Various celebrities let us know what they will be up to this summer
Walking the pier in Dún Laoghaire
EAMON GILMORE:Summer means walking the pier in Dún Laoghaire and all that's associated with that. I tend to know every second person so it can take me quite a while to traverse the pier. In winter, I pull the cap down over my eyes and put the head down and belt along. In summer, it's not a short brisk walk, rather more of a ramble. And no, I wouldn't be seen dead in designer sunglasses. Afterwards it's straight to Teddy's for an ice-cream. I'm a 99 man and it shows.
The Festival of World Cultures is another reason to discover Dún Laoghaire. It brings the seafront to life. They’ve moved the festival forward to July but I rather liked it being at the end of the summer season. Last year I went to see the Kilfenora Céilí Band, and every year I tend to be attracted to the African acts for their intoxicating rhythm.
I’m also a big barbecue man. On Saturday evening or on Sunday afternoon I’ll throw some sausages or steaks on the grill and maybe even a few fish kebabs if I can track down some fresh fish. Combined with the good company of great friends and a few cans of beer, it’s an ingredient of summer that is hard to beat.
For me it wouldn’t be summer without a spot of political campaigning. Between referenda, and local and European elections I seem to have spent the last few early summers outdoors, on the road and on doorsteps. I’m half hoping I’ll be electioneering for a general election. Who knows?
Eamon Gilmore is leader of the Labour Party
Drinking al fresco
ALISON CURTIS:When I first moved to Dublin from Toronto, I recall an afternoon spent drinking al fresco outside Bruxelles on Harry Street. I was used to drinking in much darker places. It was the first sunny day of the year and I was sitting with a bunch of new friends, colleagues at Phantom FM, while we were still a pirate radio station. Jenny Huston, now with 2FM, was there and she and I have remained friends.
What struck me was how much everyone’s mood improved with the appearance of the sun. Everyone was out on the streets. What I didn’t know then was how rare those sunny days are.
Back then I was a bottle of beer girl. Pints scared me. There’s a certain thrill to the feeling of light-headedness and giddiness that comes with afternoon drinking. And you definitely get tipsy faster in daylight. Now I’m married, my husband, Tony Hegarty, and I like to go to Wicklow and walk in Enniskerry. Sitting on the grass with a glass of wine in a paper cup and some chocolate feels wonderful.
Summer is a season of music festivals, which for me means a chance to catch up with old friends. These days I’m usually working at them. At weekenders my husband and I take it in turns to be DD – designated driver. So on day one I’ll drive down and not drink, which means I can have a few glasses of Guinness the following day. For me the festivals are more about getting down and dirty and seeing the acts.
Alison Curtis presents the early morning show, 5-7am Mon-Fri on Today FM
In Thurles for the hurling championships
JOANNE CANTWELL:No Irish summer is complete without getting up close and personal with the hurling championships. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world.
The drive into the town is always crazy, with traffic jams tailing out in every direction for miles as supporters comb the highways for parking spaces. As you get closer to the town centre you see the crowds, moving ever closer to the grounds in one big mass. Everyone is wearing their county’s jersey. Then there are the characters who dress up, adding to the overall experience. There’s one guy who regularly dresses like a bishop, in his county’s colours.
The atmosphere ferments into something quite electric once you get inside Semple Stadium. It’s the action on the pitch, the commentary and craic from the stewards and the people that make the day. You don’t hear songs at GAA games – what you hear are almighty roars. In the stands, the lack of fan segregation makes for great banter between counties. And the games are open to everyone. There’s no age limit – you’ll see everyone from babies to old men and women. I recall an All-Ireland quarter final match last year, Galway and Waterford, which everyone assumed Galway would win. An up-and-coming Waterford were outplayed for most of the game but managed to turn it around. The end result can often surprise everyone.
Joanne Cantwell presents the AIB League semi and final live coverage on RTÉ
Swimming in the sea
JOHN MURRAY:I have great childhood memories of holidays spent in places such as Glencolumcille, Enniscrone, and Ballyheigue and of braving the elements most days to sit on the beach, swim in the sea, and generally behave as if the wind and intermittent rain didn't exist. So for me a swim in the sea heralds summer.
To pay homage to those days, I still seek out a beach at least once a year and plunge in, even if it’s freezing cold. Last year, it was a day trip to Cahore Point, the year before, a day in Duncannon, and the year before that, Ardmore, where I recall the day with fondness as the weather could almost have been described as warm. And still, the water was freezing.
A dawn swim at Rocky Bay, beyond Carrigaline, during a brief period of bright, glorious weather felt fantastic. We had friends and relatives to stay and it felt fantastic to immerse yourself in the water. To call it a swim in the sea you have to get the head wet. Then you lie on your back, close your eyes and feel the waves schlepping over you. You emerge refreshed and revitalised, knowing that summer has arrived.
Last summer, Cian McCormack and I did a trip round Ireland in a camper van, reporting for Morning Ireland. And this year we’re reprising the idea. The view from the front of the van, through the panoramic windscreen, is spectacular.
The key to successful camper van cohabitation is to get to sleep first – and to snaffle the double bed over the cab.
Journalist and broadcaster John Murray presents Morning Ireland and The Business, both on RTÉ Radio 1
Visiting Tramore
KEITH BARRY:Waterford has a special place in my heart. My wife, Mairead's family is from Tramore and we spend a lot of time down there. We stay in one of the caravan parks, so we have our own space and it means we're also really close to the beach.
I guess I'm still a kid at heart because I still love to go into the arcades in the town, especially to play Sega's Golden Axe. If I'm accompanied by my wife we like to play the boxing game – we get a set of gloves each and go for glory.
I love to fish off the rocks in Tramore for whatever is biting. I've no interest in sport fishing – if I can't eat it, I just throw it back in. Then I cook my catch on a gas barbecue outside the caravan or down on the beach, over one of those disposable barbecues.
When I'm there I also love to forage for food. The Back Strand is laden with cockles, which I hunt out the old-fashioned way – by sticking my bare feet into the mushy sand and feeling for them with my toes. I also love to collect periwinkles and boil them up in a pot and eat them with a pin. I'm looking forward to introducing my 18-month-old daughter, Breanna, to them.
And no trip to Tramore is complete without a visit to Rockett's of the Metal Man, a pub-cum-restaurant that serves crubeens with cabbage and colcannon. Happy days.
Illusionist Keith Barry plays the Olympia in Dublin on June 30th and July 1st-25th. keithbarry.com.
In conversation with Alanna Gallagher
