The Harry Potter books are one of the most iconic series of all time. Bookworms from all around the world adore the wizarding world and we can see why.
The books transport you to a magical and mysterious world that helps you forget about your worries and fears.
Reading is one of the best forms of escapism, no matter what age you are.
However, we did not realise that reading certain books actually made us better human beings.
According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, J.K Rowling's tales about Harry, Ron and Hermione can actually help children to understand the social stigmatism of minority groups.
The research focused on how people view stigmatised members of society, which led them to discover that people who have read the Harry Potter books had a better understand of disenfranchised people.
Yes, Harry Potter has the power to influence people’s world views and their perception of minority groups in a positive way, no matter who they are. Muggles and all!
So, if you haven't picked up Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone then we suggest you do.
Many of us are obsessed with the Harry Potter franchise, and would do almost anything to have the most immersive wizarding world experience possible.
Amazingly for Hagrid fans, you can now rent a holiday cottage which is inspired by the fictional home of Rubeus himself, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.
The Groundkeeper’s Cottage has opened at North Shire near Saltburn on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, and is almost exactly a replica of Hagrid's Hut in the magical series.
Image: Charlotte Graham/Cover Images
The cottage has three interlocking circular slate-roofed buildings featuring stained glass windows, an open plan living room, seating in front of a feature fireplace, wood beams with Hagrid paraphernalia and a lantern-lit wooden door.
The owner Carol Cavendish has loved Harry Potter since her early 20s, and has incorporated small Potter-themed touches such as an ink bottle and quill and bespoke copper basin in the bathroom.
The cottage itself took £195,000 to build, and the holiday rental can sleep up to six people. If you've got a dog, or your very own Fang, you're also welcome to bring one well-behaved pet for an extra cost.
She's made a comfortable retreat for any wizards or witches to adore, for just £195 (€225) per night.
*Runs to book slot*
Grab your brooms and get down there before it sells out years in advance.
I have spent a good chunk of December dreaming about being in The Holiday. All I want is to escape to a dinky cottage in Surrey and fall hopelessly in love with Jude Law.
Is that really too much to ask for?
One blogger has gone further than simply just daydreaming about being part of the festive film and has recreated scenes from the movie.
Lifestyle blogger Kelly Prince Wright has been wowing her followers with her Christmas film posts and we’re not one bit surprised. She has gone above and beyond with her festive content.
As well as The Holiday, Kelly has recreated scenes from other festive classics like How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Die Hard, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and our favourite, Love Actually.
Speaking about the idea to recreate these iconic scenes, Kelly shared: “My aim is for each recreation photo to be as authentic and as close to the original film as I possibly could. So I’ve been scouring for outfits, locations, you name it for these moments.”
Kelly even visited spots where they filmed The Holiday. The level of commitment is phenomenal!
She wrote: “This is actually *I think* right about where they filmed this scene! St. James Church in Shere is also notably in Bridget Jones’ Diary: The Edge of Reason. And there’s even a pub in town called The White Horse where Amanda actually meets Graham – that’s where they filmed it.”
If your Instagram feed is in dire need to some festive cheer and creative inspiration then you just have to follow Kelly. The effort she puts into her content is refreshing and she’s become one of our top people to follow on Instagram.
If you’ve yet to find a gift for your Harry Potter obsessed friend then look no further. We’ve conjured up a list of presents that they’re bound to adore. They range in price so there’s something for everyone, no matter what your budget.
We solemnly swear Hogwarts hopefuls will be thrilled with any of these gifts.
Gone are the days when we rambled around our neighbourhood, dressed in a black bin bag with bags full of sweets, the smell of fireworks in air and mini witches and wizards on the hunt for more toffee apples.
Today we just hand out overpriced chocolate (that we’d rather eat ourselves) as trick or treaters grin at us in way fancier costumes.
If you’re not on trick or treating duty and are looking for something to do on All Hallows Eve then RTÉ 2 are here to help.
They are screening one of our all time favourite movies which will be perfect to watch on Halloween night.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaben will be on RTÉ 2 this evening so get the popcorn ready.
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaben is the ideal film to get you feeling nostalgic this Halloween.
In the third instalment of the beloved series, Harry is spooked when he discovers a threatening fugitive is on the hunt for him, but luckily for the young wizard, a new teacher at Hogwarts is here to help.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaben airs on RTÉ 2 at 7pm.
JK Rowling has sparked speculation that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is heading to the big screen after posting a cryptic tweet.
The 54-year-old author hinted that the stage play follow up to her hugely successful franchise is continuing, with further parts to arrive.
Returning to Twitter after a six-month break, Rowling shared a stylised image of villain Lord Voldemort's infamous Dark Mark and added the hashtag #CursedChild.
She captioned the post: "Sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child is a stage play and award-winning follow-up to the original series of seven books, and some fans are hoping that a movie is in the pipeline.
Pottermore, dashed fans hopes about a film by tweeting: "There is something exciting coming later on from @CursedChildNYC, but it's not a movie…"
Sarah Jessica Parker kicked off the Times Square takeover of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, announcing that the stage show will continue with new chapters.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts," the teaser wrote, with a yellow background and wizard at the ready.
Harry Potter And The Cursed Child premiered in London's West End in July 2016 and proved to be a huge success.
The play's story picks up 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, and features Harry Potter as a senior figure at the Ministry of Magic while his son Albus Severus Potter is set to start at Hogwarts.
Are you ever sitting in your favourite Dublin pub or city centre cocktail bar, pondering the fact that nothing can quite live up to The Leaky Cauldron or The Three Broomsticks? Us too.
Fantasy franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings have spawned an array of merchandise and theme parks, and inspired a wealth of alcohol-based pop-ups.
It's been confirmed that the good people of Earth crave powerful potions and brilliant brews rather than your typical pint or mojito. We want MAGICAL elixirs.
Image: The Cauldron
Luckily, The Cauldron have announced the expansion of The Magical Experience into Ireland following their hugely successful pop-ups in London and New York.
Whether you're a muggle, a witch or a wizard; You're going to want to visit The Liquor Rooms in Dublin at 5 Wellington Quay sometime over the next three months. Seriously.
The Cauldron's Magical Experience is a one hour and 45 minute immersive class, where you wield a working magic wand and use molecular mixology to brew drinkable elixirs.
You'll receive a dashing robe to wear, and a magic wand of course. Then you'll be led to an interactive work station where you can learn spell-casting 101 by pouring a drink of beer, a cocktail or a mocktail.
The Cauldron work with Wicklow Wolf, the Irish craft brewery from Bray, to create Wicked Wolf; a limited edition collaboration beer made exclusively for The Cauldron of Dublin. The floral IPA has some magical ingredients- Jasmine, Green Tea, Malted Irish Barley and Wicklow water.
The Magical Experience will then invite you to brew two of their molecular potions that change colour, bubble and even smoke. We're sold. The three-month pop-up in The Liquor Rooms is set to be a sell-out, at just €29,99 per magical being off-peak and €34.99 during peak times.
The experience is almost entirely self-guided, but don't worry about doing a Séamus Finnigan on it and blowing up the place. A potions master is on hand to make sure you don't poison yourself, or anyone else. Alcohol-free, gluten-free and vegan options are all available too. We do adore dietary inclusivity.
It's hard to believe that The Cauldron first began as a Crowdfunding project in 2017. Co-founder Matthew Cortland, a George Mitchell Scholar and former reading teacher, was living in Dublin, simultaneously working at a tech startup, and finishing his master’s degree in Creative Digital Media at DIT.
Cortland later moved to London to set up the business and is bringing the project home.
“This concept has such strong roots in Irish Design and individuals in Dublin– from our illustrator to our wand maker to our key advisors. We even shot our first video in The Gravediggers in Glasnevin, a location that was a major source of inspiration for the interior design vision for The Cauldron."
Image: The Cauldron
"Without the assistance and contribution from these people, I’m not sure that we would have ever gotten to this point," Cortland added. “I’m incredibly grateful." So are we Matthew, so are we.
Co-founder David Duckworth, a molecular cocktail and experience designer, compares The Cauldron’s concept to Irish folklore.
“Celtic folklore and mythology ties into the fantastical experience we are bringing to Dublin. The idea that magic is real and just inaccessible to ordinary people or that the veil to the other realm is just beyond reach is a concept that resonates with those who love fantasy and mythology.
"Our goal is to use science, the magic of our world, to make that dream real," David quipped.
Image: The Cauldron
If you want your chance to experience The Cauldron while it's in Dublin, head to underground speakeasy on the quays; The Liquor Rooms,
Off-peak seatings are from Monday to Thursday all day, and Friday from 11am-4:45pm. Peak seatings are Friday nights, and weekends.
The experience is over 18s only, and tickets must be booked in advance to attend. A limited food menu is also available on site, if your magical antics make you peckish.
Check out the clip below of the Magical Experience and you'll be scrambling to book tickets;
We all remember Draco Malfoy lighting up our screens as the sneaky Slytherin bully of the Harry Potter franchise.
Some of us (Emma Watson included) even had a gigantic crush on the bleach-blonde bad boy; Others just straight up hated him.
Love him or loath him, we can all admit that the actor who portrays the character is pretty incredible.
Tom Felton has played many a part since hanging up his Slytherin cloak, but most young fans will always see him as the cruel prankster who called Hermione a 'Mudblood' and shocked us to our core.
One young fan clearly agrees that he did a good job of making us hate him, but the actor makes sure to assure her that he's actually a lovely human being in real life.
Felton met a young fan this morning who rushed to hug him, and their exchange has warmed our ice cold hearts.
The star can be heard telling the little girl; "My name is Tom. I play Draco Malfoy. Do you wanna hear a secret? I'm nice in real life, it's only Draco that's mean. Tom is a really nice person."
"my name is tom. i play draco malfoy. do u wanna hear a secret? im nice in real life it's only draco thats mean tom is a really nice person" pic.twitter.com/W8Arr4cv1a
The youngster is even clutching a wand, and clearly sees Tom through the eyes of an idolised fan. The viral clip has since racked up over 54,000 likes on Twitter and has been retweeted over 36,000 times.
Felton is clearly a kind-hearted person, and avid fans in the comments section who were lucky enough to have met him can attest to his compassion.
If anyone knows how we can get a hug from the actor, please let us know via owl post. We want to hear more of his secrets…
We'd all have absolutely lost the run of ourselves if Daniel Radcliffe had signed our Harry Potter books when we were kids (we'd still die if it happened today, to be honest).
A book believed to contain the actor's first ever autograph on a Harry Potter book has just been sold for €2,900, and one lucky person now has a slice of cultural history.
Radcliffe was just 11-years-old when he allegedly signed the hardback during filming of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in North Yorkshire in 2000.
The book's owner was an extra in the film, and was the first person to request his signature. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint also signed the book, which was auctioned by Teesside-based Vectis.
Vectis claim the book's owner asked the actor to sign the now-iconic novel as he sat in a marquee on set at Goathland on the first day of filming. The North Yorkshire village appears in the film as Hogsmeade.
He wrote on Verity Collins' novel: "To Verity, best wishes Daniel Radcliffe."
Image: North News/NNP/Vectis
The actor who portrayed Hagrid in the franchise, Robbie Coltrane, also wrote his autograph on the novel while the film's director, Chris Columbus, wrote "Believe in magic".
The novel's owner, Verity Collins, was having chemotherapy to treat leukaemia. Collins' mother, Valerie Rudd, is selling the book on her behalf.
Rudd, who is selling the book on Verity's behalf, said: "She loved her time there. We would have even paid for her to be an extra. She was a big fan of the books.
“When Verity was 13 she was spending lots of time in the hospital and she’d read the books while she was there. I started reading the first one in the hospital with her."
Her mother continued explaining the story of Verity's part in the movie;
"So when we found out they were advertising for extras for the film we applied straight away, and even though she was having her treatment she was allowed to do it.
“She was about 15 at the time and he would have been about 11. She was with a group of extras, saw Daniel Radcliffe sitting by himself and felt sorry for him so she went and talked to him," Rudd continued.
The book, which has 13 signatures, was the first item Radcliffe had ever been asked to sign; "He said it was the first time anyone had asked him for an autograph."
Verity also received a special invitation from director Chris Columbus to visit the Warner Bros Studio, before it was open to public.
Her mum said: “She had the most marvellous time.
“Although she was going through her treatment, it was just such a wonderful time for her to be an extra in her favourite book and then to be invited down to see the studio."
33-year-old Verity now lives in Somerset, and was given the all-clear from the illness. She opened her own homemade jewellery business and is hoping the book's sale will allow her to move South.
Kathy Taylor, a representative from Vectis, said the book had smashed its "conservative" €500 estimate; "It's such a lovely story. It's always difficult to gauge the price when something is unique."
"The seller, who now lives in the south, has great memories of her time on the film and the way the cast treated her during a difficult time while she was ill but her mum said recently it had been sitting in a drawer," she added.
"It became apparent when we promoted the sale on social media it was likely to have been signed on the first day of filming on what was the first Harry Potter film, with actor Chris Rankin, who played Percy Weasley, confirming he had signed the book as well."
It was the subject of many a fanfic story but now Tom Felton is coming out with it.
The actor who played the Hogwarts bully, Draco Malfoy, has opened up about what he thinks Draco and Harry really made of each other.
And it was far from how they acted together on screen.
Tom was speaking at a Universal Orlando event which centered on the opening of a new Wizarding World of Harry Potter rollercoaster, Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure.
The actor was there with his Harry Potter castmates Rupert Grint, Evanna Lynch, Warwick Davis, and James and Oliver Phelps.
Talk turned to the popular fanfics and Tom was asked about the Harry/Draco relationship.
He said, ''Harry was constantly crushing on Draco. He just couldn't hide it."
Rupert added, ''I think he made quite an impression on Ron, as well."
The constant arguing and griping at each other?
Deffo sexual tension, right?
Tom wasn't so sure about the Draco and Hermione romantic fanfic though.
He said, ''I feel like I've seen some fanfics along that line. I've seen some pictures. Some alarming ones.''
So it' just the Malfoy/Potter one he's keen on, it seems.
Wonder what Daniel Radcliffe has to say about that…
Father's Day is almost here, which means two things: last minute gift shopping and a higher tolerance for dad jokes for one day only.
Whether it's your step-dad, a special father figure in your life or your parent, buying the right gift can be tricky to navigate but worth it for the results.
Is your Papa obsessed with fantasy themes like Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings? Or is he more of a Breaking Bad lad?
Image credit: Breaking Bad
From Peaky Blinders caps to Sherlock detective gear, here are some of our favourite gift ideas for TV and film franchise fanatics this Father's Day.
