Why does everything always taste better under a blue sky?
OUR little nation will take a lot on the chin — taxes, ECB debt, USC charges — but by God when a bit of sun comes out that is when you’ll see a whole new side to us: the defiant Irish.
We will take out blankets, fire up outdoor heaters and weigh the serviettes down against the wind and we’ll fight for our right to enjoy those rays as much as any of our European neighbours.
Their mercury may reach higher on the thermometer, but the Irish bring the craic to the Chablis.
And as Met Eireann predicted a week of sporadic sunshine — climaxing in 18 degrees today — the country began to make hay.
By 11am last Wednesday, the sound of employees cracking into Magnum icecreams could be heard in the capital’s offices as they brought the summer inside.
Workers stared out from their the glass-walled prisons, hoping it would last until they could join in the fun as they fired off texts to make plans for the evening — and what better way to celebrate the start of the summer sun than a spot of al fresco dining?
Despite the climate, Irish restaurants have mastered the art, with entire districts springing to life in the bask of a golden glow and none has become more synonymous with this than Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock, surrounded by water and on a large, open concourse.
From early morning, newspapers are whipped open alongside a coffee and croissant, joggers pound the pavements on the water’s edge and people travel for miles to nab a table in one of the coveted outdoor spots, some of which you are unable to pre-book, all of which will be full well into the long summer dusk.
Charlotte Quay has broken the curse of the Millennium Tower that has befallen the restaurants before it — attracting the model set — while across the water, the H Bar has its own steady stream of ‘who’s-who’ including Bob Geldof, Maia Dunphy, Al Porter, John Banville and U2.
The owners have brought in quirky metal buoys from the Kittiwake ship, which once operated as the lighthouse in Dun Laoghaire harbour, so couples can sit inside under a blanket and enjoy a romantic evening by the water. On the dock’s adjoining left-hand side, the weekend queues outside Herbstreet tell you everything you need to know about the brunch menu, while CHQ is the place du jour for a crisp glass of wine.
Charlie Sheil is manager at the Marker Hotel and — with tasting plates such as the Clare Island oysters and summer cocktails including customer favourite the Lemon Bon Bon cocktail — the roof-top bar is Dublin’s coolest spot to lounge in under the clear blue skies.
In fact al fresco dining there has been so successful that the hotel is planning to expand. “We are redesigning the entire bar and have put in for planning so we are expecting to get news back very soon,” says Charlie.
“Al fresco dining has become very popular but it is largely weather dependent, so we want to extend the seating area and cover half the tables with a glass roof and the other half will be open air. I know other places are following suit; Johnny Ronan will have a new open-air bar on top of his building next year, and more and more spaces are being developed.”
As the sunburst continues today, so, too, will outdoor dining.
Whatever it is about the heat, it brightens moods, brings lovers out to play and puts a spark in the air.
And everything always tastes better when you’re dining al aire libre.