Scalopps

12 October 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Bon appétit Reading Time:  6 minutes

Scallops from London, UK © flickr.com - Ewan Munro/cc-by-sa-2.0

Scallops from London, UK © flickr.com – Ewan Munro/cc-by-sa-2.0

Scallops are characterized by offering two flavors and textures in one shell: the meat, called “scallop”, which is firm and white, and the roe, called “coral”, which is soft and often brightly coloured reddish-orange. Sometimes, markets sell scallops already prepared in the shell, with only the meat remaining. Outside the U.S., the scallop is often sold whole. They are available both with and without coral in the UK and Australia.   read more…

Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland

13 September 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Bon voyage Reading Time:  4 minutes

Cliffs of Moher towards O'Brien's_Tower © Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cliffs of Moher towards O’Brien’s Tower © Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Wild Atlantic Way (Irish: Slí an Atlantaigh Fhiáin) is a tourism trail on the west coast, and on parts of the north and south coasts, of Ireland. The 2,500 km (1,553 mile) driving route passes through nine counties and three provinces, stretching from County Donegal‘s Inishowen Peninsula in Ulster to Kinsale, County Cork, in Munster, on the Celtic Sea coast.   read more…

Great Famine in Ireland

3 September 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Famine memorial on Custom House Quay in Dublin © flickr.com - Bernd Thaller/cc-by-2.0

Famine memorial on Custom House Quay in Dublin © flickr.com – Bernd Thaller/cc-by-2.0

The Great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger (Irish: an Gorta Mór), the Famine and the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland lasting from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a historical social crisis and had a major impact on Irish society and history as a whole. The most severely affected areas were in the western and southern parts of Ireland—where the Irish language was dominant—hence the period was contemporaneously known in Irish as an Drochshaol, which literally translates to “the bad life” and loosely translates to “the hard times”.   read more…

Blackrock Castle in County Cork

25 February 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Josi/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Josi/cc-by-sa-4.0

Blackrock Castle is a castellated fortification located at Blackrock, about 2 km from Cork city centre on the banks of the River Lee in Ireland. Originally developed as a coastal defence fortification in the 16th century to protect upper Cork Harbour and port, the site now houses an observatory, visitor centre and restaurant.   read more…

Black History Month

1 February 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  11 minutes

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet 106-Year-Old Virginia McLaurin during a photo line in the Blue Room of the White House prior to a reception celebrating African American History Month © Lawrence Jackson

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet 106-Year-Old Virginia McLaurin during a photo line in the Blue Room of the White House prior to a reception celebrating African American History Month © Lawrence Jackson

Black History Month is an annually observed commemorative month originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora, initially lasting a week before becoming a month-long observation since 1970. It is celebrated in February in the United States and Canada, where it has received official recognition from governments, and more recently has also been celebrated in Ireland and the United Kingdom where it is observed in October.   read more…

Bundoran in County Donegal

23 November 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Bundoran beach © geograph.org.uk - Rossographer/cc-by-sa-2.0

Bundoran beach © geograph.org.uk – Rossographer/cc-by-sa-2.0

Bundoran (Irish: Bun Dobhráin) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located near the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a tourist seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy since the 18th century. Bundoran is a surfing destination and was listed by National Geographic magazine in 2012 as one of the world’s top 20 surf towns.   read more…

Trinity College Dublin

25 October 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  6 minutes

Parliament Square © David Kernan/cc-by-4.0

Parliament Square © David Kernan/cc-by-4.0

Trinity College Dublin (Irish: Coláiste na Tríonóide, Bhaile Átha Cliath), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin, Ireland. Founded in early 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I who issued a royal charter, it is Ireland’s oldest university and was modelled after the collegiate universities of both Oxford and Cambridge. Named after The Holy Trinity, the epithets “Trinity College Dublin” and “University of Dublin” are usually synonymous for administrative purposes, as only one such college was ever established.   read more…

Shepherd’s pie

20 October 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Bon appétit Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Acabashi/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Acabashi/cc-by-sa-4.0

Shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, or in French cuisine hachis Parmentier, is a savoury dish of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato and baked, also called Sanders or Saunders. The meat used may be either previously cooked or freshly minced. The usual meats are beef or lamb. The terms shepherd’s pie and cottage pie have been used interchangeably since they came into use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, although some writers insist that a shepherd’s pie should contain lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie, beef.   read more…

Dublin Castle

14 October 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  4 minutes

Throne Room © Donaldytong/cc-by-sa-3.0

Throne Room © Donaldytong/cc-by-sa-3.0

Dublin Castle (Irish: Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a major Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin.   read more…

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