Editor’s letter
It’s 9.30pm in the evening and I’ve just come in from a walk on Sandymount Strand. It’s like a mini Glastonbury out there, well maybe Coachella judging by the profusion of crop tops. People walking their dogs, small groups sitting in a circle on the (slightly damp) sand, chatting, laughing, sunglasses glinting in the late evening sun. The air still warm, as May turns into June tomorrow, and we’ve had one of our hottest days of the year so far.
Finally, there’s light and liberty on the horizon. Whether you’re lucky enough to have a late summer escape flight booked, or a coveted terrace restaurant reservation nabbed, you have evenings like this to enjoy. I know we say it all the time, but we say it because it’s true – there is nowhere better to be than here when the sun shines.
It’s the summer of release, finally, but I reckon it will be the small things that we appreciate still – sitting on the wall with a neighbour, sipping a late evening take-away pint, getting our hair and nails done by someone else; eating out with friends, at a table, with cutlery and glasses made of glass. Just seeing people again.
And changing rooms are back! Yes. I even bought a tailor’s measuring tape during lockdown and subjected myself to the humiliation of measurements in order to try and navigate the online Size Guide. Good luck. After trekking to the post office to return a dress that made me look like a milkmaid, a top more suited to a male child, and two pairs of ill-fitting shoes, I gave up. After a certain age, you just need to try stuff on.
But offer me any of the dresses from stylist Paula Hughes’ light-dappled lakeside fashion shoot on page 46, and I’d take the risk. Colour-drenched, floaty and feminine, they’re everything we’re in the mood for right now. Although, there’s one of us out there you might still have to convince. Warning, do not read Suzie Coen’s blisteringly brilliant piece on the pain of summer dressing while drinking hot tea, or in polite company; it will cause involuntary honking and snorting. Anyone else who thinks they have “Hobbity feet” turn immediately to page 43.
We’ve all had enough doom and gloom so, this issue, we’re unapologetically celebrating the easy pleasures of summer. You’ll be grinning ear to ear as Esther O’Moore Donohoe introduces you to her all-time holiday greatest hits on page 81 (Trabolgan is right up there); feeling buoyed up by Eimear Ryan’s lyrical description of learning to swim as an adult (page 71); and getting giddy taking Megan Burns’ mouth-watering tour of Ireland’s food-focussed hotels.
And whether the sun’s shining as you read this or not, prepare to be dazzled by the truly exceptional talents of our interview stars: Irish artist Genieve Figgis (on page 66), who is currently taking the international art world by storm, and the inimitable Imelda May on page 72. A more inspiring pair of Irish women you’d be hard pushed to find. Your summer of freedom and fun awaits.
Enjoy!