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The artistic and historical treasures in Ireland that you must visit at least once in a lifetimeIn our new series, Charlotte Mullins explores the visual history of the British Isles in 50 treasures, from Ice Age caves to Sutton Hoo. Her first instalment looks at the treasures to be found in Ireland.
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The 12 types of hangover, from 'Backwards Binoculars' to 'Titanic', and how to cure them allHave you been tricked by the Deceiver or flattened by a Steamroller? Wine expert Olly Smith sets out the 12 different sorts of festive hangover, and how to cure them.
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What to expect from Country Life in 2026And many thanks for all your support in 2025.
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The good, the bad and the overblown: Michael Billington looks back at the year on stageThe best, worst, most underrated and most irritating performances of 2025.
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Country Life's top 10 Instagram posts of 2025, from a historic yew hedge to rocking around The Ritz Christmas treeYou liked two things above all else this year: country houses and dogs. Surprise, surprise. With plenty of stories and a slice of cake thrown in for good measure.
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Our favourite Frontispieces of 2025Will Hosie takes a look back at some standout Frontispiece portraits from the previous 12 months.
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Forget Bond, the understated George Smiley is fiction's greatest spyAs a new exhibition in Oxford charts John le Carré’s legacy, Emma Hughes takes a closer look at his most enduring creation, George Smiley.
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Actor Jennifer Garner on Diane Keaton, 'collecting women' — and her consuming passionsMatisse, Diane Keaton and her beloved childhood toy. Lotte Brundle finds out Jennifer Garner’s consuming passions.
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'Herod’s catapult has been confiscated': The Nativity play that might be alright on the nightNever work with animals and children, they say, but surely it isn’t a proper Nativity without them?
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'It isn’t only a moment in time, but a meeting place of past, present and yet to come': Fergus Butler-Gallie on how our churches shape our ChristmasesThe Church of the Nativity still moves millions of people to tears and represents the power of hope. It is why, says the Reverend Fergus Butler-Gallie, we flock to our local church at Christmas, no matter how far removed it may seem.
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‘I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to be a ballet dancer’: The English National Ballet's prima ballerina on playing Clara in The Nutcracker and her consuming passionsLotte Brundle meets Ivana Bueno, who is dancing the role of Clara in The Nutcracker this year at the London Coliseum.
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The policeman turned goat-herder turned beautician, whose goats' milk soap became a sensationBeautiful soaps always make a wonderful gift, and that's why the goats' milk soap-maker Nick King is one of our heroes of Christmas.
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How the spirit of Andy Warhol lives on through ChristmasAndy Warhol found Christmas a tricky time, yet threw himself into the festivities and, when he decided to illustrate his series on American myths, he had no doubt he should include the jolly old man in the bright red suit.
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Meg Walters: The BBC's 1995 adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice' is the ultimate Millennial fairytaleThe BBC's 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s 'Pride and Prejudice' adaptation is 30 years old. Beloved by Millennials everywhere, it set a benchmark for period dramas that still stands today.
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The exquisite Christmas decorations that spark childhood joy, and the decoration-maker who creates themElizabeth Harbour's irresistibly pretty Christmas decorations earn her a place as one of our heroes of Christmas.
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The plants to give for Christmas which will keep flowering for yearsJohn Massey of Ashwood Nurseries grows thousands of Christmas plants each year — making him one of our Christmas heroes. Here are his tips for the best ones to give.
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'There were 900 people in the queue and I waited three hours, but it was worth it': The Christmas cracker-maker who supplies Britain's most exclusive shopsHannah Bidmead of Nancy & Betty is the luxury Christmas cracker maker who makes the list of our heroes of Christmas.
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Has the secret of Vermeer’s most enigmatic masterpiece finally been revealed? A British art historian’s controversial claim to have uncovered the true identity of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'Andrew Graham-Dixon talks to Carla Passino about Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' — an iconic example of Dutch Golden Age art and one of the most famous paintings in the world.
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'Real children like it… I think it frightens some adults, but very few children': 75 years of The Chronicles of NarniaAs C. S. Lewis’s enchanting children’s classic 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' turns 75, Matthew Dennison pulls back the coats to explore its evergreen spell.
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Dragonflies, flowers, dogs and lobsters: The 17th century nature brought back to life by the paintings of Alexander MarshalAlexander Marshal — this country’s first major botanical painter — deserves to be better known, writes Tiffany Daneff, after seeing his luminous originals in the Royal Collection.
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The accidental Impressionist who captures country life on canvasPainting a local cricket match, Sherree Valentine-Daines received an invitation that changed her career and led her to become artist-in-residence at Goodwood
