2023 Bar of the Year Awards Finalists Announced! Is Your Favourite In The Running?

Paladar's Tropical Itch Paladar is one of many Cork bars in the shortlists. 2023 Bar of the Year Awards Finalists Announced! With almost 600 submissions this year's Bar Awards have seen more entries than ever before, which made the judges decision even harder as the competition was even stronger. After intense deliberation only the best bars have been shortlisted as finalists.

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VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR Franciscan Well Brewpub - Cork Jackie's - Dublin Lock 13 Brewpub - Kildare Nevins Newfield Inn - Mayo Roe & Co Distillery - Dublin The Black Forge Inn - Dublin Sponsored by Excel Recruitment

HOTEL BAR OF THE YEAR Americana Bar - Dublin Bartley's Bar and Restaurant at The Grafton Hotel - Dublin Café du Parc - Kerry Clayton Hotel Limerick - Limerick Conor's Bar & Lounge - Monaghan Dunes Bar & Bistro - Cork HYDE Bar - Galway Knights Bar - Clontarf Castle Hotel - Dublin Schull Harbour Hotel - The Gracie Blue Bar - Cork The Aylward Lounge at Faithlegg - Waterford The Blue Haven Kinsale - Cork The Club At Goffs - Kildare The Connacht Hotel - Galway The Curious Mister - Dublin The Montenotte Hotel - Cork Wineport Lodge - Westmeath Sponsored by Tia Maria

FIVE STAR HOTEL BAR OF THE YEAR  Bar No 23. at The Merrion Hotel - Dublin Mount Juliet Estate - Majors Bar - Kilkenny The Clubhouse at Fota Island Resort - Cork The Cocktail Bar at Dromoland - Clare The Courtyard Bar, Carton House, A Fairmont Managed Hotel - Kildare The Savoy Bar at the Savoy Hotel - Limerick The Sidecar at The Westbury - Dublin The Tack Room at Adare Manor - Limerick Sponsored by London Essence

RESTAURANT BAR OF THE YEAR Annie May's, Newcastle - Dublin Doolally - Dublin FIRE Steakhouse & Bar - Dublin Hogs & Heifers - Dublin House Limerick - Limerick Isabelle's - Dublin Lemon & Duke - Dublin Mama Yo - Dublin Ryleigh's - Dublin Saba - Dublin Sandyford House - Dublin Silken Thomas - Kildare Sophie's Rooftop Galway - Dublin The Club At Goffs - Kildare The Grayson - Dublin The Wine Cellar at Fallon & Byrne - Dublin Sponsored by Coole Swan

TOURIST BAR OF THE YEAR 1520 - Galway Brass Fox Wicklow - Wicklow Bruxelles, Dublin - Dublin Buskers Bar - Dublin Fishermans Thatched Inn - Laois Gerties Brownes Bar and Bistro - Westmeath Lundy Foots - Dublin Murray's Bar - Dublin O'Connells Galway - Galway Revolution Craft Beer & Whiskey Bar - Waterford The Auld Dubliner - Dublin The Brazen Head - Dublin The Locke - Limerick The Porter House - Mayo The Shelbourne Bar Cork - Cork The Stag's Head - Dublin

CITY BAR OF THE YEAR An Púcán - Galway Cask - Cork Costigan's Pub - Cork Grand Central Dublin - Dublin House Limerick - Limerick Impala - Cork Jerry Flannerys & 1314 - Limerick Kodiak - Dublin Left Bank - Kilkenny Lemon & Duke - Dublin NoLIta - Dublin r.i.o.t. Dublin - Dublin Revolution Craft Beer & Whiskey Bar - Waterford The Curious Mister - Dublin The Front Door Pub - Galway The Landmark - Dublin Sponsored by Schweppes

INNOVATIVE BAR OF THE YEAR An Púcán - Galway Andy's Bar Monaghan - Monaghan BAR 1661 - Dublin Cask - Cork Hamlets Bar + Kitchen - Cork Jackie's - Dublin Knights Bar - Clontarf Castle Hotel - Dublin Lock 13 Brewpub - Kildare Mother Macs Public House - Limerick Nevins Newfield Inn - Mayo Peruke & Periwig - Dublin Saba - Dublin The Camden - Dublin The Curious Mister - Dublin The Shelbourne Bar Cork - Cork Sponsored by Istil 38

TRADITIONAL BAR OF THE YEAR An Poitin Stil - Dublin Cobbler's Bar - Mayo Gracie's Bar - Sligo J.J Houghs Singing Pub - Offaly K67 Bar & Grill - Dublin Kehoes Pub - Dublin Lundy Foots - Dublin Murphy's Galway - Galway Murray's Bar - Dublin O'Donoghue Public House - Kerry O’Briens Bar - Wexford Paddy Macs - Mayo Peadars Bar Moate - Westmeath The Brazen Head - Dublin The Stag's Head - Dublin Thomas Francis Meagher Bar at the Granville Hotel - Waterford

LOCAL BAR OF THE YEAR  An Poitin Stil - Dublin Annie May's, Newcastle - Dublin Dignam’s Bar - Monaghan Gertie Brownes Bar and Bistro - Westmeath Glynn's Bar - Galway Jimmy Rabbittes - Dublin K67 Bar & Grill - Dublin Off The Bone Gastropub - Limerick Old Mill, Tallaght - Dublin Palmerstown House - Dublin Peadars Bar Moate - Westmeath The Black Forge Inn - Dublin The Forty Four - Dublin The Laurels Clondakin - Dublin The Railway Tavern, Fahan, Donegal - Donegal Veldons Seafarer - Galway

GASTRO BAR OF THE YEAR Carroll's of Lucan - Dublin Conor's Bar & Lounge - Monaghan Gertie Brownes Bar and Bistro - Westmeath Harrigan's Bar & Grill - Kildare John Keoghs Gastropub - Galway JW's Brasserie - Mayo Left Bank - Kilkenny Monks - Clare O'Donoghue Public House - Kerry Russells Seafood Bar, Doolin - Clare The Cellar Bar - Dublin The Dew Drop Inn & Brewhouse - Kildare The Kings Head Galway - Galway THE OARSMAN - Leitrim The Purty Kitchen - Dublin The Station at Molloys - Dublin Sponsored by Classic Drinks

BAR FOOD OF THE YEAR An Poitin Stil - Dublin Arcadia - Dublin Bartley's Bar and Restaurant at The Grafton Hotel - Dublin Blake's Bar Galway - Galway Caribou - Galway Dunes Bar & Bistro - Cork Gerties Brownes Bar and Bistro - Westmeath Paladar - Cork Palmerstown House - Dublin The Black Forge Inn - Dublin The Blue Haven Kinsale - Cork The Hideout - Kildare The Kenmare Rooms - Kerry The Paddocks - Dublin Thomas Francis Meagher Bar at the Granville Hotel - Waterford TOWN - Kildare

BEST BAR TO WATCH THE MATCH An Púcán - Galway Brass Bar & Grill - Dublin Buskers On The Ball - Dublin Dignams Bar - Monaghan Glynn's Bar - Galway Jerry Flannerys & 1314 - Limerick Molloys Bar and Grill - Dublin O Sheas Corner - Wicklow Slattery's D4 - Dublin The Blackrock - Dublin The Bridge 1859 - Dublin The Kenmare Rooms - Kerry The Living Room - Dublin The Old Lodge Gastro Pub - Clare The Paddocks - Dublin Woolshed Baa & Grill Cork - Cork Sponsored by Sky Business

LATE BAR / NIGHTCLUB OF THE YEAR 37 Dawson Street - Dublin Amber Nightclub - Limerick Bar Square & Time Square Night Club - Mayo Café en Seine - Dublin Cosy Joe's Bar - Mayo Jerry Flannerys & 1314 - Limerick Left Bank - Kilkenny r.i.o.t. Dublin - Dublin The Barracks - Carlow The Camden - Dublin The Living Room - Dublin The Quays Bar Galway - Galway The Roost Maynooth - Kildare The Workman's Club - Dublin Wrights Cafe Bar - Dublin

BEST LIVE ENTERTAINMENT BAR Buskers Bar - Dublin Durty Nelly's Bar and Restaurant - Clare Foley's Bar - Dublin Judge Roy Beans - Kildare Mc Hughs Bar - Leitrim NoLIta - Dublin O'Donoghue Public House - Kerry The Blue Haven Kinsale - Cork The Giddy Dolphin - Dublin The Kings Head Galway - Galway The Laurels Clondakin - Dublin The Locke - Limerick The Old Quarter Pub, Café & Townhouse - Limerick The Porter House - Mayo The Quays Bar Galway - Galway The Roost Maynooth - Kildare

BEST DESIGNED BAR / BEST INSIDE SPACE Brickyard - Dublin Conor's Bar & Lounge - Monaghan Dunes Bar & Bistro - Cork Gracie's Bar - Sligo Jackal - Westmeath K67 Bar & Grill - Dublin Moody Cafe Vin - Cork Paladar - Cork Roe & Co Distillery - Dublin Russells Seafood Bar, Doolin - Clare Stella Cocktail Club - Dublin The Curious Mister - Dublin The Gables - Dublin The Monks Society - Clare The Montenotte Hotel - Cork TOWN - Kildare

COCKTAIL BAR OF THE YEAR  9 Below - Dublin BAR 1661 - Dublin Cask - Cork Conor's Bar & Lounge - Monaghan HYDE Bar - Galway Jerry Flannerys & 1314 - Limerick Kodiak - Dublin Lemon & Duke - Dublin Paladar - Cork Stella Cocktail Club - Dublin The Curious Mister - Dublin The Liquor Lounge - Galway The Lucky Duck - Dublin The Monks' Society - Clare The Sidecar at The Westbury - Dublin The Tack Room at Adare Manor - Limerick Sponsored by Maker's Mark

OUTSIDE SPACE OF THE YEAR An Púcán - Galway Castleknock Hotel - 22 Bar & Restaurant - Dublin Dunes Bar & Bistro - Cork Fishermans Thatched Inn - Laois Glynn's Bar - Galway House Dublin - Dublin Kenny's of Lucan - Dublin Nevins Newfield Inn - Mayo Peadars Bar Moate - Westmeath Russell’s Saloon Gin Emporium - Louth Russells Seafood Bar, Doolin - Clare The Connacht Hotel - Galway The Living Room - Dublin The Locke - Limerick The Merrion Garden Terrace - Dublin The River Club Cork - Cork

GIN BAR OF THE YEAR Andy's Bar Monaghan - Monaghan Costigan's Pub - Cork Gin Palace - Dublin HYDE Bar & Gin Parlour - Galway Lock 13 Brewpub - Kildare Russell’s Saloon Gin Emporium - Louth The Savoy Bar at the Savoy Hotel - Limerick Tigh Nora - Galway Sponsored by Xin Gin

BEST NEWCOMER Brickyard - Dublin DISnDAT - Dublin Foley's Bar - Dublin Gracie's Bar - Sligo Hynes' Bar - Dublin Kodiak - Dublin Mc Hughs Bar - Leitrim Moody Cafe Vin - Cork Murphy's Galway - Galway O Sheas Corner - Wicklow Paladar - Cork The Black Barrel - Cork The Blackrock - Dublin The Gables - Dublin The Liberty Bar - Cork The Monks Society - Clare

WHISKEY BAR OF THE YEAR BAR 1661 - Dublin Costigan's Pub - Cork McSwiggans Steak + Seafood Restaurant - Galway Mother Macs Public House - Limerick Revolution Craft Beer & Whiskey Bar - Waterford Sonny Molloy's Irish Whiskey Bar - Galway The Black Barrel - Cork The Shelbourne Bar Cork - Cork The Tack Room at Adare Manor - Limerick The Whiskey Library - Kildare Sponsored by Roe & Co

CRAFT BAR OF THE YEAR  Bonobo - Dublin Brickyard - Dublin Caribou - Galway Franciscan Well Brewpub - Cork Impala - Cork Lock 13 Brewpub - Kildare Mother Macs Public House - Limerick Revolution Craft Beer & Whiskey Bar - Waterford The Dew Drop Inn & Brewhouse - Kildare

BEST VALUE PUB Kehoes pub & parlour - Wexford Oasis bar - Donegal Peadars Bar Moate - Westmeath The Black Forge Inn - Dublin Thomas Francis Meagher Bar at the Granville Hotel - Waterford

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD BAR 1661 - Dublin Bartley's Bar and Restaurant at The Grafton Hotel - Dublin Brady's of Shankill - Dublin Caribou - Galway Carton House, A Fairmont Managed Hotel - Kildare Cask - Cork Costigan's Pub - Cork Harrigan's Bar & Grill - Kildare Kodiak - Dublin Paladar - Cork Roe & Co Distillery - Dublin Russell’s Saloon Gin Emporium - Louth The Blue Haven Kinsale - Cork The Hideout - Kildare The Igo Inn - Dublin The Landmark - Dublin Sponsored by Cointreau

Goldie Sure Has That Swing. O🐟ial!

Goldie Sure Has That Swing. 

O🐟ial! 

Pannacotta

You can have the best produce. The best equipment in the kitchen. The most comfortable seating. A stellar wine list. All those won't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. 

And Goldie’s Aishling Moore sure has that swing. She gives it everything she’s got and her food sings. Cool or hot, the rhythm is on the spot, taking customers to a different level every single visit and each and every dish.

Just a few years on the scene in the heart of Cork City and Goldie has built a unique reputation for the quality of its fish dishes. But it is not all fish here. There are some very tempting vegetarian dishes and those desserts strike, well let us caress, those sweet spots. Even Michelin agrees. Goldie has a Bib Gourmand and is also on its latest list of the best places to go for seafood in Ireland.

Aishling is quite a conductor, often composing as she goes. The menu changes daily. “Whatever the small boats bring us, we take. We forage on the local coast for sea vegetables and seaweed.”

And there’s some singing in the background too. West Cork’s Singing Frog Gardens are prominent on the menu. Lots of herbs, even wasabi on the cured plaice. That wasabi is of course local and other local suppliers include Rossmore Oysters, Churchfield Community Gardens, Cuinneog (Mayo), East Ferry poultry, Bushby Strawberries, St Tola cheese, Achill island salt and more..

Our server has a warm welcome for us and gives us an enthusiastic run through the menu, highlighting the Red Mullet Anchovies in the Snacks, the Cured Plaice in the 5 Small Plates and the three fish in the 5 Mains.

Schnitzel 

We take our time as we make our choices. The Rossmore Oysters for me and the Cod Tail Schnitzel for CL along with a glass of the Angel Stout and Elbow Lager (both made across the road by the Elbow Lane microbrewery, part of the Market Lane group as is Goldie). 

Aishling tells us the beers chosen are just perfect for the small plates. Small? In quantity, I suppose the word fits. But the quality is stratospheric! Those oysters, with the Singing Frog lemongrass and ginger granita, are the best I have ever tasted. Quite a beginning, zing and swing.

Monkfish

Stout

And CL’s Cod Tail Schnitzel is also out of the usual orbit, that soy-cured egg yolk, along with a celeriac and gherkin remoulade, enhancing the flattened cod. I got a taste,  delicious flavours, stole another and had to stop at that for fear of retaliation!

Now for the mains, not too easy to relegate the Pan Roast Turbot with Churchfield herb panisse but we choose the Pan Fried Plaice and the Panfired Monkfish.

CL’s Plaice came with Singing Frog Courgette and a chicken and miso butter sauce. Again, everything was just perfect, the courgette a surprising enhancement along with the sauce. Not forgetting some of the shared side of Sea Salt Shoestring Chips (say that quickly!).

Plaice

Panaeng is a lovely mild curry named after tropical Penang and that was what my Monkfish came in, along with a tasty sunflower seed relish. The Panaeng can be spiced up with chillis but this was perfect as it was and the whole dish was another hit from the Goldie repertoire. Just to mention that those fries were also top-class.

Desserts are often an afterthought if they are thought of at all, in many restaurants, and you often have the usual suspects to choose from and nothing innovative in sight. Not here. Even though the list is short, just three, they are rather special.

A duo of sweet beauties highlighted the finalé, with Rosscarbery fruit growers, Bushbys, featuring deliciously in both. Mine was the Singing Frog basil pannacotta with Bushby’s strawberry sorbet and meringue. What an ensemble! And CL’s was another hit from the Goldie playlist, a beautiful combination of the St Tola cheese ice cream, with Bushby raspberries and beetroot molasses. 

We relaxed, serene in foodie Nirvana. Very Highly Recommended. Very well priced also, by the way. Put it on your list and put this song on your playlist!

St Tola

“Yes, it don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing

Well, it don't mean a thing, all you got to do is sing

It makes no difference if it's sweet or hot

Just give that rhythm everything you got”

(It Don't Mean a Thing by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills)

Norton celebrates 10 years in wine with latest Sauv Blanc. Plus Matson's July Offers

Wine press releases 

SuperValu, Matson's, 

Ten Years Of A Good Tipple With Graham Norton

Plus Matson's July Offers

SuperValu Wine Expert Kevin O’Callaghan and TV Personality Graham Norton

 

 

Graham Norton and Invivo are celebrating ten years of a partnership that has produced an award-winning wine and spirits range.

 

With more than 15 million bottles of Graham Norton wine sold over the past ten years and 153 glasses of Graham Norton wines enjoyed every minute around the world (that’s nearly three glasses every second), the renowned wine and spirits brand is a true Irish-Kiwi success story.

 

The most awarded celebrity wine brand globally in recent years with more than 250 accolades, the GN wine range has earned its place with shoppers as a great-tasting, value-for-money wine selection and continues to enjoy phenomenal global commercial success.

 

The partnership between Graham and Invivo began in 2011, following a cheeky phone call from Invivo Cofounders Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron, that led to Invivo wines being enjoyed on the set of Graham’s namesake TV show. Soon after in 2014, Invivo and Graham created their first Sauvignon Blanc together, which was an initial run of just 12,000 bottles.

 

Graham Norton’s Sauvignon Blanc is one of the fastest-growing Sauvignon Blancs in Ireland (by 50%, IWSR Drinks Report 2022) and this year marks its 10^th anniversary.  Each year, Graham and the team from Invivo meet to ensure the new blend meets Graham Norton’s high taste standards and continues to excite the consumer.

 

This year, Graham and the Invivo team along with SuperValu’s wine expert Kevin O’Callaghan travelled to Arundel’s By The Pier in the village of Ahakista, near Graham’s West Cork home town to taste and select the new 2023 blend of GN Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

 

Commenting on the blend, Graham Norton said ““It’s great to be celebrating ten years of Graham Norton wines. I never imagined that the conversation between myself and the Invivo guys – Tim and Rob – in 2011 would lead to such a successful range of wines, with lots of fun and wine tasting along the way. I’m delighted to be so involved and to get an opportunity to taste and select the new blends each year. I’m fussy about my wines so it’s important for me to ensure the consumer is getting what I would like to drink myself”.

 

Invivo’s Rob Cameron said, “This is not just a name on a label, Graham takes a very hands-on approach to the wines, he’s part of the process from start to finish which I think is truly reflected in the quality.”

 

Invited guest to the blending, SuperValu’s Wine Expert, Kevin O’Callaghan commented “Ten years ago, we launched the Graham Norton Sauvignon Blanc in SuperValu stores nationwide. It’s now a go-to wine for many of our shoppers which is a real endorsement of the care both Graham and Invivo put into the choice of blends each year and the passion and innovation they put into the range. Having helped to choose the 2023 blend, I think this will be a real winner and one that will be included in the shoppers selection for any occasion.”

Matson's Summer Specials!

Just one of the many reductions this month in Matson's Stores in Bandon, Grange and Youghal. Check instore!

 

Check out this organic Verdicchio. Incredible quality. Italy's best-buy wine of all time?

Check out this Verdicchio. Organic. Incredible quality. Italy's best-buy wine of all time?

Colle Stefano Verdicchio Di Matelica (DOC), 12.5% ABV 

RRP: €19.25. Stockists: Le Caveau, 64 Wine, Greenman Wines, Bradleys Cork

‘Italy's best-buy of all time? Unbelievable quality for the price.”

That is a summation of this wine by Decanter.

Verdicchio may not immediately spring to mind when thinking of white wine grapes but it has a long history in Italy. According to legend, the invading Visigoths, on their way to sack Rome at the start of the 5th century, drank barrels of it to enhance their courage. 

There are two areas in the Marche* (central-eastern Italy) that are well known for their Verdicchio wines, the Jesi and the smaller more inland Matelica. The wines of coastal Jesi are the better known, more popular. But I’ve a grá for the Matelica version and it continues with this one!

Matelica is an inland area, higher and cooler, well in from the coast of the Adriatic. Importers Le Caveau say you could eat off the floor of the winery “and hygiene is very important when making this kind of white wine.... We love it this for its racy, stony and revitalising mouthfeel”. Sounds like a Sauvignon Blanc to me and indeed Le Caveau recommend using it like a Marlborough SB.

The colour of this organic wine is quite a light straw. Aromas are herby, grassy, and minerally, reminiscent indeed of Sauvignon Blanc. With its herbal tang, it is lively and refreshing on the palate, lime zesty with the tartness of green apples and quince. And, like many Italian wines, the crisp acidity means it is superb with food (seafood ready is a term I've heard used in connection with Verdicchio from this area). 

Very Highly Recommended.

And it's not just me and importers Le Caveau that are impressed. In 2013, the Decanter Italy supplement raved about it: “Italy's best-buy of all time? Unbelievable quality for the price.” 

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Check my growing list of top wines for 2023

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Check out my Good Value Wine List here

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Grapes & Wines (2015), on Verdicchio, noted an "improvement in recent years", an improvement that brings better balance and structure. "It is typically Italian in that it relies on subtlety and texture rather than flamboyance...". They too are Matelica fans "whose wines are richer, rounder, more succulent yet still dry."

Eric Asimov, the famed NY Times wine writer, was very taken with the Colle Stefano. Writing of the 2020 vintage, he noted its “energy and electrifying acidity”, how it offered “plenty of texture and flavour”, and that “it made a lasting impression.”

Just wonder how well those comments went down in nearby Jesi!

Colle Stefano is located in near the mountain town of Castelraimondo on the border with Umbria. It is a family affair that has been making wine from organic grapes since 1995. Fabio Marchionni is in charge and he is strict in his application of organic techniques.

* How to pronounce Marche, via You Tube, here. 

Young People Learning The Baltimore Waves. With a rope! Making the best of what we have on our doorstep.

Young People Learning The Baltimore Waves. With a rope! 

Making the best of what we have on our doorstep.

The boys back on the Baltimore waters

Lively in Lekeitio (2012), a little village on the Basque coast between Bilbao and Donostia.

Back in the summer of 2012, I spent a few hours in the beautiful coastal town of Lekeitio (7,500). It is on the Basque coast in Spain, between Bilbao and Donostia (San Sebastian). It has a lovely harbour and a beach alongside, with an island, San Nicolas, that may be walked to when the tide is out. 

We were "entertained" here for a while by a group of children being taught how to handle canoes in the harbour. They had two adults in charge and showed great confidence on and in the water as they went through their exercises. On that trip, we saw quite a lot of watersports training on both sides of the border, to an extent not then seen in Ireland.

Two ferries leave Baltimore at the same time, the red one for Sherkin, the other making the longer trip to Oileán Chléire.

While in the Basque country and musing about Ireland being behind in imparting the skills of water sports to our children, I was aware that Baltimore in West Cork was doing its part. And delighted to see the current crop of energetic youngers in action in the harbour in late June with quite a lot of instructors at hand. You may read all about the Baltimore Sailing Club's programme and courses here.

And they had their hands full. Kids will be kids and it took quite a while to set up the exercise and the lead instructor must have been quite hoarse by the end of it. Eventually, they got the four boats of trainees (four per boat) lined up in a row, each boat attached to the one in front by rope with the rope secured to the adults' boat.

And off they went, out of the comparative safety of the harbour and into the sea between the little town and Sherkin island with Schull's Mount Gabriel away to the right. As they stretched out in a line, at least one other boatload of instructors kept watch on the left.

All in a row! The instructors' patience is rewarded.

See also on this trip:

Light Lunch at Mary Ann's in Castletownsend

One Day in West Cork

Mizen Head Fascinates, even on a grey and windy day.

Reen Pier Magic. Day and Night.

Baltimore Young People Learning The Waves.

Dining Well In Celtic Ross. Summer of '23.

Lekeitio 2012