City Breaks

Have you ever spent the night on the coast’s edge, under the guiding beams of one of Ireland’s many lighthouses? Or been king or queen of a romantic castle for two? Well the Irish Landmark Trust has been saving and restoring heritage buildings throughout the island of Ireland that were at risk of being lost through neglect or inappropriate...

With history dating back over 6,000 years, Armagh remains Ireland's ecclesiastical capital, boasting two magnificent cathedrals, one Roman Catholic, one Church of Ireland, both called St Patrick's. Armagh City is built on the foothills of the mountains that separate Ulster from Connacht and is very accessible as it is only 40 miles from Belfast and less than an hour-and-a-half drive...

I appeared to have landed in the middle of an episode of 'Frasier'. A dapper duo of middle-aged gents cut short their dissection of the latest South Australian Shiraz just as the superbly coiffed Vladimir Jablokov took to the stage for an evening of classical music - with a contemporary twist, apparently. Not my normal bag for a Friday evening...