Weekend Loves: Irish athleisure, free fitness classes, and complimentary headshots

Ruth O'Connor's weekly guide to inspiring ideas and beautiful things

Stylish yet comfortable, Day x fee G's range of sweatshirts and hoodies feature cheerful colours to enhance your mood.

Get moving with free fitness classes by One Arena

Avail of free fitness classes with One Arena.

If your lockdown was more couch-potato than couch-to-5k you might want to avail of the brilliant new initiative by Edward Finn’s One Arena. For the rest of this month, One Arena is hosting outdoor free fitness classes at St Finbarr’s GAA Club. 

Finn is passionate about getting people physically fit and active so the free 60-minute sessions are suitable for everyone over the age of 16 who wants to get moving again. The sessions take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.15pm. See www.onearena.ie or call 085 163 6440

Free professional headshot initiative at The River Lee

The Doyle Collection is hosting their International Women's Day Headshot Initiative at The River Lee Hotel.

Following on from the success of their headshots initiative in celebration of International Women’s Day earlier this year, The River Lee hotel will host another session of complimentary professional headshot photography for women in business. 

Have a professional headshot taken by Egle Laukyte of White Cat Studio next Wednesday, August 18. An essential professional asset, you’ll come away with a new portrait shot to use on your CV, website, social media or press release. 

Sessions run from 9.30am to 5.20pm and each session lasts 15 minutes. See The River Lee @theriverlee on Instagram for more details. 

Readers near Dublin can avail of the same opportunity with photographer Emily Quinn in The Westbury on Tuesday, August 17. See @westburydublin on Instagram for details.

Beautiful blankets for sunny days and cosy nights

John Hanly mohair throw bright red and pink check €156.76.

The products made by fifth-generation weavers, John Hanly, are simply excellent and what better way to enjoy the outdoors now, while heralding cosy Autumn nights indoors, than with a blanket or throw from the 128-year-old Tipperary company? U

sing beautiful yarns including wool, cashmere, lambswool and mohair, in a myriad of hues, you can opt for an ‘Irish Picnic Knee Blanket’ (€60), a large ‘Irish Picnic Classic’ (€78.75) or a luxurious cashmere throw (from €149.45). 

Made to last a lifetime, these beautiful blankets can be thrown on the ground for a picnic, wrapped around the shoulders on a cool day or used to enhance the foot of your bed. John Hanly has a range of stockists nationwide and you can also shop the range directly at johnhanly.com

Step back in time with Cork Heritage Open Day

Take a step back in time and discover Cork's historic buildings.

Cork Heritage Open Day launches today with 45 three-minute recorded guided tours of Cork buildings going live online. Organised by Cork City Council, Cork Heritage Open Day is unique to Cork and has marked the start of National Heritage Week since 2005. 

Online this year due to Covid restrictions, take a step back in time and discover buildings such as the Courthouse on Washington Street, Ballincollig Gunpowder Mills, Blarney Castle and St Luke’s Church. You can access archival footage of Cork, learn about the language of the Stone Masons and listen to former Jewish residents as they remember their childhood in the city.

See www.corkheritageopenday.ie

Elevated athleisure from Irish fashion brand fee G

DAY x fee G is stylish yet comfortable.

Fiona Heaney of fee G fame is renowned for knowing exactly what women want to wear for special occasions. Now Heaney has taken her design skills to dressing for the everyday with her range of elevated athleisure wear — DAY x fee G. 

Stylish yet comfortable, the range of sweatshirts and hoodies feature embellishment in the form of beading and embroidery as well as cheerful colours to enhance your mood. Heaney is also striving to be more transparent about how her designs are made and tells us that the DAY x fee G range uses sustainable cotton and biodegradable packaging. 

Prices start at €98. See www.feeg.ie/DAY

Soothing haircare for delicate scalps by Aveeno

Aveeno's new oat shampoo is one of six new products on offer.

With years of experience producing products for delicate skin, Aveeno’s new range of scalp soothing haircare combines scalp health and hair beauty with six new shampoo and conditioner duos to suit all hair types. 

The new products are designed to soothe the scalp while providing solutions to common hair issues such as frizz and colour fading. Using the key ingredient found in their other products — colloidal oat — the sulphate free, pH balanced products help relieve itchy, dry scalp while leaving hair shiny and soft.

 Available from supermarkets and pharmacies nationwide. RRP €9.99