Donegal Camino steps up to the challenge
The Donegal Camino has marked its most successful year yet, raising an incredible €153,277 for the Cancer Care West Support Centre in Donegal. The seven-day walking festival continues to bring people together from near and far, with funds supporting vital
counselling and support services across the county. Plans are already under way for the 2026 Camino, which takes place from 30 August to 5 September. See donegalcamino.ie.
Dave O’Donnell, Cancer Care West with Donegal Camino organising committee, Michael Cullinan; Carl Gysling; Noreen D’Arcy, event and PR manager; Peggy Stringer, founder; Deirdre McGlone, chair; Noel Cunningham; along with Richard Flaherty, Cancer Care West CEO; and Dr John O’Donoghue, senior clinical psychologist and clinical lead at the Cancer Care West Support Centre.
When the cold weather lingers and everyday life needs a little gentle care, The Handmade Soap Company has just the thing. Their Irish-made hand creams, lip balms and soaps feel like a small kindness, perfect for busy hands and winter-dry skin.
They’re affordable, practical and beautifully made – ideal for anyone easing back into the January routine. Explore their range at thehandmadesoapcompany.ie.
The Handmade Soap Company hand cream, lavender, rosemary, thyme and mint 50g, €15.
If you’re an Irish food or drink maker with big plans, this is worth a look. Lidl Ireland has opened applications for its 2026 Kickstart Supplier Development Programme, marking 10 years of helping small producers grow. The six-month programme offers hands-on support, expert guidance and the chance to see products on shelves nationwide. Since 2017, more than 300 Irish
businesses have taken part. Applications are open until 31 January at lidl.ie/kickstart.
Aisling Tuck of Naked Bakes took part in Lidl's Kickstart Supplier Development Programme in 2024, and has since secured a permanent listing with Lidl. Pictured (l-r): Aisling Tuck, founder of Naked Bakes, Jim O'Toole, CEO of Bord Bia & Robert Ryan, CEO of Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland.
Waiting for the Turning
By Bríd O’Donnell, Bunclody, Co Wexford
January loosens
its grip, slowly,
though the mornings
still arrive cold.
In the hedges,
something stirs,
a restlessness the land remembers.
The days stretch
by a minute at a time.
Light lingers on
the yard gate,
and the fields
seem less asleep,
as if listening for a signal.
There’s talk of lambing
in low voices,
seed catalogues left
open on the table,
mud on boots worn
with purpose,
not complaint.
We watch the ditches closely now,
green tips daring to
show themselves.
The river runs
quicker, brighter,
no longer weighed
down by winter.
Nothing has changed
just yet,
but everything
is beginning.
Hope lives in small
signs here.
A longer evening.
A softer air.
The quiet promise
of spring
moving steadily
our way.
Donegal Camino steps up to the challenge
The Donegal Camino has marked its most successful year yet, raising an incredible €153,277 for the Cancer Care West Support Centre in Donegal. The seven-day walking festival continues to bring people together from near and far, with funds supporting vital
counselling and support services across the county. Plans are already under way for the 2026 Camino, which takes place from 30 August to 5 September. See donegalcamino.ie.
Dave O’Donnell, Cancer Care West with Donegal Camino organising committee, Michael Cullinan; Carl Gysling; Noreen D’Arcy, event and PR manager; Peggy Stringer, founder; Deirdre McGlone, chair; Noel Cunningham; along with Richard Flaherty, Cancer Care West CEO; and Dr John O’Donoghue, senior clinical psychologist and clinical lead at the Cancer Care West Support Centre.
When the cold weather lingers and everyday life needs a little gentle care, The Handmade Soap Company has just the thing. Their Irish-made hand creams, lip balms and soaps feel like a small kindness, perfect for busy hands and winter-dry skin.
They’re affordable, practical and beautifully made – ideal for anyone easing back into the January routine. Explore their range at thehandmadesoapcompany.ie.
The Handmade Soap Company hand cream, lavender, rosemary, thyme and mint 50g, €15.
If you’re an Irish food or drink maker with big plans, this is worth a look. Lidl Ireland has opened applications for its 2026 Kickstart Supplier Development Programme, marking 10 years of helping small producers grow. The six-month programme offers hands-on support, expert guidance and the chance to see products on shelves nationwide. Since 2017, more than 300 Irish
businesses have taken part. Applications are open until 31 January at lidl.ie/kickstart.
Aisling Tuck of Naked Bakes took part in Lidl's Kickstart Supplier Development Programme in 2024, and has since secured a permanent listing with Lidl. Pictured (l-r): Aisling Tuck, founder of Naked Bakes, Jim O'Toole, CEO of Bord Bia & Robert Ryan, CEO of Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland.
Waiting for the Turning
By Bríd O’Donnell, Bunclody, Co Wexford
January loosens
its grip, slowly,
though the mornings
still arrive cold.
In the hedges,
something stirs,
a restlessness the land remembers.
The days stretch
by a minute at a time.
Light lingers on
the yard gate,
and the fields
seem less asleep,
as if listening for a signal.
There’s talk of lambing
in low voices,
seed catalogues left
open on the table,
mud on boots worn
with purpose,
not complaint.
We watch the ditches closely now,
green tips daring to
show themselves.
The river runs
quicker, brighter,
no longer weighed
down by winter.
Nothing has changed
just yet,
but everything
is beginning.
Hope lives in small
signs here.
A longer evening.
A softer air.
The quiet promise
of spring
moving steadily
our way.
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