Naples: a gritty city that is sure to enchant

Daphne Abernethy visits the seductive southern Italian city

MAYBE its the masochist in me but I’ve always wanted to visit the southern Italian city of Naples, with its reputation for crime, rubbish heaps and the mafia. And it didn’t disappoint – for Naples is unlike any other European city I’ve ever been to. Naples is a sprawling place as you’ll see when you make the trip by taxi from the airport, about 7km north of the city centre. It’s a journey that takes you past crumbling factories, decaying tenements and graffiti-clad high-rises.

Read moreA gritty city that is sure to seduce

Relax and unwind in an idyllic wilderness

Daphne Abernethy enjoys a stay at a top Co Mayo health spa

I AM the eternal optimist. I expect every gym programme to magic away my flab, every massage to banish stress and tension permanently, and every facial to take 10 years off me. None of these miracles have happened yet, in fact, my list of ailments (dodgy back, tense shoulders up to my ears and sleepless nights) seems to be growing.

Do you believe in miracles?

A Lisburn woman tells Daphne Abernethy her amazing story

IN August last year Iris Riddell was dealt a devastating blow when she was diagnosed with cancer of the bowel and kidney.
After a severe operation, where she had part of her bowel, ovaries and womb removed, followed by four months of intensive chemotherapy, the adverse effects of her condition are all-too-apparent.

Read moreSai baba

Noreen’s magical journey to freedom

A Co Mayo therapist brings her healing techniques to Ulster

JUST on the cusp of her 50th birthday, Co Mayo woman Noreen Clarke had reached rock bottom in her life.
Feeling unwell both physically and emotionally, she was suffering chronic back pain, found a lump on her breast and was told she needed a hysterectomy.

Read moreNoreen’s magical journey to freedom