Murphys @ Tig Áine’s Reopens Today

I’m happy to announce our seasonal our shop at Tig Aine in Graig is opening this weekend. It’s on Slea Head drive, and I highly recommend stopping in (and not just for the ice cream!). There are ducks, geese, goats (including the two babies shown in the photo above) and the surrounding landscape is really special. If it’s a meal you’re after, Aine’s restaurant next door will give you a nibble with a view, and we’ll be serving the usual ice creams, sundaes, coffees, etc., all far away from the hectic summer bustle of Dingle town…

Technorati tags: 

Hello, Dublin Team!

Say “Hello” to our Dublin team! We’ve done our hiring, and I think we have a super team of people to launch our Dublin shops. They’re all in Dingle for a week of training (eating ice cream, drinking coffee, etc.) and hopefully are having a great time. With the weather here in Kerry, Dingle looks it’s best, and it’s such a buzz for all of us to have the new energy and enthusiasm of this group of people.

I have to head back to Dublin tomorrow to keep things moving along, but if any of you are around, come in and meet the Dubs!

The Secret is Out: Two Murphys Shops Opening in Dublin!

AHHHHH! It’s finally happened, and I can finally talk about it!

Hello, again, everyone! I must apologise for my relative silence over the last weeks and months, but here’s why – we’ve been working on a deal to bring Murphys Ice Cream to Dublin, and I’m delighted to announce we have the keys!

So, as of now we have possession of two premises, both formally occupied by Haagen Dazs, one on Wicklow Street, and one on Temple Bar Square.

There! It’s out! Ahhhhh.

It’s not easy for a blogger to keep secrets, and I feel so, so much better!

Given that finalising the deal took so much longer than expected and that the summer is upon us, we are going to try to open as quickly as possible (a matter of weeks), even if the shops are not quite perfect. We hope you’ll understand that we’ll have time to improve the shops once the summer is past and that you’ll forgive any bits that are not perfect!

I’ll pass on more news as we go along.

WHOOP,  WHOOP!

Formula, the Liver, Sex and Haggis – a Chocolate News Roundup

I had a long hard day today – good in many ways, but the last months have been stressful (and light on blog posts) due to something we’ve been working on that hopefully I’ll be able to talk freely about in a short period of time. Fingers crossed.

In any case, when I’ve had a long day, I think of chocolate. After eating a bit, I decided to take it a bit further and see what’s new in that particular world. Here’s a little roundup:

1. Good news first – the Telegraph has a story that chocolate could reduce the risk of stroke. A chemical in dark chocolate, epicatechin, protects the brain by shielding nerve cells and seems to be proving a better treatment for stroke than current treatments. It’s the latest in a long line of chocolate health pieces.

2. The Telegraph seems to be obsessed with chocolate, because about a month ago they also reported that doctors might soon be prescribing dark chocolate for people liver damage. So, if you’re going to have a drink, don’t forget a chocolate chaser!

3. Now the bad news – is it possible that chocolate lovers are more depressive? The BBC has this story saying that it could well be. I’m depressed just thinking about it!

4. There are those in India, and seemingly elsewhere, who wonder whether women think about chocolate more often than sex. The Times of India interviews some musicians on the topic.

5. This is pretty crazy – how early is it to start a child on chocolate? The LA Times has this article on a new chocolate-flavoured formula by Mead Johnson. Now, I’m as chocoholic as it gets, but for this Daddy, chocolate formula is a step too far.

6. Here’s something that could just tempt me to move North of the border and fake high blood pressure: the BBC is reporting that Queens University will be recruiting 110 volunteers with high pressure for three years of eating dark chocolate and berries. Mmmmm.

7. How much white chocolate could you eat? The World Records Academy has announced that the world record has been broken for the largest chocolate sculpture – a replica of the Dome of Milan in white chocolate. Video below.

8. Are you a fashionista? If so, check out this chocolate jewlery (via Epicurious). Didn’t you always want to sport a bit of theobromide?

9. Don’t puke: UKPA says an Edinburgh-based chocolatier is making haggis-flavoured chocolates.

10. Finally, I tweeted this a while back, but if you’re an iPhone fan (or know one), here’s a smashing gift (via the Independent).

Technorati tags: 

Feile na Bealtaine 2010

Feile na Beltaine Anyone lucky enough to be in Dingle this weekend can enjoy the magic of  Feile na Bealtaine, which runs until May 3rd. There’s so much going on, that perhaps it’s just better for you to visit the festival website and check it out for yourself!

To give you a sense of the fun, here’s a little clip of a violinist from the RTE Orchestra who happened into our shop and played for his ice cream.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fybWAw54ZPo

Technorati tags: