Water Safety Awareness Challenge

by patrickmungovan, posted in Lifestyle

Hey guys, so if you follow me on Instagram you will know that I recently set up a water safety awareness challenge where each day I posted some water safety tips and advice! I had planned to run the challenge for 14 days but for reasons out of my control, I only made it as far as day number 8! 😭 As promised, here are the tips I posted so that you can read over them again and hopefully have more knowledge of water safety and it’s importance especially as we enter into the summer season!

  • Day 1 – Lifeguard whistle meanings!
  • There are 4 types of whistle noises to listen out for!
    1. One short blast – the lifeguard is calling the attention of another pool user.
    2. Two short blasts – the lifeguard is calling the attention of another lifeguard.
    3. Three short blasts – the lifeguard is taking emergency action.
    4. One long blast – the lifeguard may be about to clear the pool and is calling the attention of all the pool users.

    Day 2 – Beach flags!

    There are three types of flags to watch out for while at the beach!

      Black & white flag – area only to be used by surfers etc. but no swimming allowed.
      Red flag – it is dangerous to swim and you should not enter the water.
      Red & yellow flag – safe to swim and there is a lifeguard on duty.

    Always keep between the flags on the beach and make sure there is a lifeguard on duty before you enter the water.

    Day 3 – Don’t hold your breath under water!

    This is one of the most dangerous things a person can do under the water. As a swimming instructor I know that most kids love to hold their breath under water for as long as possible. This can cause shallow water blackout and you can lose consciousness under water. If you are not rescued immediately, your lungs will fill with water and you will drown!

    Day 4 – The 3 simple rescues!

    1. Shout – use your voice to get the attention of the person and encourage them to come back to the shore.
    1. Reach – Using something to hold and reach out to the person in need. For example, a branch from a tree or clothing.
    2. Throw – Throwing a buoyant object to the person, such as a ringbuoy or anything that floats.

    Day 5 – How to throw a ringbuoy!

    This is extremely important to know, as everyone has seen one of these at some stage, whether at the beach, pool, river, lake etc.

    1. Grab the nearest ringbuoy and either stand on the end of the rope or hold it in your hand.
      Call the attention of the person in need keep communicating with them.
      Swing back the ringbuoy and throw forward using an under arm throw. Shout at the person that you are throwing the ringbuoy to them.
      Aim to throw it past the person so that you can pull it in close to them to grab a hold of.
      Keep reassuring the person and keep contact at all times while slowly pulling them to safety.

    Day 6 – Pool depth!

    Always remember to check how deep a pool is before you enter and also never dive into shallow water!

    Day 7 – Always learn how to use your equipment before trying it out!

    This is very important to remember, always make sure you understand what everything is for and how to use it correctly before you head out to the water! Never swim after anything drifting as you could get yourself into trouble if you swim out too far!

    Day 8 – No alcohol before swimming!

    Never consume alcohol before swimming as your judgement will be impaired and you may get yourself into a lot of danger in the water! Also remember never to eat just before swimming!

    Thanks to everyone for taking part in my water safety awareness challenge and for helping to make people more aware of the water! If you have any questions or anything else you would like to know, you can contact me by email which is; Hello@PatrickMungovan.com 😎 Until next time!

    Get To Know Me Q&A

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Lifestyle
  • Hi guys, I decided to post a questions box on Instagram to let you ask me questions that you want answered! Thank you to everyone for the questions, I have narrowed it down to 20 as I’d be here all day trying to answer them all! Here we go…

    • 1. How many countries have you been to? Seven

    2. Did you go to college? I studied tourism and business in GMIT but I hated it so I didn’t finish it. I went on to join Profi Fitness School in Dublin where I completed my aqua fitness courses. Personally I think it’s a very hard decision trying to decide what to do after secondary school, I hadn’t a clue what I wanted so I ended up doing a course that I had no interest in. Take your time deciding and even take a year out of it helps you decide your college course or career for the future.

    3. Do you have any goals for the next few years? I’m not sure to be honest, things have been going great for me in 2019 so far so hopefully it’ll stay that way!

    4. Which is more important, quantity of friends or quality? Well for me this is an easy one to answer, 100% quality! It’s easy have 100 friends but the real ones are the ones who are always there for you through thick and thin. I’ve realized this a lot over the past few years and I am lucky to have a small group of great friends.

    5. Your favorite holiday? It would have to be when I visited my brother Declan in California. We flew into San Francisco and hired a car and traveled all the way down through California by the coast!

    6. Cat or dog? Dog

    7. How are you getting on working with Spin South West? I’m getting on great, I’ve always wanted to be a SPINI and I really love meeting new people and seeing new places.

    8. How many pairs of shoes do you have? Haha I knew this would be asked, to be honest I have more pairs still in boxes than what I wear! I’d say I have about 15 pairs altogether.

    9. Can you play an instrument? Yes, I played the tin whistle for about 6 years. I can also play the piano and fiddle.

    10. What’s your favorite accent to hear? I’ll have to say the Australian accent.

    11. I want to be a swimming instructor, would you recommend it? Yes I love working as a swimming instructor. I have been teaching lessons almost 8 years now and it’s very rewarding when I teach a child or adult to swim and seeing them so happy makes it all worth it!

    12. How tall are you? I am 6 foot tall.

    13. Do you prefer iPhone or Android? I prefer iPhone. I’m currently using the iPhone XS Max and I love it.

    14. What’s your date of birth? 11 September 1995.

    15. Tips for starting a blog? Just go for it! Write what you want to and the most important thing is that you enjoy it. I based my blog on WordPress which I find very easy to use, feel free to email me if you need any help with it!

    16. Your favorite food? Chicken.

    17. What is your favorite place in Europe? My favorite is Poland. I was there for a week in 2016 and it was such a lovely country and so much to do. We visited the salt mines and the concentration camp which were both very interesting to see.

    18. Which clothing brand do you prefer? When I’m not in swimming togs or wearing my Spin South West uniform, I’m more than like wearing a SuperDry or Diesel hoodie!

    19. What did you want to be when you were a child? I wanted to be a customs officer. I think it’s such a cool job and very interesting. There’s always different things to do every day and I would love that challenge.

    20. What camera do you use? I have the Canon EOS 750D. I got it in Harvey Norman and it’s one of my favorite gadgets that I always use.

    Thanks for reading! 🙂

    Quiche Recipe

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Food

    I was shopping the other day and spotted a quiche tin so I said I’d give it a go! Surprisingly this was really easy & quick to make.

    Ingredients for the pastry:

    • 5 tbsp cold water
    • 50g butter at room temperature
    • 150g plain flour
  • Ingredients for the filling:
      • 1 thinly sliced onion
      3 rashers
      170ml milk
      2 eggs
      60g grated cheddar cheese
      Pepper
      1 sliced tomato

    What to do:

    • Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
    • Mix the flour, butter, and water to make the pastry. Make sure the pastry is soft but not sticky.
    • Roll out the pastry on a floured board and line the quiche tin.
    • Add the rashers, onion, and cheese into the quiche tin. Add the the sliced tomato on top.
    • Mix the eggs, pepper, and milk together and pour over the filling in the quiche tin.
    • Place in oven for 30 minutes until the quiche is a golden brown colour and make sure it is well cooked in the middle.

    You may also add spinach, mushrooms, basil etc. to the quiche. Add in whatever veg you like!

    Banana Bread Recipe

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Food

    Today I made this banana bread and it was delicious!

    Here’s the list of ingredients I used:

    • 2 cups (250g) all purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 large eggs
    • 4 ripe bananas

    You can also add chopped walnuts if you wish.

    What to do:

      In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, bread soda, cinnamon, and salt.
      Using an electric mixer, add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
      Pour in the eggs and vanilla essence along with the mashed banana and give it a good mix!
      Add the wet mix into the dry mix and make sure it is well combined.
      Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius.
      Spray the loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and fill it with the batter.
      Put into oven for approx 55 minutes and you can cover it with aluminum foil if excess browning occurs.

    Enjoy! 😍

    Also one last piece of advice, don’t overfill the loaf tin like I did, it will expand when cooking and may rise up a bit too high! 😂

    My Blog Turns 2!

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Lifestyle

    Hey guys, so as you may know it has been 2 years since I started my blog! I had wanted to start my own blog for a long time but I was nervous what reaction I would get when I announced it to people. In April 2017, I decided to go for it and I haven’t looked back! My blog has been very successful for me so far and I am very thankful for all of you who take the time to read my blog.

    In 2017, I was completely new to blogging and I was unsure as to what I would post about. I enjoy cooking and also traveling so I decided to make it a lifestyle blog which features a bit of everything!

    Shortly after starting my blogging journey, I was shocked to find out that I was nominated for a blog award in the category of best newcomer 2018. To be honest I never expected to win the award as I had only been at it about 3 months at the time but I still made it to the second last stage of the awards! This was a huge achievement for me to be recognized for an award at such an early stage.

    In 2018 I was nominated for the same awards and this time I managed to take home an award for the best male influencer. I was overwhelmed and honored to have been crowned the winner of this prize at an awards ceremony which took place in Dublin. This opened many opportunities to me and it made me more determined to see what I could continue to achieve if I put the work into it.

    So here we are in 2019 and what a year it has been for me so far! I have been signed to my first ever talent management company and it feels so weird to tell people that I have a manager 😂 In January I found out that I had been nominated for best Snapchatter and next upcoming social media star in the International Runway Achievers & Recognition Awards. A few of my fellow blogger friends had also been nominated for the same awards so I was really looking forward to attending the ceremony to get to meet them. The ceremony took place in the Hilton Dublin Airport hotel and I took five of my friends with me on the night. The ceremony had just begun when I heard my name being called out for Best Snapchatter, within five minutes my name was announced again and I also won the next upcoming social media star I couldn’t believe it! It’s safe to say we celebrated well in Copper Face Jacks until the early hours of Sunday morning 😂

    Two days later, I had another awards ceremony which took place in the Galway bay hotel. I took home a third award and this time it was the top ten outstanding young persons awards which I was awarded one in the category for personal improvement and accomplishment. It was a fantastic night getting to meet the other nine outstanding young people and to hear their stories of the fantastic work they have done for people. Overall it was a very busy weekend and I’m delighted that I was able to bring all three awards back home to west Clare!

    This year, I’ve also got a new job with Spin South West! Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to be a SPINI. I always thought it would be so cool to go around in the branded cars and it definitely is! I’m a very outgoing person so I love talking to new people and it’s great getting to meet lots of new people and see so many new places! All of the other SPINI’s are very nice and we are all of similar ages so it’s great to make new friends also. So far 2019 has been a great year for me and I’m so excited to see what’s to come for the rest of it ❤️

    Red Cliff Lodge Restaurant

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Food

    I got a chance to visit the newly managed red cliff lodge restaurant in Spanish Point and I’m so glad I did! My friend and I couldn’t wait to try out the new food which looked delicious in the photos I had seen. On arrival at the restaurant, we were met by the lovely waitress Lauren and the owners Eimear & Chris (The chef, who went out of his way to come out of the kitchen and chat to us! 👏🏽). I had previously visited Chris & Eimear’s last restaurant in Lanzarote so it was such a great surprise to find out they were moving home to Ireland and that their new restaurant is so close to me! 🇮🇪

    We were sat down at a lovely big table which was ideal for us considering how much food we were about to order! There’s a lovely relaxing atmosphere in the restaurant with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean just across the road!

    We visited for Sunday lunch and my first though of the menu was that it was full of choice! They have something to suit everyone and it also included a list of allergens which is great for those who may be allergic to something.

    It was a tough decision to choose my starter but I decided to go with the potato & leek soup. The soup tasted great and was served with a plate of bread and butter which was also delicious.

    Then we moved onto the main course, I ordered the pan fried chicken and my friend ordered the pork belly. The presentation was fantastic and it tasted just as good as it looked. We also got a serving of carrots & potato’s to go with our main course.

    We barely had room left for the dessert but gave it a go anyways! I ordered the chocolate brownie which was served with honeycomb and brown bread ice cream which I had heard so much about so I couldn’t wait to dig in! The brownie was heated and was absolutely delicious, definitely one of the nicest desserts I’ve ever tasted!

    My friend ordered the fudge ice cream sundae and he wasn’t disappointed either.

    I would highly recommend the red cliff lodge restaurant for anyone looking for a top class meal at a very reasonable price. Whether you are a local to Spanish point or visiting the area, it well worth the visit but make sure you book ahead of time to avoid disappointment! I have attached a link for their Facebook page here. Check them out! Thank you Eimear & Chris for a fantastic meal, I cannot wait to visit again 😍

    Spicebag Fakeaway

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Food

    Hiya, I posted this Spicebag fakeaway tutorial on my Instagram story last week and there was a huge response. It was very nice and very simple to make. I have included the ingredients and instructions below!

    What you’ll need;

    • 2 chicken breasts
    • Salt & pepper
    • Chili flakes
    • 2 potatoes
    • 5 spice seasoning
    • Spice bag seasoning
    • Curry powder
    • Onion
    • Golden breadcrumbs
    • Red & yellow pepper
    • 2 eggs
    • Instructions;
      Peel and cut the potatoes into chip sizes, a few sprays of the cooking oil and into the air fryer for 15 minutes.
      Mix the 5 spice seasoning with the breadcrumbs and leave it in bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the 2 eggs.
      Dip the chicken breast pieces into the egg and breadcrumbs and place on baking tray.
      Place into oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.
      Cut the peppers & onion and mix in frying pan using spray oil for a few minutes until soft.
      Add the chili flakes and Spicebag seasoning to the peppers & onion and mix it all up.
      Sprinkle a small bit of salt and pepper into the mix and add the cooked chicken pieces.
      Cover in curry sauce and there you have it!

    Coping With Grief

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Lifestyle

    Hey guys, happy new year to everyone out there! Sorry I haven’t been writing much here recently, I really need to post more frequently.

    I spoke about coping with grief on my Instagram story a few months ago and it was the most viewed story I’ve ever had! I received hundreds and hundreds of messages from people telling me their stories and the different ways they learnt to deal with grief after a loved one passed away.

    I’ll list a few of them below, just to help anyone out there that may be struggling and always remember that time is a healer. It might not seem like it at the moment but over time it does make coping with grief a little easier. Having to deal with grief is one of the most difficult things we will go through in our lives, you will feel empty and there are a few things to help make it a little easier.

    1. Talk to others – it is very important to talk to your family or friends and explain to them how you are feeling. Talk to them about your loss and sadness and although you won’t expect them to have answers, it will help to have someone to listen to. There are lots of support groups to contact if you feel like talking to s stranger about what’s going through your mind. ALWAYS talk to someone!

    2. Keep a routine – make sure you look after yourself. It’s good to have a daily routine and it will avoid extra stress if you stick to this, just simple things like getting up in the morning and keep yourself busy. The busier you are, the less time you have to think about everything and avoid making major changes if possible.

    3. Take some time to yourself – it’s important to remember that family members or friends may also be grieving at the sad loss and sometimes tempers can rise between each other and the stress levels are high, that’s why you should take some time out and just even go for a walk. Everyone needs their own space to think and simple things like walking, go for a drive, go to the cinema, can all help you coping with grief.

    4. Cry – sometimes all you feel like you can do is cry and that’s normal. There has been lots of talk about this recently, especially when it comes to men! Always remember that it is not a weakness to cry and I find it hard to understand how people would even think that! It’s just like a valve, helping you release the thoughts in your head. It can feel good to let it all out and it’s always good to get it off your chest instead of holding it in which may build up more stress than you need at this time.

    Thank you all for reading this post, if you ever want to speak to someone, you can contact me on Instagram @PatrickMungovan or send me an email at Hello@PatrickMungovan.com ❤️

    Loop Head & Kilbaha Gallery

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Travel

    Here in county Clare, we have lots of breathtaking scenery and tourist attractions. One of my favorites has to be a drive around the Loop Head Peninsula. Personally I think it is nicer than the world famous Cliffs of Moher! It’s a lovely drive around the peninsula and it’s something that the whole family will enjoy.

    The Loop Head Peninsula was recently voted the best place to holiday in Ireland and it’s easy to see why! Stunning views which are miles long, it is a very popular area for geologists and you can often spot dolphins and even whales swimming in the waters!

    It is also home to the famous lighthouse where you can do a tour to see how it works and you can climb to the top for the ultimate views from county Kerry all the way to the Cliffs of Moher!

    It is in a rural area of west Clare which means it is very peaceful and the roads are quiet, it’s the ideal weekend drive! There are many small villages which have restaurants and bars to keep your stomach full while employing this beautiful area of Clare.

    You can even write your own message with the stones left on the ground, it makes for a lovely photo to send home to friends or family. I have visited this site multiple times and every time is just as breathtaking as the last. You could never get tired of seeing it!

    The best thing about driving on rural road is that usually the only traffic jams are caused by farmers moving their herd of cows from one field to another! It’s easy to see why so many tourists visit this part of Clare every year.

    About 5 minutes away from the lighthouse is a lovely gift shop called Kilbaha Gallery. It is a contemporary art gallery on the Wild Atlantic Way. Co-owners Ailish and Liz are so friendly and make you feel very welcomed once you walk in the door. The rest of the staff are also so nice and they are all very jolly and upbeat. They sell lots of gifts to suit every age group.

    Kilbaha Gallery stocks work from some of Ireland’s best contemporary artists. From bronze sculptures, oil paintings, and mixed media to ceramic and textile art. 

    My favorite thing about Kilbaha Gallery is that they sell mostly handmade products, the majority of which are even produced in county Clare. I love the idea of this as I think it’s great to support local businesses within our county. The girls are very friendly and they are very helpful if you require assistance or have any questions. The pictures below show just a few of the beautiful range of products on sale;

    There’s a café onsite, they have a great selection of cakes and drinks. I also really liked the presentation of the drinks, the teapots and cups have different designs on them, I even brought home a teapot for my mother, just like the one below. It’s lovely to have a warm cup of tea after being out and about on the cliffs for the evening.

    If you are interested in the history of the gift shop and the history of the local area, you can head upstairs to the historical section of the gallery. It’s nice to see some of the old artifacts which people used long ago and there’s a film playing on a TV so you can see how people lived back then! Henry Blake was a local man from the area of Kilbaha and the film explains all about his life.

    You can check out Kilbaha Gallery by clicking here.

    If you would like to read more about the Loop Head Peninsula you can do so by clicking here.

    Thank you for reading!

    5 Nights In Prague

    by patrickmungovan, posted in Travel

    My friends and I had spent a great Christmas together so we said we would start off the new year with a nice trip to Prague! Myself, Ryan, Megan, Jennifer, and Rachel hit off on the 3rd January from Dublin airport to spend the next 5 nights in the Czech Republic. The flight took two and a half hours so we managed it fine, as I tend to get agitated of sitting down on longer flights. We landed in Prague and the weather was just like it was in Ireland, but it’s what we expected so we weren’t disappointed. A taxi took us to our accommodation where we stayed for the next 5 nights. As there was a group of us traveling together, we booked a large apartment so we had our own sitting room and separate kitchen which was so cool. I have a video saved somewhere if any of you would like to see the inside of the apartment I’ll send it to you.

    Prague looked fantastic and it reminded me a lot like Krakow in Poland. It was old fashioned but it was still a lovely city and the nightlife was great too. The St.Vitus cathedral was a two minute walk away from our apartment and it was very nice, the ideal spot for that Instagram perfect picture!

    Also a reminder that the currency in Prague is called Czech Crowns. They do not accept Euro but there are lots of currency exchange shops all around the city.

    Prague is just as nice during the day as it is during the night!

    We found that the nightlife in Prague was very good! Just like Poland, there were people walking around the streets advertising a pub crawl which we took part in on a few of the nights so that we would get to see more of the city. The pub crawl brought us to all the best pubs and clubs in the city. We got to meet some great people some of who we still keep in contact with.

    There is a huge nightclub called Karlovy Lazne which has multiple floors each of which play different types of music! It also included the famous ice pub and an oxygen bar. We had great fun in this nightclub but it is expensive. You have to pay just to get in, then anything else you wish to see is at an extra cost after that. Having said that, we still saw everything that there was to see!

    The next thing we visited was the Charles bridge. It looked just as how I had imagined and it was great to finally see it in person. The only problem with it was that it was crowded with people. It was very busy and difficult to take a nice photo of it.

    We walked the length of the bridge which only took a few minutes. Then we went to see the John Lennon wall which was also very cool.

    Prague castle was next on our list but it involves a lot of walking. It seemed to take us forever to get to the top of it. There were literally hundreds of steps to go up and down! The view from the top was amazing and made it all worth while. You could see a lot of the city from standing at the top of the castle.

    Oh and, isn’t the picture below one of the nicest ‘Instagram blogger poses’ you can imagine?

    Drink and food is cheap in Prague, don’t forget to try out some of the local food which is delicious. The weather is similar to Ireland so I would highly recommend a visit to this beautiful city. I’m from county Clare, it’s a real pity that Shannon airport don’t operate flights to and from Prague, as it would make the journey a lot shorter for us! Absolutely beautiful country, make sure to add it to your bucket list, you won’t regret it! I’m going to finish this with one more picture of my dinner which was soup served in a bread bowl. I can’t remember the correct name for this meal but it tasted great! Thanks guys for reading.