Dede Sophie

Ireland, with it’s extremely friendly people and vibrantly green wildlife, is a bucket-list destination for most. The main port of entry is Dublin Airport, if you are arriving by air the airport offers a good range of both car and campervan rental options, and pieces are fair in my estimation. (Btw if anyone is interested: I used MPV Rentals as we like to hire a 7 seater for the extra space and comfort on longer journeys…. niceeee rideee, highly recommended!) Vegan Ireland Ostensibly for (English-speaking) vegans Ireland seems like a walk in the park with one of the official languages being English (aka no language barrier) and with over 13 vegan restaurants in Dublin. But what’s it like in reality? And, more importantly, is Guinness vegan? I spent a week exploring the west coast of Ireland and this is what I found: Accidentally Vegan Traditional Irish Recipes? As a travelling vegan, I try to keep my meals as traditional as possible, whilst still keeping them meat, fish, dairy, egg an

The Continental Irish Commercial SUV of the Year 2023 is the Land Rover Defender Commercial, writes Trish Whelan. The award was presented this morning by Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland to Eddie Kavanagh of Jaguar Land Rover Ireland with Joe Reyfus, chairperson of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland. The presentation was at Harris Commercials during a function organised by the MMAI, whose Van Jury members voted on the category, part of the overall Irish Car of the Year and Irish Van of the Year annual awards organised by the MMAI in association with Continental.  A category award under the umbrella of the Irish Van of the Year awards, the Commercial SUV of the Year is voted upon by a jury of the most experienced light commercial vehicle journalists in Ireland, who took into account such attributes as load capacity, reliability, overall versatility, cost of ownership and driving comfort. The overall Irish Van of the Year award for 2023 was won by the VW ID. Buzz. German

The ORA electric car brand owned by Great Wall Motors of China is being distributed in Ireland by IM Automotive Ltd who recently introduced the Funky Cat small car to our shores, writes Trish Whelan.  This little feline comes with a mix of retro and futuristic styling inside and out, some high end technology and a long list of standard spec. It competes with other small and equally cute electric cars such as the Honda-e and Fiat’s 500e. All ORA’s current range have Cat in their name. Unlike the Chinese, I don’t like cats.  However, this supermini sized hatchback impressed me with a friendly appeal, lovely curves, small circular headlamps, strong build quality and well thought-out interior. My car was in the sea green colour with white roof and pillars. The rear lights gave their own display when I turned the car on or off. Not to be outdone, the front lamps did their own workout, and actually winked at me.  The very roomy and equally colourful interior could hold its own against many

Volkswagen have released details of their new large electric car, the ID.7 which will go on sale in Ireland towards the end of this year, writes Brian Byrne. The car is a saloon in format and will be the flagship of the brand’s electric car range. A rated range of up to 700km is claimed for the ID.7, which also features a brand new electric motor system and furthers VW’s stated ambition to be selling only electric cars in Europe by 2033. Volkswagen say they have emphasised a high quality appearance, and the car will have a new style of display. Very smooth aerodynamics will contribute to the ID.7’s range efficiency. Pricing will be revealed closer to launch here.