More than 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the country's largest free maritime festival which gets underway in Cork today.

As Rory O’Connell returns with a new RTÉ series exploring international cuisine, he returns to his local roots for a new food festival in Cork. Ciara McDonnell reports.

John Divilly on the takeaways from the opening weekend of league action.

Brother and sister Rory O’Connell and Darina Allen recall their childhood Christmas memories with Marjorie Brennan

MISSED BY ALL: The Menu was saddened to learn of the recent death of Biddy White Lennon, a fellow member of the Irish Guild of Food Writers, of which she was both a founder member and former chair.

Cork was a big winner at last night’s Bord Gáis Energy Book Awards, as the critically acclaimed history tome Atlas of the Irish Revolution picked up the Best Irish Published Book of the Year.

Marian Keyes, Roddy Doyle, and Cecelia Ahern have all been shortlisted for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards.

David Walliams will also recive the ‘Bord Gáis Energy International Recognition Award on the night.

Rory O’Connell, director of Litfest, confirmed it would be taking a break in 2018.

Your home viewing entertainment wrap for the week ahead, with Des O’Driscoll.

A stash of cocaine worth €31,000 was found under a man’s bed in Carrigaline and yesterday the accused was told he had his priorities wrong in putting his job before his rehabilitation.

BALLYMALOE LITFEST

Gardaí in Carrigaline, Co Cork, searched the home of a young man who was never in trouble before and found €31,000 worth of cocaine stashed under his bed.

King Charles III on BBC Two at 8pm on Wednesday imagines the accession that could take place when the British queen dies.

Stephen Graham’s character continues to search for evidence in real-life murder drama Little Boy Blue at 9pm on ITV on Monday.

Betimes, The Menu is inclined to think there are more food awards than actual foodstuffs, so great has their proliferation become in recent years, but The Irish Food Writers’ Guild Community Food Awards remain exceptional and above criticism in his eyes. 

Textures and hues of nature inspire creativity for Niamh MacGowan.

SATURDAY

Until a deluge split the heavens at lunchtime on Sunday, many were increasingly inclined to believe rumours that Satan was spotted somewhere east of Shanagarry bearing a bagful of souls, his part in a Faustian bargain that saw the 2016 Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food & Wine bask in an utterly improbable mini-heatwave while the rest of the country took to the lifeboats.

This weekend all eyes are on the Ballymaloe Litfest of Food & Wine. Joe McNamee meets the chefs – and discovers their favourite meals

The Guards is a new series on RTÉ Two looking at life behind the scenes for gardaí in Dublin. It airs at 9.55pm on Tuesday night.

BUY THIS

WELL, Lent is almost over and if you are one of those virtuous souls who have been abstaining for the past seven weeks now is the time to feast and savour the rewards of your fasting. 

Our top chefs pay tribute to their mums, and recall some of the childhood meals that inspired their future careers. Joe McNamee reports.

I’VE just discovered Somerset!

It didn’t quite compensate for the recent failure to bring back Sam to the Kingdom, but there was great local delight at the crowning of Cahirciveen company Quinlan’s Seafood as supreme champions at the Blás na hÉireann Food Awards as part of the annual Dingle Food Festival that took place in the Kerry over the weekend.

The Dingle Food Festival is upon us again (October 2-4). 

The Menu is in the full throes of festival fever and first port of call is the Galway International Oyster Festival (Sept 25-27).

There is activity in abundance in the sunny south-east, beginning with the Waterford Harvest Festival (Sept 11-13, www.waterfordharvestfestival.ie ). 

Terra Nova Gardens, Dromin, Kilmallock, Co Limerick, are having their last open day of 2015 on Sunday, August 30, from 2pm to 6pm.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is set to officially open Ireland’s largest renewable energy test and research facility in Cork next weekend as part of the country’s first national maritime festival.

The first national celebration of the seas around Ireland and an opportunity to share our seafaring heritage, has been launched by the Government.

JUST a week to go to the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine May 15-17, there’s a mouthful! 

Brendan O’Carroll delves into the killing of his grandfather by British forces in Who Do You Think You Are?, tomorrow on RTÉ One.

RORY O’CONNELL has been teaching people to cook for more than 30 years, ever since he co-founded Ballymaloe Cookery School with his sister, Darina Allen.

Suitably decked out in 40 shades of verdant green, a most patriotic Menu is all set to celebrate Lá Fhéile Pádraig, in the only way he knows how: the consumption of the finest of Irish produce.