CONCUBHAR Ó LIATHÁIN

Tá sé ag éirí níos teo, a chairde Gaeil

NÍL aon rud eile le rá ach tá sé ag éirí níos teo i rith an ama. Seo é an samhradh, gan amhras, agus mar sin, níor cheart go ndéanfaimís iontas de sin ach tá cónaí orainn in Éirinn agus, bhuel, níl an oiread taithí againn ar an dteas.

Tá roinnt roghanna céilte orainn de bharr go bhfuilimíd faoi ghlas ag galar. Ní féidir linn dul go dtí an trá - mura bhfuilimíd laistigh de chúig chileaméadar den chósta. Ní féidir linn dul go dtí an tigh tabhairne le bheith ag ól gloiní fuara beorach lenár gcáirde.

There’s no other way to say it - it’s getting warmer all the time. This is the summer, of course, so we should expect this kind of weather. Then again we do live in Ireland and we don’t have as much experience of extreme heat like this.

Some choices are not available to us due to the quarantine. We can’t go to the beach, unless it’s within five kilometres. We can’t go to the pub to drink ice cool glasses of beer with our friends.

Rud amháin a thaithníonn liom ná boladh na feola ag róstadh ar an mbairbiciú lasmuigh um thrathnóna. (Tuigim go bhfuil seans nach dtaithneóidh sin le feoilséantóirí amuigh ansan ach, mar a deirimíd i gCúil Aodha, beatha dhuine a thoil, dá mba ghabháil a thóin sa loch). Ar ais go dtí an bairbiciú. Is fearr arís a bhíonn an eispearas nuair a bhíonn buidéal fuar i do lámh is tú ag iompó na feola.

Ní fhánfa amuigh ró fhada sa trathnóna san áit a bhfuil cónaí ormsa. Tá feithidí dúchasacha againn ar a dtugaimíd na corr a mhíola. Ní feoil séantóirí iad. Itheann siad daoine, mo leithéidse, amh agus gan salann.

One thing that I savour and that’s the smell of meat being roasted on the barbecue of an evening. Maybe that’s not to the taste of vegetarians out there - but as we say here in Cúil

Aodha, each to his own and jump in the lake if you want to. (That’s very much an approximate translation - there are some words and phrases in Irish that don’t have their equal in English!) Back to the barbecue and the experience is added to considerably with the feel of a cold bottle in the hand as you turn the meat.

You wouldn’t stay too long out in the evening where I live. We have native insects which we call the midges and one thing they’re not is vegetarian. They would eat the likes of me raw and without the benefit of salt.

Mar sin téim sa bhearna baoil. Is é an samhradh atá ann agus ní ligfidh mé dos na bhfeithidí ná don bhfridín mé a chloí.

Having said that I go into the gap of danger. It’s summer and I won’t let the insects nor the virus have the last laugh.