There’s a brilliant photograph of Ben Bulben in Source Sligo. Dominating the back wall of the restaurant, it casts the looming mountain – Yeats’s famous “bare Ben Bulben’s head” – as a dramatic backdrop to a simple tractor chugging along the sands.

It also sets the scene for this ambitious venture – a restaurant, wine bar and cookery school sprawling over three storeys in Sligo town. Determined to source local ingredients, to stay on first-name terms with the person who caught its fish or reared its lamb, Source Sligo is at once a venue, an emporium, a manifesto. Its menus are full of classic Irish dishes with a contemporary twist.

Scan those menus, and you’ll find Connemara crab, Coopershill venison, Donegal hake. Sligo is no smorgasbord when it comes to eating out, but this is a statement of intent. Barely 18 months old, the restaurant feels settled in. Bundle it with some fine country houses and an increasingly sure-footed Só Sligo Festival (May 18-20), and you have the makings of a real gastro-getaway.

I’ve eaten at Source Sligo twice in six months, and been struck by the prices both times. Last winter, for instance, there were pan-fried scallops on the dinner menu for €8. Right now, the most expensive evening main course is a sirloin steak with flatcap mushrooms at €18.50.

Unfortunately, on that first visit, the scallops didn’t hit the required heights. They searing was tangy and moreish, but the arrangements of cucumber noodles, pepper mayo, mashed potato and bacon accompanying them didn’t quite crack the balance of flavour or sophistication required to showcase their delicacy. They were also a little overcooked. €8 though, was a bold move.

My main course that evening was a duo of local lamb, including some loin cooked sous-vide and a roast rack with flageolet beans, mushroom cream and fresh sunflower shoots. The presentation was good, but the lamb lacked tenderness, and the mushroom mash was a sticky, flavourless mess.

Returning recently for lunch, Source Sligo seemed to have taken a step forward. A smoked mackerel salad was well put together, perking up a flavoursome piece of fish with a sweet chilli dip and a summery raspberry vinaigrette. A plate of bacon and cabbage was yummy comfort food, spilling all over a homemade potato cake. I love seeing old Irish staples like this on new menus.

SB and FC accompanied me for lunch, and both went for the baked Cajun chicken. Both were well-satisfied, too. The chicken came in a bread bowl with chunky chips – which often disappoint with undercooked interiors, but here gave a good balance of crispy skin and fluffy flesh.

Both the mackerel (which came with two slices of bread) and the bacon and cabbage were generous portions for well under a tenner – a good light lunch option if you happen to be in town. The affable maître d’, Eamonn McElroy, also offered to re-heat the bacon when he spotted that I had two starters on the go, which was a nice touch. He’s a friendly presence about the place.

Basking in the glow of that Ben Bulben photograph, the room is peppered with bare wooden tables surrounding a wide-open kitchen. Paper napkins, a row of lightshades that look like wicker baskets, and dinnertime night-lights add to the casual, earthy feel. Several big windows look out onto the street too, which floods the place with light during the daytime.

Source Sligo’s owners Ray and Eileen Monahan also have a vineyard in the Languedoc, and you’ll see the fruits of it here in house wines priced from €18. I enjoyed a spicy and buttery Terra Monti blend of Syrah and Grenache with my dinnertime lamb, but for lunch, we stuck with teas and coffees.

Both times I’ve visited, the place has been buzzing. And don’t neglect dessert – I’d recommend the chocolate brownie, which cracked under my fork, giving way to a lovely moist mix, each bite as filling as a box of chocolates. It left my plate as bare as Ben Bulben’s head.

The tab:

Lunch for three came to €45, with tea coffee and one dessert. Tip extra.

The details:

1/2 John Street; 071 914-7605; sourcesligo.ie

This review originally appeared in The Irish Examiner.

Passports, tickets, money.

It’s the Holy Trinity of overseas travel. So why are hordes of Irish holidaymakers leaving it to the last minute to renew their out-of-date passports?

In the first four months of this year, the Passport Office received some 17,000 passport applications requesting a turnaround quicker than the standard 10 working days.

In the same period, 3,375 people sought renewals in less than five days. The phone lines are hopping.

“It’s just not possible to facilitate everyone who turns up on our doorstep,” says Joe Nugent, Head of the Passport Office.

“We try to be as helpful as we possibly can, but someone who comes to straight from the airport can’t be accommodated. It’s physically impossible for us to do that.”

With Euro 2012 looming, Nugent’s office is understandably anxious about the possibility of a last-minute rush from the green army. It recently published a Euro 2012 Survival Guide that soccer fans can download from drinkaware.ie.

Item No.1 on the checklist? You guessed it.

Letting a passport expire is something people imagine will never happen to them. Yet over 200 Irish people are looking to renew their most important travel document at short notice every day – a baffling figure, especially given the publicity surrounding recent strikes at the Passport Office.

Why are we leaving it so late?

Possibly because passports are not documents we look at every day, and are not required to book flights. It’s also easy to forget that children’s passports expire every three or five years, depending on their age, as opposed to every ten years for adults.

When it comes to renewing, An Post’s Passport Express is the cheapest option. Application forms are available from Garda stations, and the renewal fee is €80 for adults. That rises to €95 at the Passport Office, with an extra €55 for emergency passports, or €110 for the out-of-hours service.

One recent case at the Passport Office saw a woman rushing to renew several passports at short notice before a trip to the Canaries. She coughed up €600.

You may also need to renew your passport even if it’s not out of date. Dubai and Thailand are just two of many destinations requiring passport validity of at least six months after your date of entry. Arriving without out one mightn’t be the best way to start a honeymoon…

The moral of the story? Check your passport before you book your flights, and renew in good time. It’s May, so there’s still an opportunity to get your documents in order before Euro 2012 or the summer holidays. Get it sorted, or you’re asking for hassle. You could even lose your holiday.

Some 50,000 Irish holidaymakers visited Sin City in 2011, according to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority.

That’s an amazing figure. How, in the middle of a recession, can so many people fly 5,000 miles to the ultimate city of excess? And there aren’t even direct flights!

It’s not just Irish tour operators that have seen sales surge. Weekend occupancy rates are at a staggering 92%, with Vegas targeting 40 million visitors this year.

There are plenty of reasons for its popularity. Sin City was built on the wow-factor. Shows are sensational, new openings keep things fresh, everyone gets dizzy when they hit the Strip, and its reputation as an adult playground precedes it.

There are no clocks in Vegas casinos.

But it’s not all blackjack and wedding chapels. An over-supply of rooms has sent hotel rates south, the city has broadened its offering with daytrips, outlet shopping and a much-improved restaurant scene, and tour operators are tapping into handy domestic flight connections. Packages are cheaper than they have been in years.

Amidst the hype, however, one thing jars.

‘Know the Code, Protect the Moment’ is a Vegas marketing campaign designed to curb “over-sharing” by visitors on social media. Too much tweeting, texting and posting to Facebook is jeopardising discretion, the city says.

So far, so reasonable. Tweeting about hot shows, meals and hotel suites is one thing, but not everybody likes to see themselves tagged whilst table-dancing at 2am.

The problem is that ‘Know the Code’ is run largely on – you’ve guessed it – social media. YouTube videos and Twitter tags have been rolled out online, and the same guardian of good judgment has a giant link on its website encouraging visitors to name and shame those who violate the code by reporting them on… yup, Facebook.

The tone of the campaign lurches between the silly and sinister, with visitors encouraged to take a mock-oath to “protect the moment”.

‘What Happens Here, Stays Here’ is the famous tagline, and campaign ads see friends blanking buddies who break the code.

Get over it, Vegas.

You’re sexy, we know. But social media works both ways. You’re raking in the visitors, and their cash. They don’t need to be told how to behave as well.

The Activity Escape: Hiking the Blaskets

Air doesn’t get much fresher than on the Blasket Islands, those beautiful patches of wilderness punching up out of the Atlantic Ocean off the Dingle Peninsula. A two-night package with An Riasc B&B near Dingle includes a ferry ticket to the islands, plus a complimentary picnic to enjoy in the wild (the recommended spot is An Trá Bhán – The White Beach – a stunning strand with sands that could have been transplanted from the West Indies. There’s also a four-course meal on the evening of your choice, a complimentary glass of wine, and a home-cooked breakfast every morning – from €145pps.

Details: 066 915-5446; anriasc.ie.

The Hotel Holiday: Rosscarbery’s Family Festival

If you like your holidays with a dash of pig racing, treasure hunting, vintage car runs, pub singing, monster rag parades and sandcastle competitions, then the jam-packed programme at Rosscarbery’s Family Festival (August 10-19th) could be just the ticket. The Celtic Ross Hotel has five nights B&B plus two evening meals for two adults sharing with kids under 12 staying free, for a total price of €649.The hotel’s leisure centre boasts 15m and kids’ pools, the Blue Flag Warren Beach is nearby, you can hire pedal boats on Rosscarbery lagoon, and the Cool Roo kids club runs daily during July and August.

Details: 023 884-8722; celticrosshotel.com.

The Beach Break: Banna, Co. Kerry

The four-star holiday homes at Banna Beach Resort are new to Dream Ireland this year, and some serious early booking offers are running until mid-May. Located at Ardfert, near Tralee, the holiday homes are a 15 minute walk or two minute drive to the long, sandy beach at Banna, and there’s a fallback of a leisure centre and pool if the weather turns nasty. The resort runs a summer kids’ club and has an outdoor playground and indoor soft play area as well as its own bar, restaurant and nightly entertainment schedule. Going to press, early booking discounts were quoted at €499 for a week from June 16-23, rising to €849 from July 14-21. The three-bed houses sleep six.

Details: 064 664-1170; dreamireland.com.

The Big Blow-out: Monart and Marlfield, Co. Wexford

Marlfield House in Gorey and Monart Destination Spa in Enniscorthy are both running sumptuous special offers at the moment. Seeing as a bird never flew on one wing, why not combine both for a luxury layover in the sunny southeast? Marlfield has a gourmet weekend including a three-course supper menu on Friday and a five-course Table d’hôte on Saturday at €311pp in a classic room. Meanwhile, over at Monart, two nights’ B&B with one dinner and a Summer Blitz Spa Programme (think detox baths and luxury wraps followed by aqua exercise classes and core workshops designed to hone that body for the beach) is available for €345pp. Four days later, you’ll be fit for Cannes.

Details: 053 942-1124; marlfieldhouse.com and 053 923-8999; monart.ie.

The Toddler-friendly Trip: Meath’s Gold Coast

Think of Meath, and ancient hills and passage tombs come to mind. But the Royal County has its stretch of coastline too, running through Laytown and Bettystown just north of Dublin. In the latter, Liz and Roger Pickett keep several little thatched cottages in a gated compound with its own beach access – a good start for families with young kids. A play area, barbecues and apple trees complete the unlikely oasis, where a special offer currently has seven nights with five family passes for nearby Dublin Zoo at €1,800 up to July 21st July 2012. If you have toddlers in tow, check out the Zoo’s parent and toddler mornings, which include tours of the family farm and discovery and learning sessions.

Details: 041 982-8104; cottages-ireland.com.

The B&B Break: Ballilogue Clochán, Co. Kilkenny

What exactly is a boutique farmhouse? Visit The Inn at Ballilogue Clochán, a farmhouse and outbuildings lovingly restored by former fashion designer Pat McCarthy near Inistioge, and you’ll find out. The country retreat offers four rooms en suite in the main house, and two in an adjoining building, all with hotel-standard bathrooms. Guests can book individual rooms from €60pp to €95pp, or a family or group of friends can book out the entire property. Homemade breakfasts, bare-stone walls, modish interiors and a Saturday night supper club are all reasons it has figured in Bridgestone’s 100 Best Places to Stay, and the Inistioge Summer Festival takes place over the June bank holiday weekend.

Details: 051 423857; ballilogueclochan.com.

The self-catering Staycation: Waterford Castle

Self-catering gives you your own house on holiday, but self-catering on a hotel estate throws in the safety net of extra services too. At Waterford Castle, those services start with your very own private island. Seven nights in a three-bed garden lodge are priced from €849, and guests are free to relax in the bar, clubhouse or restaurant in the castle itself, order pizzas to their lodge, or buy one of the castle’s custom picnic baskets to enjoy on the 320-acre estate. Nature trails, a playground, tennis courts and a summer club should keep the kids happy, and adults can escape on the 18-hole golf course or clay-pigeon shooting range, before taking the family on a tour of the sunny southeast.

Details: 051 878203; waterfordcastle.com.

The Camping Holiday: Timoleague, Co. Cork

Camping is one of the most budget-friendly staycations on offer – with rates at Sexton’s Camping and Caravan Park in Cork starting from €24 per night for a family of two adults and up to three children. That rate includes electricity and showers, and guests can avail of some smart special offers too, including two hours of sea-kayaking, surfing or coasteering with G-town Surf School at €75 for two adults and two kids. Another, with Courtmacsherry Angling Centre, gives four hours boat hire in self-drive crafts for a family rate of €50. The specials are available in May and June. Check out more summer offers on the Irish Caravan & Camping Council’s website at camping-ireland.ie.

Details: 087 220-8088; sextonscamping.com.

Rain-proof R&R: Fota Island Resort

Ireland would be the perfect summer holiday spot, if only we could roof it. In the absence of that option, however, Fota Island Resort has come up with a creative alternative – a cosy package delivering a homemade picnic in the comfort of your very own room. The two-night picnic package costs from €340 per couple, and includes a blanket laid out on the balcony, and a hamper filled with hot ham and gruyere paninis, a smoked salmon sandwich, charcuterie and cheeses, a selection of scones, freshly baked Danish pastries and a bottle of bubbly. If you fancy a longer stay, Fota’s two, three and four-bed lodges start from €928.55 for seven nights in July and August.

Details: 021 488-3700; fotaisland.ie.

The Solo Staycation: Longueville House, Co. Cork

Single supplements are the bane of solo travellers, but it is possible to bag a break without paying over the odds simply because you want a room of your own. The Blue Book’s Longueville House in Mallow has specials in its Queen Room, with two nights B&B and two dinners starting at €265 for single occupancy in May. Currarevagh House, set on the shores of Lough Corrib in Connemara, has a three-night summer special from €225 in a single room. Or what about the Morrison Room at Ballyfin Demesne in Co. Laois? The sumptuous single overlooks the five-star’s pleasure grounds. Expect full-blown luxury here, with full-board starting from an eye-watering €600 per night.

Details: longuevillehouse.ie; currarevagh.com; ballyfin.com.

NB: All prices correct going to press, but subject to availability. This feature originally appeared in The Irish Examiner.

The Flight-Free Holiday: Brittany by Ferry

The Pont-Aven setting sail from Ringaskiddy to Roscoff is one of Cork’s quintessential summer sights – crammed with camper vans, buckets and spades and families waving from the promenade deck. Brittany Ferries’ flagship sails once a week, departing Cork at 4pm on Saturdays and arriving in France the following morning. Going to press, a dummy booking in June for a family of four with a car and two inside cabins came in at €1,078. That’s not including accommodation once you get to France, obviously, but you can also book campsite, villa or apartment holidays on the Brittany Ferries website, or browse options on the official Brittany tourism site, brittanytourism.com.

Details: 021 427-7801; brittanyferries.ie.

The Prince of Package Holidays: Turkey

Turkey is the package holiday success story of recent years, thanks to its cheap cost of living, reliable sunshine, and the increasing familiarity of Irish holidaymakers with the lively Aegean Coast resorts of Kusadasi and Bodrum. Wings Abroad is a big player, with seven nights at Marmaris from €549pp on a June 17th departure. Or why not look beyond the resorts, with a stay at Princes’ Islands? The cluster of nine islands are 50 minutes by fast ferry from Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara, totally traffic free, and bursting with walks, woodland and beach clubs. Seven days with flights starts from €619pp.

Details: 01 871-9444; wingsabroad.ie or istanbulislands.com.

The Activity Break: Spain in the Saddle

‘Shabby Chic’ isn’t just an interiors term, you know. It’s also how Irish equestrian holiday specialist Zara Stassin describes these riding holidays in Spain. Based north of Barcelona, guests spend their days horse-riding or mountain biking, gathering to eat at a long oak table in the evenings before bedding down in renovated 17th century barns. It’s not five-star by any stretch, but there is a pool, a good selection of wines, and Girona and Barcelona are nearby if you fancy a day away from the trails. A week’s riding, with full-board and drinks with meals, costs €880pp (flights excluded).

Details: 01 440-7477; zarasplanet.ie.

The Single Parent Special: Lanzarote

Parents with more than two kids often complain they don’t fit the standard 2+2 package holiday format, but spare a thought for single parents – who are overlooked entirely. There’s cause for hope, however, in Antrim-based Friendship Travel’s new website, holidaysforsingleparents.com. The site does what it says on the packet, offering tailor-made breaks for single parents and their children – such as a seven night trip to the 3-star Lanzarote Gardens, departing Cork on July 26th, from €1,495 for one adult and one child. The price includes flights, half-board, and there are communal dinners and children’s entertainment on select nights, so adults can relax with other single parents.

Details: +44 871 200-2228; holidaysforsingleparents.com.

The Euro 2012-friendly holiday: Royal Caribbean

Which do you love more, your family or your football? You can spare yourself the decision by taking a cruise with Royal Caribbean this summer. 11 of the company’s ships will be sailing in Europe during Euro 2012, and all promise to show every game live in their bars and cabin TVs. The forthcoming European Championships, during which Ireland play Spain, Italy and Croatia in crunch group games, take place from June 8th to July 1st. Trailfinders has an eight-night Western Mediterranean cruise on Liberty of the Seas during that time from €799pp, including flights. The trip departs weekly from Barcelona, and ports of call include Provence, Nice, Florence, Rome and Naples.

Details: 021 464-4948; cruises.trailfinders.ie.

The cheap n’ cheerful alternative: Couch-surfing

There are several ways to keep costs down on a summer holiday – from home swaps to travelling off-peak or teaming up with friends to bag a group discount. But nothing beats free, and that’s exactly what couch-surfing offers – a free couch (and heck, sometimes even a bed) to crash on in over 230 countries worldwide. Sure, joining CouchSurfing.org mightn’t be the best plan of attack for a family of four on the hunt for summer sun, but independent travellers get to live like locals in fascinating cultures on as low or high a budget as they choose. “Our goal is nothing less than changing the world,” they say. And they’re doing it one couch at a time.

Details: couchsurfing.org.

The US Holiday: Self-catering in Orlando

Irish holidaymakers love to let the Big O flow. Orlando is one of our most popular long-haul package destinations, and for three good reasons – sunshine, beaches and theme parks. Departing June 20th, American Holidays has 14 nights at the Sheraton Vistana Villa Resort for €3,499. That’s a hefty price tag, but then it is for a family of four, it does include flights, villa and car hire with fully-inclusive insurance, and the villas are just two miles from downtown Disney. Seven nights at the same property starts at €640pp (i.e. a total of €2,560) so there’s better value booking the fortnight.

Details: 01 673-3840; americanholidays.com.

The Solo Adventure: Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai

Here’s a chance to visit China with flights, accommodation, half-board and daily excursions included. The 11-night trip departs Cork on September 13th, starting with five nights in Beijing. Whilst there, you’ll take in a  full day excursion to The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, a day at the Great Wall of China and visits to the Imperial Summer Palace and the famous Pandas in Beijing Zoo. Next up is Xi’an and the famous terracotta warriors, before rounding up your trip with a hotlist of Shanghai highlights. Accommodation is five-star all the way, with evening meals included, and a single supplement of €349 brings the total price to €2,258pp (including tax).

Details: 01 637-1600; thetraveldepartment.ie.

Toddler-friendly Holidays: Three of the best…

Disneyland Paris is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a host of special offers – Magic Vacations currently has a ferry crossing plus six nights in the Davy Crockett Ranch, for instance, including seven days park access, from €1,650 for a family of four.

Sunway has an offer from baby-friendly operator Sunsail (it caters for babies from four months with baby clubs, safe pools and babysitting). Beach holidays with Club Vounaki start from £649/€793pp, reduced from £900/€1,100, on a June 17 departure. Several activities are included.

Thomas Cook Cruises has all-inclusive Royal Caribbean cruises featuring on-board nurseries, high staff-child ratios, babysitting ‘sitters at sea’, and activities like Crayola workshops, baby gymnastics and music for the under threes. The cruises start from €799pp.

Details: magicvacations.ie; sunway.ie; thomascook.ie.

The Big Blow-Out: Glamping in Tanzania

June to October is the best time to safari in Tanzania, with dry weather drawing animals towards dwindling water supplies. Peak periods also bring peak crowds, however, so why not splash out on space as well as spectacle? You’ll get both at the Selous Safari Company’s camps in Ruaha National Park and the Selous Game Reserve. The wildlife is superb, and both camps cater for just a handful of guests, so you won’t be sharing it with squadrons of other jeeps. Afterwards, wind down at the Indian Ocean resort of Ras Kutani, just like Amy Huberman and Brian O’Driscoll did on honeymoon in 2010. Africa Odyssey has seven nights from €4,000pp, including transfers and park fees.

Details: +44 20 7471 8780; africaodyssey.com.

NB: All prices correct going to press, but subject to availability. This feature originally appeared in The Irish Examiner.

Tapas are a quintessentially Spanish way of eating.

When you think about it, though, shouldn’t this conversation-friendly cuisine, with its sociable portions and sharp focus on ingredients, be a good fit for Ireland too?

Both cultures love eating with family and friends. Both like chatty environments and pinching cheeky little tastes off surrounding plates.

It’s no coincidence that Spain is Ireland’s favourite overseas holiday destination, either – we’ll make an estimated one million visits this year.

Allied to this is the potential for Irish ingredients in tapas dishes – black pudding, scallops, potatoes, goat’s cheese, pork, mackerel, prawns. Those dinky terracotta bowls are perfect for both traditional fare – soup or stew, say – and more innovative dishes, such as pickled mackerel with sweet potato and sherry vinegar, or rack of Roscommon lamb with cauliflower and almond puree.

I haven’t made these up.

They’re two of 50+ options on the menu at Cava in Galway.

Run by JP McMahon and Drigín Gaffey (the team behind the terroir-based Aniar next door), the tapas bar and restaurant claims to be Ireland’s “first and only restaurant devoted to Spanish food”  and, since opening in 2008, has made a zesty impression on Galway and beyond.

Stepping into the Dominick Street premises, L and I are immediately struck by the number of Spanish staff buzzing about. Not only that, but we discover Cava cures its own meat, produces its own salted cod, serves 140 Spanish wines (we enjoy a toasty Tempranillo at €25), and is energetically invested in the local foodie scene, running cooking classes, live music and educational events.

The quirky rooms blossom into a raised, double-height space as you walk through, with Spanish cookery tomes, a Don Quixote paperback, Serrano hams and other bits and bobs hinting at the historic trade between Galway and Galicia. It’s the perfect Irish city in which to push the tapas boat out.

We kick off with some nibbles – freshly-baked bread with a grassy extra virgin olive oil; a bowl of marinated anchovies with piquillo peppers. The bread has a crispy crust and lovely doughy flesh, the piquant anchovies sit glistening beneath the soft, roasted peppers. A yummy appetiser.

Next up is the rack of Roscommon lamb, served on a black slate with an arty streak of puree and confit of lamb belly. The lamb is a little well-done for my liking, but there’s a lovely gristly texture to the chop, and the presentation is excellent – hinting again at the potential of Irish ingredients.

With menu sub-headings including cheese, cured meats, soups, fish, meat, vegetables and pulses, croquettes, tortillas, Spanish rice dishes and suggested combinations of tapas dishes with sherry and wine, it’s easy to over-order. Our waiter suggests two dishes each as a guide, but like many before us, I’m sure, we can’t stop at that. We end up ordering six tapas in total.

Fresh prawns served with garlic, parsley, a wedge of lemon and Fino sherry are a hot and tasty mess, right down to the finger-licking. Pig cheeks braised in apple, cinnamon and white wine divide us – I think the raisins and cloves overpower the dish, but L loves the hearty mix.

Pan-fried potatoes with cured ham and tomatoes go down well, but the croquettes, despite a lovely crisp shell, give way to a fairly bland chicken, saffron and smoked paprika stuffing.

My favourite dish is a slice of tortilla with chorizo and garlic aioli. Served like a slice of cake on a rectangular white plate, with a great pungent dollop of aioli, it’s a lovely, moist, comforting slice of Spain, with just the right notes of spice – and a crisp base. An ‘ooh’ moment.

There are difficulties with tapas, of course – menus can be long and paralysing, and we found the tables at Cava a little too small to comfortably accommodate all the clutter.

The flipside of that, of course, is that it’s a wonderfully convivial experience – enlivened by finger-dipping, fork-reaching and fun experimentation. Some dishes were better than others, but the quality of ingredients and the care taken with them was obvious – from Spanish cured meats and Manchego cheese to free-range chicken from Athenry and Linalla ice-cream from Co. Clare.

Cava’s big achievement is weaving these Irish ingredients into an ebullient Spanish tapestry, not to mention a casual atmosphere where coeliac options are no problem. And we still had room for dessert – a dark chocolate mousse with vanilla ice-cream, raspberry coulis and Spanish biscuits.

Buen provecho!

The tab:

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, came to €88.50. Tip extra.

The details:

51 Lower Dominick Street, Galway; 091 539884; cavarestaurant.ie

This review originally appeared in The Irish Examiner.

Getting the basics right is a core mantra in business. So why are so many hotels, many of them welcoming guests for decades, getting so many basics wrong?

Think of key cards.

I’ve lost count of the times mine have malfunctioned, or deactivated on the dot of 12pm, resulting in a long and frustrating traipse back down to reception.

Think of Wi-Fi. Hotels don’t charge for heating or lighting. So why, according to a recent Daily Telegraph survey, do two-thirds of them charge for Wi-Fi?

Why do guests at Dublin’s Four Seasons pay up to €25 a day, when guests at the Merrion Hotel can get online for free?

Or consider breakfast.

My hopes have been raised so often by buffets stocked with delicious fruit, fresh juice and all manner of seeds and yoghurts, only to be let down two steps later by tureens full of catering sausages, stodgy scrambled eggs and black pudding that could heel a boot.

Worst of all, in my book, is the wear and tear.

Too many Irish hotels undermine genuinely good service with stained carpets, flaking wallpaper, crumbling grouting and stupid scuffs in the corridors. If public areas aren’t maintained, what are we to infer about standards behind the scenes?

On recent trips, I’ve noted cracked pool tiles at a Killarney four-star; loose grouting and a split toilet seat in a three-star bedroom in Dublin; and a cracked mirror, dust-covered mini-bar and several spots of peeling wallpaper in a Limerick four-star.

And that’s just the beginning.

Irish hotels have had a difficult recession. I accept that. But so have many of their guests. When we check in for a night away, we want to check out of the real world, to be pampered in the same rooms that woo us on their websites.

If they can be touched-up online, why not in real life?

Poor maintenance is all the more mystifying given that, these days, all it takes is a quick Tweet or Facebook post to share one chipped toilet seat with hundreds of friends.

Occupancy rates in Dublin hotels rose by 6% in 2011 over the previous year, a recent Deloitte report found. In the same period, average daily rates have risen from €77.43 to €82.12. But even Georgina Campbell, at her most recent awards, noticed increasingly “patchy” standards.

Yes, the economy is broken. Yes, Ireland has too many hotel rooms. Yes, local authority rates are crippling. But these are no excuse for erratic standards.

An overnight booking is a hard-won prize, and if hotels are going to win it, they’ve got to get the basics right.

This column originally ran in The Irish Independent.

‘Place on a plate’. It’s more than just a foodie catchphrase, you know.

Right now, Fáilte Ireland is campaigning to encourage Irish restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels to put local ingredients, producers and recipes up front on their menus. It’s all meant to engage visitors searching for authentic experiences as they travel.

I’m one of those visitors. That’s why, sitting in Gleeson’s Townhouse, I’ve just ordered the cheapest main course on the menu – a Roscommon lamb stew for €12.50.

Mary Gleeson, woman of the house, is delighted at my selection. Not only is her county famous for its lamb (Roscommon claims to have the highest lamb output in Ireland), but the stew is her very own recipe, and it has been cooked by her son, Eamon.

You couldn’t get much more place on your plate.

First impressions…

Earlier in the evening, I walked through the gates of Gleeson’s Townhouse to find Mary stoking a few sods of turf in a stove in the yard. She had also lit a few candles in little lanterns, illuminating an evening space strewn with flowers, birdhouses and chimes.

The restored 19th century townhouse itself, overlooking Roscommon’s Market Square, dresses up its thick granite blocks with swathes of ivy. Inside, a cosy reception area has fresh daffodils on the counter. Mary checks me in, handing over a big, old-fashioned room key.

It’s a family business, through and through. Mary and her husband Eamonn flit from room to room, checking on guests, keeping their cottage industry motoring.

The room…

Options at Gleeson’s include standard and superior rooms, and two luxury suites. I recommend the superiors overlooking Market Square. There’s a lived-in, luxury townhouse feel to their tall ceilings, old wooden dressers, leather armchairs, sumptuous scatter cushions and floral wallpaper.

Mine looks out on the front yard, which doesn’t turn out to be a problem noise-wise, and boasts a large bathroom with thick green drapes. The shower is a curiosity here (suffice to say, tall guests will have no problems getting their heads under it), and dispensers are stocked with Gilchrist and Soames soap. My only quibble, really, is that the Wi-Fi signal is weak.

The food…

Gleeson’s reputation is growing in foodie circles, and whilst the Manse Restaurant isn’t worth travelling for in itself, you’ll certainly eat well off its set and a la carte menus.

Lots of bases are covered here, from steaks to spicy stir-fries, grilled sea bass to chicken Tikka Masala and a roast joint of the day. The set menu offers soup, a Caesar salad or deep-fried garlic mushrooms for starters, a choice of five mains – with organic pork belly from Mill House Farm the most eye-catching – and tea or coffee with dessert for €25pp.

My lamb stew is great value too – a hearty portion swimming in rosemary and thyme broth, with carrots, potatoes and other bits of veg shoring up the fall-aparty chunks of lamb. It’s not a sexy dish, but it’s the kind of thing I’d love to see more of on Irish menus.

The amenities…

Gleeson’s offers an intimate townhouse stay, so don’t expect spas or swimming pools.

What you will find a few doors down from the old Presbyterian minister’s residence, however, is Gleeson’s food and wine deli. Irish farmhouse cheeses, home-baked ham and a takeaway menu of gourmet sandwiches for a fiver are the highlights here – it’s a super little spot.

What to do…

Lamb farming is a big employer in Roscommon – no surprise, then, to see next weekend’s lamb festival (roscommonlambfestival.com; May 2-7) returning for a fifth consecutive year.

“Lamb farming is in the blood of Roscommon farmers for generations,” Bernard Allen of Castlemine Farm tells me. Its distinctive flavour comes not only from farming expertise, he adds, but also the region’s geology. “In Roscommon, you’ll find lush green grass on limestone soil. The limestone gives the grass a sweet flavour; hence the lamb’s unique taste.”

The festival isn’t all about chomping baby sheep, of course. Farm walks, kids’ cookery workshops, craft villages and a family fun Sunday including a hand-shearing world-record attempt are all on the cards. Restaurants throughout the county will be offering lamb menus and deals, and you can even exchange your Euros for the festival currency, Roscommon Alternative Money (RAM)!

The bottom line…

Gleeson’s Townhouse is celebrating its 20th anniversary with two nights’ B&B and one dinner from €99pp, Sun-Thurs. Contact 090 662-6954 or gleesonstownhouse.com.

Anything to add…

If a lamb festival doesn’t float your boat, don’t fret! Roscommon’s medieval abbey is worth a peek, there’s a lovely looped walk around Warren Point on Lough Ree, and Baysports (baysports.ie) is a watersports centre offering everything from kayaking to currach rowing at Hodson Bay.

See discoverireland.ie/Roscommon for more on this unsung county.

This review originally ran in The Irish Examiner.

Ten London five-stars teaming up with an Irish company based in the Gaeltacht to launch a concept website?

It sound likes a dream, but www.5ivestarlondon.com is now a reality.

The new website is a one-stop resource for “discerning” (i.e. fabulously wealthy) travellers to the English capital, and features hotels like The Ritz, The Goring, The Dorchester and Park Lane, along with practical travel tips and dining, shopping, entertainment and arts recommendations ranging from Fortnum & Mason to Harrods, the Tate Modern and the Royal Opera House.

The website, the first collaboration of its kind in London, was created and developed by Aró, an Irish company with offices in London, but based in the Connemara Gaeltacht.

We all like the idea of cheap accommodation.

Say the word ‘hostel’, however, and that idea is often intruded upon by visions of smelly dorms, noisy corridors and crummy breakfasts.

But hostels don’t have to be scruffy. And none demonstrates that better than Generator.

Dublin’s branch of the international hostel chain opened recently in Smithfield. In the lobby, brick walls, comfy couches, a funky hot-dog franchise and design flourishes including a chandelier made from old Jameson bottles (the distillery is next door) create instant atmosphere.

The other thing I couldn’t help noticing about the place? It’s spotlessly clean.

Generator Dublin is big, fitting 528 beds into 106 rooms, and bunks come with their own lights, power points and secure storage space.

But you don’t have to kip in a dorm – twins with en-suite bathrooms start at €45. Security is taken seriously too – no alcohol is allowed past the ground floor.

Details: 01 901-0222; generatorhostels.com/en/dublin. Dorms from €10pp.