a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Notions and Necessities: From a coffee festival to a summer solstice morning retreat, a unisex scent and spicy crisps, it's all here
The weekend roast
For father-types who enjoy their caffeine hit, consider a ticket to the Birdhill Coffee Festival, which runs from June 27-29 in Co Tipperary. This year's event has The Roasting Village, an outdoor tent with guest roasters, tastings and live sessions, as well as a Boozy Brew Bar, where tips on the perfect espresso martini will be shared, plus there will be demos, a wellness area and a chocolate bar. SC Tickets, €20pp,
Hopepunk and science
The unique We Built This City on Rock and Coal hopepunk theatre experience is now in its second year of touring, taking place in Co Donegal this week (June 16, 18 and 19) and Co Cork next month in arts centres, ancient ringforts, and island communities. Each free show is co-created with the local community, and combines comedy, science and music, with a focus on how we care for the environment. Each performance is teamed with sustainability workshops and citizen science sessions. LH For more, see
NOTION
Map of the heart
Pinpoint a place that's personal to someone you love with one of these framed 3D wooden Outcrop maps from Sligo-based husband-and-wife team, Aran and Maeve Pudney. Provide an Eircode and the map can include a brass pin marking somewhere special (an extra €20), and they can now engrave personalised messages on the back of the map. SC €99,
An American in Ireland
IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) is currently presenting for the first time in Ireland a solo exhibition by Sam Gilliam (1933-2022), one of the innovators in post-war American painting. 'Sewing Fields' draws on a period in the early 1990s when Gilliam visited Ireland and began a sequence of abstract paintings in reaction to the Irish landscape. LH The exhibition runs until January 25, 2026; see
NECESSITY
City break
Cork's Metropole Hotel has just launched a new partnership with local cycle tour guides, Beyond The Glass Tours. Cork Unrushed is a package for two people sharing, which includes two nights B&B, a two-course dinner on one evening in The Met Restaurant and a two-and-a-half hour bike tour of Cork city including Shandon Bells and St Finn Barre's Cathedral. LH For more information, see
NECESSITY
Spice up your life
The ghost chilli pepper is one of the spiciest around, ranking third-hottest on the Scoville scale of heat. For comparison, where a jalapeno has around 8,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), the ghost logs in at one million. Thankfully, the people at Keogh's crisps have paired this heat bomb with a healthy dose of sour cream for their latest limited-edition launch and the result is a tasty smoothness with a spice that sneaks up on you. SC Keogh's Ghost Chilli & Sour Cream sharing bags, €2.89, available nationwide,
NOTION
Summer loving
Co Clare's Dromoland Castle is hosting a morning retreat on summer solstice, June 21, beginning with a gentle, sun-inspired yoga flow focused on harmony with nature, followed by a sound bath offering a moment of rest and reflection. LH €40 per person, Dromoland Castle, Brian Ború Hall & Walled Gardens (weather dependent) Saturday, June 21, 9am; see
NECESSITY
Scent for his senses
Unisex but ideal for any father-type in your life, La Bougie recently launched its Cedar Atlas fragrance, which has cedarwood at its heart, a base line of exotic oudh and a top note of lively thyme. As well as an eau de parfum, it also comes as a travel-friendly oil rollerball (€25), candle (€30) and diffuser (€39). SC La Bougie Cedar Atlas Eau de Parfum 50ml, €60, Brown Thomas; Avoca; Meadows & Byrne and independent retailers nationwide,
