Bob Vylan, Fontaines DC, CMAT... 15 highlights of All Together Now this weekend
Fontaines DC
Main stage, Friday, 10.30pm
Simply put, one of the hottest acts on the planet right now. The Irish rockers released their fourth album Romance last year and, having played to some 45,000 people in London's Finsbury Park at the start of July, they haven't looked back since. A triumphant homecoming is expected.
CMAT plays Saturday at All Together Now. (Photo by Xavi Torrent/Redferns)
CMAT
Main stage, Saturday, 8.30pm
With third album Euro-Country arriving at the end of August, it's impossible to resist Dunboyne's finest Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, aka CMAT. From Primavera to Glastonbury's she's played a host of festivals this summer and puts on a joyous, two-stepping set. Bring your cowboy hat.
Wet Leg
Main stage, Friday, 8.45pm
A few years on from their debut single Chaise Longue, the Isle of Wight duo have swelled to a fulsome five-piece and released critically acclaimed second album Moisturizer at the start of July. They had live shows and festival sets in mind when recording it so expect Rhian Teasdale - the formerly unassuming frontwoman who looks every inch a rock star now - and Hester Chambers to pass this weekend's test with flying colours.
BEST SINGALONGS
Primal Scream
Main stage, Sunday, 8.15pm
They put out their 12th studio album Come Ahead last November, but the besuited Bobby Gillespie et al will serve up what'll basically amount to a greatest hits set at ATN this weekend. Filling the space left by Michael Kiwanuka, who announced on Monday that he's had to pull a host of upcoming shows due to illness, take your pick of Scream hits: Come Together, Loaded, Country Girl, Movin On Up, and Rocks will all feature.
Nelly Furtado
Main stage, Sunday, 10.15pm
It's 19 years since Nelly Furtado released her bestselling third album Loose (featuring Maneater, Promiscuous, and Do It Right). She played Forbidden Fruit last summer, her show featuring flames and a host of backing dancers. In a hits-laden set, it's likely that I'm Like a Bird will have the whole ATN site singing along.
John Grant
Something Kind of Wonderful, Saturday, 7pm
The verbose American, who gained Icelandic citizenship a couple years ago, released his sixth studio album The Art of The Lie last summer and we expect him to come out on stage with CMAT for their collaboration, Where Are Your Kids Tonight? Just over two years since the death of Sinéad O'Connor - ATN 2023 was like a tribute to the late singer - who loaned backing vocals to Grant's track GMF, that song should inspire a devoted response. 'And don't forget you could be laughing 65% more of the time.'
Singalong Social
Main stage, Saturday, 4pm
The brainchild of Aoife McElwain, Singalong Social has featured at festivals big and small across the country, plus myriad other events from weddings to social functions. Even the most cynical watcher-on (ahem) will be lepping and shouting along with the boiler-suited Craic Mechanics. No guilty pleasures here - just bangers. And fun for the whole family too.
Best dance
Bicep.
Bicep
Main stage, Saturday, midnight
The Belfast duo present their Chroma AV DJ set on Saturday night - basically expect a feast for the eyes and a blast of the rest of your senses. They mix their own tunes, like the irrepressible Glue, into a stunning DJ set. They've released heavy dance tracks under the Chroma title in the past year. Not for the faint of heart.
Collie, Sally C
Arcadia, Sunday, 10.30pm
Arcadia is one of the standout areas at ATN, centred around 'The Afterburner', an immersive, flame-blasting art piece that's impossible to mix. Tasked with keeping spirits high on Sunday night are two of Ireland's finest DJs Collie and Sally C. Expect the former to bring deep house vibes and the latter to post the heaviest techno of the weekend.
Immerse
The, er, immersive Immerse stage, like Arcadia, is a feast for the eyes, a 360-degree audio-visual experience. It will feature two-hour sets each evening from acts like Max Cooper, HAAI, Blawan, and the likely coolest person on site this weekend Shanti Celeste - playing until 3.30am Monday morning. Whether it's Donal Dineen's Cumbrian Club or the newly relocated Ping-Pong Disco, ATN's dance offering covers all bases.
Best of the Irish
Lisa O'Neill.
Lisa O'Neill
Main stage, Friday, 7pm
We've seen the Irish traditional musician in the smallest of spaces over the years, but earlier this year, and backed with a five-piece band, Lisa O'Neill was on support duties for Pulp's show at the 3Arena. Jarvis Cocker is a huge fan and she sounded bigger than ever. The new songs point to a more expansive sound too, but the voice remains the same: Unmatched, exceptional.
Sloucho
The Circle, Sunday, midnight
An Irish hyperpop producer, Sloucho keeps his identity hidden by a mask as he builds full worlds - sometimes literally: Check out the immersive OUCH™ Fragments of Eternity gig in full at Dublin venue The Complex on YouTube. One of the most exciting up-and-coming acts around.
Fizzy Orange/Madra Salach
Bandstand Arena, Sunday, 6pm/The Last City, Friday, 3pm
There are a couple acts pulling double duty over the weekend, but one of the hardest-working bands around right now are indie rockers Fizzy Orange who regularly double up - whether at festivals or at their own headline shows - as traditional music act Madra Salach, who offer versions of songs by the likes of the Pogues.
Morgana
Lovely Days, Saturday, 3.30pm
One half of Saint Sister, who are currently on hiatus, Morgana is prepared to party but ready to cry in her solo guise. Often found in beautiful gowns and a disco-ball helmet, she released debut EP Party Killer at the start of summer. You'll hang on her every word of millennial life travails, while stomping your feet.
Darren Kiely
Lovely Days, Friday, 8.30pm
We saw Kingfishr play to a heaving tent on Friday evening at ATN 2024. Most likely to pull a Kingfishr this time around - they were last seen selling out a couple of dates Live at the Marquee - is Limerick singer-songwriter Darren Kiely. He's amassed millions of listens with tracks such as Sunrise and looks unstoppable.
Florence Road
Something Kind of Wonderful, Friday, 4.20pm
Signed to Warner Records and with a support slot with Olivia Rodrigo already under their belts this summer, Florence Road sold out a headline show at the Academy in Dublin in December in minutes. The four piece from Wicklow are just about out of their teens and have been hailed by the likes of NME as 'distilling the anxieties of young adulthood'.
Best Cork
Altered Hours
Flourish, Saturday, 11.30pm
Ahead of the release of their third album Lay There With You at the end of August, Cork five-piece the Altered Hours come out of relative hibernation for their first show in over a year this weekend. Frontwoman Elaine Howley has been busy with her own solo stuff, but together the Altered Hours pack a punch like few others.
Cliffords
Flourish, Friday, 4.45pm
Kicking things off at 4.45pm on Friday, Cliffords, newly relocated to London, have one of the best frontpersons in music in Iona Lynch. They released their latest rollicking EP Salt of the Lee at the end of May and are coming off slots at Glastonbury and Latitude festivals.
Biig Piig.
Biig Piig
Lovely Days, Saturday, 5pm
Born in Cork in 1998, Biig Piig aka Jessica Smyth grew up in Marbella. With a dark, pulsating, late-night vibe, she's long been seen as the next big thing. She released debut album 11:11 on Sony in February and is likely to get the crowd jumping on Saturday afternoon.
Bob Vylan
Bob Vylan (Something Kind of Wonderful, Sunday, 6pm) have been dogged by controversy since their set at Glastonbury, which was broadcast live on BBC. The punk rap duo led the crowd in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF'.
Since then they have had festival and Gogol Bordello tour supports pulled. They said they don't want to be the story, and they're unlikely to be the only artists expressing outrage at Israel this weekend.
Expect them to get uproarious support on Sunday evening.
Talking the talk
There's so much we want to pack in this weekend at ATN. As well as the music, there is comedy featuring Tommy Tiernan, Reggie Watts, Peter McGann, and Aoife Dunne, among others.
At the Global Solidarity Hub, there is a climate discussion with Sean Ronayne, a storytelling workshop with Seanchoiche, the 'Crappy Music Quiz', and even more comedy with the Wild Geeze.
Also keep an eye out for the Great Oven Disco Cantina, which is building a cultural bridge between Palestine and Ireland - artists from each state have been collaborating all year to construct two Great Ovens that were decorated at IMMA and will be unveiled at ATN.
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Irish Daily Mirror
25 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
The best events across the country this August Bank Holiday weekend
Over 30,000 festival-goers descended on Waterford's Curraghmore Estate for All Together Now on Friday, as traditional music fans will head to Wexford on Sunday for the start of the Fleadh. It's set to be a busy August Bank Holiday weekend, with hundreds of events taking place across the country. All Together Now The biggest is All Together Now, with homegrown talent Fontaines DC storming the stage on Friday and CMAT headlining on Saturday. English punk rap duo Bob Vylan are due to play the Something Kind of Wonderful stage the same night. The musicians were recently embroiled in controversy after chanting 'death to the IDF' during their set at Glastonbury earlier this year. Other acts playing across the weekend include Nelly Furtado, London Grammar, Wet Leg and Primal Scream. The arts and music festival began in 2018 and its capacity has grown three times bigger since then. Over the three days, revellers can also catch comedians and podcasters, including Tommy Tiernan and Blindboy. CMAT headlines All Together Now on Saturday Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2025 The most anticipated week of the traditional Irish music calendar kicks off on Sunday. From August 3-10, half a million visitors are expected in Wexford Town for The Fleadh. Competing singers, musicians and dancers will gather in the town for the second year in a row, alongside amazing street performers and bustling pubs. Bray Air Display In Wicklow, the skies are set to roar to life as the Bray Air Display 2025 takes place on Saturday. It's the perfect event for any aviation enthusiast as a breathtaking array of aircraft and awe-inspiring aerobatics will be on display in the sky. The Irish Defence Forces will also have a static display by the pier as the seafront funfair will keep all members of the family entertained. While it's set to be a mild weekend with highs of 23C, Storm Floris will bring heavy rainfall and unseasonably windy weather on Sunday night into the bank holiday Monday. Met Éireann issued an advisory on Friday and is set to issue warnings on Saturday ahead of the storm's arrival. The gusty winds could cause power outages, wave overtopping and localised flooding. Northern Ireland has already been issued with a yellow wind warning by the UK's Met Office, which is in force from 6am on Monday for 24 hours. On top of heavy rainfall that could lead to dangerous driving conditions, An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority have appealed to road users to take extra precautions this bank holiday weekend. Gardaí say there will be extra checkpoints and 'considerably more enforcement' on speeding, mobile phone use and seatbelts over the long weekend. Chief Superintendent Ray McMahon said: "This is one of the busiest weekends on the roads. Not just for motorists, but at this time of year, it's one of the busiest weekends for cyclists and pedestrians. We ask everybody to be very conscious of our vulnerable road users, our cyclists and our pedestrians. "We're asking people to slow down, we're asking people to just plan their journey ahead. Some will have long journeys this weekend, so take your time and take your breaks. Don't be using mobile phones or anything that might distract you while driving. We really do not want to be visiting another family with terrible news this weekend. "We're going to be out in force from today straight through to next Wednesday. So please drive carefully and drive responsibly.' Gardaí will be out in force on Irish roads this weekend (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin) The RSA is urging those attending various events across the country to never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It has set up a FlineBox at All Together Now festival, which is a self-service breathalyser powered by Dräger sensor technology – the same one used by Gardaí. RSA's Sarah O'Connor said: 'We're reminding motorists and families that safety doesn't stop at the festival gates. We want everyone to enjoy the music and the atmosphere, but support and help people make smart choices about how they travel home and how they continue to use the roads on an ongoing basis.' Chief of the HSE, Bernard Gloster, said he anticipates that emergency departments across the country will be busy this August Bank Holiday. He is appealing to those travelling, enjoying outdoor activities and festivals to take extra precautions, adding: 'Patients presenting (to A&E) with non-urgent injuries may face longer waiting times, depending on the number of people attending and the severity of patient illnesses. 'Our staff work hard to do all they can to reduce the length of time patients wait in EDs and we apologise for any long delays people might experience.' Other events across the country this weekend include the Carlow Fringe Arts Festival and the Cahersiveen Music and Arts Festival in Kerry. In Clare, families can enjoy a treasure hunt and street parade at Kilmilhil Festival in Clare. While fun-seekers don't have to travel far this bank holiday weekend to find something to do, thousands will also leave the country. Over 120,000 passengers are expected to pass through Dublin Airport daily over the next three days. Daa spokesperson Graeme McQueen said: 'The August bank holiday is always one of the busiest weekends for us and this year will be no different. 'The departure gates are set to be busy too and it's not just sun-seekers heading off to the usual hotspots like Portugal and Spain, but this weekend will once again see Oasis t-shirts galore heading to the UK for the biggest concerts of the summer, while the start of the new UK football season will bring plenty of colour to the terminals over the coming weekends.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
The Menu: Dublin's Big Grill Festival is set to be a delectable BBQ firestarter
Fifteen years ago, I interviewed a barbecue pitmaster from Tennessee who'd wound up living just outside Clonakilty. My then-experience of live fire cooking was minimal, potentially lethal. So, it was fascinating to meet someone of a similar vintage, with plenty of similarities in our comparatively comfortable upbringings as white, 'first world' westerners, albeit separated by Atlantic Ocean and occasional continent. Yet, he was mostly reared on food cooked over live fire, as our ancestors did for millennia, this entirely primitive practice a fundamental part of his otherwise contemporary childhood. Standing in spiteful grey rain at the back door of his rented rural Irish bungalow, he slugged on a beer, shoved the half-full can up a chicken's arse and perched the bird on its aluminium throne in a bog- standard kettle barbecue — 'beer-butt chicken'. He threw a steak directly onto hot coals, cooking it 'caveman style'. This was all done with the detached nonchalance that comes from habits ingrained over a lifetime, as if he were throwing a TV dinner into the microwave. Growing up, Christmas turkey would be cooked outdoors in a barbecue pit as snow fell and the thermometer dropped below zero. He subsequently opened a decent little barbecue restaurant in Clon but it didn't last. I suspected he was a man in Ireland before his time, especially in light of the extraordinary live fire cooking at this year's Big Grill BBQ & Food Festival (August 14-17) in Dublin's Herbert Park. I recently wrote of another Irish barbecue festival, Smokin' Soul's Feast of Fire, in Co Wexford, a huge and deserved success just weeks ago. While fine food was to be had in abundance at Feast of Fire, it is much more of a technical deep dive for the committed barbecue heads hellbent on bolstering their knowledge. Big Grill is a broader church, targeting a wider audience, reflecting its roots. Founder Andy Noonan started out staging dance music events. While living in the Dublin Mountains, he began hosting live fire cookouts for friends. His first barbecue outlet, Fowl Play, followed and he founded Big Grill in 2014; the organic nature of its evolution has seen it grow into a world-class barbecue festival. A regular on the world live fire cooking circuit, the ever-affable Noonan recognises the best way to connect with a stranger is to befriend them over food — and barbecue is a quintessential communal eating experience. It's how he packs the Big Grill roster each year with smokin' superstars; they always love it, spreading the gospel among peers. This year's lineup includes John Bates of Interstellar BBQ, in Austin, Texas, cooking his iconic dish, peach tea-glazed pork belly, and Ali Clem, of La Barbecue, also in Austin, cooking an old-school Texas brisket and coleslaw. Both restaurants were among the first barbecue spots to receive Michelin recognition. But Michelin is an irrelevance in that state, where Texas Monthly BBQ reigns supreme. When editor Daniel Vaughn compiles his annual top 50, it can turn barbecue outlets into multi-million dollar enterprises. Vaughn, too, has succumbed to the Big Grill's charms, his contacts further burnishing Noonan's bill, along with homegrown heroes such as Reyna Mediterranean Grill, Chiya and Achara. Sure, you'll find all the Irish live fire fanatics in abundance at Big Grill as well, keen to learn from these magnificent practitioners, with plenty of demo action on the programme. The bulk of the crowd, though, will be there to eat superb food, get a bit squiffy (with 10 craft breweries, wine bars, and cocktail bars all vying to fill glasses) and then cut a rug on the dancefloor, DJs and bands furnishing the tunes, while the kids, faces painted, mainline ice cream. Even if the sun doesn't shine, it will be one of the parties of the year. Table talk The recently opened Goleen Harbour Eco-village is on course to become a great Irish hospitality success story, especially if they keep up their current run of incredible pop-ups, recently featuring Caitlin Ruth and Gautham Iyer. Next up is a pair of dinners that you'll be hard-pressed to choose between, so best opt for both. The Glass Curtain @ Goleen Harbour (Aug 24) sees the Cork restaurant hit the road to deliver a family-style sharing menu, including snacks, bread, starters, main course and dessert. Epi Rogan (formerly of The Glass Curtain and Paradiso) will be helping out before her own pop-up the following night (Aug 25), when The Glass Curtain crew will return the favour, with this fabulous foraging chef celebrating late summer with a wild and foraged menu, including preserved pickles and fermented ingredients from the hedgerows, forests and fields. If you've got your Oasis or Robbie Williams tickets for later this month, then the canny gig-goer will rock up to the Croke Park Hotel alongside the venue, for one of their exclusive all-you-can-eat pre-concert barbecues, at €50pp. The latest in Sheen Falls Lodge's Four Hands Dinner Series (Sept 5), sees Andrew Walsh, Chef patron of the restaurant Cure Singapore, collaborate with the hotel's head executive head chef, Mark Treacy, on an exclusive six-courser in the Falls Restaurant, with wine pairings available. Donadea Farm's premium Wagyu beef-burgers Today's special Sticking with the barbecue theme, my own little mini-fest saw me firing up my grill despite a rather heavy downpour, but barbecue was the only way to go when sampling Donadea Farm's superb wagyu beef burgers, part of a range of premium meats from the Doyle family's herd, in Co Kildare. As they only retail premium steak cuts, all the other high quality parts of the animal, including flank and brisket, go into humongous burgers and sausages, that relish a good grilling to render wagyu's renowned fat, then dripping down on to the hot charcoal to add sublime smokey flavours to extraordinarily good meat.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Izz Café team on their new book, favourite recipes, Cork, and Palestine
With their glorious pops of colour on the cover and their compact A5 size, the Blasta Books cookbook series is rapidly becoming an iconic Irish 'brand'. Featuring alternative voices, they have captured imaginations at home and abroad — including gushing praise from Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson — upending the traditional cookbook market and some, such as Goldie chef Aishling Moore's Whole Catch, have sold exceptionally well. However, I'd suspect the latest in the series may well eclipse the sales of all 14 previous books combined. That book is Jibrin, by Izzeddeen Alkarajeh and Eman Aburabi, of Cork's renowned Izz Cafe — in collaboration with their head chef Habib Al Ostaz. Husband-and-wife team Izz and Eman are Ireland's most famous Palestinians. Arriving to Ireland and into the direct provision system in 2016, they began with a stall at Mahon Point Farmer's Market, eventually opening a proper bricks-and-mortar home, Izz Cafe, on Cork City's George's Quay in 2019. Even through the pandemic, their star still rose, entailing an expansion of the premises last year, and when travel restrictions eased, diners flocked there from all over Ireland. However, it is Israel's ongoing genocidal onslaught on Gaza that has placed Izz Cafe and the couple front and centre, and both are active campaigners for Palestine. Eman's recent Coffee for Palestine drive, created with co-campaigners Clare Condon (Good Day Deli) and Deirdre Breen (Studio Boon) aimed to raise €5,000, and topped out at €100,000. The cafe is the spiritual HQ for the especially passionate Cork Palestine Solidarity campaigners. Izz and Eman Alkarajeh pictured at Izz Café, Cork City, as chef Habib Al Ostaz pours traditional Palestinian coffee. Picture Chani Anderson. On a gloriously sunny afternoon in Izz and Eman's back garden in Bishopstown, we and Habib are drinking Palestinian coffee, grazing on Palestinian treats. 'We made a list representing different areas of Palestine,' says Izz, 'and we also wanted to add an Irish dimension by inventing a recipe that combines Ireland and Palestine. Habib came up with the Paddy-stinian croquettes [including Tayto crisps] — I think it's his signature on the book. Everybody suggested different recipes, we got 40 and chose 30 of them.' Sometimes they had to fight for a dish's inclusion. 'Sumigayya [sumac stew], for example,' says Eman, 'It was impossible for me to try it, [I hate] cold meat, ugh! It is the only dish served with cold meat. And it is very important for me to see lots of colours in the food but it is just brown and red. The first time, I was saying, 'oh my God, I can't, no, impossible,' but Habib said, 'just taste it,' and when I did, it was amazing and now I love it.' 'We had to decide,' says Izz, 'would we only include dishes that have ingredients easily available in the West, because we are writing for people in Ireland and the West in general. But we decided to go with recipes as they are and in Izz Cafe we try to sell Palestinian ingredients that are rare in Europe.' 'I want to thank Izz and Habib,' says Eman, 'they worked very hard on this book. For me, the hardest thing was the weights and measures because I usually cook [as opposed to bake] by hand — and working out how many servings from each dish.' Habib may be an employee but the couple treat him like a beloved younger brother, fussing over him and teasing him in equal measure; he responds happily in kind. Eman Alkarajeh pictured with a cake baked using a recipe from the new book Jibrin at Izz Café, Cork City. Picture Chani Anderson. 'Everywhere I've lived, I've been a refugee' Eman's own family lives in exile in Jordan, while Izz's family live in the West Bank. Habib's parents, his sister, and three of four brothers are still trapped in Gaza — another brother, Ramzi, also works in Izz Cafe. Habib arrived in Ireland in late 2021, making his first 'pilgrimage' from Dublin to Cork, to Izz Cafe. 'I was born a refugee in Gaza,' says Habib. 'Everywhere I've lived, I've been a refugee: Palestine, Greece, Ireland. March 25, 2022, was my first visit as a customer. I had heard about it and did my research and found they had my favourite dishes there, za'atar manaeesh [flatbread] — and Palestinian coffee. In my first hour in Cork, I had to find the cafe — and it was perfect. I couldn't express my feelings about trying the coffee for the first time since I left Gaza. "Six years without our own coffee. It's mad. [Izz Cafe] was amazing.' Eman gently prods: 'Tell us about your feeling when you first opened the door.' 'In our country,' says Habib, 'we used to smell the manaeesh from far away, which brings a feeling from the nose to the soul. Ireland smells different and then smelling the manaeesh … it makes you feel like home, to have the perfect coffee, the perfect manaeesh. Za'atar manaeesh is not just a meal, it's identity, it's the most beautiful thing. I said, 'oh, I'll spend all my money here and so I planned to work in the kitchen and then everything will be free'.' 'You smell the mountains,' says Izz, 'you smell the countryside, you smell Palestine.' Chef Habib Al Ostaz reads from Jibrin, the new cookery book co-authored with Izz and Eman Alkarajeh, at Izz Café, Cork City. Picture Chani Anderson. Habib began cooking in the asylum centre in Greece, during the pandemic: 'I started doing recipes, watching YouTube and I made my own setup in the kitchen. And I loved it. 'It became my favourite thing to do. I didn't cook as a child because my mom wouldn't let anybody get into the kitchen. And that's the mom's tradition in the Middle East.' Habib waxes lyrical about favourite childhood dishes before talking about the melange of regional variations to be found in Gaza: 'Because most are refugees, they bring together recipes from different cities, so there are lots of options, different recipes, and you could even find in the same house [shared between several families], let's say, magloubeh [rice, meat and veg in a single pot, inverted on to a large serving dish]. For example, if you are married to a woman from a different city and your brother's wife is from another city, they both have different ways, both delicious but both different. Some use cauliflower, some use aubergine, some use lamb, some prefer it with chicken.' Izz says: 'And Habib shared his recipe for sumagiyya [beef or lamb sumac stew] which I used to hear about growing up in the West Bank.' 'It was my grandmother's recipe,' says Habib, 'one of the most traditional recipes in Gaza and really hard to make. So that's why I did my research, YouTube, reading books, asking friends, then putting my own touch on it and it was successful.' A Palestinian cake prepared at Izz Café, Cork City, from one of the recipes featured in Jibrin. Picture Chani Anderson. 'I am still stateless' Habib is a gentle, even shy soul, polite, softly spoken, although he has a wicked sense of humour, taking great delight in embellishing for comic effect a tale of 'stealing' coffee cake from the cafe that has the four of us falling around with laughter. Yet, those same eyes, just a moment ago glinting with mischief, cloud over with pain and sadness as he talks of his family still trapped in Gaza. How are they? 'Hungry,' says Habib. 'I find it hard, really hard to ask them about the current situation — or even to talk to them. I know how hard it has been for two years — how can I still ask every day, how are you? It's ridiculous. When I call, I make sure that they're still alive and that's it. I feel very guilty, making food in a place where food and everything else is so easy to get while they cannot. Even if I send money, food is too expensive. And you cannot protect them — I cannot handle that. "They love to hear about me. They say, if you are OK, we are OK. And that's … It just doesn't make any sense, I still feel [their situation] in my heart. They can't feel safe like I do just walking in the street. In the market, I think about how they can't go to the market. Even if they do, there is no market, nothing to buy. "The most painful thing is we are all on the same planet but in an absolutely different situation. I haven't seen them in nine years now, and I want to see them again.' 'And we are his family as well,' says Eman softly. 'When I moved to Ireland,' says Habib, 'and found all the [Palestinian] flags everywhere, it made me feel more comfortable. I didn't know it then but I am the luckiest man on earth — they moved me to Cork and I didn't know that I would be in this restaurant with these people, but that's God's plan, and I'm so thankful — but I am still stateless.' A glimpse into the kitchen at Izz Café, Cork City, as Iman Alkarajeh prepares a traditional Palestinian cake featured in Jibrin. Picture Chani Anderson In a few days, Izz will return to the West Bank to see family. But even as an Irish citizen since 2023, Israeli authorities still impose stringent restrictions on entry. Even the book's title could prove contentious. 'I think they are not happy with the name,' says Eman, 'Jibrin was [the first Palestinian town occupied by the Israelis in 1948] where my family came from [before they were forced into exile in Jordan].' While they dream of peace, freedom, and sovereignty for Palestine, Izz and Eman view Cork as home. 'Cork people are very supportive,' says Izz, 'very kind, very social. They approach you. They tend to hear you, your stories, your pains, and the Palestinian cause makes them even more engaging because it touches their humanity, so you feel them close to your heart. Becoming Irish citizens has been one of the most transformative experiences in our lives — not just legally, but emotionally and culturally as well... In Cork, we celebrate every aspect of our Palestinian heritage openly which amazes people in Palestine. People here have embraced us wholeheartedly, giving us space to be ourselves fully. 'This is why we fell in love with Cork and we feel we want to give back even more, to the community." Jibrin, the new cookery book by Izz and Eman Alkarajeh and chef Habib Al Ostaz, pictured alongside freshly made dishes from the book at Izz Café, Cork City. Picture Chani Anderson.
