I went to PortAventura World without children and remembered how to have fun again – The Irish Times

It’s me or him, I say to myself. I’m first in line at the Tami Tami rollercoaster, so the coveted first carriage is mine – as long as I can fend off the antsy guy behind me who’s vying for it too. As the rollercoaster clatters back to its starting point, the passengers stagger off […]
Bad brows? How to laser-remove microblading – The Irish Times

Microblading was a trend that surged strongly and swiftly about 10 to 15 years ago. Like many others who were not naturally blessed in the brow department, I rushed towards microblading with open arms, desperate to have hair-like strokes in places where I didn’t have any actual hair. I had my eyebrows microbladed several times […]
pros, cons and the various choices – The Irish Times

‘How to Invest’ is a series of articles guiding readers through the basics of investing in different assets. See also: The risks of leaving money on deposit, how to invest in shares and how to invest in a fund Earlier this year, the Financial Times wrote that the “appetite for bonds in an uncertain world […]
Going to Paris for the rugby? How to eat like a local without breaking the bank – The Irish Times

Before you go to Paris, be sure to remember that French food stereotypes persist for practical reasons. Kitchens in this wonderful city are tiny and residents have neither the time nor the inclination to, for example, confit duck – much better to outsource it all to the local neighbourhood bistro. This means duck confit is […]
How to earn up to six figures by planting trees – The Irish Times

Forget your stocks and shares; how about trying to do something positive for the environment, while earning some money from the land? Thanks to the State’s various tree incentive schemes, you don’t have to be a big farmer or have forestry experience to benefit from a variety of grants and annual premiums. These grants are […]
How to think like a bee and stop comparing yourself with others – The Irish Times

I’ve a number of bad habits. One of the worst perhaps is begrudgery. I hear the radio presenter intone that this week’s winning EuroMillions ticket has been bought in Kilkenny – or wherever – and I immediately bristle: “The jammy so-and-sos”. And I don’t even buy lottery tickets. I know it’s unreasonable to envy another […]
How to navigate the complex world of virtual money – The Irish Times

A lot is happening with our money right now, from our migration into a cashless world and the roll-out of instant money transfers to the creation of a digital euro and the invention of new currencies in the United States, transforming how we spend. That is indeed a lot. Can we start at the beginning? […]
‘We saved the guts of €2,000 a month while on a combined income of €55,000’ – The Irish Times

When Teresa Bruen and Brian Redmond were aged 24 and 25 respectively, they bought their first home – an old house in need of a lot of love outside Gorey, Co Wexford – for €195,000. At the time, they had a combined income of €55,000, with Redmond working as a teacher and Bruen an apprentice […]
How to make up to €1,500 a day letting your home for TV and film shoots – The Irish Times

Has your home got what it takes to play a starring role in a movie or TV series? While it sounds potentially lucrative, location manager Peter Conway says filming in somebody’s home is difficult. “It is the most private space and it needs a level of trust to give over your home to film and […]
How to wear denim – from jeans to jorts

Don’t assume that with summer’s arrival, it’s time to ditch your denim. The hardy fabric is a wardrobe essential all year round, even more so in an unpredictable Irish summer. Making denim summer-appropriate is all about striking a balance of comfort, breathability, and the flexibility to adapt if the temperature decides to rise. On the […]