Latest news with #Niall
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
‘Amazing' brunch loved by Nigella Lawson coming to Scottish city
Speciality coffee roastery, Birch, has launched a sit in brunch menu at their Inverness cafe. Located at 21 High Street in Inverness city centre, Birch will now offer a weekly changing menu of brunch and lunch dishes made with local Scottish ingredients and foraged Isle of Skye produce. Founded by Skye local, Niall Munro, in 2020, Birch was inspired by trips to coffee mecca, Melbourne. Niall wanted to replicate the Melbourne café style back in his hometown, but with beautiful, locally sourced products from the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and with a firm focus on coffee. The Portree cafe opened in 2020, and Inverness in 2024. Earlier this year Birch opened their third site, Birch Bakery and Roastery, a speciality Viennoiserie, on the outskirts of Portree. The brunch and lunch menu will change weekly and focus on seasonal produce, mainly sourced from Scotland and the Highlands, with everything from the sourdough and granola to the lacto-fermented chilli made in-house. It will include Birch's scrambled eggs on sourdough with chorizo, lacto-fermented chilli and parmesan, which was a personal favourite of Nigella's when she visited Birch's cafe in Portree. The Birch scrambled eggs The new menu will be available for both sit-in or takeaway, with espresso-based drinks available, alongside a refined, monthly changing pour-over menu. The High Street cafe will continue to sell its popular specialty pastries, including almond croissants and pastel de nata, and coffee beans and merchandise is also available to purchase. Some dishes from the current brunch menu include: Birch Granola with blueberry and orange, and Black Isle Dairy yoghurt Sourdough toast with homemade preserves Scrambled eggs on sourdough with chorizo, lacto-fermented chilli and parmesan Avocado on sourdough with baked feta, confit tomato, sesame and lime Topped focaccias: Great Glen Charcuterie venison salami, baked goats cheese, rocket and pine nuts Roasted butternut squash, whipped feta and basil oil A selection of cold drinks, made in-house, is also available, including freshly squeezed orange juice, iced blueberry matcha and Skye foraged rhubarb iced tea. Niall Munro, founder of Birch, said: 'Having recently celebrated one year of Birch in Inverness, we're changing things up a bit with the addition of brunch to our coffee shop on the mainland. "Our brunch has been hugely popular at our Portree cafe, and we're excited to bring this to Inverness, and be a part of the city's already flourishing food and drink scene.' Birch is open Monday-Saturday from 07:30-17:00, and Sundays from 09:00-17:00, and operates a walk-in only policy. For more information and updates, please visit
The 42
5 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Niall Annett leaving Bath to take up coaching job with Ulster
NIALL ANNETT IS leaving Bath to take up a coaching role with Ulster, his home province. The 34-year-old hooker began his career with Ulster in 2011 before moving to Worcester Warriors in 2014. Annett, a former captain of the Ireland U20 team, joined Bath from Worcester in 2022 and has made 23 appearances this season. He came off the bench in the final quarter this month when Bath beat Lyon in the Champions Cup final. Advertisement Annett, as well as provincial pathway coach Jonathon Graham, have been appointed as Ulster's new elite player development officers. Both Annett and Graham will focus on developing forwards, with Annett specialising in set piece work and scrummaging, according to Ulster. In 2021 Annett completed the England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award, the highest qualification achievable while playing professionally. Bath's head of rugby Johann van Graan said: 'I first met Niall on his podcast, and he made an immediate impression on me. 'Niall joined our journey on day one, July 11, 2022, and has made a massive contribution across the last three years on and off the field. 'He is tough to beat, and he will make a fantastic coach. Niall is a family man, and I wish them the very best.' Annett said: 'The Rec will always hold a special place in our hearts. Claire and I came here with a little baby girl, and now we're leaving with a little woman (with a lovely English accent) and as a family will have memories that will last a lifetime. 'To all the players, staff, and everyone behind the scenes – thanks so much. It's been a pleasure being part of the club. I've loved every minute. 'We as a family are very excited to be coming back home to Belfast and starting a new chapter with Ulster Rugby. 'I've had some brilliant playing experiences and been part of some great clubs in my playing career and I'm now eager to apply that knowledge into coaching and challenge myself. 'I'm excited to work alongside all the quality existing coaches and players and help develop talent throughout Ulster Rugby.'
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Former Ulster hooker to take up development role with province after retiring from playing
The 34-year-old brings down the curtain on his 14-year professional career that saw him play three seasons for his home province before moving to Worcester Warriors in 2014, for whom he made over 100 appearances, and then finish his career at Bath, as well as making one appearance for the Barbarians. Annett retires off the back of winning the Challenge Cup with Bath last week, coming off the bench as a substitute in their victory over Lyon in the Final, and could yet end the year by doing the double, with Johan van Graan's side guaranteed top seeding in the Premiership Play-Offs, which begin next weekend. As well as playing while in England, the former Methodist College student also progressed in his coaching ambitions by achieving his England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award in 2021, paving the way for him to take up his new role with Ulster. Annett delivered an emotional retirement post on X, and commented on returning to the province where it all started: 'We as a family are very excited to be coming back home to Belfast and starting a new chapter with Ulster Rugby. 'I've had some brilliant playing experiences and been part of some great clubs in my playing career and I'm now eager to apply that knowledge into coaching and challenge myself. "I'm excited to work alongside all the quality existing coaches and players and help develop talent throughout Ulster Rugby.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Annett will be joined in the role by Jonathon Graham, who has been promoted to the same position having previously been a provincial pathway coach with Ulster in which he pioneered the Talent ID programme within the province. 'I'm really excited to get stuck into this new role. Having been involved in the pathway for a number of years, I can see the talent coming through and my goal is to help prepare these players for senior rugby as much as possible,' commented Graham, who also coaches the Ulster Schools side. 'It's always a great source of pride to see players who come through the pathway play for the senior side and we want to develop the next generation of Ulster players.' Ulster's general manager Bryn Cunningham added: 'We are delighted that Niall and Jonny have taken up the opportunity to become our EDPOs. These roles are key in our strategy for the next few years, and we want to help deliver top-class coaching to our young forwards. 'It's great to welcome Niall back home, particularly as he brings significant set-piece expertise around the scrum and lineout, having been at the coalface for so many years in several high-performance environments. 'Jonny has been doing great work at Ulster Rugby over the past number of years, specifically within our age-grade coaching department and talent ID programme. "Both are ambitious coaches, with a real passion for nurturing talent and we look forward to seeing them both play a big part in developing the players of the future.'
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kerry Group Novel of the Year winner announced at Listowel Writers' Week
The Dublin born writer was announced the winner at the opening night of the festival at the Listowel Arms Hotel. Williams' book is set in 1960s Ireland and explores traumatic themes of childhood and Church and State. Now in its 31st year, the award remains one of the most esteemed literary honours in Ireland that celebrates outstanding Irish fiction with a prize fund of €22,000 – €20,000 of which is awarded to the winner with €500 for each shortlisted author. The prize is sponsored by Kerry Group, whose long-standing partnership continues to elevate and honour Irish literary excellence at what is Ireland's oldest literary and arts festival. This year's adjudicators were acclaimed authors Carol Drinkwater and Paul McVeigh who reviewed over 50 submitted novels before selecting the winner from a powerful shortlist that included Christine Dwyer Hickey, Joseph O'Connor, Colm Tóibín, and Donal Ryan. Ms Drinkwater called Niall's writing 'exciting' and 'exquisite' and that reading his sentences is like sitting in a magnificent cathedral and listening to a great soprano singing. 'It's like notes reaching to the rafters and returning to me, to nestle in my heart. It is a novel full of compassion. The characters are so vulnerable, they tear you apart,' she said. 'It has been several weeks since we chose Niall's novel as our winner. Still, I sit at my desk and picture myself in that doctor's surgery. I hear the child crying; I can smell the newly washed nappies; I long for these people, that father and daughter, to be given the miracle they so crave… This is the third time I've judged this prize and each time I'm reminded of the richness of Irish fiction today. Ireland truly is a treasure chest of brilliant modern novelists' Ms Drinkwater added. Mr McVeigh said that judging this year's prize was no small task due to the quality of entries which is testament to an extraordinary time in Irish literature. 'Any of the shortlisted books could have won but, in the end, Time of the Child by Niall Williams rose to the top. I don't remember the last time I read a book that made me stop, so frequently, unable to continue until I had savoured a sentence. He is an extraordinary writer and a worthy winner of the Irish Novel of the Year,' he said. Catherine Keogh, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Kerry Group, praised the continued partnership with Listowel Writers' Week and said every year the calibre of writing reminds us why Ireland continues to lead on the global literary stage. ADVERTISEMENT 'We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Niall Williams on this well-deserved recognition,' Ms Keogh said. The prize night at Listowel Writers' Week and literary festival is an exciting occasion as it marks the official start of a major celebration of literature that runs until 1st June. The super weekend features events with acclaimed writers, panels, workshops, and performances across Listowel. For more information and updates, visit Time of the Child (2024) is published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Belfast Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Health
- Belfast Telegraph
‘Planning for our ageing society is paramount. The demographic shift is a huge challenge'
'When you take on a challenge it's wise to get help from wherever you can,' she adds. There is no wetsuit today though, but a tidal surge is well underway — there are more older people in society than ever and the number is rising year on year. This, for Siobhan, is the day job. The voice for challenge and change. And much like the tests she sets herself during the down times, she's taking on a to-do list certain to test her. The 62-year-old — originally a Derry girl — is six weeks into her tenure as Northern Ireland's new Commissioner for Older People. While she leaves behind an impressive 15-year career with Age NI, it was the chance of having a greater influence and a louder voice that prompted Siobhan to take up the responsibility of holding Stormont to account on behalf of our rapidly growing older generation. And her CV is impressive. European vice-president of the International Federation on Ageing, a senior Atlantic fellow for equity in brain health and a member of Age UK's Services for Older People's Consortium. She was also part of the UKRI Healthy Ageing Advisory Committee (2022-24). A graduate of Ulster University, she holds multiple post-graduate qualifications in business, marketing, and brain health. But there has also been life experience. 'My background is in business and marketing but away from that I was born to older parents,' she said. 'My father was in his 50s when I came along, the youngest of 11. 'He developed dementia in his late 70s so I was always around it from an early stage of my life. My mother, well she was forever young. She kept active and seemed to get younger with age. I carried all that with me and when the marketing job with Age NI came up my husband Niall was the one who told me it was a perfect opportunity. 'I was very lucky to get it. Age NI was a great opportunity doing something I loved, using my marketing career to promote services for the elderly. 'But I have had my eye on the Commissioner's job for a while,' she admitted. A mum of two, son Rory is not long home from the US and daughter Cara is living in England, with both in their mid-20s. They still keep Siobhan on her toes, as do her two collie dogs. 'They need walked every morning before work — the dogs, not the children!' she smiles. 'It's been quite a comfortable introduction for me,' she admitted of her new role, taking to it like a seasoned sea swimmer to the deep blue ocean. 'Given my background with Age NI, I have been all too aware of the issues facing older people, so none of the issue surprise me. But that doesn't mean they don't have to be addressed. I'm learning a lot more about the governance of being a statutory arms length body, working more closely with government departments. 'The role is first and foremost to promote and safeguard the rights of older people. That's holding government to account for policies and practices, really making sure the needs of older people are central to the thinking and that there is an understanding of what aging these days is like. 'A big part of the role in these early stages is identifying where we can actually make changes for the better. 'We know we're in a society of austerity and cuts. Identifying where we can actually move the needle is going to be key, but there is a great opportunity to tackle ageism in our society and change the narrative. 'We do still have stereotypical views of what an older person is,' she said. 'Just because someone is over 60 doesn't mean they should be left to one side. They are part of today and today still needs them to be active in the workplace, contributing to society. We are not dealing with a homogeneous group.' No older person is, as she says, the same. But with age comes an increased reliance on a health service. That pressure is only going to increase in future. 'We have some very strong health inequalities. Life expectancy in areas of high deprivation is much lower' 'Planning for an ageing society is paramount,' said Siobhan. 'The demographic shift is one of the biggest challenges society is facing. We now have more people over 65 than under 19. That's going to increase. At the minute one in six people here is over 65. By 2040 that's likely to be one in four. That has consequences on the demands for services and that's something we need to be planning for now and not pushing down the road. 'We know there will be limits on budgets, but that doesn't mean there has to be a limit on thinking. We can, and the Health Minister has made it a priority, try to stabilise the health service, but we can plan for the future at the same time. All that costs is some thought. We need to make sure we are in a position to provide what's needed when that need arrives... and it will. 'Long term planning is central to this. There is an acceptance at Stormont we need to plan to an ageing society. Keeping them to that is something I will be working on, though it was disappointing to see very little mention of older people in Stormont's programme for government. That's something I will be working hard on to change.' It's not the only thing Siobhan wants to see changed. 'We do, unfortunately, have some very strong health inequalities. Life expectancy in areas of high deprivation is much lower than it would be somewhere else,' she said. 'And one of the biggest concerns for older people is access to services. That means waiting lists for hospital treatment, the ability to be able to get an appointment to see a GP and even down to the simple filling in of forms, much of which has now moved online and left too many people behind — with a concentration on a medium some of that generation struggle to understand or simply can't. 'We need to start speaking to people in language they understand,' she continued. 'Changes in technology are wonderful for those who can adapt. There are too many who are being left adrift. 'Northern Ireland is the only place in the UK where there is no legislation on goods, facilities and services. We need to make sure there is no room for discriminating because of age.' A meeting with MLA Claire Sugden is next on Siobhan's agenda for the day to discuss her private members' bill on that very issue. Seeking that help where she can and giving help where it's needed. 'But we also have to focus on the positive side of things by celebrating that positive contribution older people make to all our lives.' she added. '45% are volunteering, 37% are caring for others in some form and 16% still working in some way. 'People need to be supported to live healthier lives. One of the things I'm proud of from my time with Age NI was working with Lady Mary Peters on her Move With Mary programme. 'Yes, we are living longer, but we're not necessarily living better. We have to try to stay motivated to be as healthy, active and connected as we can be, but for some people that is very difficult. That's where we need to be providing more support. 'We need a transformation. We need to think differently. 'I love the challenge,' she added. 'It's about seeing what we can achieve and getting the right commitment to achieve it.' The most immediate task for Siobhan, though, is away from the office. Helping her son drive to Kerry. 'I'm not letting him go on his own,' she said. 'It's all about collaboration. It makes things so much easier when you work together to get to where you want to be.'
