Jo Loves July

Bibi’s?I’m slowly but surely making my way through every neighbourhood in Dublin. Latest on my list was Portobello, and I have a new favourite haunt. It starts with a B. To say Bibi’s caf?, Portobello, is the ultimate hangover hang-out is an insult to their delicious fare, but it does go down as the best way to spend a Sunday morn (headache or no headache). Their brunch is hearty and sunshine filled, or at least it would be if Bibi’s did weather. The cool clientele kept me distracted before I strolled over for a browse in the adjacent boutique, Dolls. This is how every Sunday should unfold – bibis.ie

Geordie for life?Having promised Cian, an old college friend, that I would visit him in Newcastle (I’ve actually been promising him I’d make a trip for the last two years – my bad), I finally got around to it. Besides the amazing accent, Newcastle is a beautiful city. Who knew it was such an artistic hub? I visited the Baltic Art Centre and fell in love with the work of David Maljkovi? and Fabrice Hyber. I managed to take a few pics (above) before being told off. Then it was on to Sunderland for a night in indie mecca, Independent, before a Sunday visit to the university town of Durham. I’m not a Harry Potter fan, but even I recognised the scenes from the movie that were shot there. It’s so picturesque. Go Newcastle! Don’t let Geordie Shore throw you ?

GAZE My fiercely talented pal David is the programmer of GAZE, Ireland’s?gay and lesbian film festival. It’s always packed with quality films, shorts and series. My fave last year was The Outs, a web series that was seriously good, Girls-esque even. (Check it out at theouts.squarespace.com). So I went along to the GAZE screening of Shortbus on Tuesday night. Keep eyes and ears peeled for more GAZE shenanigans, as it launches at The Lighthouse on the first weekend in August. David tells me there’ll be visiting filmmakers, fashion documentaries and there are even whispers of a visit from Patricia Field as she showcases her film here. Exciting! gaze.ie

Concrete Collars?I am completely and utterly obsessed with the Concrete Collar girls. Haven’t heard of them? I hadn’t either, until a couple of weeks ago and now my time online has been seriously jeopardised as I languidly scroll through their beautiful blog roll. These geniuses are both architectural students who have excellent taste and a keen style eye. They’ve created a blog/portfolio of their own shoots in Ireland’s most interesting settings, both natural and not so, dressed in their own unique style. The clothes, the setting, the history? Spot on fashion fix. More please. theconcretecollar.blogspot.ie

TASTE of Dublin?This year, I was lucky enough to be a guest at Electrolux Chefs’ Table at Taste of Dublin in the Iveagh Gardens. Recently crowned Chef of The Year, Atul Kochhar (of Jaipur and Ananda fame), was on hand to cook and talk us through a specially made lunch menu. It was so much fun – for body and brain. I’m always excited to be in a setting where I can grill (sorry) a foodie, especially when they’re on top of their game. So grill I did! And the team told us everything from the provenance of the food to the concepts behind India’s favourite dishes. It was amazing to see the team at work and I was really pleasantly surprised that the vegetarian lunch was so carefully thought out. Often us veggies get turfed out into risotto-land and it was a treat to have a lunch made so deliciously with meat-free love.

Our July issue came out and it’s been one of my favourites. I got to interview and shoot some of the women behind Ireland’s best festivals this summer. And isn’t the cover beautiful? The fashion shoot inside is something special too.

Jo Linehan @jo_linehan