Design from the west of Ireland to the world

College pals return to Ireland to set up new ethical label ‘Murala’

Alan Kelly will be a familiar name to some from when he was a student of Limerick Senior College (now LCFE) and won the prestigious Irish Smirnoff Fashion Awards 1996. The Limerick designer is one half of new ethical label Murala, along with Sandra Murphy.

The Irish designers met in college, found success in global fashion capitals London and New York respectively, and returned home to form a unique design partnership. Their combined careers saw them design for brands like ASOS, Topshop, Gap and Victoria’s Secret. Continue reading

Victory for the hardworking Greene team

Local salon in national spotlight at Fantastic Hairdresser Awards

Killaloe’s The Greene Room won first prize of ‘Fantastic Marketing Award’ and director Shaun Moriarty won second for ‘Fantastic Stylist Award’ at the Alfaparf Milano Fantastic Hairdresser Awards 2018 at the RDS. The event is hosted by Brendan Courtney with 1200 from the industry in attendance and ten awards given for creativity and commercial acumen.

Speaking after the Awards, stylist Shaun said he was “absolutely thrilled to have been recognised by his peers and the judging panel. We are looking forward to showcasing our work as we open our second salon in Nenagh in the coming weeks.” Continue reading

Pigtown Food Series returns for second year

Pictured at the launch of the Pigtown Series 2018 on Rigney’s Farm were Patricia Roberts (No 1 Pery Square), Mike Tweedie (Adare Manor) and Edon O’Brien (age 4).

In celebration of Limerick’s unique food heritage, the Pigtown Series is back for its second year. Inspired by the history of Limerick’s famous bacon industry, an exciting programme of themed events will take place in various venues in Limerick throughout the month of September.

Developed by the Limerick Food Group and supported by Limerick City and County Council, LEO, LIT and Marketti, the series will focus on Limerick’s unique heritage as a way to showcase the great food available locally, and encourage us to embrace our food culture.

The chef line-up for the free weekly Pigtown Cookery Demos series is a cross-section of some of the most interesting chefs working in the region including Wade Murphy of 1826 Adare; Peter Jackson of Armada Hotel; Mike Tweedie of The Oak Room in Adare Manor; Tom Flavin of Limerick Strand Hotel joined by Eithne Gavigan of LIT Culinary Arts; and Ciara Brennan of Happy Food at Home along with the Firefighting Chef Paul Knapp of TV3 IrelandAM in a ‘back to school’ themed event kicking off the series on Saturday September 1st in the Milk Market upstairs mezzanine.

The festival programme includes Guided Food Heritage Tours leaving No1 Pery Square at 10.30am each Saturday morning in September, which weave their way through Georgian Limerick’s historical streets meeting some local characters along the way with tastings, and ending up at the Milk Market in time for the free cookery demos at midday.

Themed restaurant events dotted across the month include “This Little Piggy Went to Town…” for the Limerick Food Mile, a fun evening with a menu focus on local producers where guests experience four courses in four different city restaurants – The River at the Strand, Azur, The Savoy Hotel, and Sash Restaurant at No1 Pery Square. Continue reading

Winning green bang on trend for autumn

It’s not just Limerick fans opting for green in the new fashion season!

With most of Limerick donning our county colours in one form or another this week, I took a look at some of the international collections for the new season to see who else is flying the green flag for Autumn/Winter 2018-2019. Continue reading

Classic or contemporary, which are you?

Irish designers redefining what it means to be an Irish woman in 2018

Since Dunnes Stores introduced their Paul Costelloe collaboration in the early 2000s and then appointed Carolyn Donnelly as creative director, I’ve been fascinated by what their designers – all Irish – are producing for the Irish woman. And the Irish man too of course; Costelloe has a men’s range which is quite classic, along with Paul Galvin’s edgier offering and Padraig Harrington’s golf look.

Continue reading

Urban Food Fest is back for ‘Summer Fiesta’

Myself and the team at Limerick Food Group are excited to to bringing back Urban Food Fest, here’s all the info, get in touch on limkfoodgroup(at)gmail.com if you want to take a stall…

Limerick Food Group will hold Urban Food Fest street food evening in the Milk Market on Thursday June 14th with a ‘Summer Fiesta’ theme in one big Limerick city summer party.

Pictured launching the event were, Tom Flavin, Executive Chef, The Strand Hotel, Olivia O’Sullivan, eatinlimerick.ie and Stephen Cunneen, Treaty City Brewery. Pic: Alan Place

Record crowds of 6,000 people turned out for Urban Food Fest in 2016 for Limerick Food Group’s first event and the voluntary community group has gone from strength to strength since, with last year’s event taking place as part of the Pigtown Culture & Food Series in September.

Guests to the upcoming event, which has free entry and will operate a cashless token system (€15 for 5 tokens), can expect the historic market venue to be transformed into a street food mecca as producers, market traders, restaurants, and hotels come together for a unique Limerick food event. Continue reading

Why I’m voting Yes on May 25th

I have no doubt that voting yes is what Ireland needs to make it a safer place for women. I grew up in a Catholic home and my mother has particularly strong faith but she also taught me great empathy and compassion and these inform my decision.

We need bodily autonomy in pregnancy for Irish women. We need healthcare professionals to be able to do their job without the Eight Amendment meaning doctors consult lawyers before making decisions on women’s health.

I want this for my daughter so that she will never have to suffer because of it, for my nieces, for my friends, for every woman I know, and every Irish woman. It took us 35 years to have another referendum on abortion; we can’t let the next generation suffer too. Continue reading

Wearing your beliefs for social justice

Referendum inspiring designers to become fashion activists for this generation

Fashion activism is nothing new; the mini skirt was a defiant statement of its time, and the slogan t-shirt has been a political tool since its inception. Repeal sweatshirts are one of the most controversial items of the moment but they are not the only items popping up ahead of the upcoming referendum.

Stacey Grant-Canham, originally from Ballinacurra Gardens, completed a degree in fashion at LSAD before doing a MA at Kingston University in London. She now works as a lecturer teaching fashion design in Cardiff and in her spare time runs her design led lifestyle brand, Black & Beech.

Stacey explained, “During my maternity leave period in 2017, I started Black & Beech from my kitchen table selling teething jewellery that mums can wear and babies can fiddle and play with, whilst breastfeeding, being worn in a sling, or whenever baby needs a distraction. Following Brexit I became a bit more political with the brand and this was cemented with the re-election of the Torys and Donald Trump in the US. Continue reading

Ireland’s first international fashion design star

Hunt Museum presents innovative career of renowned Irish fashion designer

The Hunt Museum has curated a new exhibition from its collection of Sybil Connolly clothing, sketchbooks, swatches, glass and ceramics to explore her trailblazing design career in a new presentation entitled ‘Sybil’.

Connolly is regarded as Ireland’s first international fashion design icon. She used tweed, crochet and lace in vibrant colours and interesting silhouettes in her work with pleated linen her trademark. In 1953, her full-length red cape and white crochet dress was on the cover of Life Magazine, accompanied by the caption ‘Irish Invade Fashion World’.

Continue reading

RIP Dolores, modern style icon

The superstar powerhouse who always stayed through to her own individual style

Limerick and the world said goodbye this week to iconic singer, and The Cranberries front woman, Dolores O’Riordan, from Ballybricken. Musical tributes have poured in from across the world of entertainment, but the fashion stage too has lost a pioneering soul.

Anyone growing up in Limerick in the 90s understood exactly where Dolores’ style came from originally. Grunge with a touch of punk, a big dab of goth and a hint of mod (all influences to be found at Quinn’s Pub on Ellen Street on any given weekend or later on in Termites, and other such establishments catering to the alternative youth at the time) crafting a bold look that she would develop into her own style and carry around the world. Continue reading

New Director announced for The Hunt Museum

The Hunt Museum has issued the press release below announcing the appointment of their new Director. It’s a very exciting time for the Museum and Dr Cousins sounds like a fantastic addition to the cultural sector in our region. I look forward to seeing the further development of the Museum under her directorship.

The Board of the Hunt Museum is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Jill Cousins as Director and CEO of the Museum.

Dr Jill Cousins joins the Hunt with over 10 years of involvement in the European cultural heritage sector as the Executive Director of the Europeana Foundation, which she created from a project idea with 4 people to an operational service with 62 persons across 4 European offices. Funded, by the European Commission and the Ministries of Culture across Europe, Jill has worked with cultural heritage organisations across Europe to increase the use and visibility of their collections in education, research, creative industry and towards the general public. She has extensive business development experience and has previously worked in the publishing, event, marketing and information industries. Continue reading

Dressing soldiers worldwide, Limerick Clothing Factory

History of Limerick Clothing Factory, one of the largest clothing factories in Europe

Written by well known local historian Sharon Slater, and edited by Dr. Matthew Potter and Jacqui Hayes, new book ‘A Stitch In Time’ chronicles the history of the Limerick Clothing Factory.

A young Scottish man, Sir Peter Tait, founded the Limerick Clothing Factory in 1853. It became one of the largest clothing factories in Europe, supplying army clothing throughout the world. The factory had contributed to Tait’s rise in popularity locally. He became the Mayor of Limerick for three consecutive years and had a clock erected in his honour. Continue reading

De-stress and take a moment…

Christmas is a stressful time, learning to manage daily stress is a priceless life skill

Mindfulness is something we hear a lot about it seems these days, but do many of us actually know what it means? Do we take mindful moments? Well, one Limerick lady has created a set of ‘flash cards for grown-ups’ to encourage us to do just that. MoMe cards are all about moments for me. They are created by Niamh McMahon, a well-known graphic designer based in Limerick.

“One invaluable lesson I have learned is that life is moving quickly and sometimes we all need to slow down. Recognizing the need to slow down is crucial. Learning how to is the hard part.” Niamh explains. Continue reading

Inaugural I.NY festival launched

An exciting national festival has been announced for Limerick, this time celebrating the relationship between Ireland and New York – here’s the press release:

Designer Orla Kiely, David Bowie’s musical director Gerry Leonard, director of The New Yorker Festival Rhonda Sherman and Oscar-winner Glen Hansard will appear at the inaugural I.NY festival in Limerick, Ireland. The I.NY festival takes place from Oct 5-15 and will explore and celebrate the relationship between Ireland and New York.

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey launched the inaugural I.NY Festival under the watchful eye of Irish writer Brendan Behan ‘The King of New York’ in Dublin

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey launched the inaugural I.NY Festival under the watchful eye of Irish writer Brendan Behan ‘The King of New York’ in Dublin

Other confirmed artists and participants include  Kathryn Lloyd  (Lower East Side Tenement Museum), Tim O’Connor  (former New York Consul General), musician  Damien Dempsey, Chris Byrne  (Black 47), Dermott Rowan (MD of Kiely Rowan), Qool DJ Marv (producer and DJ for HBO and Soho House New York), Dara O’Cinneide (All-Ireland winning footballer & broadcaster) and Diarmuid Lyng (former All-Star hurler & broadcaster), Mary Leonard (graphic designer),  Aidan Kelly (photographer) and club nights Sunday Times and Mother.

The festival also features: The Annie Moore Talks series inviting guest speakers from Ireland and New York to explore a range of topics from architecture to immigration; the diaspora-focused  I.NY  Gathering  hosted in Dromoland Castle; the I.NY Symposium on Creative Education in the University of Limerick; and the  I.NY Festival Club  featuring some of Ireland and New York’s most renowned DJs, producers and promoters. The I.NY festival will see participation and exhibition from New York partners including the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and Ellis Island with further announcements in the coming weeks.

Continue reading

‘Urban Food Fest’ opening event of Pigtown Food & Culture Series

I’m very excited to be bringing Urban Food Fest back for 2017, it’s a lot of work for us but I know it’ll be so worth it come September 1st! Here’s the release we issued with all the details. One of those beautiful children is mine too! >>>

Pigtown Urban Food Fest at the Milk Market on Friday evening September 1st is the opening event of the Pigtown Food & Culture Series, a two-month long celebration of Limerick’s pig heritage with food, cultural and family events. See pigtown.ie for full listings.

22.08.17 Launching the Pigtown Food & Culture Series opening event Urban Food Fest at the Limerick Milk Market were, Chloe Harper (7), Annacotty, Edon O’Brien (3), Caherdavin and Charley Harper. (10), Annacotty Limerick. Picture: Alan Place

Following its enormous success last year, when an unprecedented 6,000 people turned out for the event ran by Limerick Food Group, Urban Food Fest will once again transform the historic Limerick Milk Market into a street food mecca as local producers, market traders, restaurants, and hotels come together for a unique Limerick food event. This time it’s a ‘Pigtown edition’ to celebrate the start of the Pigtown Culture & Food Series. Continue reading