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On the 21st. of June each year French people celebrate Fete de la Musique. It is also celebrated in other European countries but to my knowledge not in Ireland. Surprising when you consider the strength of music and song in the Irish culture.
I was introduced to Fete de la Music in a beautiful perched village in the Hautes Pyrenees called Castlenou. There, perched on the hillside in the shade of the castle towering overhead, the proprietor Yvan Blavette puts on a most enjoyable evening of food, wine and music.
For more information click on www.restaurant-roussillon.com

If you travel a little farther into the mountains you will come to Villefranch-de-Conflent and if fine food in a beautiful setting appeals to you then visit Auberge St. Paul. There between the walls of the medieval town and the old church you can dine in the shade of the beautiful plane trees.
For more information visit http://perso.wanadoo.fr/auberge.stpaul

If you have any information from your travels in Ireland or France that you would like to pass on please drop a line.



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On Sunday mornings I like to listen to RTE radio programme "Sunday Miscellany" and last Sunday morning there was a very interesting short story relating to a French Huguenot family from La Rochelle that came and settled in Ireland to escape persecution in France.
http://pc.rte.ie/2007/pc/pod-v-080607-31m31s-sundaymisc.mp3
If you would like to listen to the story log on to the above site. I am sure it is the second story - the full programme is on the recording. Hope you can listen to it.

Our French Member Le 66 - Catherine O'Hara is moving house and has put her current home on the market. We visited herself and Alistair in April and this house truly has the "WOW" factor.

Hi again,

Please find hereafter, the details on our house site :

In the heart of a Catalan village of 2500 people, 2.5km from the (A9)Spain-bound motorway and 4km from the lively Catalan town of Ceret, St Jean Pla de Corts has its own nursery & primary schools, a butchers, a bakery, a general store and 2 restaurants one of which is lake-side. The lakes provide year-round entertainment for the family with it's bar & restaurant; adventure park; trout-fishing, pedaloes and trampolines. Our villa has 247m² of living space; this includes a 27m² self-contained studio apartment with kitchen and bathroom which sleeps 4. The main house contains an open-plan living area of over 80m². This wraps around a large terracotta terrace with steps leading down to the mosaic pool & garden. The villa is well appointed, light and airy on a private road with gated access and ample parking. A well planted garden boasts cherry, apricot, nectarine, olive and pine trees and the perimeter walls are covered with rose bushes. Planning permission has been obtained for a further 168m² dwelling. The villa is exceptionally private and makes an fabulous family home and/or lucrative rental property. The accommodation comprises of 4 large double bedrooms, 2 of which are en-suite. The master bedroom is approx 25m² with a walk-in dressing room. The main Bathroom has a double sink and a large sunken corner-bath. The large windows, open space and magnificent 180° mountain views from every window give this villa an unrivalled “Wow” factor


Catherine O'Hara
Maison Med
00 33 (0)4 68 21 18 08
00 33 (0)6 50 74 46 65
www.maisonmed.com link to full article

McMahon Architects - in the Charente-Maritime

Founded in 2003 in the Charente-Maritime, we are registered with the 'Ordre des Architectes' and carry all relevant insurances for design and project management. We have a particular expertise in Residential Work and pride ourselves on being able to combine quality of service and imaginative design with practical management and financial skills on both new-build and renovation projects.

Bienvenue

PMA est une agence d’architectes fondée en 2003 en Charente-Maritime. Nous sommes inscrits à l’ordre des architectes de Poitou-charente, nous assurons à la fois la conception et le suivie du chantier. Nous sommes spécialisés en particulier dans l’habitat, et l’agence est fière de combiner qualité de service et design créatif avec une pratique de management et une adresse financière aussi bien sur les projets modernes que la rénovation.

Please log on to our web-site McMahon Architects in the Charente-Maritime

www.mcmahon-architectes.com link to full article

To be found on www.chemins-vignerons.com/english a forum in which you can write your tasting notes, about french mediterranean vineyards only : Languedoc Roussillon Provence.

Hospitality service en Provence, in a very underrated wine region with the best value for money in Europe.
Best Wishes - Marc

Marc, Thanks for your contact. However I could not make contact on your Link. Perhaps you would like to re send it.

Brendan link to full article

Dave McGrath wrote on the 02-04-2007 :
Subject: membership Comment:
Hi I'm Dave (living in London but from cork boy !)My family and I are moving to France in a month and would love to be part of some kind of "Irish connection" grateful if you could call me on 00 44 7958 249 475 to discuss becoming a member etc.

Hi Dave, thanks for your contact. If you could let me have a picture, a thumb nail description of about 60 words and a contact web address. I can add your membership.

Brendan

Stephanie Lynch wrote on the 27-04-2007 :
Subject: general infoComment:
Just a query, wondering if any of your members could recommend an Insurance company in Narbonne for us. We are first time buyers in France and have been allocated just one company which is England based, so we dont really think this is suitable.

Hi Stephnie, Sorry for the delay in replying. You could check our the website of -http://www.sixtysix.fr/ - they publish news letters / advertisers for Aude, Herault etc.You could also contact Tony at www.nizas.comHope that this will be of help - Brendan link to full article

'An Evening with the French'
The GAA Museum will host a unique event entitled ‘An Evening with the French’ on Thursday 8th February from 7.30pm to mark the first international rugby match between Ireland and France in Croke Park.
The event will include a talk by Prof Kevin Whelan, the Director of the Keough-Naughton Notre Dame Centre in Dublin, on the links between Ireland and France.
Prof Whelan has published fifteen books including 1798: A Bicentenary Perspective and almost one hundred articles.
Dr Philip Dine (NUI Galway) will speak about French rugby but will also look at other sporting areas such as the record of Irish cyclists in the Tour de France.
His published research includes French Rugby Football: A Cultural History, which forms part of a broader reflection on leisure and popular culture in France.
Former GAA president Seán Kelly, under whose watch the decision to open the association’s pride and joy to other sports was made, feels it fitting that the French are the first visitors to Jones Road in this brave new world of sporting ecumenicalism.
He said: “Always our ally, never our enemy. We turned to France in times of crisis. History shows that from Killalla to Kinsale they were always our friends. It will be special when the battle of the tricolours takes place tomorrow. Two nations, different countries, similar flags.”

February visit to Pyrenees Orientales (P.O.)

To me anytime is a good time to visit P.O. and February did not disappoint. We flew from Shannon to Carcassonne for a change and it worked out quite well.
From Carcassonne we went to Limoux, where they claim to have invented sparkling wine long before Champagne did. Having done a little tasting and made some purchases we took the scenic route to Perpignan and even in February it is a beautiful drive.
Our favourite restaurant (so far!) in the region is Auberge St. Paul in Villefranch-de-Conflient (01-68 96 30 95). The last night we were there (in Summer) we dined under the magnificent Plane tree out front. This time, however, it was a perfect starry night with a full moon silhouetting the crest of the mountains so dining was indoors.
Once again the food, wine and attention from the owner was superb – a treat not to be missed particularly if you are staying at A l'ombre du fort (see French Members).

For a totally different experience we stayed over-night at La Chamberte near Beziers (see French Members). This was truly a unique experience. The owner, Irwin Davidson, filled us in on the history of the building and the transformation he has carried out there over the past fifteen years.
The building was originally a winery and still retains many of the original features. The food and hospitality was unforgettable and all at a very reasonable cost. It is not to be missed if you are in the Beziers area.

LeMag-Group seeking Business Partner for le 34
We are seeking a motivated and sales-driven individual or team to take over the magazine le thirty-four. Le Mag group has taken the South of France by storm with le sixtysix, le eleven and le forty-six. The revenue potential is very high for the right candidate who has the confidence to seek advertisors in the area. The magazines are composed of corporate advertising as well as classifieds and what's on. Applicants must be bilingual French/English and above all, motivated. Please call or email Alistair on 04 68 82 28 54 or alistair@lemag-group.com