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Yearly Archives: 2017

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If there's one perfect end to a night out, it's feeling the wind on your face as you and your mates whizz the city streets in the back of a rickshaw.

But, it looks like the end might be nigh for that particular activity if one Fianna Fáil councillor has his way.

While speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk, Daithi Di Roiste argued that rickshaws pose a "public safety danger", and suggested that legislation needs to be implemented which will ultimately ban them.

"Last year Dublin City Council tried to deal with this problem by drafting a series of by-laws, but they were told it had to be done by primary legislation," he told listeners.

Highlighting the behaviour he feels warrants a ban, he continued: "It's a free-for-all. You see races going up and down Grafton Street, you see them flying around St. Stephen's Green, it really is dangerous."

Talks between Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority regarding legislation have been ongoing.

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Being superstitious is a full-time job.

And we're not talking about those supposedly superstitious people who will occasionally cross their fingers for good luck, but will then happily place new shoes on the table without so much as a thought for the repercussions.

Those people are not our people.

Our people are the lunatics who will break out in a sweat at the thought of taking seat 13 on a flight, walking under a ladder or opening an umbrella indoors.

And with Friday 13 mere hours away, we thought we'd highlight 14 things every superstitious person knows to be true.

1. You can NOT stir a cup of tea with anything other than a spoon.

"Get that damn knife away from my brew right now. I would rather keep the tea bag in there, frankly."

2. You can not post a letter without counting to ten before dropping it in the box.

"No, my hand isn't stuck. I'm just taking a moment for myself… and the good men and women who deliver our post safely."

3. You can not pass a lone magpie without saluting it.

"I don't care if those girls are laughing at me. They're the ones with no thought for their future fortune."

4. You'd rather walk into oncoming traffic than pass under a ladder.

"No, no don't get down. Stay where you are. I'm just gonna hop off this kerb, dodge this Nissan, hop back up and move on with my life."

5. You know it's vital you cross your fingers if a pole separates you and the person you're walking beside.

"Aaaand cross. Goodbye future catastrophe."

6. Seeing someone open an umbrella indoors makes your palms sweat as you question their blatant disregard for the universe's plan.

"Well, thanks for putting all our lives at risk."

7. You have thrown more salt all over your shoulder than you have ever included in any dish.

"Sorry, sorry! That did hit you?"

8. You have, at some points in your life, questioned whether your superstitions are a sign of something more sinister before deciding that nope, it's just good sense.

"I won't live my life as a maverick. Everyone else can just take their punishment."

9. You would do anything in your power to avoid sitting in seat 13 on any form of transport.

"I'll give you a fiver and this Kinder Bueno if you swap seats with me."

10. You associate certain items of clothing with good and bad luck.

"Yeah as if I'd wear that to an interview, I was stood up the last time I wore that coat. Jesus."

11. You know your friends outwardly indulge your superstitions, but secretly think you're wired to the moon.

"I appreciate their lies."

12. You know how exhausting it is to be on your guard, but you appreciate that you're able to safeguard against bad luck with just a few handy tips and tricks.

"I mean, I'm actually really on top of things over here."

13. You get irrationally annoyed by people who knock on their head instead of on wood.

"Bad luck is not a joke, sir."

14. You live in fear of cracking a mirror, and know a meltdown would ensue it if ever happened.

"Don't mind me, I'll just use the microwave screen. That dodgy-looking mirror isn't worth the risk."

 

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Tomorrow evening's Late Late Show will be incredibly emotional: it will feature an interview with Bernard Lucas.

He is the husband of coast guard volunteer Caitríona Lucas, who tragically died during a rescue mission in September last year.

The mum-of-two was the first member of the Irish Coast Guard to lose their life during a rescue mission off the coast of county Clare in September last year, after she and two other crew members were thrown from their boat when it capsized during a search operation for a missing person.

Tomorrow night her family will be in studio to talk to Ryan Tubridy about the devastating impact of her death.

She was described by her 20-year-old son, Ben, as having a great love for "the sea and the coastguard… her work in the library, especially the projects with the children. My mother had lots of great qualities. She was caring, honest, kind and, above all, dedicated.”

Caitríona was also a mum to daughter, Emma.

The show will be celebrating the work of the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI, and hearing from members hailing from all around the country.

There will also be stories from people who owe their lives to the tireless efforts of those organisations. 

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Winter is in full swing ladies, and it's only getting colder by the day. 

Rumour has it we are even expecting snow in the next few days, and so we must prepare ourselves. 

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The cold weather can have a very hard effect on your lips, leaving them dry, cracked and sometimes even sore. 

In light of this, we have come up with a lovely little list of ways you can keep those lips soft and smooth…

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1. Balm it up

It might sound funny, but you should apply a balm to your lips before you wash your face. Many facial washes and cleansers actually dry out the lips, leaving them raw to the elements. 

2. Oil is your friend

Instead of using lip balm, why not try almond oil on your lips? It is hypoallergenic, and contains contains free radical-fighters vitamins A and E.

3. Cool as a cucumber

If you have sore and dry lips, slice up a cucumber and place it on your lips for an hour. It will cool them, and moisturise them at the same time. 

4. Spicy no no

Put down those wings ladies, because spicy food is killer for chapped lips. Spices can really dry out that pout, AVOID! 

5. Exfoliate

Keep that pout silky soft by exfoliating as much as you can. You can mix sugar with almond oil, for a lovely DIY lip scrub. 

6. Avoid picking

This should go without saying, but you should avoid picking flaking lips! 

7. Stay away from matte

Matte lipsticks will totally dry out your lips. Stick to lipsticks with conditioners like vitamin E, oils, and shea butter.

8. Water is KING

Honestly, water is the most important thing of all. Keep your entire body hydrated this winter by drink water as much as you can. 

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There you have it ladies… pucker up! 
 

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Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth are currently living love's young dream, posting sweet pictures on Instagram and just generally enjoying their lives together with their dogs and their eclectic fashion choices.

Their romance has constantly been dogged by rumours and negativity, mostly stemming from Miley's ever evolving image.

The pair became loved up on the set of The Last Song when Miley was still a long, brunette-tressed country songstress who had barely ever uttered a controversial word. 

While their love may have seemed manufactured at the time (a possible plug for their romantic drama soon to hit cinemas) their romance stood the test of time and seemed to be one of the most real, supportive relationships in Hollywood. 

 

A photo posted by Miley Cyrus (@throwbackmileyy) on

At the time, Miley was still a wholesome, cowboy boot-wearing 17-year-old who had freshly graduated from the Disney Channel conveyer belt of interchangeable young female stars.

However, if the vehemence of the fans was anything to go by, there was something different about Miley, and her "smiler" fans, draped in Breakout merch and boho stylings, consumed everything the teenage country icon put forward. 

Her wholesome image was a huge part of her stardom; "For Miley Cyrus to be a ‘good girl' is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won't get it back," Gary Marsh, the president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide at the time, was quoted saying. 

Her relationship with Liam was big news, and the couple enjoyed a few years of support and positivity as they got engaged, rocked red carpets in tuxes and glitzy gowns, and generally prescribed to the traditional mould of an all star Hollywood couple. 

 

A photo posted by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on

The star's image began to change around 2010, starting with a few racy leaked pictures and culminating in her infamous 2012 hair cut, when she chopped off her flowing locks in favour of a liberating, bleached blonde crop.

The new hair do attracted endless hate, and fans even questioned how Liam could stand to stay with the star, who was apparently now so different to the girl he had fallen in love with. 

Because a free personality transplant comes with a new hair do. Definitely an acceptable reason to be dumped by your partner. 

As her image became edgier, criticism was heaped upon her as fans were outraged and requested the return of their "old Miley."

Countless Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram accounts have been set up in homage to the songstresses old look, with "RIP Miley Cyrus" in many of the bios.

The scrutiny came to a head at the 2013 VMAs, when Miley put on a performance that will go down in history as truly iconic (admittedly in a Britney-Spears-with-that-umbrella way).

The star shocked the world by donning a set of nude, latex underwear while twerking on Blurred Lines singer Robin Thick and sticking out her tongue in a rather bizarre fashion.

The tongue became her trademark, and her performaces of her (then) new album Bangerz became more and more outlandish.

Gone were the grunge stylings she had adopted, and in their place came space buns, oversized basketball jerseys, hot pants, weed earrings and glitter. Lots and lots of glitter. 

E! Loves VMAs GIFs

 After so many years together, the couple sadly split around this time, but both admitted that they still loved each other.

"I love Liam and Liam loves me but it's about finding yourself, and sometimes you have to separate yourself from everyone," Miley told Australia's Sunday Night at the time.

Miley took the break up in her stride, creating her charity organisation The Happy Hippie Foundation, a culmination of all of the causes Miley has become so vocal about, homelessness, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, animal welfare, social justice and mental health, while Liam focused on filming The Hunger Games.

 

A photo posted by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on

"You fall in love with who you fall in love with, you can never choose. I guess some people just come with a little more baggage," Liam said at the time.

The couple, to everyone's surprise, rekindled their relationship in late 2015, despite the constant scrutiny heaped on them between Miley's now controversial image and Liam's alleged past cheating. 

They now seem to reside in a whimsical world full of yoga, facial stickers, onesies and mutual love and appreciation for one another. 

Despite the drama surrounding them, they prove that sometimes taking a break is the best thing, and if it's meant to be, you will find each other again in the future (a cliche which in this case, actually worked out). 

Miley and Liam are simply a couple who prove that people change, but if you really love someone, well then sometimes that just doesn't matter. 

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According to emerging reports, flights from Dublin to London have been disrupted on account of today's weather.

Both British Airways and Heathrow Airport took to social media today advising travellers to familiarise themselves with the updated timetables in order to avoid further disruption.

"Wintery weather is expected at the airport today and airlines will be adjusting their schedules as a result." Heathrow airport tweeted this morning.

"Check your flight status if travelling and allow more time to get to the airport. We are sorry for any disruption," they added.

"Snow and wintry weather will affect flights at London's airports today. Check your flight status here," tweeted British Airways before directing travellers to their website.

According to The Irish Times, a number of flights between Dublin and London Heathrow have been cancelled for this evening.

A yellow snow and ice warning is currently in place in Ireland, and will remain so until 6pm tomorrow evening.

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Are you a total stationary nerd, with a love for all things beauty related?

Well, if so, all your dreams are about to come true,.. thanks to the wonderful people at Clarins! 

 

The 4-Color pen is now up at ClarinsUSA.com! Happy Friday, happy shopping  link in bio

A video posted by CLARINS USA (@clarinsusa) on

That's right folks, the french beauty brand have released a 4-in-1 makeup pen, that contains three eyeliners and a lip liner. 

The pen's shades are black, brown and indigo blue for eyes, and natural beige for lips. 

This limited-edition Clarins 4-Colour All-in-One Pen is currently available online, and will set you back €28. 

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That's just €7 per liner… which is pretty good value!

We need one of these babies in our makeup bag! 

 

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The brother of a young woman who battled cervical cancer before passing away at the age of 25 insists that change is needed in order to protect young women against the disease.

Amber Rose Cliff was just 18 when she began exhibiting worrying symptoms, and despite requesting numerous screenings, Amber from Sunderland was refused one.

As NHS guidelines stipulate women should be 25 before availing of their screening service, Amber, then 21, sought help privately and was dealt a devastating blow when she learned she had a tumour growing in her cervix.

"We went for a private smear test when she was about 21, three years after she’d first been to the doctors," Josh explained.

"It turned out that the cancerous tumour in her cervix had been growing for years."

Amber underwent multiple operations in addition to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but was dealt another devastating blow when she learned that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, lungs and throat.

And last Sunday, at the age of 25, Amber died.

Determined to initiate change, Josh is appealing to the public to sign an online petition which would allow any woman, who is under the age of 25 and experiencing symptoms, to avail of a screening.

"It shouldn’t be mandatory but that option needs to be there," Josh insisted. 

Dr Jana Witt, health information officer at Cancer Research UK has, however, expressed reservations about Josh's campaign.

"This is because cervical changes that screening detects in younger women tend to clear up by themselves and are less likely to develop into cancer, so screening may lead to unnecessary tests and treatment."

Dr Witt does, however, encourage young women to seek medical attention if certain symptoms present.

"Whatever your age or screening history, if you notice symptoms such as bleeding between periods, after sex, after the menopause, or any other unusual changes, it’s really important to contact your GP."

20,000 people have, thus far, signed an online petition to bring Amber's Law into effect, and Amber's family is currently fundraising in memory of their sister, daughter and friend.

 

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The legendary Ed Sheeran has just become even more awesome in our eyes: he's now performed an AH-MAZE-ING acoustic version of The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.

Yup, the 25-year-old was appearing on Capital FM in London yesterday when a caller made a request: in honour of her two great passions in life – the Fresh Prince and Ed himself – would he get out his guitar to sing the "intro bit" for her?

After a bit of reluctance, Mr Sheeran agreed. And the result is, well, it's just stunning. 

Watch, listen, and gush below:

 

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Just when we thought we'd had our fill of unicorn related food, we get slapped with yet another magical treat!

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Unicorn pancakes are our latest mythical food discovery, and we are so in love. 

 

Breakfast goals  #yum #kkbloomstyle #brunchsohard #unicornpancakes

A photo posted by KK Bloom Boutique (@kkbloomboutique) on

They're also really easy to create, so long as your cabinet is stocked with a rainbow of food colouring products. 

 

Happy Pancake Day!! #pancakes #pancake #pancakeday #shrovetuesday #confettipancakes #sprinkles #unicornpancakes #helloduffymoon

A photo posted by Jordyn Duffymoon Burne (@jordynburne) on

You simply have to dye your ordinary pancake batter, and stack them on top of each other to create the colourful effect.

Then you can easily create a unicorn horn using icing, and garnish that baby with marshmallows and sprinkles galore. 

SIMPLES!

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When it comes to Facebook, the vast majority of us think our older relatives do nothing but post inspirational quotes and accidentally use the status box as a search engine.

But if this girl's granny is anything to go by, some actually use it to rag on their mate's baking skills – something which has delighted thousands in recent days.

Taking to Twitter, Row from Scotland shared a screengrab of an exchange which occurred between her grandmother and another woman, and it looks like Row's granny definitely knows how to speak her mind.

"Some poor bird is heavy chuffed with her tattie scones n ma granny has absolutely scorned her. 'Sorry Alison, they look sh*te.'" Row wrote in a post which has amassed a staggering 29,000 likes in two days.

After catching sight of Alison's efforts, Hazel Ramsay wrote: "Sorry Alison but they look sh*te. Hope they tasted better than they looked. I've no tried the recipe yet I will post a picture." (sic)

"Brilliant. Aw, that's made my night," wrote one Twitter user while another added: "Thank God Hazel brought the real talk."

Hazel for Mayor.

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When it comes to our sense of identity, the second-last line of our address plays a big part in the person we become.

From local traditions to that accent, strangers can easily identify the corner of Ireland we call home from just a quick chat.

Well, at least we imagine that’s the case.

Growing up in a border village throws all sorts of challenges in the mix and can cause endless confusion.

Here are nine things you’ll know all too well if you grew up on the border of multiple counties.

1.  Choosing a school will define who you are

While it may come down to which school is closer, whatever choice you make will leave an impression on you.

Your sense of locality will forever be linked to that area and therefore, without even knowing it, you’ve made your choice.

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2. You’ll always be a loner on the school bus

Growing up on the border, you’re bound to find yourself an extra 20 minutes from town.

Being the first pick-up on the school bus run will allow you the personal time you may need while you wait for the next kid to join you a little closer to civilisation.

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3. No matter how broad, people will always comment on your accent

While you may only live ten minutes over the road, some people will still comment on how different your accent is and how they can “hear the twang”.

You will develop the ability to mimic those around you, choosing the slang you use carefully so to blend into the locality.

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4. People will spin out of control when you tell them you have two addresses

Growing up where you did, your parents would have had to work out which address was the most beneficial for you.

Explain that living on the border means you get to choose the closest post office, regardless of its address, and get your post that little bit quicker.

Understanding that this is a case of practicality, people will soon nod in agreement and won’t feel like you’re keeping a dark secret.

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5. Summer is the hardest time of the year

With GAA season is full swing, people will demand you spill blood and choose a side.

While your parents may have already made this decision for you when they bought you your first jersey as a child, many will still try and sway your decision.

Best to avoid the conversation altogether and go into hibernation until September.

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6. Online shopping will test your patience like nothing ever before

While many will say online shopping is “easier” and “more convenient”, we know better.

Getting a package delivered will usually take weeks as you watch your tracking information go back and forth from “out for delivery” to “returned to depot” repeatedly thanks to confusion around the damn border county.

You will get to know all the couriers and depots within a 40km radius and what companies they work for.

Soon you will have your delivery system perfected and will receive packages with ease.

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7. You will become a conversation chameleon

After a while, you will learn that the best way to cope with the inevitable “where are you from?” question is by beating them to the punch and asking first.

With their answer, you will know how to proceed.

Respond with whatever county you feel will create a common ground and watch as a new friendship flourishes.

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8. Friends will feel betrayed when they realise it was all a lie

After a period of time, friends are bound to catch you out saying you’re from somewhere else and there will be a sense of betrayal.

At this time they will question many other things about your life. Assure them it was a white lie told innocently to help form the friendship.

When they realise there’s only a five minute difference between the place you said you were from and the place you actually call home, tensions will dissipate.

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9. It will all come down to a map and a strategically placed dot

All the explaining in the world won’t be enough for some and inevitably it will come down to maps and dots.

Giving people a physical representation of where you live will provide a whole new level of understanding.

But with their new-found knowledge, come questions… on everything we just mentioned.

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