Late last night I dropped my purse on Lansdowne Rd + didn't notice until I got off the DART in Clontarf. It had all my cards + €100 in it. A kind lady found it, found me via social media + met my son today to return it. I'm so grateful + hope karma repays her goodness tenfold!
Last night someone saved my friend's daughter's life. As I type, her 23-yr-old is undergoing a heart transplant, received from an incredible donor. Yesterday a family lost their loved one and yet, amidst their grief, have given the gift of life to a stranger 1/2
We don't have too many Michelin-starred kitchens in Ireland where a woman is head chef. So let's all raise a glass to
@RoisinOConnor9
who's just been promoted from sous to head chef at the 1 Michelin star House restaurant at Waterford's
@cliffhousehotel
. A good news story.
⭐ Some personal news: Today I'm proud to join the Irish Examiner team as Food & Travel Editor of Weekend magazine. I'm looking forward to developing beautiful content and sharing exciting and original stories from home and abroad. You'll get me at jillian.bolger
@gmail
.com
It's 1 month since my brother-in-law went missing in Cork. 1 long month with no answers for his beautiful family. 1 long month of relentless searching by amazing volunteers. John is so missed and loved. We simply have to find him.
Calling all Irish hotels, country houses + tourist attractions. I'm the new Travel Editor at the Irish Examiner + I want to hear about you + your news. Email me at jillian.bolger
@examiner
.ie with news of refurbs/new bedrooms/new chef/spa/activities etc. Put yourself on my radar!
As the L'Ecrivain building is sold this week it got me thinking of the great Irish restaurants that have come and gone. Ones I loved best are The Mermaid Café, Thornton's, The Tea Room in The Clarence and The Ivory Tower in Cork. How about you?
Ran my first marathon today and survived! The 5 months of training paid off. Such perfect weather and the supporters + volunteers along the route created a brilliant atmosphere. Thrilled to have been a part of
@dublinmarathon
2019.
#RunThisTown
Folks, let's lift spirits in Irish restaurant-land. Tag the 5 places you can't wait to return to + eat in as soon as they open. Then, pick 1 extra restaurant you've never been to but plan to visit. Be sure to tag them all with
#wemissyourfood
+ let's boost some morale! RTs please
Today my youngest sent a Custard Cream in the post. A single one. It was a last minute addition to her penfriend's Easter card, fitting snugly in a painted match box. I love the sheer innocence and madness of this act. I mean, who wouldn't love a random biscuit in the post?
Without this selfless act, my friend's daughter would still be incredibly ill today. It's Organ Donation Awareness Week + I'm witnessing the real impact organ donation can make. Sending my deepest gratitude + love to the bereaved family + donor for their incredible gift of life.
Am I the only person who doesn't get
#panettone
? The boxes always looks so pretty but the product tastes like stale, oversweet bread to me. Have I missed something?
@LeslieAnnHorgan
I run but swerve on the road to make others feel safe. But I'm astonished on walks how many walkers happily watch me move my 3 kids on to the road in single file while they stroll mid-path without flinching. Happens daily. Pals with a 2m gap between them + couples are the worst.
Folks, how about we lift some spirits in Irish hotels today (like we did for restaurants)? Tag 4 hotels/country houses you can't wait to stay in again. Then pick 1 place you've never visited but really want to. Tag them with
#wecantwaittostay
+ let's boost some morale! RTs pls
Very proud of my mum this morning on
@RTERadio1
with
@BrendanCourtney
. Her willingness to share her experience of losing her speech from Parkinson's might help others along the way. Well done
@MurielBolger
!
Cheese lovers, What are your favourite *new* Irish cheeses? We all know + love the classics (Cashel Blue, Gubbeen, Corleggy, St Tola etc) but what are the *new Irish classics that you've discovered in the last 5 or so years? (If you sell cheese, what's flying?) RTs welcome. Tks.
An Irish chef won a Michelin star today! Congratulations to
@andywalsh82
of Cure in Singapore, where the chef/proprietor serves imaginative New Irish Cuisine. By good luck I interviewed him last month. Read on to learn about one of Mayo's finest.
Confession: I loved Scrabble as a kid + played in a club. Age 12, I won the prize at National Championships for highest single word score in a game. All my competitors were adults: Can't recall the word but it had 9 letters, earning me 136 points in one go. Mum just found these!
Confession: Have just booked my maiden visit to
@TanneryDungarva
in June. Ate
@paulflynnchef
's food years ago but have never visited here! Thrilled to finally fill this ridiculous gap in my food CV.
How about you? Any plans to finally cross off a bucket list restaurant or hotel?
I am going to
@_the_GREENHOUSE
tomorrow for lunch. As if that wasn't good enough, I will be eating with 3 of my favourite people in the world to celebrate a wedding anniversary and a birthday. To say I am ecstatic is an understatement.
So, this is what 50 looks like!
New decade, new chapter (new profile pic!) Grateful for all that's been and looking forward to more good times and adventures.
So, here's a new food and drink project I've been working on recently. Delighted to be working alongside Good Food Ireland as the editor of this new initiative.
Lunch at
@_the_GREENHOUSE
was a knockout! Just look at the beauty of these dishes. Who even makes snacks this pretty! (New decor looking good too.) Thanks to
@stove28
@MarkMoriarty1
Darren, Paul + all the team. It's wonderful to have you all back.
I've been trying out
@nevenmaguire
's COOK collection for Dunnes Stores and have 3 observations. 1. It is excellent quality. 2. It is superb value. 3. It would make a great Father's Day gift for a baker or cook in your life. Highly recommended.
#gift
Thrilled to have joined the
@irishexaminer
for the summer as Acting Daily Features Editor. I'll be keeping Esther McCarthy's seat warm on the Features Desk while working on food and travel content across the paper. Week 1 almost done. An exciting summer beckons!
Stolen from Clontarf DART Station today Dec 16th between 8am and 2.30pm. My son's gunmetal grey men's Merida. Just 6 months old. Any leads appreciated. Please keep your eyes peeled. Thank you. RTs appreciated.
I've been astonished by the 3 meals I've had in Dublin since I began eating out again 3 weeks ago. Dinner at
@VolpeNeraDublin
@woodruffdublin
+
@marketcanteen
have all been exceptional. Dublin is on fire and we need to support our capital + keep these home fires burning brightly.
Hello PR agencies + marketing people at hotels + restaurants. If I'm not already on your press list, please add me. I write about food + travel for many national (+ occasionally international) outlets. If I don't know about you I can't write about you! jillian.bolger
@gmail
.com
Who are the most influential women in the Irish food scene right now? Along with key chefs + producers who do you think is making a real difference to Ireland's food culture? All suggestions welcome, whether policymakers, producers, marketing + media folk, chefs etc. Thoughts?
Anyone else spot this cool trend in Irish restaurants? They're food maps highlighting local Irish producers on their menus. Well done
@WaterfrontSligo
+
@Lemontree_lk
. Such a brilliant way to celebrate the best of Ireland. Anywhere else doing this?
#irishfood
#eatlocal
#foodmap
Marathon number 2 done. Perfect weather and amazing support along the route from strangers and friends. Thanks Dublin City and
@dublinmarathon
for a great day.
So, here it is. My new website! You may know me as a journalist but I'm also a copywriter - a storyteller for brands.Take a look! Maybe I can help you? I'm an expert in 5-star hospitality, but write websites + marketing collateral for all sectors. Try me!
#journorequest
Calling all Irish restaurants and hotels that have a cheese trolley. Please make yourselves known for a feature I'm writing. I know of a few, but feel certain there must be others. RTs appreciated. Thank you!
Have you ever booked an overseas trip specifically to eat in a certain restaurant? If yes, would love to know where and whose food tempted you to board a plane.
Cork friends. If you live in the following areas and have CCTV can you please check it for 1.30am onwards on Monday Aug 21? We need to find John and bring him home. We love him and miss him desperately. Please share this with any community groups in these areas. Thank you
Excited to hear about this new pilot food project by
@GreenSchoolsIre
with
@AnTaisce
Green Flags. Growing and harvesting plus food waste + climate change all on the bill. 8 lucky schools chosen, including my daughter's. Hope it's a game changer.
First time in a restaurant in 4 months. Made the trip to Blackrock's
@VolpeNeraDublin
and it was terrific. Each dish a harmonious triumph of flavour, balance + exceptional ingredients. Service was charming with masks + widely spaced tables. A fabulous meal.
No idea who's running this new account but
@last_table
seems like a good idea. Maybe we can help the restaurant industry and get the account and hashtag
#LastMinuteTableDublin
out there. It might help restaurants with all these cancellations and no shows.
You can keep your Brown Thomas and Penneys. This is all the retail therapy I need... Thanks Husseys Farm
@jtattshotmailc1
for the rainbow of inspiration. Such gorgeous produce in one box. Delighted we signed up!
#delivery
@VickyChandler
On trip to Ice Hotel in Sweden around 2001. PR host meets us all at check-in desk in Dub airport only to announce: "Isn't it great we don't needs passports to travel in the EU!" She hadn't packed hers.
In tomorrow's Irish Times Magazine I share the toughest and most personal story I've ever written. It's about me and dad and the complexities of our relationship.
Tomorrow's
@IrishTimesMag
is all about the Dads.
@fotoole
writes about how lockdown has changed life for many fathers; 9 different kinds of dad on how fatherhood has changed them;
@JillianBolger
on when the Dad-daughter relationship isn't straightforward + lots more
#buyapaper
Today I took my 12-year-old on a 20km hike from Clontarf to Howth via the cliffs. 4 of his new school pals came too and made light work of it. Sometimes we underestimate our kids. 4.5 hours of walking and not one complaint. Old fashioned fun and what a great bonding experience.
Ireland's best new destination restaurants? Check out my pick in the new issue of
@image_magazine
, alongside a few Irish classics. Time for a road trip!
Looking to talk to chefs who are planning cool pop-ups in unusual locations this year in Ireland, north + south. The quirkier the setting the better – indoors or out. Please DM me or tag your pals if they are planning or already running an unusual dining set-up. RTs appreciated.
If you honestly believe in the freedom of our press and truth in journalism, today is the day to put your money where your mouth is. Go and buy a copy of the excellent Sunday Business Post.
#BuytheSBPost
Have you changed how you eat during lockdown? With everyone stuck at home, I'm wondering if people's eating habits have changed for the better or worse? We eat way more vegetables here but also get more take-aways than normal. Anyone else care to share?
#journorequest
Dublin is Europe’s capital of coffee, with the most coffee shops per million population, a new study has found. Dublin has 232 cafés: London has the most cafés but only ranks 14th for coffee shops per million people. (Athens, Prague, Lisbon & Reykjavik make up the top 5)
#Coffee
Unexpectedly good news! Monty's of Kathmandu have landed some outdoor tables in Meeting House Square + are serving a fantastic new tiffin box menu. The dishes are a treat, bursting with flavour + slick spicing, including their famous momos. Boxes €19-21.
"The best way to experience a restaurant, I have always felt, is by eating exactly what it wants to feed you. I do not want choices. " Really interesting piece on the rise of the shorter restaurant menu.
Anywhere in Ireland offering niche learning holidays (with accommodation) that teach things like butchery, floristry, crafts, cheesemaking or traditional skills like weaving etc? Am looking for the unusual or unique taking place over 2+ days.
#journorequest
RTs welcome.
On Sunday afternoon I filled in my passport renewal application. This morning, at 10am, my new passport dropped through the letterbox! What a fantastic service from
@PassportIRL
. Didn't even take 48 hours!
Is this the most perfect country house in Ireland? So welcoming, so comfortable, so chilled out. Just 6 lovely bedrooms + a delicious menu that reads like a who's who of Ireland's finest food producers. Take a bow
@NewforgeHouse
- Armagh is lucky to have you.
What's your favourite restaurant with rooms or pub with rooms in Ireland? Especially interested in hearing about great newer places opened in the last few years, pls.
#DestinationDining
#journorequest
The definitive guide to brilliant food + accommodation In Ireland has landed! Buy it + pop it in your glovebox. The Best of The Best is by Georgina Campbell, the most trusted voice in Irish hospitality (with a little Dublin help from me) €20 @ + bookshops
The hottest little pop-up around. Get yourself over to
@mrfoxrestaurant
for al fresco fun with cool cocktails, buttermilk fried chicken, loaded fries + smooth tunes. Let's keep their home fires burning.
The food at
@macneanhouse
is so worth the 3 hour drive. Not just
@nevenmaguire
's sublime cooking but also the outrageously good eggs Benedict at breakfast. An absolute culinary highlight.
Anyone else addicted to blue cheese? Pasta with gorgonzola + walnuts is my idea of heaven. Anyone eaten any knock-out restaurant dishes I need to know about? Any chefs working magic with any great Irish blues? Would travel far to eat it!
I received this kind email on Dec 20th. As a journalist, it's lovely to hear my words made a difference to a small hotel. Their message highlights the power + importance of good marketing/PR for any hotel. If you're a hotel, make it your mission to connect to the media in 2022.
Twitter, can you work your magic, please? I'm looking for names of Irish head chefs / Irish hotel GMs / key hospitality staff working overseas all around the world. Any suggestions? RTs welcome please. Thank you!
#journorequest
Dublin, March 2nd 2018, I took this photo of St Stephen's Green from my room in
@theshelbourne
. Had never seen my hometown looking so tranquil. Walked home in my hiking boots after checking out. Doesn't Dublin look beautiful!
Who else is delivering high-end baking, patisserie, gateaux and tarts around Ireland? Not novelty cakes, but serious desserts like
@LePatissier1
and
@AoifeNoonan_
. Thank you.
#journorequest
Am working on a feature on great Irish summer festivals. Which ones should our readers know about? From arts and music to food and family festivals, big or boutique ones, please send info and high-res images to jillian.bolger
@gmail
.com
#Festivals
What a feast to kick-start Christmas! Felt so lucky to squeeze in our sensational
@ChapterOneByMV
Christmas celebration last night, just before today's curfew. Thanks to
@ViljanenMickael
,
@DannyDesmond6
, Juba,
@OJamesob1988
and all the wonderful team for another perfect evening.
Seeing as we can't travel or eat out right now, I'm happy to admire beautiful restaurant design from afar. How about 50% Cloud, a new restaurant in China by CCD Architects, built within a mega art installation by Luo Xu, a local Yunnan Province artist. Isn't it breathtaking?
Amazing to think there's been 25 years of Georgina Campbell's Awards. Congratulations
@GCsIreland
, on an impressive milestone championing the best of Irish restaurants, hotels and people!
For someone who makes such a Trojan contribution to Ireland's food scene it's fitting that the inimitable Georgina Campbell of
@IrelandGuide
has been recognised by Ireland's best chefs +
@EurotoquesIrl
. Congratulations on your award,
@GCsIreland
!
What's the most luxurious food experience you've ever had in Ireland, beyond our 5-star hotels and fine dining restaurants? Working on a story for the international luxury market and want to hear about your stand-out Irish food experience. (And if you offer one, do pls tell me!)
Today's the day!
@irishexaminer
Weekend magazine has had a gorgeous revamp which includes the addition of Examiner Escapes, our brand new travel section. In shops all weekend (yes, Sundays too!) I'm excited to share our 7-page travel section which runs every week. Grab a copy!
In tomorrow's
@foodandwineIE
I recommend the 10 Irish condiments every food lover needs to have in their cooking arsenal. Don't miss my hit list, free in tomorrow's
@businessposthq
.
It's the best time of the month once again! FOOD&WINE Magazine will be available free with
@businessposthq
this Sunday, March 7th - make sure to pick up your copy or subscribe online to read this gorgeous, jam-packed edition.
#buyapaper
#foodandwineireland
On December 8 2004, a split second changed Graham's life forever: 15 years ago today. Every day we count our blessings he's still here. His courage and tenacity have made him an exceptional human being. Forever my kid brother, my phoenix, my superhero.