Finding a Voice
To celebrate the music of female composers throughout the ages, a three-day concert series will take place in Tipperary this March. Founded in 2017, Finding a Voice has featured music by more than 50 women composers, from Hildegard of Bingen to newly commissioned works, and performances from leading Irish and international musicians.
This year’s March 6-8 concert in Clonmel will focus on further broadening the genres covered to include traditional Irish music and jazz in addition to music from the middle ages to the present day. Performers will include the RTE ConTempo Quartet, the Irish Baroque Orchestra, acclaimed Irish pianist Isabelle O’Connell, Australian flautist Lina Andonovska, harpist Anne-Marie O’Farrell, traditional fiddle player Edel Sullivan and the CIT Cork School of Music Jazz Big Band.
This is the perfect weekend for those who not only love music but are interested in its history.
Food for thought
When it comes to eating unhealthy food, most people only think about the damage that fats and salts can cause to vital organs like the heart or liver. However, a new study has revealed that a diet rich in processed foods and high fat diary can impair vision.
The research which appears in the British Journal of Ophthalmology found a link between an unhealthy diet and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – a condition that impacts the retina with age.
Although the researchers found no link between early AMD and dietary patterns, they found that the incidence of late AMD was three times higher among those with a Western eating pattern, which included a high intake of “processed and red meat, fried food, dessert, eggs, refined grains, high fat dairy, and sugar sweetened beverages”.
The study indicates that consuming healthier foods can reduce the chances of contracting AMD.
Pack and stack
January is one of the most popular times to book your summer holidays and get ahead of the game before everyone else. However, the bliss of venturing off to that tropical island can be undercut by the stress of packing. When you’re heading away for a week, throwing a bunch of clothes into a suitcase two hours before your flight simply won’t work. To help avoid the panic of packing and ensure that everything fits snugly, it’s worth investing in packing cubes. These nifty gadgets make packing tidier and easier by compacting your clothing tightly together and also allow you to keep items in separate compartments. Once you arrive at your hotel, you don’t need to waste your time unpacking – just lift the cube out of your case and place it in your wardrobe.
