126 years old, and as popular as it ever was!

AS the winter of 1897 descended on Cork, a new Christmas publication hit the streets, aimed at giving local people a mighty read during the festive season.

A hundred-and-twenty-six years later, and the Holly Bough is still going strong, having become embedded in the traditions of the Corkonian Christmas.

The 2023 Holly Bough, still clad in the red cover it displayed in those Victorian times of 1897, is now on sale in shops across the city and county. 

For many, it is the first sign that Christmas is on the way. The countdown starts here!

The 2023 edition - published by The Echo - boasts a wonderful piece of cover artwork designed by Fiona Foley, from Toames, near Macroom, and within its 164 pages, it is packed with a feast of great stories and photos that will move, amuse, inform and entertain its readers all throughout the festive season - and beyond.

Some highlights: Find out what was making the news headlines in Cork in the 1750s; read about the gran who had a luckless old life until she won the Irish Sweepstakes jackpot; or how about the Cork guy whose life was saved - by a tombstone of all things! And what will you make of the time a volcano destroyed Kinsale?

In the Food & Drink section, you can recall exactly what a 1970s Christmas dinner was like in Ireland, while top local chefs share their finest gravy recipes.

The Holly Bough’s fictional short story section is led off by the acclaimed Cork writer Amy Cronin, while its Junior Holly Bough has a feast of entertainment for the smallies.

There are also tributes to members of the Cork family who left us in the past year, including GAA great Teddy McCarthy in the bumper sports section.

Get your copy today, in shops, and online at hollybough.ie.