BOOKS EXPLORING IRELAND Michael Fewer is an architect and academic who has written 26 books. It was while researching his book Irish Long Distance Walks that he came across many fascinating and quirky objects around the country that told their own local histories. He collected these stories in his journals until, 30 years later, he decided to collate them into a book. The result is Irelands Curious Places: 100 Fascinating, Lesser-Known Treasures To Discover (Gill Books, 16.99). Its a little like an Irish version of Accidentally Wes Anderson, with its selection of unusual and charming places and objects, for example, the Victorian postbox in New Ross, Co Wexford embossed with the insignia VR for Victoria Regina. (After the War of Independence and the Civil War, Ireland was too impoverished to replace these postboxes so we simply painted them green.) Then there is the Little Ark bathing hut in Loop Head, Co Clare which was used as a mobile church after Catholic emancipation in the 1800s. It now sits in the Star of the Sea Church in Kilbaha, Co Clare. This book is full of fascinating places and objects, each with its own geographical and OS coordinates, and would inspire delightful day trips over the summer months. WRITERS BLOCK ELAINE FEENEY Elaine Feeney is a writer and lecturer at the University of Galway. She has published three poetry collections, including The Radio was Gospel and Rise. Her debut novel, As You Were, won Dalkey Book Festivals Emerging Writer Prize, The Kate O Brien Prize, The Society of Authors McKitterick Prize, and was shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. I live in a 1970s bungalow, in Athenry, Co Galway, the house Ive lived in all my life I bought it when my parents moved on. Its in the countryside, surrounded by green fields. This is where I grew up, and its also where my grandparents and great-grandparents lived just down the road, under the bridge. These people often come up in my writing the stories they told me, the place itself, and especially the local landscape, which features in my latest novel, the first Ive set in Athenry. Whether I chose it consciously or not, its part of who I am, and something about it keeps me here. ON FAMILY John McGahern once said, the whole country is made up of families, and each family is a kind of republic. That rings true for me. Like all families, mine is full of its own dynamics. Im married to a man from Wexford hes a great person, though he wouldnt want me to say that and we have two sons and a one-eyed cat. My mother and sister live nearby, which is lovely. I have five siblings, and lots of nieces and nephews. Were a chatty family, big readers, and mostly on the same page politically, which is a relief. I often think about how hard it must be in families where people dont share the same basic values. ON ROOTS I like to explore how the past and present connect and shape us. I remember my grandparents well. They were good storytellers and great talkers, and they passed on a lot through conversation. But one of my grandfathers, a farmer, was quieter. I used to make up stories in my head about what his life was like as a boy, because he rarely spoke about it. In my writing, Ive tried to fill in those gaps with fiction. Maybe he was just naturally quiet, but Ive always wondered what he chose not to say, and why. ON WRITING Ive loved writing since I was a child. I got a Petit 990 typewriter for Christmas when I was about eight or nine, and started typing what I thought were very serious political pieces that I could maybe read on the news. Looking back, they were full of hopeful ideas about peace and understanding, the naiveté of childhood. ON MY DESK My desk is a bit of a mess most of the time. Its where I work, but also where laundry piles up and books gather. I usually have my laptop there, along with a few notebooks one for the draft Im writing, and another for trying to figure out what its really about, though a student once told me this kind of self-analysis of my art isnt cool that you shouldnt try to explain your own work, like David Lynch. Maybe theyre right. ON SUCCESS Success is a hard thing to define these days. For me, its about being able to speak freely, and having the chance to do that through writing. I feel very lucky to be able to. ON BOOKSHOPS As a child, I spent many Saturdays in the Athenry library with my brothers and sister. Libraries and bookshops have always felt like important places to me quiet, open, and full of possibilities. Ive met some wonderful booksellers over the years, and their enthusiasm has meant a lot. Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way (Harvill Secker, €16.99) is out now. @edelcoffey ON HOME THE BOOKS ON MY BEDSIDE TABLE CIARA GERAGHTY Ciara Geraghty is a bestselling Irish novelist. She has written ten novels, including Saving Grace, Lifesaving for Beginners and Queen Bee. She also cohosts the podcast BookBirds. Her first childrens book, Wanda Broom (Eriu) was published last month. She lives in Dublin. Im currently reading The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin. First published in 1974, this science fiction novel tells the story of Shevek, a brilliant young physicist who is also that impossible thing: the man from the moon. This moon is an anarchist society where everything is shared, including his mother whom he refers to as the mother. Shevek travels to Urras, his first experience of a capitalist patriarchy. The book may be old but its themes and ideas still resonate feminism, gender, morality, time and the purpose of living. Fascinating. Ive been reading a lot of short stories lately because Im writing a series of inter-connected ones for a book Im working on, The Relief Road. The collection I come back to when Im in need of inspiration or stimulation or just a good old-fashioned belly laugh is Kevin Barrys There are Little Kingdoms. My favourite story in the collection is Breakfast Wine, which informs us at the outset that it takes three alcoholics to keep a small bar going in a country town. The narrator and his cousin are doing what they can but theyre a man shy. Enter a woman, on the run from her husband, with promises of glamour, excitement and salvation. A gem. I am re-reading Anne of Green Gables for the podcast I co-host with Caroline Grace Cassidy, Bookbirds. The premise is simple; we re-read novels we adored and see how they and we have changed in the intervening years. This 117-year-old novel is probably one of the main reasons I became a writer. I loved Anne like she was a real, live girl a kindred spirit if you will and a heroine with the same carroty red hair as me! When Matthew died, I felt his loss like it was mine. It was the first time I cried reading a book. I realised then the power of words on a page and even though I wouldnt start writing until I was 34, a seed was planted in my twelve-year-old brain that day. THE GLOSS MAGAZINE July/August 2025 35 SWEET SUNDAE SCENTS / PACKING TIPS FOR IRISH TRIPS / WINE WITH LUNCH / CHECKS AND STRIPES / BEACH READS / THINGS TO DO MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 2025 with THE IRISH TIMES ww w.the gloss.ie Great Irish Holidays Relaxed, simple, sophisticated take the scenic route In celebration of 25 years of Raindance A Family Story Since 1798 CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE THE GLOSS MONTHLY REMINDER SIGN UP to receive a monthly reminder by email when THE GLOSS is out so that you never miss an issue. Simply register your details on WWW.THEGLOSS.IE. 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SAFETY FIRST If, like me, your approach to child safety is Visit our Showroom 4 Knockmitten Lane Dublin 12 D12 DK50 sales@thesofafactory.com thesofafactory.com 01 465 9817 The he Art of Upholstery in Ireland Classic Sofas Made to Order Stockist of Vintage & Antique Chairs Reupholstery Specialists info@newcastledesign.ie 0404 65000 newcastledesign.ie BOOKS Reading Notes Edel Coffey chooses books for the beach T he novel that everyone is getting excited about this summer is NOTES ON INFINITY (Michael Joseph, €16.99), the debut from Austin Taylor. Described as Normal People (Sally Rooney) meets Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Gabrielle BOOKS EXPLORING IRELAND Michael Fewer is an architect and academic who has written 26 books. It was while researching his book Irish Long Distance Walks that he came across many fascinating and quirky objects around the country that told their own local histories. He collected these stories in his BOOKS Life in the Shadows Ecuadorian-American author Karla Cornejo Villavicencios debut novel Catalina is a timely portrait of an undocumented immigrants life at Harvard University. By Caelan McMichael U nder the Trump admisistration, undercover ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers ADVERTORIAL Aisling Cleary and Danielle Andrews, Clinical Directors at Laser + Skin Clinic. A Revolutionary Acne Treatment A breakthrough in acne therapy takes an innovative approach F or many, clear skin is about more than aesthetics, its about confidence, self-esteem and feeling good. Yes, fo DINING Restaurant Notes Ciara McQuillan selects summer holiday stop-offs LANDLINE, PARK HOTEL KENMARE, CO KERRY: THE SCOOP Named after an abstract painting by artist Sean Scully, Landline was designed by Kenmareborn interior designer, Bryan OSullivan (of BOS Studio), whose portfolio includes Clar VALERIE OSULLIVAN INTERVIEW WITH A MAN Theres nothing I love more than standing in front of 1,000 people in a theatre and telling them about birds. SEÁN RONAYNE Birds of a Feather Seán Ronayne is an ornithologist, author and environmental activist, who, since 2021, has been on a mission to record INTERVIEW WITH A MAN INTERVIEW WITH A MAN talk about was birds and Id try to mimic other peoples behaviours, but that didnt work either. I felt like a loser, but when I got the diagnosis, I was able to forgive myself and it gave me a lot more confidence. It allowed me to see the positives, like my WINE La Vie En Rosé Julie Dupouy pairs rosé with summer suppers O ften associated with summer, sunny terraces, and casual apéritifs, rosé wines have for too long carried a reputation for being simple quaffing wines, hardly worthy of a moment of pause for appreciation. Yet behind their many hues FOOD SCENIC ROUTE Ballyshane House and the resident Irish terriers. Kitty Coles. Kitty Coles takes a road trip along Irelands South East coast to East Cork, where she discovers a culinary community thats innovative and inviting I have just returned from one of my favourite trips in the last f FOOD FOOD JR RYALLS ALMOND TART (OR TARTLETS) WITH RASPBERRIES lley, Cork. The dessert trolley at Ballymaloe House. The Long Va Myrtle Allen began making these tarts for the Ballymaloe dessert trolley over half a century ago. The base couldnt be easier to prepare; it literally takes one minute t JASMINE HUGHES TRAVEL GREAT IRISH HOLIDAYS The Irish summer holiday combines simplicity and sophistication we find extraordinary places to stay, eat and explore F Ophelia Keane of Carpa Dining at Inish Beg Estate. or a perfect base from which to explore West Cork, book the recently renovated F TRAVEL The new Nordic-style cabins at Ballygarry Estate. The terrace outside Hannos Workshop at Mossies B&B. latest addition to the accommodation offering is Hannos Workshop, a selfcatering barn with a New York-style loft (two guests; pets allowed). A new sauna has just opened beside a small pond TRAVEL Visit Coan Coffee on the Ards Peninsula for cappucino and carrot cake. Annalong, close to the seaside town of Newcastle, with the Mourne Mountains as a backdrop; www.kribbencottages.com. At Strangford Lough Activity Centre, Rory Martin runs Sunrise and Full Moon kayaking experiences and e-b TRAVEL Fans of the award-winning Misunderstood Heron formerly perched above Killary Fjord and hailed by Lonely Planet as one of the worlds top ten coolest food trucks will be thrilled by its new home at BigStyle Lodge at P Dans, Killadoon, near Louisburgh, which has a terrace with incredible sea TRAVEL Travel Notes Penny McCormick takes a road trip out west Glenlo Abbey Hotel. The sitting room. Deluxe bedroom with view of Lough Corrib. The Pullman Restaurant. CHECKING IN: GLENLO ABBEY HOTEL & ESTATE, GALWAY Take a trip around Inis Mór with Thomas Faherty Tours; www.aranponytrap.com. Kitchen appliances worth talking about Discuss your kitchen needs and learn all about the latest and greatest from Bosch, Siemens and Neff from our experts in the Home of Innovation, Dublin. Or if you prefer to see them in action, join one of our cooking demonstrations. Visit homeofinnovation.ie to