Local Treasures

John Brophy of Spink, Co Laois, shared this beautiful image of a waterfall within his 5km. The waterfall is located on his family’s land and is very special to John and his family.

“The waterfall certainly is beautiful, although not very accessible,” he writes.

“It is a bit of a family treasure, really, and not many outside our family would have seen it.

“I took this picture a few years ago and had it printed on canvas as a present for my parents.

“It brings back great memories from when we were young.

“On the way into it, the field is surrounded by hazelnut trees – so autumn was a great time for us, when we were young in the 70s and 80s, heading there when the nuts were ripe.

“There is a large boulder there on the way in and this was always used – with nearby stones – to sample the crop.

“It is still there today, although slightly overgrown.”

John’s submission has been entered into our Local Treasures competition for the chance to win a Thalgo Spiruline skincare hamper valued at €250. To enter, submit a photo of your local treasure (along with a 50-100 word description) here.

Tweet of the Week

Number of the Week

€200

the average cost of executing a will.

Instagram Inspiration

Adam King by Shaunagh O’Connell.

It wasn’t just one Instagram post that caught our attention this week, this beautiful picture has been shared by thousands.

Adam King of Late Late Toy Show fame is once again melting our hearts with his virtual hug. Shot by Shaunagh O’Connell @shaunaghoc from Cork, the image is promoting Adam’s ‘A Hug for You’ card which you can buy nationwide in SuperValu and Centra. All proceeds go to Temple Street Hospital and Cork University Hospital.

We honestly cant think of a more beautiful Valentine’s Day card to send to family and friends. We’re sending a virtual hug right back to you Adam!

Chef Janine's Tip

Tuesday 9 February was International Pizza Day – did you celebrate? If not, take some time this week to practise making the perfect pie (see ICL’s recipe for pizza dough here). When it comes to toppings, the sky’s the limit. I like using shredded mozzarella for pizza (it always melts so nicely), but adding in a great Irish farmhouse cheese will boost the flavour. Some of my favourite topping combinations include pancetta, Cashel Blue and diced pear with a white sauce (with fresh rocket added after baking) or spicy Gubeen chorizo, caramelised onion and roasted red peppers with a classic tomato sauce.

Picture of the Week

Winning entry of the Macra na Feirme craft challenge by Christine O'Brien, Ballincollig Macra na Feirme. The creation was made using mixed materials; screws, staples, drinking can ring pulls and vinyl on MDF. The competition was to recreate the Macra na Feirme logo using any craft.

Quote of the Week

From Danny Hamilton:

I used to bet people on our tours to go up and give Matt a little kiss on the top of his head - it used to drive him crazy!