I'm actually surprised by the fact that I enjoyed the Ulster Tatler so much. I'd always had it down…read moreas an older ladies magazine, which is certainly is to an extent, but I did rather appreciate the variety of articles and information covered. Of course, there's the obligatory photos of just about every social event in Northern Ireland (and that includes a few graduation photos...definitely the place to be seen, especially in relation to the style stakes), and the guides to finding the most exorbitantly priced makeup / beauty salon / restaurant in the province, but there are a few interesting articles that I didn't realise would feature in such a publication. A few interviews with local well-to-do people appear, as well as a focus on a certain town in NI, which happens to be Ballyclare in this month's edition, cultural information and travel news. I doubt they could have fitted in much more if they'd tried... Not quite my cup of tea, but you certainly get your money's worth with a well-packed magazine that features the best of Norn Iron.

Cinematically the vision of this newspaper would be a wide shot over-looking the grounds of Queen's…read morewhere everybody has stopped in their tracks to read some breaking news which changes the face of Queen's and Belfast forever. Sadly The Gown probably isn't going to be the first publication to break some earth-shattering exclusives, leaving it acting more as reading material over lunchtime if you don't have any reading left to do before class. It is a good publication but I did lose a bit of respect when it published a picture of a swearword spray painted with graffiti on a road. They already have a potential audience of however many thousands and I don't think they needed to do this. Though with respect to them, they publish any letters of complaint that they get and they did publish one about this which for me showed that their heads are in the right place. I do pick up the Gown whenever I see it about because it does have some very good reviews of films/music as well as listing the gigs coming up in the Student's Union. This is certainly the start of something great for the Gown. A newspaper should be inventive, and should have great journalism. If the Gown can take the next step up from a student newspaper, it could make people stop in their tracks because it really does deserve it.

For a university publication, its as good as it gets. With twenty five years of publishing on…read moreQueen's campus it certainly has covered most student issues, union debates and topical residential kerfuffles over its time. Now coming out every fortnight it manages to talk straight to student and give them what their looking for in terms of features, political reviews and basic hard news. The one thing I do miss about this year's Gown, which has only published issue so far is the absence of The Hood. This was a section at the back of the paper which was anonymous and could simply slag student union reps, authority figures and keep the whole thing on good Belfast banter terms. It is sadly missed for a good laugh and to print what everyone else is thinking!

Speaking as a male who like to keep himself on the more unkempt side of the hygiene spectrum, I can…read moregladly report that I am able to get my low demand needs well satisfied in this boots in the centre of town! It is the biggest boots around, and the selection of everything is top notch, with all the shower gels, shaving equipment and deodorants under the sun, which fills most of the males requirements in the world of hygiene! The store also has a good range of home electrical items like toothbrushes, epilators hair strengtheners and all other things vain!The downstairs is mainly devoting to all perfumes and makeup, with there being more fake tan and other accessories to keep any amateur May Mc Fetridge wanabee well stocked up! The entire upstairs is devoted to baby products and also has the stores digital imaging section, with a large range of frames and the like up the stairs. They also have a pharmacy on the ground floor and a food section containing sandwiches and snacks for those on the go, so this store really has it all if you are needing to sort you or your family's health and beauty needs in one fell swoop! Add in the fact you can earn advantage card points which can be put against future purchases we are onto a winner!

This glossiest of glossy mags is from the Ulster Tatler publishing house and seems to be just like,…read morewell the Ulster Tatler, but for South Belfast only. It's a totally professional offering and has that delicious smell that only glossy magazines have and at just £2 it's a fab little treat when funds are low. Like its big sister Ulster Tatler, it's jammed with photos from local events like charity balls and school formals. It also covers the opening of new restaurants and shops and so is a good barometer of what's hot and what's not in Malone, the Lisburn Road and the University area. Each issue also has a couple of profiles of South Belfast's most glam movers and shakers. The Spring/Summer 2010 issue for example profiles the lucky owner of Fired Earth Interiors and the owner of the Salamander art gallery. My favourite feature is the 4 page spread each issue on some lucky person's fabulous house. A girl can dream. My advice is to dive in and enjoy the superficial glossiness. Just don't read it on a fat day or when you're broke as you could just end up feeling like the biggest loser in Belfast!

I was fortunate enough to do an internship with this company, working for their business website…read moreInsideIreland.ie. I came across a small advertisement which wanted a person to work as a journalist for two months and it was an enlightening experience, one which has not only boosted my CV but also encouraged me to look more closely at the journalism route which I had lost all interest in after a dreadful open day at school. The office is small, but feels like a proper team office where everyone knows eachother and everyone is working towards the same goals. It made me think about writing my own magazine but as yet I have not actually thought any more about it.... However, Adman Publishing also makes a publication Belfast Beat which is a free magazine that specialises in entertainment and arts for Belfast. I did not get to work on this (thankfully) as to run a free magazine sounded like way too much work for me! Adman I feel is in the process of becoming a big company and hopefully will be able to expand to something bigger and better. I am glad I was a part of it, and hopefully if they do expand I'll get to work with them again.

I had the pleasure of doing an internship at The Irish Times Belfast office earlier this year…read more Fanum house, even with it's gray industrial exterior, broken lifts and air conditioning, still holds a certain charm for me. It was here I had the pleasure of working with Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor and Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor, in the events running up to the devolution of policing and justice powers back in February 2010. The Irish Times northern correspondents have been based there since the seventies. Generally, the northern office contributes about seven stories or commentary pieces to the paper each day. The Irish Times, which is based in Dublin was established in 1859 and focuses on Irish news and politics, as well as international news, sports, arts and culture. The northern office mainly focuses on political issues in the province. The paper is published 6 days a week, Monday to Saturday. It is regarded as the most reputable newspaper in Ireland. The office is run by a super lady named Faye. If you ring with any queries, Faye will sort you out. Like most newspaper offices, the Irish Times Northern HQ (referred to the editor as 'The Rat Pit') has it's quirks. Most notably- an office which is painted completely green, yes even the radiators, the exuberant and charming cleaning lady from the Falls road and an old Jewish businessman who calls in every week with a pair of scissors to cut out sections of the previous days paper.

With the usual amount of tabloid rubbish taking up way too many pages, at least we can always rely…read moreon a newspaper ending in "times" to provide something of a journalistic approach to their job. When it comes to news papers, if it ends in "times" or "telegraph" 9 times out of 10 it probably has something to do with current affairs on their front page, and not something to do with Ashley Cole taking photographs of his bits and pieces to send to prostitutes. The Irish Times, though not my first choice in newspapers, certainly has me interested whenever I see it lying about. The journalism is focused on "important" events, usually politics but unlike a lot of the English press, the Irish Times relies heavily on local events, and local news stories. If it is a solid newspaper with it's head in the right place that you are after, then this is certainly worth a read. However if you want to find out about some X Factor winner going on a date with someone who once played football for Bristol City, then you probably will not find it in this paper. And rightly so.

Having worked for Connected and State, two Dublin based music magazines since about 2006 I think I…read morecan give a pretty comprehensive overview of AU Magazine. AU is NI's main alternative music mag (as you may have guessed from the title!) and is published monthly. It carries a mix of interesting and in-depth music features, a very comprehensive and clued-in section called incoming- tipping some hot new bands, the best of Northern Irish indie bands, interviews with major bands and a cracking website. My only criticism is that they could probably dig a little deeper on their own doorstep for Northern Irish bands as opposed to rehashing news about well known bands. The design is pretty simple, nothing very arty or imaginative. They also cover some Southern Irish bands, which is something I really think needs to happen more. There's only a mere two hours between Belfast and Dublin and so much great homegrown music going on in each city, but yet there is little or no crossover. Now if only they'd answer my email, I'd sort it out!!

I feel that the reviews of Alternative Ulster have been very over critical so far, so I want to set…read morethe story straight! The music scene in Northern Ireland has been growing rapidly for the last5 years, with a few bands starting to break internationally like Two Door Cinema Club, Fighting with Wire and so on. There is a very vibrant local scene ranging from the dream pop of bands like the Wonder Villains to the ska/punk hybrid of Pocket Billiards to the metal/comedy mix of Mental Deficiency! All these bands I have mentioned and many more have been profiled and reviewed in the pages of AU.The staff of AU are primarily volunteers, so to be producing the high quality publication that they do is a real credit to them. There are big interviews; band profiles album reviews, gig reviews and many interesting and irreverent articles. Their website is well updated and their forums has a fairly rich community too. As also mentioned y another reviewer, AU is now totally FREE! That in itself should quell the complaints of others! The online viewer works great and physical copies can be picked up from certain places, so kudos to AU for making this great magazine available to everyone for free!