Life Magazine

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Goodbye, Mary and Kevin – why Maeve and Cillian became the world’s coolest baby names for 2023

The world’s largest website devoted to baby names has boldly made its predictions for 2023. Based on the searches of expectant parents, online site Nameberry reckons the Irish name Maeve will explode in popularity to shoot up to No 2 in the world this year.

Little Green Cars’ and Soda Blonde’s Adam O’Regan and Faye O’Rourke — ‘The focus is on the future. It has to be’

The resurgence in the sale of vinyl records has been one of the unexpected high points for the music industry over the past decade, but it’s not all a bed of roses. The global demand for vinyl LPs far outstrips manufacturing capability at present, and the specialist pressing plants tend to favour those who place huge orders. As a result, preference goes to the likes of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and The 1975. Those not at superstar level — in other words, almost every contemporary act on your Spotify playlist — have to wait in line. And the delays are lengthy.

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Dancing With The Stars’ Doireann Garrihy — ‘A chunk of people follow you to have a look, and maybe wait for you to make a mistake’

People had asked Doireann Garrihy over the years if she would consider taking part in Dancing With The Stars as a contestant, and she always said no. “I’ve a dodgy knee. It clicks out of place; I had surgery on it a year-and-a-half ago,” she tells me over coffee in Dublin’s Schoolhouse Hotel.

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Go trad for St Patrick’s Day with Rachel Allen’s moreish bacon and cabbage recipes — with apple cake for afters

Next Friday, for St Patrick’s Day, I’ll be cooking glazed bacon with buttered cabbage and creamy mashed potato — a simple and oh-so comforting meal that is deliciously and distinctively Irish.

My Pet: ‘Sooty delights her 8,000-plus Instagram fans with her antics’

While I was on holiday in August 2021, my nephew found a kitten. He discovered her all alone, under a hedge, and far too young to be without her mother. The poor little thing was in a very sorry state. Even though she was tiny, dishevelled, skinny and a little unusual-looking, she had an undeniable twinkle in her bright-blue eyes. I just knew the instant I saw her photo that she was full of sass, gumption and determination. There was no doubt in my mind, I was rescuing her as soon as I got home.

Auto advice: what is E10 petrol, can my car run on it and will this new fuel damage my engine?

What is E10 and is it compatible with my car?

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Review: Retro design meets the latest tech in the Ora Funky Cat, a well-equipped, keenly priced electric car

The global success of cars such as the Ford Focus or the Volkswagen Golf confirms that the holy grail for carmakers is to produce something that appeals worldwide. But coining a name that conveys the same amount of allure and panache across different cultures is something entirely different.

Dear Mary: I’m a married man and considering sex with my male masseur. Am I bisexual?

I have a big problem. I am married with grown-up children and was always good to them and worked hard, as did my wife. The problem has arisen over the last while, in that sex has gone very scarce and I don’t know why. I do know I’m begging lately and still nothing is happening. I am now looking outside the home for what I want but it’s with other males.

Go nuts for heart health with Susan Jane White’s recipe for walnut butter aubergine cigars

Nuts are superheroes. Some of the largest health studies in history — the Nurses’ Health Study, the Physicians’ Health Study, the Adventist Study and the Iowa Women’s Health Study — have consistently shown that snacking on raw nuts can lead to a significant reduction in heart disease. Given that heart disease is one of Ireland’s biggest killers, perhaps we need to start flirting with more nut-ritious recipes?

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Cooking thyme! From recipes for garlicky lamb chops to a medicinal tea, this aromatic herb is an all-round wonder

A magic herb in the kitchen and oh-so versatile, thyme is up there as one of my very favourites. Adding a few sprigs of thyme when you are roasting veggies, meat or even fish, brings a unique array of herbal and floral notes that almost tastes like a mixture of rosemary, lavender and mint, with a bit of pepper thrown in.

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Darren Kennedy: Get on board the geometric trend — its chic modernity will enhance any space

I love a geometric print. They’re bold, colourful and expressive all while adhering to a beautifully symmetrical pattern.

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My Favourite Room: Interiors creative Alannah Monks — ‘I’m a firm believer in using some black in every room, it anchors the space’

Many people did new and different things to their homes during lockdown; they were spending so much time indoors that they needed to change anything that wasn’t working.

Irish fashion focus: Arnotts’ Rachael Armstrong — ‘With lockdown over we bought as much colour and sparkles as possible’

‘You can feel such a buzz when you come up the escalators and on to the floor, it’s so bright and eye-catching,” says Rachael Armstrong, senior contemporary womenswear buyer at Arnotts. Brands like Essentiel Antwerp, Kitri and fee G are bringing us brights and statement patterns to rejuvenate our wardrobes. Alongside longtime favourites, there are some new entrants. “We brought Stine Goya in this season. It’s contemporary and Scandi, she has a great use of colour,” Armstrong remarks.

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Ciara Kelly Opinion I envy people who still have their parents — the one thing truly worth having that lots of us no longer have

Happy Mother’s Day. I don’t subscribe to the notion that we shouldn’t celebrate it, even though I know it’s a difficult day for some. Truth is, whatever is making today hard for some people won’t be materially changed by other people marking the occasion. And Mother’s Day becomes complex for all of us eventually, because none of us have our mums forever.

Triona McCarthy: Looking for the perfect beauty pick-me-up gift in a hurry? We’ve got you covered

‘Mom! You forgot to tell me it’s Mother’s Day,” my nine-year-old Maxi woke me to tell me, as his sister Mini, who is eight, was hurtling towards the bed with glitter flying everywhere . Can’t believe the same ingredients created such different children.

Notions and Necessities: From a Fellini film festival to supporting Irish Cancer Society with daffodils

Necessity

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Stefanie Preissner Opinion If we accepted all bodies, it wouldn’t matter Augustus Gloop was fat and we wouldn’t fear a word might offend

You may have heard recently that Puffin Books hired sensitivity readers to screen Roald Dahl’s books for offensive language and remove it from new editions of the children’s classics.

Introducing actor Matthew Malone: ‘Making a living from acting, it’s exciting not knowing what happens next’

Age: 29.

Notions & Necessities: From a kids’ festival and a mums’ food tour to skincare for guys, there’s something for everyone

NECESSITY

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‘He would tell me what I thought. It drove me insane. I used to throw plates’ — Smother star Fionnula Flanagan recalls her ‘tempestuous, wonderful’ second marriage

When we meet to talk about her role as Caro in RTÉ series Smother, eminent actress Fionnula Flanagan is, well, smothered with a cough and a cold. Not that she’d have dreamed of cancelling the call.

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Ciara Kelly Opinion We bring our traits and baggage to all our life decisions. It takes quite a while to know who we actually are

It struck me the other evening when out for a pint with two pals, one of whom I’ve known since I was 12, that I’d no concept, back when we were in our teens, that I’d still know him when I was 50.

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Sophie White Opinion I was at the supermarket, in the queue to pay, when I felt the first stirring of disaster. I needed to pee

It’s been a hard week for my dignity. There’s no good way to ease anyone into the sad events I’m about to relate. All I can say is, if bodily fluids are not your bag, then perhaps give this a miss because this week’s column could basically be summed up as “A Short History of Me Pissing Myself”.

Irish fashion focus: ‘Taking inspiration from my granddad’s china helped immortalise him’ — designer Caoimhe Murphy

Caoimhe Murphy tells me: “We were clearing out my granddad’s house, who had recently passed away. We found all these china sets that never saw the light of day! They had such beautiful, intricate patterns .”

Auto advice: From indicator bulbs to wiper blades and tyres, how to keep your car roadworthy so you stay safe

What do I need to know about my tyres?

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Review: BMW’s hydrogen-powered test iX5 SUV could be an enticing development in emission-free driving

There is something very alluring about the idea of a hydrogen-powered car. It runs on the most abundant element in the universe but, unlike fossil-fuelled cars, the only emission is water vapour. So when an invite popped into my inbox to drive a hydrogen-powered BMW X5 in Antwerp in Belgium, I had my passport in hand before I had time to hit the reply button.

Dear Mary: My kids’ mum is an alcoholic and I am struggling to cope

Where do I begin? I am currently living with my long-term partner. We have children together, who live with us. I have full custody of the children, as she has had a drinking problem for the last two to three years and has assaulted me. She spends the majority of her time away from the house; for instance, she has been away for 12 of the last 14 days.

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Lucinda O’Sullivan’s restaurant review: Neighbourhood in Naas — ‘We didn’t linger’

I’m well aware that cancellations and no-shows are a problem for restaurants, and a cancellation policy may indeed be required. However, a ‘strict’ 48-hour cancellation policy with a €40 per person charge — as appearing on the new Neighbourhood restaurant’s online booking platform, and on my subsequent confirmation — would give many would-be diners cause to pause. A lot can happen in people’s lives in 48 hours and such a rigorous policy struck me as being a bit up itself and not exactly neighbourly. Wasn’t this supposed to be a casual restaurant, its chosen moniker intended to spell out a warm welcome? They have since stated that the aforementioned policy does not apply to brunch.

Try Susan Jane White’s pear-fect functional mushroom recipe — kids will love what the shrooms do to chocolate sauce!

Like flimsy paperclips to a magnet, food trends mesmerise me into submission. Yep. I love exploring the hipsteria behind a trend’s conception, and why they grow wings or hit the tarmac burning.

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Darren Kennedy: Add a dash of mid-century Mad Men style with design classics and geometric patterns

If you’ve ever been to Palm Springs, you’ll know that part of the desert city’s charm is the abundance of mid-century modern style which was popular in this part of California from the 1940s to the 1960s. Think Don Draper out of his suit on his trips out west. This design style has become timeless and is still relevant in interiors today.

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My Favourite Room: ‘The great thing is you can open up the rooms and the whole place is great for parties’

As has been said many times already, the pandemic — while a disaster — forced people to take stock of their lives and, often, do things differently. Artist Ciara Bourke is one of those people. She returned to her first love — painting — after a long hiatus and, among the artworks on her wall, hang paintings by Ciara herself, just created in the last three years. She’s also busy with commissions, her work has been selected for several group exhibitions and it has raised vital funds for many charities.