Our 11th Anniversary and Dinner at Brocka on the Water

Today is our 11th Wedding Anniversary so I thought I'd do a fun collage of some photos of us since we moved to Ireland 4 years ago. In Paris at the Louvre in April 2010, in front of a Patriotic house in Moneygall, in our kitchen, on top of Keeper Hill with our dog Sugar, at the Lookout overlooking Lough Derg and at various other events- Neil Morrissey's 40th- My 40th and Stars of Our Bars at The Ragg supporting our neighbour Tanya McMahon. Couldn't seem to dig out our wedding photo in my rush this morning but there you have it.

Last night we went to Brocka on the Water for dinner. I'd heard about it for years since we moved here and finally got to go for a special anniversary treat. It's located in Ballinderry just north of Coolbawn Quay.

You wait in this lovely little sitting room area. Here you order your drinks and decide what you'll have off the menu.

Ann told me she was making sure Pat Whelan's book An Irish Butcher Shop was being promoted too!

Loved the charm and the ambiance.

We sat in a beautiful sunlight window and we were quite early so I was able to snap some photos before other guests arrived.

Delicious bread with pesto served on this wonderful antique silver tray. All the table cloths, cutlery, plates etc are mismatched and wonderfully quirky. Just my style.

Simple and delightful bouquets on each table.

Loved this water jug.

We both had the Cooleeney Cheese croquette to start with a spicy chutney. It was absolutely gorgeous and honestly I could have stopped there. Cooleeney cheese, for those of you that don't know, is made by Breda Maher just outside of Thurles.

Look at the melting yummy goodness! To die for! For my main I had a steak with potatoes. It was delicious and James had stuffed sea bass but the starter really was the star. Service was impeccable. I had a delicious house white wine which I thoroughly enjoyed and for dessert we shared a cheese platter although we would have enjoyed something with a bit of chocolate - just was not on the menu last night.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. My husband and I are doing Relay for Life in Toomevara on Saturday and Sunday - a 24 Hour Relay. My husband is challenging himself to walk the entire 24 hours!! And our daughter finally arrives home from America on Sunday with my parents. Plus, today I end my current job- on the 5th of September I'll be taking up a new role at Marketing Director at Nicholas Mosse Pottery in Bennetsbridge, Kilkenny. So very excited.

Nenaghgal Visits Muck and Muffins Pottery Studio and Coffee Shop in Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal

As you can tell, Donegal truly inspired me. I was so lucky that the weather was truly spectacular but I am known for taking a lot of photos. On Sunday morning, after a hearty Irish breakfast at my bed and breakfast- The Willows at the top of main street, and a good chat with two sisters who were travelling around the area. I headed back into Dunfanaghy to get some more photographs of the town. As it was a gorgeous day and being right on the sea, the surf shops were open early.

Never really been interested in surfing- as I know I'd never be able to balance but if you are- this is the place to be.

This great store- Muck 'n' Muffins houses a pottery studio and gift shop and then upstairs a coffee shop which offers fantastic views of the harbor and surrounding landscape. It opened in 2000 and is situated in an old grain store that was built in the 1800's. It is run by Deborah and Emma Moore.

Inside you'll find a wonderful treasure trove of goodies. Much of what is on display is the delightful range of pottery pieces which are made using traditional methods of throwing on the wheel and hand-building techniques right on the premises. Products range from tableware to sculptural pieces.

A selection of vases.

Some of the jewelry pieces for sale.

Pins made from fragments of the pottery.

Delightful wintry purses perfect for autumn outfits.

I thought these were just delightful. A perfect little something for the kids to take home to remind them of their holidays.

For more go to the Muck n' Muffins website or call them at (074) 9136780.

Donegal: Horn Head and the view to Dunfanaghy

Horn Head lies across the bay from Dunfanaghy and on Sunday morning I drove up to see the view. It was, as you can see, an absolutely spectacular day.

I took the scenic route and the road to the left where there is a bit of room for parking. Then I hiked up to this look out point where an abandoned World War II bunker sits. I had to stand next to it in order to shelter myself from the wind as my camera was shaking. Utterly invigorating! I could see loads of people hiking below me and was sorry that I did not have more time or companionship to set out for a full day of hiking along this amazing coastline.

The walk itself around this peninsula can take up to 4 hours- you can see details of it on Hillwalkers. The sea cliffs are beautiful and there is an arch you can see when you are lower down. Someday I'm going to take a boat along the coast as well.

Driving back down- can you see that amazing long sandy beach in the distance? I cannot believe the beauty of the beaches up in this part of the country. Breathtaking.

Here is Dunfanaghy from across the bay. This is where at low tide you can ride horses out on the beach. I'm now going back into proper shape so I can do this next time we go up there.

Here you can see some riders setting out. An absolute dream of mine. Arnolds Hotel has a riding stable and they have regular rides on the beach for all level of riders from an easy half hour walk, to 1 hour, 2 hours with a good canter and a vigorous 3 hour ride with some true speed involved- although when I asked if this included galloping- they said we don't call it galloping but implied it was very fast. I was a bit confused as horses only have 4 paces and the next beyond cantering is galloping! Anyway, believe me you can gallop on this beach. I tried to go on Sunday but they were completely booked out so a word to the wise if this is something you or your children dream of doing- book ahead!

Can you believe these views? I was so sorry not to have someone to share them with- although they might have gotten sick of my oohs and aaahs.

I walked this stretch of the beach early in the morning before breakfast but the tide was still in considerably more.

As you can tell - I am smitten with Donegal. Already planning our family holiday up there for next summer!

Do you have any favourite spots in Donegal?

Nenaghgal Falls in Love with Olivia Boutique in Dunfanaghy, Donegal

Today I wanted to tell you about this adorable shop I discovered when I was up in Donegal for the weekend. Olivia Boutique is on the main street in Dunfanaghy which is right up on the Northern coast in the most idyllic setting you can imagine.

I loved their selection of signs - especially this one above "Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life." Certainly a good philosophy to have don't you agree?

Their products were all displayed on white shelves which I think shows off things really well. There's another sign - "The measure of love is when you love without measure." I think that would make a nice wedding anniversary gift.

It sure is an inside job- you make your own happiness- don't let others dictate how happy you are!

The boutique has such a feel good factor inside- positive happy messages and a lovely selection of products to give your home a lift.

As they are located right across the street from the harbor- it is only appropriate that they have some sea themed products on display right in the front of the store.

Towards the back on the ground floor they have jewelry, cards and photo frames.

and these lovely miniature oil paintings done by local artist Jim Osborne. They come on tiny easels and were priced at around 15 euro. Go to his website to see more of his work.

Upstairs at Olivia they have a clothing section. I found the displays up her quite inspiring as well and their selection of clothes was quite unusual.

So be sure if you are up in Dunfanaghy you stop into Olivia Boutique. Dunfanaghy has a Jazz and Blues Festival which starts on the 8th of September and at the bed and breakfast where I stayed, I was told that there is quite a lot of activity all year around - apparently the time around New Year's is particularly busy. So nice to see that off season a spot like this still gets some good footfall. Their website is not really up and running yet but keep it in mind for the future. Have you been to Dunfanaghy? What was your favorite part of your visit?