Winterval wonderland
Christmas lovers unite, because Winterval, the superlative-defying Christmas festival, is back and bigger than ever. This year Waterford city expects to welcome more than a million visitors to what is Ireland’s longest-running and biggest Christmas festival.
But the beauty of Winterval is that it is continually evolving, managing to combine old favourites such as Winterval on Ice and its famed light show Winterval Illuminates, with dazzling new events and attractions. There’s the Winterval Circus, the Glow Fairylight Garden and the new MAXI Express Train, running alongside a wide range of festive workshops, creative experiences, and immersive activities. winterval.ie Danielle Barron
On the cards
Hands up who would like a Christmas card or ornament full of meaning that they can put on display year after year? Far from being disposable, new Irish design company Imprint Illustrations is producing personalised greeting cards and exquisite handmade ornaments, made to the customer’s specifications, that can serve as unique family heirlooms. These one-off card designs are perfect to send to loved ones abroad, while bespoke ornaments include a custom knitted teddy bear decoration or an adorable, personalised clay house. With a background in fashion and years of experience as a designer, founder Catherine Stevens’s passion for creativity definitely shines through in her work. See @imprintillustration on Etsy or Instagram. Danielle Barron
Work of art
Forget generic gifts this Christmas. Choosing something with sentimental significance is way more valuable than any brand name, logo or price tag could ever be. Irish artist and designer Carolyn Walsh caters to this fact beautifully, in work that combines photography, paint, image transfers and collage to reimagine some of the country’s best-known landmarks, pubs and romantic wedding venues. It’s all about celebrating spaces and people’s personal connections to them, so if, for example, your first date with your beloved was in Grogan’s pub in Dublin, what better way to mark its significance than with a bold and beautiful limited-edition print, capturing it in all its enhanced glory. Walsh’s latest pieces, available at CarolynWalshArt.com, feature scenes of the river Liffey, the Armada Hotel at Spani sh Point and Ballymoney Beach in Wexford, to name just a few. Prices start at €45. Value, if you choose the right one, inestimable. Sandra O’Connell
RM Block
Super dry
‘Tis the season for festive excess, for near-constant consumption, but if you have decided (heroically) to put a pause on the booze, you’re in luck. Low-alcohol drinks – lighter on the waistline and wallet and hangxiety-free – have surged in popularity in recent years. Whether you want to stay dry full-time or simply tonight’s designated driver, there are plenty of tempting low- and no-alcohol tipples to try. And zebra striping (alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks) is no chore when the 0% category is as refreshing as it is today. Keep an eye out for choice offerings from The Sober Irish, a new Belfast-based drinks company that is curating the best available low- and no-alcohol products in the market while also developing its own label range. From beers that taste like the real deal to zero-alcohol fizz worth celebrating, there’s plenty here to tickle everyone’s fancy. Suzie Coen
Portraits for pooches
We all know they’re fully part of the family. But how often do we celebrate that fact while our dogs are still around, rather than mourn it once they’re gone? It’s why this Christmas, the pawfect gift for the pet lover you love is a portrait session with their canine companion, from the wonderfully named ShootMyDog.ie. In a world of deletable digital snaps, photographer Brendan Burke offers something permanent: a carefully crafted photograph that can capture not just a beloved pooch, but what it means to its owners too. Whether it’s elderly parents with their faithful friend, children with their first puppy, or simply an owner and their favourite fur baby, these portraits become heirlooms. Packages start from €175 for images they’ll treasure. Sandra O’Connell
London nights
With so many London-Irish featured in this year’s magazine, it may just put you in the mood for a little jaunt across the Irish Sea. If a trip is on the cards this winter, then a sumptuous stage show is a must, and Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the perfect antidote to long dark nights. And now London’s most flamboyant boutique hotel, the Broadwick Soho, has partnered with the West End sensation to give guests a truly theatrical experience. Start with chic Moulin Rouge-inspired cocktails in Flute, followed by a glamorous dining experience at restaurant Dear Jackie, before seamless access to the stage show. Room bookings include Band A theatre seats, while suite stays elevate the experience with Premium seating. “Having spent many a festive night (and not just at Christmas!) at the Broadwick, I’m thrilled that this year’s decorations will be inspired by the iconic imagery from our stage musical of Moulin Rouge!, from the sails of the windmill to our credo: truth, beauty, freedom, love,” Baz Luhrmann, director of the film Moulin Rouge, said of the partnership. Package rates start from £600 per night. broadwicksoho.com Mimi Murray
Little shop of treasures
Social media is swimming with beautiful homeware inspiration but the endless pit of dream kitchen designs alone is often enough to put you into a state of design inertia. The tonic? IRL experiences. Still ripe with inspiration but much more digestible, bricks-and-mortar shopping is a must for tangible homeware inspiration. Sonny’s is a new independent homeware and lifestyle shop based in the heart of Rathgar, Dublin. It opened in September in a beautifully restored former butcher’s shop, and blends local heritage with modern design. The shop, founded by Laura McKenna (previously a fashion and costume stylist), offers a range of products from independent Irish makers, reproduced 1970s Italian mirrors, textiles from the Netherlands and handcrafted ceramics from the south of France. Quirky, original and a joy to browse in, Sonny’s has all the answers for that annual quandary too: What gift will I buy? Open Wednesday to Sunday and sonnysstore.ie. Suzie Coen
Glorious Gloria
Groovy and glamorous, Gloria Osteria has opened just in time for Christmas drinks and dinner this season. The restored 19th-century AIB bank in a prime position on Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2, has been transformed into a Milanese palazzo by Irish interior designer Chloe Townsend, who previously worked on the opening of Gloria Barcelona. The original Gloria Osteria opened in Milan in 2023, followed by Barcelona, making Dublin the third stop on the map – quite a coup.
Townsend has created a setting that seems made for storytelling. The sum of many sumptuous parts, design details include glossy, colour-drenched walls and ceilings – it took more than 25 custom mixes to find the right shade of burgundy – show-stopping chandeliers, Italian antiques, luxurious textiles, hand-carved Tuscan timber and a hall of mirrors as you descend to the bathroom. It’s theatrical and opulent, made for dressing up.
Perch on a stool by the marble horseshoe bar to get a bird’s-eye view of the proceedings as you sip on a Negroni Sblagiato, or book one of the window tables that overlook Trinity College. Penny McCormick
