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UK seaside town just 30 minutes from major city centre named top place to visit
UK seaside town just 30 minutes from major city centre named top place to visit

Daily Mirror

time6 days ago

  • Daily Mirror

UK seaside town just 30 minutes from major city centre named top place to visit

A tiny seaside town in the UK is just 30 minutes from a major city centre, and has won awards for it's picturesque and idyllic spots - and it's the perfect weekend getaway The UK boasts some beautiful and scenic getaways - including this idyllic town by the seaside. Portobello is located just 30 minutes from Edinburgh and it's been named as one of the top places to visit in Britain. Now a seriously trendy spot, the coastal town offers two miles of sand, making it a perfect location for a sunny day to sunbathe and swimming, or a wintery walk to blow the cobwebs away. ‌ The award-winning beach is a popular spot, with large crowds in the warm weather, while the iconic promenade is home to a number of restaurants and cafes, as well as popular events such as the annual Big Beach Busk, international volleyball competitions and triathlon events. ‌ ‌ It's a great spot for foodies, as tourists have a wide range of choices with several bars an cafes on the promenade, with more options available on Portobello's busy high street - including quality independent restaurants and gift shops. There is a market in Brighton Park on the first Saturday of every month, selling fresh local produce as well as crafts. One thing that stands out in the coastal suburb is the elegant Georgian and Victorian architecture, which is protected within the conservation area and there are a number of attractive parks to enjoy. ‌ An independent town until 1896, Portobello retains its unique character and sense of identity, making a trip to Edinburgh's Seaside an essential part of your visit to Scotland. Another of the main draws to Portobello for many is The Portobello Bookshop, a beloved indie shop. 'You see people really warming to anything anybody does that is enhancing the community,' owner Jack Clark tells The Guardian. The bookshop's popular and exceptional events has brought in authors from Eimear McBride to Zadie Smith. Pedersen packed out the bookshop in May to launch his debut novel Muckle Flugga, glimmers of which were inspired by his home town. Trip advisor visitors have rated the town a stellar 4.6 out of 5, with many gushing over the picturesque spot. One person wrote: So close to Edinburgh city centre yet you could be a world away as you stroll down the elegant Victorian (?) promenade or along the sandy beach. Some very good cafes charging reasonable prices along the route as well. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Edinburgh." While a second penned: "We took the train from Edinburgh to Portobello Beach for a day trip. So easy to get there, beautiful little beach town with amazing views, shops, restaurants, and friendly people."

Author Eimear McBride: ‘My pension plan is to die before I'm no longer able to earn'
Author Eimear McBride: ‘My pension plan is to die before I'm no longer able to earn'

Irish Times

time07-07-2025

  • Business
  • Irish Times

Author Eimear McBride: ‘My pension plan is to die before I'm no longer able to earn'

Eimear McBride 's latest novel is The City Changes its Face . Are you a saver or a spender? Spender by nature, alas, but I do try ... What was the first job you received money for, and how much were you paid? Babysitting for my neighbour as a teenager. I think it was about £2.50 an hour. These were the pre-euro days, and it was cash-in-hand, of course. Naughty. Do you shop around for better value? It depends. I do for things like a mattress topper or a toasted sandwich maker. The rest of the time I usually know what I want so I either have to suck it up or do without. READ MORE What has been your most extravagant purchase and how much did it cost? A Vivienne Westwood dress for a very grand party. I don't even like parties or expensive dresses, but I couldn't get out of it. It was about £600. Never before, or since, have I spent so much on a single item of clothing, and it took ages to pay off. But the joke was on me because the party was outdoors and it tipped down the whole evening. I spent the entire time wearing a manky old anorak, and now I'll be wearing it for every occasion until it falls into rags. It is a nice dress, though. What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money? Probably the toasted sandwich maker. What barbarians humankind must have been before it was invented. Is there anything you regret spending money on? There are a few novels I'd like the cash and time back on. [ 'My view on investing: time and compounding do the real work. Patience beats cleverness' Opens in new window ] Do you haggle over prices? I'm good in a souk, but the shop assistants at Tesco are safe. Do you invest in shares and/or cryptocurrency? No to both because ... who can be bothered? Also, crypto bros ... Jesus wept. Do you have a retirement or pension plan? In a very general way, yes. It works along the lines of 'Die before I'm no longer able to earn'. I didn't say it was a good plan. What was the last thing you bought, and was it good value for money? A bottle of Bushmills for my husband at Belfast airport because I was away at a book festival and missed his birthday. I can safely say no £40 has ever been so well spent. Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase? No, but I have certainly gone into debt for one. I think I see a theme evolving here. [ 'Behavioural economists would have a field day with me' Opens in new window ] Have you ever lost money? Well, if time is money, I've definitely lost plenty of it answering questionnaires like this. Conversely, I did once find a fiver just after I'd spent my last penny. Happy days. Are you a gambler and, if so, have you ever had a big win? I'm not. When I was about 10, I lost all of my hard-saved holiday money in one glorious orgy of spending on the teddy bear machines at a games arcade in Portstewart. After that, my lesson was learned. But I did go home with a LOT of teddies. What is your best habit when it comes to money? And your worst? My best habit is enjoying it when I have it. My worst is feeling guilty about having enjoyed it once it's gone. How much money do you have on you now? There's a tenner in my purse with nothing's name on it, and for a lot of my life, that would not have been the case. All in all, I'd say I'm winning. In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea

Book Club: Let's Talk About ‘Mrs. Dalloway'
Book Club: Let's Talk About ‘Mrs. Dalloway'

New York Times

time27-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • New York Times

Book Club: Let's Talk About ‘Mrs. Dalloway'

'Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself': So reads one of the great opening lines in British literature, the first sentence of Virginia Woolf's classic 1925 novel, 'Mrs. Dalloway.' The book tracks one day in the life of an English woman, Clarissa Dalloway, living in post-World War I London, as she prepares for, and then hosts, a party. That's pretty much it, as far as the plot goes. But within that single day, whole worlds unfold, as Woolf captures the expansiveness of human experience through Clarissa's roving thoughts. On this week's podcast, the Book Club host MJ Franklin discusses it with his colleagues Joumana Khatib and Laura Thompson. Other books mentioned in this episode: 'The Passion According to G.H.,' by Clarice Lispector 'A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing,' by Eimear McBride 'The Lesser Bohemians,' by Eimear McBride 'To the Lighthouse,' by Virginia Woolf 'Orlando,' by Virginia Woolf 'A Room of One's Own,' by Virginia Woolf 'The Hours,' by Michael Cunningham 'Headshot,' by Rita Bullwinkel 'Tilt,' by Emma Pattee We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review's podcast in general. You can send them to books@

Summer books catch-up: 20 of the best novels so far in 2025
Summer books catch-up: 20 of the best novels so far in 2025

Irish Examiner

time25-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Irish Examiner

Summer books catch-up: 20 of the best novels so far in 2025

1. The Children of Eve by John Connolly There are few more enjoyable crime series characters than Detective Charlie Parker, John Connolly's former cop whose cases invariably find him knee-deep in the supernatural in picturesque Maine. This time out of the traps, he's tasked with finding an ex-soldier on the run who has apparently abducted the children of a mob boss. 2. Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way by Elaine Feeney Elaine Feeney is one of Ireland's most talented novelists. In her third novel, Claire, moves back from London to Athenry following her mother's death, needing to care for her dying father. When her old flame moves into a house close by, it opens up a pandora's box of personal and family drama. 3. Flesh by David Szalay Flesh is the sixth book from the Booker Prize nominee David Szalay. He writes brilliant, meandering novels. His latest story is about a teenage Hungarian boy whose life over the course of decades takes a downward spiral owing to misfortune. 4. Fun and Games by Patrick McHugh Patrick McHugh's debut novel – following on from a well-received short story collection, Pure Gold, in 2021 – has been hailed. It follows the tribulations of a 17-year-old boy on an island off the coast of Mayo over the summer of 2009, a time of romance and ambiguous friendship. 5. Stories of Ireland by Brian Friel If you're looking to pack something in your suitcase for holidays, look no further than Brian Friel's short story collection published this year by Penguin, which is in paperback and mercifully slim. Most of the 13 stories were published in the New Yorker in their day. Each one is a marvel. Patrick McHugh's Fun and Games; Eimear McBride's The City Changes its Face 6. The City Changes Its Face by Eimear McBride Eimear McBride's quasi-sequel to the brilliant The Lesser Bohemians re-unites us with the actors Eily, 20, and Stephen, 40. It's set in London in the mid-1990s. Stephen's teenage daughter has resurfaced. Something terrible has happened, which will have consequences. 7. Air by John Boyne Air is the fourth instalment in John Boyne's elements series (following on from Water, Earth, Fire), novellas which examine abuse in different circumstances. In Air, a father, 40, is 30,000 feet above ground, in a passenger plane, flying with his teenage son. Both are trying to mend their broken lives. 8. The Ghosts of Rome by Joseph O'Connor Joseph O'Connor returns to wartime Rome – scene for his previous novel, My Father's House, about wartime hero Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty – for a second instalment. Again, the theme is about escape lines for refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe, as Contessa Giovanna Landini, member of the activist group 'The Choir', tries to evade the unwanted attention of a Gestapo chief. 9. Twist by Colum McCann Colum McCann has a gift for storytelling. In Twist, Anthony Fennell, a journalist, in pursuit of a story to do with fibre optics, finds himself on board a boat off the west coast of Africa and in thrall to the ship's captain. When he disappears, Fennell goes hunting for him. John Boyne's Air; Emma Donoghue's The Paris Express 10. The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue The brilliant Emma Donaghue, author of Room and Oscar-nominated screenwriter of its movie adaptation, goes back in time to Paris in 1895 for her latest novel, a story inspired by the moments leading up to a fatal train crash, and the lives of several of the train's passengers. 11. Eden's Shore by Oisín Fagan Oisín Fagan's second novel has been acclaimed. His character Angel Kelly is a dreamer. In the late eighteenth century, he sets sail from Dublin, via Liverpool, intent on living in a commune in Brazil but ends up, unwittingly, in the middle of the slave trade, a mutiny and a colonial dispute, amongst other capers. 12. The Dark Hours by Amy Jordan Amy Jordan's crime novel, The Dark Hours, has been lauded by the New York Times. In 2024, Julia Harte, a retired Garda detective, gets a call from her old Superintendent. Two women have been murdered in Cork, in identical circumstances to a case she worked on 30 years earlier, forcing Julia to tackle some demons and hunt down a vicious serial killer. Amy Jordan's The Dark Hours; Patricia Scanlan's City Girls Forever 13. City Girls Forever by Patricia Scanlan The first three books in the City Girl series by the popular Patricia Scanlan were written in the 1990s. Dubliner Devlin Delaney and her best friends, Caroline and Maggie, return in middle age for more adventure and heartbreak, weighed down by their blended families, aging parents and sibling rivalries, but buoyed by friendship. Some of This is True by Michelle McDonagh 14. Some of This Is True by Michelle McDonagh On a January morning, a body is discovered at the bottom of the Wishing Steps at Blarney Castle. The mother of the dead tourist girl, who came to Ireland looking for her father, travels over from Boston. She's convinced her daughter's death wasn't an accident, setting in train an investigation that divides the local community. 15. The Bureau by Eoin McNamee The Bureau is perhaps Eoin McNamee's most personal novel yet, as it features his father as a central character in the action. It's a story of love and death during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, set along the border involving the vivacious Lorraine and Paddy, who's caught up in smuggling and money-laundering. Cork Fiction Highlights William Wall's Writers Anonymous; Catherine Ryan Howard's Burn after Reading 1. Writers Anonymous by William Wall: During the pandemic lockdown in 2020, Jim, an Irish novelist, organises an anonymous online writers group to pass the time. Things get messy when one of the writers starts drip-feeding him details about the suspicious death of Jim's childhood friend, which draws the reader back into the teenage world of a seaside Irish village in 1980 and a crime that must be resolved. A magnificent mystery novel. 2. Camarade by Theo Dorgan: Poet and writer Theo Dorgan has just released a philosophical thriller. A teenager abandons his life in Cork, having killed a policeman in a revenge plot. He flees to Paris, during a time of tumult, May '68 and camaraderie. Several decades later, he begins writing his memoir, which forces him to address the seminal event in his life. 3. Burn After Reading by Catherine Ryan Howard: Catherine Ryan Howard's novels are always page-turners. In Burn After Reading, Emily, a ghostwriter, gets a gig working on the book of a possible murderer who might be about to admit his guilt. Emily harbours her own secret, one of many twists in this tale. Catherine Kirwan's The Seventh Body; Louise Hegarty's Fair Play 4. The Seventh Body by Catherine Kirwan: Excavation comes to a halt on a Cork building site when six bodies are discovered. Therein lie the remnants of men from centuries ago. When the remains of a seventh person, a female less cold in the grave, emerges, a historical find turns into a murder case Detective Garda Alice McCann is desperate to solve, despite interference from her superiors. 5. Fair Play by Louise Hegarty: Louise Hegarty grew up in Glanmire, Co Cork. In her debut novel, a group of friends gather on New Year's Eve 2022 to celebrate Benjamin's birthday with a murder mystery-themed party. Friendships and affairs blossom and fray as the night unfolds. In the morning, they wake to find Benjamin is dead and so begins the real murder mystery investigation. Next week: 20 non-fiction tips

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