wanted to shine a light on a very special type of cat we sometimes have in our care—the ones we call 'Community Cats' or 'Inbetweeners'. "They're not quite feral, but not quite house pets either. These cats aren't big on affection, but they still rely on people for food and shelter." The social-media post went on to explain the cats need farmyards and stables "where they can live and judge you as they please." And in return, their new owners will receive "professional hissing, gifts of unwanted rodents, patrolling the land keeping everyone away, making those who do approach feel unwelcome, and more hissing." Staff members urged anyone interested in a cat who will "never like you or even try to make the effort" to get in touch. Colm told Newsweek the animals are "great cats, and each have their own quirky personalities." "The Facebook post was a fun way to highlight them and get people thinking differently about what it means to adopt," Colm said. And it worked, as the appeal raked up more than 1,500 likes. Dozens shared their own stories, with one user writing: "I adopted a cat from DSPCA as a pair and was told he was unlikely to be affectionate—was a teddy bear after a year and couldn't get enough cuddles!" Another said: "As the proud servant of 5 of these cats, I can HIGHLY recommend them. Two of them have learned to tolerate me and allow pets and cuddles, one allows brief pets if food is involved and two will try to eat your hand clean off your arm if you try." "We tried that with a hostile feral cat, and within a few short years he was sleeping in our bed on the pillow under the duvet, purring away," a third said, as one comment read: "A cat wrote this." Colm said the reaction to the unique adoption advert has been "fantastic," and "lots of people have already reached out, saying they didn't even know cats like this were available for adoption. "We're currently working through a number of inquiries, which is brilliant, especially as we have a couple of these cats ready for homes and more expected soon." Stock image: An outdoor cat looks at the camera with its eyes narrowed and mouth open. Stock image: An outdoor cat looks at the camera with its eyes narrowed and mouth cats are popular in rural communities in the United States, too, and are usually feral or semi-social cats—who are used to people but have no interest in interacting with them. Social cats do not usually make good barn cats, as they would adapt better to being an indoor cat or pet, according to an article from PetMD. Colm said their "community cats" can be a "great option for the right home—especially rural settings, farms, or stables—where their natural hunting instincts are appreciated for rodent control." "While they may not want to sit on your lap, they're lovely to have around," he said. "Over time, they'll often follow you at a distance, and there's something really rewarding about giving them a safe place to live while letting them be exactly who they are." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Legendary' pub in Tipton known for pies and beer up for sale for £2m
A 'legendary' Black Country pub known for its Cow Pies and Lump Hammer pints of beer has gone on the market. Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory in Tipton has been placed up for sale via agency Fleurets for £2,000,000. The business, on the junction of the A4037 Hurst Lane and the A457 Sedgley Road West, 'oozes character and charm' according to the listing, with 'extremely healthy sales'. Read more: The 'major' special event in Birmingham you won't find anywhere else in the UK Read more: I visited Birmingham's freakiest bar and was told I'd 'never be seen again' Fleurets says that the pub had a turnover of £1.73m in 2024. The pub has 10 ensuite rooms as well as its famous dining space with sawdust on the floor, 'bric-a-brac' and unique decor which will be included in the sale. Over the years, Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory has become known for its Cow Pie-eating challenge as well as its hearty pub fare and quirky 'saft' sense of humour. The copyright for 'Lumphammer', as well as the name Mad O'Rourke's, are included with the sale. The pub has been owned by Peter Towler since August 2000 when he purchased it from the now defunct brewery Ushers of Trowbridge, which the Pie Factory says 'spectacularly ruined' the pub. Now Fleurets says Peter wishes to retire and 'pass this legendary pub on to new custodians'. Its history as Mad O'Rourke's dates back to 1987 when the former Doughty Arms (built in 1923) was bought by The Little Pub Company. Owners Colm and Sheena O'Rourke owned the pie factory until their retirement in 2000 when Peter, who had worked for Colm, took over. Interested parties can contact Fleurets for more details of the sale.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TV tonight: a plucky period drama about sex, drugs and illicit clubs
9.15pm, BBC One A plucky period drama set in Soho's heady underworld that has been pitched as the feminist 'spiritual successor' to Peaky Blinders. It is the end of the first world war, and women refuse to give up the autonomy they've gained – so they establish themselves in the drug business growing in London's illicit clubs. Kate (Julianne Nicholson) is a single mother who, by the end of this first episode, finds herself with blood on her hands. Hollie Richardson 6.15pm, Channel 4 It's the last visit to the Beenys' Somerset pile and, naturally, 'build a vineyard' is the final thing on their to-do list. With hopes of one day cheering glasses of 'chambeeny' wine, Sarah lays truckloads of compost, while Graham designs the labels. HR 6.40pm, BBC One Master wind-up merchant McIntyre wraps up the current run of his family-friendly comedy blowout with a little help from Little Mix's Perrie Edwards and boybands McFly and Busted. Holly Willoughby is also on hand hoping she can put the right name to a face from her past in the 'Remember Me?' segment. Graeme Virtue 7pm, ITV1 It's back: Simon, Amanda, Alesha and Bruno return to glower and grin as a new series kicks off the talent show's 18th season. As before, there's a £250,000 prize and a Royal Variety slot to bag. Guest judge KSI will be stepping in for three Blackpool audition days while Bruno films Dancing With the Stars. Ali Catterall 9pm, BBC Four This Hebrides-set, Gaelic-language thriller has been sturdy, involving fare. In this week's double bill: the endgame as the pragmatic-to-a-fault DCI Halim looks to wrap up the case. Kat, however, is looking at Ruaraidh's furtive behaviour with suspicion and wondering if all hasn't yet been revealed. And she might just be right. Phil Harrison 9.30pm, ITV1 Former Ugly Betty star Vanessa Williams is currently playing scary fashion editor Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada in the West End – she joins Ross, along with Danny Dyer, who has a new film. Gordon Ramsay, Olympic star Keely Hodgkinson and Babygirl actor Harris Dickinson also appear. HR The Banshees of Inisherin, 9.15pm, Channel 4 'I just don't like you no more.' With these words, Brendan Gleeson's Colm sets in train an increasingly acrimonious series of events in Martin McDonagh's witty, bitter yarn, set on an island off the Irish coast in the early 1920s. The recipient is his erstwhile best friend Pádraic (Colin Farrell). An easygoing man, Pádraic is generally acknowledged as a bit dull but a despairing Colm's attempts to shun him turn surprisingly bloody. The civil war simmering away on the mainland is barely registered by the insular islanders, whose thwarted ambitions and dark secrets are given the weight of Greek tragedy by McDonagh. A superb cast also features Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon. Simon Wardell Thelma, 10.10am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere Shifting smartly from delightful to distressing and back again, Josh Margolin's debut feature centres on a spirited performance by June Squibb. She plays independent-minded 93-year-old grandmother Thelma, who is scammed out of $10,000 but then decides to hunt down the con artists herself. Co-opting the mobility scooter of her less gung-ho pal Ben (Richard Roundtree, in his final role), she pootles off across Los Angeles, raging against the dying of the light, in a comic paean to ageing on your own terms. SW Godland, 10.40pm, BBC Four Hlynur Pálmason's elemental period drama is a fascinating study in opposites. Coloniser v colonised, civilisation v nature, faith v human fallibility – these problems assail late 19th-century Danish priest and amateur photographer Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) as he treks across the big, bleak, beautiful landscape of Iceland one rainy summer to the site of his new church. His guide – and potential nemesis – is Ingvar Sigurdsson's Ragnar, who resents the incomer but is drawn to his religion, though Lucas seems to care more for his camera than his flock. SW Champions Trophy Cricket: Australia v England, 8.30am, Sky Sports Main Event Jos Buttler leads an under-pressure England in their first Group B match. They continue against Afghanistan on Wednesday. Premier League Football: Everton v Manchester United, 11am, TNT Sports 1 Followed by Aston Villa v Chelsea at 5pm on Sky Sports Main Event. Six Nations Rugby Union: Wales v Ireland, 1.15pm, BBC One Followed by England v Scotland at 4pm on ITV1. Italy v France is on Sunday at 2.15pm on ITV1.
