Start planning your activities for the long weekend …
Visit Bord Bia Bloom Festival, Phoenix Park, Dublin
After two successful virtual #BloomAtHome events, the outdoor festival, now in its sixteenth year, is on until Monday June 6. The focal point is undoubtedly its 19 show gardens, around which there will be panel discussions, special guests and musical performances. Also of note is The Sculpture Garden, celebrating Irish art, design and craftsmanship with over 60 pieces of sculpture showcased in a garden setting. Curated by Ruth Liddle and Ken Folan from the Kildare Gallery at Carton House, this year’s exhibition includes themes of wild swimming, wildlife and the colour orange – the colour of innovation and joy! Visitors can also browse a Floral Art in Bloom Exhibition, or enjoy cookery demonstrations with chefs including Neven Maguire, Rory O’Connell, Catherine Fulvio, Edward Hayden and JP McMahon among others who will be presenting seasonal summer recipes. Before leaving, a must-visit is the Nursery Village where displays of exotic ferns to dahlias and other specialist varieties are such to inspire the amateur gardener.
Party on Inch Beach
One of Kerry’s most-loved locations, Sammy’s Bar & Restaurant at Inch Beach has undergone a €40,000 investment to refresh the beach-side spot ahead of the 2022 summer season. To celebrate, Sammy’s is hosting a Summer Launch Party on June 4 from 1pm. Visitors can enjoy complimentary canapés, prosecco, competitions and spot prizes throughout the day, while a DJ will celebrate the start of summer with some cool, laid-back tunes. Sammy’s new look and feel includes a new stretch tent with beanbags, dining chairs and tables that makes for a perfect hideaway, whatever the weather. Sammy’s has also updated its menu offering with new street-food style bites and a summer cocktail menu with later opening hours until 10pm in July and August.
Take a transatlantic food journey
Six by Nico Dublin’s latest six course summer tasting menu is a transatlantic food journey, €45, which begins on the Spanish party island of Ibiza for memorable Balearic plates followed by a trip to Miami with new American cuisine inspired dishes. The tasting menu includes “The Ibiza Sunset” or paella bombas with roasted red pepper sauce, wild garlic oil and crispy chorizo. The Miami Beach entrée is seared tuna with cucumber, spring onion and chilli ponzu dressing. The Cuban course is an innovative take on a pressed pork sandwich with mustard mayo, gherkin relish, choucroute and pickled mustard seeds. The finale is a coconut and rum parfait with pineapple, brandy snap cigar, passion fruit mousse recreating a taste of Little Havana. Each course can be complemented with a glass of carefully selected wine expertly paired by Six by Nico Dublin’s in-house wine sommelier for an additional €39. www.sixbynico.ie
Escape to Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa, Co Wicklow
If looming queues at the airport have made you rethink summer plans, this tempting June offer combines luxury and pampering. A new overnight stay for two sharing is from €276 and includes breakfast, two cocktails of choice and a three-course dinner in the Sika Terrace & Restaurant, where the views of the Sugar Loaf Mountain are restorative. During the stay, take a stroll or bike ride around the glorious grounds or slip into your swimwear for a dip in the 20m Swarovski crystal-lit swimming pool, or linger on at the Sika Terrace & Restaurant which serves popular classics deliciously presented with a distinctively modern twist. For those looking for a more relaxed dining experience, dinner can also be enjoyed in the popular McGills Pub; www.powerscourthotel.com.
Book ahead for this concert
Covid Care Concerts has a special gala concert at The National Concert Hall on June 15 at 8pm. Presented by Miriam O’Callaghan and featuring a 47-piece orchestra conducted by David Brophy, this concert brings together leading Irish artists including Claudia Boyle, Steve Cooney, Mary Coughlan, Dermot Dunne, Jerry Fish, Red Hurley and Niamh Kavanagh among others. The aim is to commemorate and celebrate the Covid Care Concert project. Speaking about the project, cellist and organiser Gerald Peregrine explains: “The project is the largest arts-led response of its kind on a global level and speaks to the heart of the Irish spirit and sense of community. The project brought household names to the doorstep of residential care settings across Ireland at a time when all visitors and occupational arts were restricted. The project continues in 2022, with over 600 additional concerts planned throughout the year”. Tickets from €18.50 are on sale from www.nch.ie.
Make a beeline for this sale
From June 2 to July 4, discover The Extraordinary Sale in Kildare Village, which is open from 9am until 8pm every day! There are exceptional offers across luxury fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands in more than 100 boutiques, as well as delicious dining options. Why not plan your visit and book a personal shopping experience – a chance to experience the new suites designed by David Thomas – and allow the Style Team to curate a personalised style edit. For brides-to-be there’s also a Brides Do Good pop up which champions a green approach to your big day, selling donated new, pre-loved and sample wedding dresses from brands such as Jenny Packham, Charlie Brear, Pronovias, Catherine Deane, Suzanne Neville and Jesus Peiro at up to 65 per cent off the asking price. As a guide, prices range from €900 to €3,500 and dresses are available in sizes six through to 16. The Brides Do Good pop-up at Kildare Village will run until June 26; www.kildarevillage.com.
Order a posh picnic
With good weather on the horizon, why not order one of Carton House’s posh picnic baskets, which are €60 per adult and €30 per child. These are served in traditional picnic baskets, and feature a selection of treats – from an array of Irish cheese accompanied by homemade chutney, crackers and quince, to a feast of freshly baked scones with clotted cream and preserves, and savoury sandwiches including Ardsallagh goats cheese with overnight cherry tomatoes, basil and hazelnut pesto and rocket on a seeded bap, a Coronation chicken wrap, and honey roasted ham, Dubliner cheddar, celeriac remoulade and baby gem in a ciabatta. There’s also a fresh fruit salad, Keoghs Irish Crisps, chocolate macarons, lemon drizzle cake and a chocolate tart too. For refreshments guests can choose from the signature Carton House coffee blend, premium Jing Tea, lemonade, or add a glass of bubbles with a snipe of Laurent Perrier Champagne for an additional €29 per person or a bottle of wine for €46; www.cartonhouse.com.
Take in this group exhibition
North Louth Artists annual exhibition, entitled “Looking Forward, Looking Back” is currently on show in The Basement Gallery, An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk. The exhibition celebrates the group’s 54 years in operation, and its title takes inspiration from a painting by Jack B Yeats “Looking Forward, Looking Back”. Each of the 14 participating artists is at a different stage in their career; they look forward to coming together annually to create original new pieces of visual art, while also commemorating all they have achieved as a collective in over 50 years. The North Louth Artists exhibiting include: Ciara Agnew, Derek Bell, Sandra Bell, Anna Campbell, Gerry Clarke, Paula Eigenheer, Robert Kelly, John O Connor, Omin, Rosemary Warren and Irene Woods. The exhibition runs until June 11; www.northlouthartists.com.
