by John Hosford

As we move into May, we hope the days are finally warming up, but gardeners must remain vigilant. Beware of cold nights early in the month. While those living near the coast may have seen the last of the frosts, venturing just five or eight miles inland can bring you into contact with late seasonal freezes. Always keep a watchful eye on the forecast and keep frost protection fleece, cloches, or cold frames ready to protect your tender plants.

Watering

Preparation for drier days is essential this month. Install taps in strategic locations, particularly in or adjacent to your greenhouse, cloches, and frames, as well as near hanging baskets, window boxes, and patio containers. For those with numerous containers or recent plantings, an automated watering system with a time clock is a worthwhile investment, especially if you plan to be away for prolonged periods.

To manage resources effectively, conserve and store water in water butts. Mulching beds and borders with bark mulch or well-composted farmyard or stable manure will further conserve moisture and suppress weeds. If you cannot source manure locally, consider ‘Gee-up’, made in Blarney, Co. Cork. When sourcing any manure, ensure it is free from weed seeds or roots.

Vegetables

May is a busy month for both indoor and outdoor sowing. If you have not yet started courgettes, pumpkins, squashes, vegetable marrows, sweet corn, runner beans, or French beans, these may be sown indoors early this month. Sowing seeds individually in 9-12cm biodegradable pots helps cut down on waste and minimises transplanting shock. These can be planted out at the end of the month or in early June once they have been thoroughly hardened-off.

Continue successional sowing of beetroot, cabbage, carrots, salad onions, lettuce, radishes, swedes, and turnips outdoors, sowing thinly in well-prepared soil. Celery can be planted out towards the end of the month, while cauliflower and broccoli should be sown now for a spring 2027 harvest.

Brussels sprouts can be moved into their final cropping quarters now, spaced 90cm apart with 90cm between rows. As they occupy space for a long period, you can optimise the ground by intercropping with quick-maturing crops like lettuce, radishes, or kohl rabi. Protect sprouts against cabbage root fly by placing cabbage collars around the neck of the plants immediately after planting. In autumn, ensure they are supported with robust stakes to prevent wind rock, and use Enviromesh to deter caterpillars and pigeons.

Fruit

To ensure a clean harvest, tuck straw under strawberries to protect the fruits from rotting and to prevent soil splashing onto them. Newly planted fruit trees and bushes require consistent watering during dry spells. Additionally, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, and loganberries will benefit greatly from an application of well-rotted farmyard manure, garden compost, or spent mushroom compost.

Under Cover

Now is the time to plant up hanging baskets and containers, keeping them indoors and frost-free until the end of the month. Gradually acclimatise them to the outdoors as they establish. Bedding plants, geraniums, and fuchsias should also be hardened off in preparation for summer displays.

Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and aubergines are ready for larger pots or grow bags. Opt for the deepest grow bags available, as shallow versions dry out too quickly. Ensure plants are not crowded, as proper spacing reduces the risk of disease, mould, and pests. Cordon tomatoes require regular tying and side-shooting; snap off small shoots with your thumb and forefinger, or use a sharp, disinfected knife for larger ones to prevent the spread of viral diseases.

Glasshouse management is crucial as temperatures rise. Apply shading using a wash or fit roller blinds to the exterior. Alternatively, fine mesh netting can be used on sunny days. Morning watering and ‘damping down’ paths will increase humidity and discourage red spider mites. Weekly feeding with an organic seaweed-based fertiliser is recommended for all indoor and container plants. For a unique touch, plant ‘Tumbling Tom’ tomatoes or cascading herbs in hanging baskets.

Keep a sharp lookout for pests such as whitefly, greenfly, vine weevil, and lily beetles. Lily beetles are easily identified by their bright red colour and should be removed by hand to prevent damage to leaves and flowers. Biological controls for various pests can be sourced from Mr. Middleton in Dublin or Fruit Hill Farm in Bantry.

Lawns

Mow established lawns regularly and apply feed if you have not already done so. Any remaining tasks for sowing new lawns should be completed early this month to allow for establishment before the peak heat of summer.

Hardy Annuals

Sow hardy annuals in informal drifts for a natural look. In one-sided borders, position taller varieties at the back, tapering down to the front; for island beds, place the tallest plants in the centre. Avoid making the soil too rich, as this can encourage foliage at the expense of flowers.

Excellent varieties for May sowing include Eschscholzia (Californian poppy), Limnanthes (Scrambled Eggs), Nigella, Calendula, and Nasturtiums. Echium ‘Blue Bedder’ is particularly attractive to bees, while others like Orlaya, Ammi, and Poppy “Ladybird” provide wonderful texture and colour.

Chelsea Flower Show

A true highlight of the gardening calendar, the Chelsea Flower Show takes place this year from May 19-23 in the grounds of The Royal Hospital, Chelsea. For those unable to attend in person, the BBC provides extensive coverage, offering a wonderful insight into the world-class show gardens and floral displays.

I have driven several electric cars in recent years and only twice have I been able to reach the manufacturer’s claimed range when giving the battery a full charge. It happened with Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 last year and last week the revised Xpeng G6 also lived up to its claimed range of 470km when fully charged.

We have all heard jokes about people putting on weight while waiting for their E.V. to charge. It’s tempting to have a tea or coffee and a fancy cake if you have to stop at a roadside filling station to charge your electric car. But last week I did a few short walks while waiting for my Xpeng to charge at Supervalu in Walkinstown. So instead of putting on weight while waiting to charge, you can also lose weight.

I was very impressed with the Xpeng, which along with BYD and Smart are the Chinese brands currently being imported by the MDL group.

It’s massive car and my daughter, who is my regular travelling companion, kept commenting on how spacious the interior was. She is very colour conscious and was impressed with the lovely touches of light grey on the seats and dash area. A full length sunroof adds to the bright interior feel. Overall the interior has a minimalistic and clean look to it.

Plenty of room in the back seat for three well-built adults and with a flat floor no complaints from the person sitting in the middle. The boot is a decent size at 571 litres, rising to 1,374 litres with the rear seats folded down.

Most of the controls are incorporated into the massive 15.6-inch screen on the dash. From that screen you can find everything you need to know about driving the car, how to open the bonnet, the boot, the electric charge point and the glove box.

I read recently that that in Europe, at least, there are plans to bring back a few old style buttons for air conditioning and radio. That would definitely be a sensible idea as it’s very dangerous for the driver to take his/her eyes off for the road for just a few seconds to find something on that huge screen. I think most of us have trained our bodies to find buttons on the dash without fumbling to find them.

The Xpeng is similar in looks to a few other electric cars currently available, most notably Tesla’s Model Y, some of Kia’s new EV range and the Skoda Enyaq. My test car came in Artic White, which is similar to a shade of white that Tesla use. 

As usual you get two vanity mirror in the front for driver and front seat passenger. But I noticed that in order to see the vanity mirrors you need to fold down a piece of material that covers the mirrors. 

Prices for the RWD Standard Range version that I drove have been held at €42,000, as has the price of the long-range version at €49,440. The range in the latter version is 525km. Naturally like all electric cars, it takes off like a greyhound and the max speed is 202km, if it’s penalty points you are after!

I really enjoyed my time in the Xpeng and it charges really fast, so fast you can only take a short walk.

 I got a lot of people asking me about the name and how is it’s pronounced. We don’t have many words in the English language starting with ‘X’ apart from X-Ray and Xylophone.The name Xpeng reminded me of an old television ad in the eighties promoting a product for cows called Cheno Unction. The manufacturer’s advertising line was: ‘‘It’s a quare name, but great stuff.’’

Materials: 

•  3 toilet rolls

•  4 different colour paints…one of which is green

•  Scissors

•  Black paper or card

•  Paint brush

•  Cotton wool

•  Saucer or plate

Snip approx half an inch up around the base of the first toilet roll. Then splay out where you have cut.

Repeat this process with the second toilet roll, making longer snips about an inch up.

Repeat with third toilet roll, an inch-and-a-half-up.

Squeeze out the first colour paint (for your outer petals) onto a saucer.

Use the toilet roll with the largest cuts first, dipping it into your paint so that the bottom of the splayed out (petals) are completely covered. Then – thinking about where you want your flowers – press down on to your black paper to make a petal print.

Repeat this step two more times on different parts of the paper.

Next, with your second toilet roll (the middle-sized one) choose a different colour paint, dipping it in and imprinting it into the middle of the flowers.

 Repeat this step with the third colour paint.

With your cotton wool, dip into the same colour paint that you used for the outer petals and dab into the centre of your flowers.

Use your green paint to paint the stems and leaves.

There you have it, a beautiful bunch of flowers! Make as many of these as you like, experimenting with different colours.

Against this backdrop I made my way with a friend to the Biennale itself. Everything, it must be said, after Kiefer’s display, was underwhelming. Kiefer towers, not just in scale, but in scope; his subject, the very rise and fall of nations, the melancholic debris of war’s aftermath. Pavilion after pavilion failed to escape the German artist’s shadow. That is, until we found ourselves in front of the Russian Pavilion. It was closed.

The Biennale Foundation, like the majority of cultural institutions in the West, had taken a stand, and banned the Russian Federation from participation in its iconic, international event. It strikes me now, years later, that Russia’s absence from the Biennale that year was a powerful corollary to Kiefer’s presence in the Palazzo Ducale. The two formed a binary: one, an aggressor waging an imperialist war, the other, an artist reflecting on 2000 years of history, encompassing fire, devastation and conflict.

The Biennale was right to exclude Russia; to do otherwise would show it could act without cultural reprisal. It was a powerful statement, and the country’s absence held within it more ‘art’ than its presence, at that point, could ever have done; for the political moment would render any Russian artist, put forward by the state, either mute or complicit or both.

Which is why it is astounding that the Biennale Foundation, has this year, lifted its ban on the Russian Federation, and invited its participation. It is an inexplicable decision, and has been met with condemnation and outrage both within Italy, Ukraine and across the EU. Indeed, the Biennale faces losing €2 million in EU funding over its new position.

The Biennale Foundation president, according to the Guardian, said, that he had invited people “from all areas of conflict to share their points of view. We believe that where there is art, there is dialogue.”

The idea that state-sponsored artists from Russia could express an independent point of view on the conflict in Ukraine is, of course, laughable. The 2025 documentary, ‘Mr Nobody Versus Putin,’ made by Pavel Talankin, a brave Russian school teacher (now in exile), drives this point home. In this film, Talankin, the school’s videographer, documents his school in Karabash (located in the Ural mountains), as it undergoes the transition from a pre-2022 curriculum to a war-time one, in which questions and answers, on all topics, are now read by rote from state-supplied texts. 

We see a lively school become a depressed one, we watch joyful interactions between students and teachers become fearful ones. Students, who had previously hung out with Talankin in his ‘open office’ were now afraid to be seen with him, as his opposition to Putin had become known. The documentary is both moving and chilling. The Biennale Foundation would do well to project it onto the Russian Pavilion, to play it continuously at night on a loop. That would be art by a brave Russian artist, footage smuggled out of an authoritarian country; not propaganda from a state, that is all too ready to whitewash its crimes, to legitimise its imperialist war.

It is no secret that many people in Ireland like traditional Irish music. It’s also no surprise that most tourists do too. For, just like visits to stone circles, tombs, beehive huts and other Megalithic and Neolithic monuments, Irish trad offers a vivid, direct and immersive encounter with the roots of ancient language and culture in Ireland. A blast from the past, so to speak. And a pointer to the future. More and more Irish bands, famous and otherwise, writes Moze Jacobs, are inclined to weave a jig, a reel, a polka or an air through their music in some way or form. And/or sing ‘as Gaeilge’. Ballydehob-based band Rubicon has been described as ”pretty much the longest running trad band in West Cork”.

According to the band’s lead singer Francine Thurnheer “The music is going strong. It doesn’t seem to be stagnant.”

”Major bands such as Kingfisher and Amble or Kneecap make it trendier. Trad groups are now even performing at the big music festivals. And there is a large number of upcoming groups including 17-, 18-, 19-year-olds with brand-new bands. When I was growing up, you were nearly a nerd if you were learning Irish music.”

Originally from Castlehaven, Francine is also the virtuoso tin whistler player of the band. Her fingers deliver the melodies meticulously, clear, fast or slow. A feast of precision. No faltering. Which may have something to do with the fact that she immersed herself in music when she was young and stress-free.

“I was six when I started on the tin whistle. I also learned the accordion, guitar, piano. I just loved music and took to it naturally so my parents didn’t have to force me into it. On the contrary – I always absolutely loved singing and playing. And performing! My first band was with my music teacher and seven of her other students. We used to play a few nights per week over the summer. 

“I had my first gig in a pub when I was 12 and I’m 45 this year, so it’s 33 years of playing in public. I’ve been in various bands before Rubicon, but this is the longest stint. 17 years!”

Although she feels very comfortable on stage in most situations, there is an exception. “I don’t have any problem with huge, anonymous audiences but I get very nervous when I have to play in front of people I know. And during the first year I was with Rubicon I wouldn’t talk into the microphone and address the crowd. I was so scared I’d freeze. But now they can’t shut me up.”

The person who invited her to join the band, and who has since become her husband, is called Haensel Thurnheer. On Rubicon’s website it says he is, “on guitar and backing vocals and makes sure we never get bored!” Like all the other members of the band, he is self-employed and has a day job.

Francine says she “didn’t know him as a musician.

“He’s an engineer, did some business with my dad’s company and was looking for a singer.”

On stage and on video, Francine is clearly the dynamic heart of the band. Whether she sings, plays, or steps off the stage to direct groups of dancers (small – in pubs – or large – at festivals), she’s very good at running the entire show, including the céilí. Microphone in one hand, tin whistle in the other, alternating seamlessly. But it wouldn’t all work so smoothly if it wasn’t for the other musicians. A deceptively simple line-up consisting of brothers Dorian (banjo, mandolin, backing vocals) and Finn Kelly (bass) with Thurnheer himself on guitar. Whereas Rubicon are still looking for a fiddle-player (apply via rubiconireland.com or ring 086 8430006) they have a ‘pool’ of five bodhrán players including Ivan Camiers and 22-year-old Daniel Coughlan, a former Senior Bodhrán Champion of the Munster Fleadh Cheoil. Plus, when they play in Austria or Germany, they are joined by either of two local bodhrán players. 

As will happen on their upcoming tour, which will take them across West Cork, from May 17 (Courtmacsherry) through September 26 (Castletownbere) and on to Germany and Austria in October. The tour ends in Rosie’s Bar (Ballydehob) on January 1, 2027. Thirty gigs in all, so far. Not including functions (weddings, private parties, birthdays) where the band plays in-between. It will literally accommodate to any sort of audience.

“Our smallest gig was for six people: a couple, two friends, a chef and a waiter,” shares Francine. “The biggest was St. Patrick’s Festival in Munich for 80,000 people in March.”

Earlier this century, they played New York for six years in a row on St. Patrick’s Day. Until 2016, when Trump came in.

“They blocked us, sent us back to Dublin and said we are never allowed to return to America. Blacklisted. I went on Joe Duffy to complain and several bands contacted me to say they had similar experiences. When you’re being interrogated they say things like, we don’t need you in our country, we’ve plenty of people who can play Irish music, go home.”

We were entering America on tourist visas. A working visa would have cost us €3,000. That was completely unaffordable,” adds Haensel.

He founded Rubicon’s precursor under a different name in 2006, fifteen years after moving to Ireland from Switzerland where he was playing guitar in an Irish trad band. “I was immediately hooked.” But he’s also partial to rock. “I really like ACDC as well as trad. Our original idea was to play heavy rock albeit with Irish tunes. In the beginning we had an uilleann piper. Quite an aggressive sound but then we began to soften. Now we play not pure trad, but something close to it.”

Finn Kelly’s sturdy bass and the riffs he and Haensel play together, “give the music a real lift and facilitate the dancing.”

Rubicon play some original songs (including one called Ballydehob, by Haensel, “a comical song”) but their real focus is on existing Irish material. “Sometimes I hear a tune that gives me goose bumps,” says Francine. “Then I have to go home, find it, and learn it. Such as ‘Curlew’s Reel’.” The tune, (composed by Josephine Keegan), combined with a reel called ‘Moving Cloud’ (by Neillidh Boyle) is on their brand-new album, ‘20 Years A-Live’, released in March, available on CD during gigs and online. Somehow, the combination of Francine’s high-flying whistle and the solid trad band behind her continues to work like a train. Or, like clockwork.

The State pension in Ireland currently sits at just under €300 per week for a full contributory pension. For many people, that is not enough on its own to cover the lifestyle they would like, particularly when you factor in rising costs, energy bills, healthcare, and general day-to-day living. This is where planning ahead makes a real difference, because the gap between what the State provides and what you actually need can be significant.

A useful way to think about it is this: many people aim for a retirement income of around 70 to 75 percent of their working salary to maintain a similar standard of living. When you break that down, the State pension might cover a portion of that, but the rest has to come from somewhere else, usually a pension, savings, or investments.

For those in their fifties, this is often the most important decade financially. You still have earning power, and crucially, you still have time. Pension contributions at this stage benefit from tax relief at your marginal rate, which can be a significant advantage. For example, a €1,000 pension contribution may only cost €600 if you are paying tax at 40 per cent. Increasing contributions during these years can have a meaningful impact on your eventual pension pot.

Investment strategy also becomes more important at this stage. Many people have pensions or funds sitting in very cautious or default options that may not be aligned with their timeframe. While risk should always be managed carefully, having some exposure to growth assets over the medium term can be essential to ensure your money keeps pace with inflation. Leaving everything in cash or very low-risk funds for too long can actually reduce your purchasing power over time.

In your sixties, the conversation begins to shift. It becomes less about building aggressively and more about structuring your assets properly. This is where understanding how and when you can access your pension, how much you can draw down, and how to make that income last becomes key. Many pensions in Ireland can be accessed from age 50 once you have left employment, and having a clear plan around drawdown versus lump sums can make a significant difference to long-term sustainability.

At this stage, it is also important to ensure you have a mix of accessible funds and longer-term income. A common approach is to have a portion of your money easily available for short-term needs, while the rest continues to work in the background to provide income over time. This avoids the need to dip into long-term investments too early or during market fluctuations.

By your seventies and eighties, financial planning becomes much more about simplicity and security. The priority shifts to ensuring that regular expenses are covered, that there is a buffer for unexpected costs, and that finances are easy to manage. This might include consolidating accounts, simplifying investments, and ensuring that everything is clearly structured.

This is also the stage where vulnerability can become a real concern. Relying solely on the State pension, or not having access to additional funds, can create pressure not just for the individual, but for their family. Planning ahead is what allows people to maintain independence for longer, make their own decisions, and avoid putting financial strain on those around them.

Across all stages, one of the biggest issues I see is that people either hold too much in cash or avoid investing altogether because they are unsure where to start. While cash is important for short-term security, keeping large amounts sitting in deposit accounts over long periods can mean that inflation gradually erodes its value. Even a modest return of four to five per cent annually over time can significantly change outcomes compared to leaving money idle.

That said, it is never about putting everything into one place. A well-structured financial plan will typically include a mix of savings for immediate access, investments for medium to long-term growth, and pensions for future income. The balance between these will depend entirely on the individual, their age, and their goals.

The most important step is not getting everything perfect from day one. It is starting. Reviewing what you have, understanding where you stand, and making small, informed adjustments over time. That might mean increasing a pension contribution, moving money out of low-return accounts, or simply getting clarity on what your current plan looks like.

Because when you strip it all back, financial planning is not about chasing returns or complicated strategies. It is about making sure that as you get older, you still have options. Options to live where you want, spend your time how you choose, and make decisions without financial pressure.

Halpin Wealth Management offers free consultations. Visit www.hwm.ie or email info@hwm.ie to learn more.

The tension a person can experience when bereaved by suicide is very real and can take up much internal space in the body and the mind. The mind can turn repeatedly towards the question of why, while the social world can feel altered and the body may experience all manner of challenges from sore shoulders and back pain to upset stomachs and tightness in the throat. The question of why is not one of curiosity as it quite often carries a sense of responsibility within it. People bereaved by suicide can experience this tiring question of ‘why’ alongside feelings of guilt, blame and anger. It is not unusual for people to replay conversations, to reconsider moments that once seemed ordinary and/or to search for something that might have been missed.

In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a Swiss-American psychiatrist, described grief as a process involving five stages, being denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, in her outstanding book ‘On Death and Dying’. In bereavement following suicide, these can appear in ways that feel somewhat chaotic and difficult to anticipate. Denial may take the form of a disbelief that the death has happened at all or a sense that it does not fit with what was known of the person who is no longer with us. Anger can emerge towards the person who has died, towards others or towards oneself, often intertwined with love and a resulting confusion. Bargaining may be felt in the repeated returning to moments that now carry new meaning alongside thoughts about what might have been different “if only”. Depression, in this context, speaks to the depth of the loss and the absence that follows, rather than our day -to-day understanding of depression. Acceptance is sometimes described as a form of coming to live with the reality of the death, even when it remains painful and incomplete. These stages are not linear or chronologically arranged. She later clarified that these stages were “never meant to help tuck messy emotions into neat packages” in her book ‘On Grief and Grieving’.

In suicide bereavement, this is particularly important. The processes she described do not unfold in order and, although this may be hard to read, they do not conclude. They move in and out of one another, sometimes within the same day or across days, months, years or lifetimes. I often think of any bereavement or loss as being similar to a knot in a beautiful piece of wood. The knot itself is forever there, tight, messy and not going anywhere. However, the beautiful piece of wood, which features the knot, is a result of growing around the knot over time. With the unique type of grief encountered when bereaved by suicide, it is not that the grief ever ends. It is that, as a person continues to experience their own living, they grow around the grief. It will always be painful; anytime you look at a picture or think about a time in the past, the grief can and often will come back, as if it was yesterday that the loss occurred. The ‘Five Stages of Grief’ framework can offer language for experiences that might otherwise feel disorganised but it does not set a path that must be followed.

What remains central is the relationship with the person who has died and the ongoing work of carrying that relationship in a life that has been altered. What does this mean? Well, if our grief was removed or done away with then it would be a dishonour to the person and the relationship we had with them. To feel the grief fully is to honour that person. To weep and feel physical pain at the thought of who that person was and could have been is a testament to the love held for them. It is unfortunate that due to the human condition we cannot experience that love without the potential to experience the grief of loss in some format.

In 1897, Émile Durkheim described suicide in terms of social forces suggesting that levels of connection and regulation within society are key. His work points towards the importance of belonging and social context, without locating responsibility in any one relationship. Edwin S. Shneidman, in his 1993 book ‘Suicide as Psychache’, wrote that “the common stimulus in suicide is unbearable psychological pain”, which he termed ‘psychache’. This idea can sometimes offer a way of understanding suicide as an attempt to escape suffering rather than as a rejection of others or a wish to die. In 2005, Thomas Joiner proposed that suicide emerges when a person experiences both a sense of not belonging and a belief that they are a burden. This is known as the interpersonal theory of suicide. It also suggests that suicidal behaviour is not simply a wish to die, but something that develops over time through exposure and habituation to pain or fear.

Similarly, in 2011, Rory O’Connor developed the Integrated Motivational Volitional model, which distinguishes between the emergence of suicidal thoughts and the transition to action. Within this model, feelings of defeat and entrapment, also interpreted as feeling powerless or helpless in one’s situation, can give rise to suicidal thinking, while factors such as access to means or impulsivity can influence whether a person acts on those thoughts. Again, these ideas do not explain a single death. They offer a language for thinking about how complex and layered these experiences can be.

Apart from theories that can help in understanding, there is often a felt difference in how this loss is held by others. Suicide bereavement is many times influenced by the social responses that follow. Research consistently identifies stigma as a central feature. This can show up in silence, in avoidance or in use of language as people may not know what to say or sometimes they say nothing at all.

If the person who died by suicide was young then there can be a sense that the life that was unfolding has been interrupted in a way that feels difficult to take in. Developmental expectations are disrupted and an imagined future becomes something else entirely, as the absence is not only of the person as they were but of who they were becoming.

There is also the presence of trauma within this kind of grief. Bereavement after suicide can involve intrusive thoughts, images or bodily responses that are not always associated with other forms of loss. The mind can return to the circumstances of the death in ways that feel involuntary which can make restorative rest difficult. It can make everyday life feel less predictable.

At the same time, it is important not to separate suicide bereavement too sharply from other forms of grief. There is a risk that in emphasising difference, the shared human aspects of mourning are lost. Certainly shame and self-blame can be present. However, grief remains grief and love remains present in the loss. Grief theorists have long tried to describe how people live with loss. Accepting the reality of the loss and processing the pain of grief can be the ultimate challenge and these tasks are not steps that are completed in order. They can be returned to repeatedly, especially when the death carries unanswered questions. Meaning making and honouring the person who died by suicide can be deeply challenging but ultimately supportive in living one’s own life. Talking about this and opening up to loved ones is the best way to go about it. Of course, Psychotherapy and Counselling is also an appropriate place to do this if doing it with loved ones feels too much to start with.

For more information on Leo’s services, 

phone: 085 1300573

email: info@leomuckley.com 

web: www.leomuckley.com 

sm: @leomuckleypsychotherapy

After many years of working with skin, I often find myself repeating the same advice to clients again and again, so this month I thought I’d share a few simple skincare reminders. Good skin is rarely about one miracle product; it’s usually about good habits and consistency. Cleansing properly, wearing SPF every day, protecting the skin barrier and sticking with a routine that suits your skin will always make more difference than constantly trying new products. I also often remind clients that while you can do a lot at home with good skincare, some concerns respond best when home care and professional treatments work together. Skincare shouldn’t stop at the face either – the neck, chest and body need care and sun protection too. Lastly, if your skin is angry and irritated, do less (stop over exfoliating!). Get the foundations right first, be consistent, and make sure what you’re using is actually right for your skin, that’s the real secret to healthy skin.

What’s hitting beauty shelves this month….

Dermalogica Pro-Collagen Banking Water Cream

New from Dermalogica this lightweight, intensely hydrating moisturiser is designed for dehydrated skin and early signs of ageing. It contains a peptide complex with collagen amino acids, zinc glycinate and carnosine, which help protect collagen and elastin from oxidative stress. It also includes red algae and white clover to help improve skin firmness and smoothness, along with hydrating ingredients to support the skin barrier and improve skin bounce and plumpness. The water-cream texture is very lightweight, making it a nice option for skin that needs hydration and barrier support without heaviness, €83, available from dermalogica.ie and Dermalogica stockists nationwide.

Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Epigenetic Serum

Designed to target multiple signs of ageing such as fine lines, loss of elasticity and uneven skin texture, Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Epigenetic Serum combines hyaluronic acid for hydration and plumping with epigenetic technology that helps support skin renewal and the skin’s natural repair processes. Hyaluronic acid helps attract and retain moisture in the skin, improving hydration and helping the skin appear smoother and plumper, while the epigenetic technology is designed to help reactivate youth-related skin functions at a cellular level, supporting skin regeneration and improving overall skin condition over time. The formula focuses on improving skin firmness, smoothness and elasticity rather than targeting just one concern, €56.99, available online from boots.ie and Eucerin stockists nationwide. 

Ella & Jo Nourishing Moment Shower Oil and The Glow Moment Body Oil

The latest additions to the Ella & Jo body care collection focus on cleansing, conditioning and supporting the skin barrier, leaving the skin soft and hydrated. The Nourishing Moment Shower Oil gently cleanses without stripping the skin and contains avocado, grapeseed and cranberry oils along with Vitamin E to help hydrate and condition the skin. The Glow Moment Body Oil is a lightweight, fast-absorbing oil rich in omegas and lipids that helps soften the skin, improve radiance and support the skin barrier. Both products have a lovely scent, fresh citrus with warm ginger and clove, finished with a soft woody note making them feel more like a treatment than just everyday body care, €28 and €35, available from ellaandjo.com and stockists nationwide.

Eleven Australia Miracle Hair Treatment

This all-in-one hair hero treatment from Eleven Australia is now available in a limited-edition bottle with 40% extra free. This lightweight leave-in treatment is suitable for all hair types and is designed to improve overall hair condition, shine and manageability. It hydrates and nourishes dry hair, helps control frizz and flyaways, detangles, and provides heat and UV protection, making it a very practical everyday product. It also helps strengthen the hair to reduce breakage, protect colour and keep hair smooth, soft and manageable without weighing it down, €24 available from elevenaustralia.ie and stockists nationwide.

To make an appointment for one of my Advanced Facial Treatments | Medical Microneedling | Byonik Laser | Dermalux LED Light Therapy |Slimyonik Body Airstyler | Teen Facials book online at www.shernamalone.ie 

Something has shifted in the way we talk about ageing, and it goes deeper than semantics. For a long time, the beauty and wellness industries operated on a single, largely unexamined assumption: that growing older was a problem requiring a solution. Treatments promised to “reverse”, “correct”, or “fight’”the signs of age, as though time itself were the enemy and the goal was always to wind the clock back. However, times are changing and there is a big shift in the aesthetic and wellness spaces.

Longevity medicine, once the preserve of Silicon Valley optimists and academic outliers, has become one of the fastest-growing areas of mainstream healthcare. Researchers are increasingly focused, not just on lifespan, but on healthspan: the quality and vitality of the years we live. Central to this is a growing understanding of the body’s regenerative capacity; its ability, given the right conditions, to repair, renew, and function at a high level well into later life. The skin, as the body’s largest organ, is no exception.

This science has fundamentally changed what good aesthetic medicine looks like. The most interesting practitioners today aren’t interested in making patients look younger. They’re aiming to make them look well.

The treatments gaining traction in clinics reflect this shift. Polynucleotides (purified DNA fragments originally developed in wound-healing medicine) have become one of the more talked-about developments in skin health in recent years. Rather than filling or freezing, they work at a cellular level, stimulating fibroblast activity and supporting the skin’s own repair mechanisms. The results tend to be subtle and cumulative: improved hydration, better texture, a quality of skin that reads as healthy rather than treated.

Microneedling operates on a related principle. By creating controlled micro-injuries in the skin, it triggers the body’s wound-healing response. This creates a controlled flood of collagen and elastin production that gradually improves firmness and resilience. It’s an intervention that works with the skin’s existing biology rather than overriding it.

More recently, exosome therapy has moved from research settings into clinical practice. Exosomes are essentially cellular messengers, carrying signalling proteins that instruct skin cells to repair and regenerate. Early clinical evidence is promising, and the approach fits neatly into a broader regenerative philosophy: less addition, more restoration.

Energy-based treatments have evolved along similar lines. IPL remains a reliable tool for addressing the cumulative effects of sun exposure — pigmentation, vascular changes, uneven tone — restoring a clarity that has more to do with health than youth. Erbium YAG laser resurfacing goes further, prompting significant collagen remodelling and skin renewal. Used thoughtfully, these technologies don’t alter the face so much as return it to a better version of itself.

Advanced skincare properly formulated, evidence-led products. rather than marketing-driven ones, underpins all of it. The barrier function, cellular turnover, and protection from environmental stressors determine the long-term health of the skin more than almost anything else.

What unites these approaches is a changed set of questions. Not “how do I look younger?” but “how do I look and feel my best?” Not “what can be corrected?” but “what does healthy skin actually need?” It’s a more honest conversation, and patients seem ready for it.

There’s also a growing recognition that the pursuit of a younger appearance has, in many cases, produced results that serve neither patient nor practitioner well. Overcorrection, homogenisation, the uncanny valley of faces that have clearly been worked on. These are the visible failures of an industry that prioritised a single aesthetic ideal over individual health and character.

The pro-ageing movement isn’t anti-intervention. It’s anti-erasure. The distinction matters. A person in their fifties who looks vital, rested, and healthy has aged well, regardless of whether they’ve had help getting there. The goal is function and vitality, not the simulation of a different decade or different person altogether.

Mainstream medicine is beginning to reflect this too. Preventive and regenerative approaches, from NAD+ protocols and peptide therapies to mitochondrial health and microbiome research, are entering clinical conversations that would have seemed fringe just a decade ago. The picture emerging is one in which ageing is not reversed but optimised: a process managed with intelligence and care, rather than one fought and resented.

Aesthetics, at its best, is part of that broader project. Skin health is health. Looking well is, more often than not, a reflection of being well. And the treatments and technologies now available make it increasingly possible to support both, not by chasing youth, but by investing in the conditions that allow people to age with vitality, confidence, and genuine wellbeing. I feel genuinely excited to see where this movement takes us.

“Conformity is the only real fashion crime. To not dress like yourself and to sublimate your spirit to some kind of group identity is succumbing to fashion fascism.” Simon Doonan

Ageing is an inevitable part of life but how we approach it can transform the entire experience. Once upon a time growing older was embraced and people assumed the glorified position of ‘wise elders’ in the community.

Experience, hardships, laughter and love etched into the face, hands and fingernails showed the signs of hard work. There seemed to be an acceptance and even welcome to slowing down.Times were different then and today’s society is much more concerned with the slow down of ageing. I definitely feel that the emphasis on looking after your body as you age is becoming more and more important – moving more and, most importantly, challenging your brain, as you get older. I always loved to study and I’m studying again now at an age where focus and retention may have completely left the building, haha! Persistence, repetition and patience – these have become my mantra because they work. Research has shown that it is the 50-, 60- and 70-year-olds who need more intellectual stimulation than a younger brain. In the same way that you practise speaking a new language, when you stop, the parts of the brain that had been stimulated to retain that learned language die. Slipping into a daily non-challenging routine is detrimental to the brain and the body and expedites ageing.The exact same is true when it comes to moving the body and exercising. Emotional resilience also needs tending to, so that you can cope with life on life’s terms!

Our bodies change and, as we mature, many of us can get stuck in a rut and just stay comfortable when it comes to fashion. Ageing gracefully doesn’t mean pretending to be young, what it does mean is that you make peace with the ageing process while staying stylish and doing what you can (safely) to look your best. I’m not going to rant and rave about skincare procedures that are poisoning the body in order to look young – do your own research, of which there is limited longterm! Also, a wonderful college professor once told us that when you look at who funds safety studies, you need to sift through to find studies that are NOT funded by the product/procedure in question – in other words, the results may be compromised. Mindset is huge when it comes to ageing, it is so important to try to adapt a lighthearted approach and not obsess about it because if you allow yourself to get stressed, then you will flood your body with cortisol and look older. I don’t use anti-ageing creams – companies send them to me but, other than a Vitamin C cream that RSVP sent to me last year, I don’t use them at all. I eat well, use old remedies and drink Nettle tea to purify my blood. I have found my passion in life and embrace it, I garden without gloves (Google the benefits of doing that), I take a high dose of CoQ10 and I laugh at myself ‘all’ the time. I use Nivea body cream on my face and mix a little BioOil into it, every so often I use local honey as a mask and I’m of the mind that perhaps there are anti-ageing benefits to dogs licking your face!

Your wardrobe can and will dramatically influence how you feel as you age. You need to honestly ask yourself if you are still wearing a much-loved style from 15 or 20 years ago – a classic tailored cut is exempt from this. The longer you live, the more experiences that you go through and inevitably, these experiences will change you, so you need to ask yourself if your clothes reflect who you are today. Dressing for who you are now rather than who you used to be boosts confidence and is enormously liberating. Social media is a wonderful and useful tool when used carefully for advice and ideas when it comes to what to wear as you age. What you need to be careful of is who you follow for tips and how much is real or artificial. Most influencers use airbrushing apps, use products and treatments that are beyond our budgets and are well-informed on camera angles and so on.Reinventing your wardrobe is something that you have to do regularly as you age. Holding onto clothes that you haven’t worn in a long time creates a stagnant wardrobe and stops you from moving on. There will always be some items that will only be worn on rare occasions, like funeral attire, ball gowns and event style. These pieces, once they still fit comfortably, can occupy a section of your wardrobe, but jeans that you put on and take off and never wear, need to be given away, passed on to a friend or sold on an app like Vinted or Depop. Simplicity is key. Blazers, dressy blouses, kimono-style light long cardigans can change an everyday pair of jeans to a ‘going out’ look. The quickest way to revive your wardrobe is by experimenting with unexpected pairings. What about trying that silk blouse – usually reserved for a very formal event – with a pair of denim jeans and trainers? This is a great day-into-evening look, sophisticated yet effortless on a more mature body.

The colour and shape of clothes is a power tool as you age. We all know the colours that shine on us but, as we age, the shade might need to change somewhat. We change our make-up shade and texture, as our skin ages; our hair colour, as more greys appear, so it only makes sense that the colours of our clothes would change too. Have you ever put on an outfit that you used to love, only to feel like something is off? Maybe your features seem less defined, your skin looks a little tired or the colour just doesn’t ‘pop’ like it used to. Colours that once flattered you may now dull your natural glow instead of enhancing it. What you need to do is to stand in daylight with a mirror, put a colour near your face and you will see if it reflects light onto your face to make you ‘glow’. Another colour will absorb the light, which will make you look tired or washed-out. Black is a classic colour that will hide a multitude but, for some people, it can emphasise shadows and fine lines. Opt for a deep espresso or soft charcoal instead. Soft pale yellow may sound like a cheerful colour but it washes out most Irish people, as it lacks contrast and is too close to our natural skin undertone. Opt for a warm amber or golden yellow instead. Stark white can be surprisingly unflattering on many Irish women, as it is too bright and harsh and highlights an uneven skin tone. Opt for cream or ivory instead. Baby blues, lavenders or pale pink are shades that can sometimes feel ‘flat’. They lack warmth and can make the skin look less vibrant. Opt for coral, peach or warm rose instead. Deep navy and teal, burgundy and plum, warm greens, peach and coral and soft rose and blush can all work wonders on ageing skin. Wear brighter colours near your face or use layering by adding a softer tone between your face and darker pieces.

Accessories can be absolute game-changers! A belt can transform the feel of a familiar outfit and as we age, the thickness and position of a belt will need to change, perhaps to accentuate a curve where a waist is disappearing.

Shop intentionally. Always ask yourself if a new addition will pair with at least three of your existing items. This will stop the urge to impulse buy. There is no set guideline as to what you should wear when you are 40, 50, 60 or 70. What is imperative is that you have good-fitting enhancing underwear, which is always worth the extra cost. Don’t allow yourself to get into the habit of wearing the same clothes style everyday. The days that you are struggling with confidence and energy are the days that you should wear the brightest of colours, the best jeans or a piece that you get loads of compliments every time you wear it. Gone are the days where you save something good for an occasion, every day is an occasion, wear it now.

“It is a privilege to age….” Phrases like these may make you want to scream. It is not easy being positive about ageing in the face of all that modern society hurls at us over-50s when everything about ageing for women is negative: We are not fertile, not deemed attractive and the physical changes of ageing, such as wrinkles, are deemed ugly, to be erased with serums, injections, or the knife. But the same criticism is not wielded at men; if they have grey hair they are a ‘Silver Fox’ – their wrinkles looked on as distinguished not ugly features.

What we should be asking is Why? Why do women, especially in West Cork, live to such an old age? What is our purpose?

We seem to have an evolutionary mystery here: Why do we live so long beyond the age when we can reproduce? Classic Darwinian theory would predict otherwise, as natural selection favours mutations that increase reproduction and tends to put a cap on survival after reproduction ceases. In fact, almost all female mammals from elephants to squirrels, badgers and meerkats, live only for relatively short periods of time after reproduction ceases.

For human females, a third of our lives will be lived after menopause and only a  handful of mammals do this; orcas, beluga, narwhal and short-fined pilot whales and, according to a recent study, chimpanzees from one population in western Uganda.

The evolutionary purpose of women living 20 or 30 years post reproductive age is that we bring intrinsic value to our society, and I am not talking about being a babysitter on tap for grand kids. I mean sharing our skills, nurturing and teaching others. All of our gleaned wisdoms and skills have value: be it music, art or poetry; it could be crochet or baking, organising and decluttering. Me? I started to write for West Cork People in 2023. I like sharing my knowledge and hope it helps women. As we age, we learn patience, tolerance, acceptance and therefore become better listeners,  better friends and partners.

I say embrace being part of the matriarchy and, dare I say it, embrace your inner crone!

I went to visit my Auntie Breda, age 98, today and wanted to share her insight. She was born, raised, married, had seven children and lived all her life in  the small village of Whitegate in East Cork. She currently is living in Youghal community nursing home. Physically frail but still mentally sharp as a tack, we talked about what it meant to age,  to get old. We talked about dying and we decided we are all dying, because in the end, we all will die – but that is not the point of life.

She felt the important thing is that we enjoy life and I am happy to share my East Cork matriarch’s advice here, salty language and all:  just don’t give a  f#ck what others say or think about you; stop trying to change; just be you.

Women’s physical health:
the facts

• One in two women over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture.

• One in three women, age 75 will die of a heart attack or stroke.

• One in two women over 60 years have high blood pressure and most are unaware. High blood pressure is the lead cause of heart attack and stroke in women if left untreated. The harsh reality with high blood pressure is that you get no symptoms; you feel absolutely fine until you have that stroke or heart attack.

• Women’s cholesterol changes through menopause transition, with total, as well as the bad LDL cholesterol, going up. High LDL is thought to be the strongest predictor of heart disease in women.

• A high BMI, over 30, increases a woman’s risk of heart attack threefold. 

Menopause transition results in weight gain, on average 7kg according to studies, but in reality it is more. That weight sits around the belly, known as central obesity and is incredibly difficult to shift. The combination of central obesity and lipid changes is called metabolic syndrome and is associated with  higher risk of developing diabetes.

Women over 60 increasingly experience urinary symptoms of frequency, passing urine many times in the day, nocturia; getting up at night to pee, discomfort when you wee like a cystitis feeling and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in the over-70s. Incontinence is sometimes thought to be the inevitable companion of ageing and we will all end up in pads by the age of 80. Not true: UTIs and incontinence in our old age are preventable!  

While the medical conditions mentioned above are related to falling oestrogen levels through menopause, they are not inevitable. So what can we do to stay healthy into our 80s? Well, prevention is better than cure!

Cardiovascular disease
(CVD)  prevention

Hypertension or high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease are prevalent in women over 60. Diabetes, heart disease and stroke, however, are all preventable.

Regular aerobic exercise, a healthy low fat, Mediterranean diet, not smoking,  moderate drinking, weight loss, keeping BMI under 30 will all result in a massive reduction in your risk of having a heart attack or stroke or becoming diabetic.

See your GP once a year for blood pressure, cholesterol and HbA1C. The HbA1C test picks up pre-diabetes. If diabetes is caught at this stage and you make changes to diet, increase exercise even if you don’t loose weight, you will stop yourself becoming diabetic. Once diabetes is diagnosed you have a one in three risk of heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years so you want to catch that bugger early. 

If you are found to have even slightly raised blood pressure, you take a once a day tablet. If your pressure is kept low, the high blood pressure effects on the heart, kidney and brain simply does not happen and you prevent your heart attack, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke and kidney failure.  

If cholesterol and LDL are raised, a once a day statin tablet has been shown in studies to result in a 50 per cent reduction in your risk of heart attack or stroke over the next 10 years. Even if your cholesterol is not raised, this benefit is seen.

The female heart

Most studies looking at heart disease or trials developing cardiac drugs have been done using male participants. Female coronary heart disease (CHD) is different to male; we tend to have issues with our small coronary arteries; men tend to block off their big arteries. Symptoms can be completely different between the sexes.

Women tend not to get classic chest pain when exercising that men present with; there can be pervasive fatigue; you might feel breathless or lightheaded when you exercise or just feel you don’t have the energy to get out for a walk. Symptoms can be triggered by worry or stress rather than exercise,  so can be put down to psychological chest pains rather than cardiac symptoms resulting in delayed diagnosis. 

Don’t ignore symptoms,  see your GP: if you are diagnosed with CHD before you have that heart attack you prevent damage to a section of heart muscle. This part will  not move properly after a heart attack resulting in a weak heart pump, a condition called heart failure. Yes, once diagnosed with CHD, you need to take a few tablets every day but surely that is better than being dead or very breathless and unable to exercise or walk.

Osteoporosis and falls prevention: calcium and vitamin D, exercise and weight training

We need a minimum 1000 units Vit D per day and this is impossible to get in our food plus we live in the wrong country; 80 per cent of people in Ireland are vitamin D deficient because of lack of sunshine.

We need 1200mg calcium per day. Use this calculator (www.osteoporosis.foundation/educational-hub/topic/calcium-calculator) to work out if you are eating enough and if not your GP can prescribe a combination calcium plus Vitamin D tablet.

Walking helps muscle and bone strength and West Cork women are big walkers. But weight training is also really important. I am not talking about massive dumbbells and hours in the gym; most gyms throughout West Cork are running women-only weight training sessions. A session involves using very low weights in a repetitive way, 10 to 20 movements in each set, to build up different muscle groups. This results in better core strength and balance, prevents falls and will increase your bone density.  

Studies have shown that you get benefits from what they call exercise snacking; just doing a 10 to 15 minute session several times per week. Once you know what exercises to do, get yourself a set of weights and you can do them at home. 

Oestrogen therapy for the over 70s

Vaginal oestrogen is safe and, in my opinion, essential for all women over 60. Systemic HRT,  not so much. 

Systemic HRT means using oestrogen as a tablet or through the skin as patch, gel or spray, which is absorbed into your bloodstream and acts all around the body.

Evidence from recent studies and Cochrane analysis suggests that systemic HRT started under the age of 60 or within 10 years of the last menstrual period is associated with a reduction in atherosclerosis progression, coronary heart disease, CHD,  and death from all cardiovascular causes as well as all cause mortality. More recent evidence points to greater CVD benefits by starting within six years of last period.  

Four to five years systemic HRT use is associated with almost halving of risk of osteoporotic hip fracture by the age of 65. 

However, studies have repeatedly failed to show any benefit for CVD or osteoporosis prevention when systemic HRT is started for the first time in women over the age of 60. There is also some evidence that doing so might lead to slightly increased risks of heart attack or stroke.  Studies showing that, however, did include women aged 69 to 75, who inherently have a higher risk of CVD.

In short, as a menopause doctor, do I ever start systemic HRT for the first time in a woman over 70?  No, because of the lack of evidence for benefit.

However, if a 70-year-old patient already using systemic HRT for many years wants to continue, that is a different situation. The issue here is that prolonged HRT use for greater than five to 10 years,  is linked with slightly increased risk of breast cancer. 

Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) 

GSM is the term used to describe the effects that oestrogen deficiency has on three areas: genital skin, the vagina and the urinary tract.

Local oestrogen therapy is not just about sexy time; many women assume because they are not sexually active, or they are, but do not experience discomfort, that there is no need to use vaginal oestrogen. Not true!

The urinary symptoms so common in women over 70 are caused by oestrogen deficiency. Using vaginal oestrogen will usually completely cure the symptoms.

Local oestrogen therapy can be a cream or pessary. Cream can be applied to skin of external genital area and also inserted inside the vagina with an applicator. Cream is preferable if there is any soreness burning, itching of skin of genital area.

Think of it like filling an empty tank; if you are 70, your bits have not had any oestrogen for 20-plus years; you will need to use it daily for four weeks, then two to three times per week.

Skin symptoms usually resolve quickly in a week or two. For urinary symptoms of dashing to the loo, leaking if you cannot get there fast enough, getting up at night to pee, leaking when you sneeze and discomfort when peeing and UTIs, it tends to take longer before you see a benefit; sometimes a few months,  so stick with it.

Studies have shown that long term use of vaginal oestrogen is associated with reduced risk of incontinence and recurrent UTIs in our old age.

Is local oestrogen therapy safe? Yes, even if you have had breast cancer in the past.

Studies looking at vaginal oestrogen use in women with a history of breast cancer have not shown any increase in cancer recurrence or in mortality.

Studies of women using vaginal oestrogen long term have showed it is not significantly absorbed as their blood oestrogen levels remain very low.

You will find more information on GSM in the British Menopause Society Women’s Health information leaflet accessible on www.thebms.org.uk.

If you have symptoms suggestive of GSM, please see your GP. If needed, your GP can refer you to be seen at the gynaecology clinic in Bantry.“I

t is a privilege to age….” Phrases like these may make you want to scream. It is not easy being positive about ageing in the face of all that modern society hurls at us over-50s when everything about ageing for women is negative: We are not fertile, not deemed attractive and the physical changes of ageing, such as wrinkles, are deemed ugly, to be erased with serums, injections, or the knife. But the same criticism is not wielded at men; if they have grey hair they are a ‘Silver Fox’ – their wrinkles looked on as distinguished not ugly features.

What we should be asking is Why? Why do women, especially in West Cork, live to such an old age? What is our purpose?

We seem to have an evolutionary mystery here: Why do we live so long beyond the age when we can reproduce? Classic Darwinian theory would predict otherwise, as natural selection favours mutations that increase reproduction and tends to put a cap on survival after reproduction ceases. In fact, almost all female mammals from elephants to squirrels, badgers and meerkats, live only for relatively short periods of time after reproduction ceases.

For human females, a third of our lives will be lived after menopause and only a  handful of mammals do this; orcas, beluga, narwhal and short-fined pilot whales and, according to a recent study, chimpanzees from one population in western Uganda.

The evolutionary purpose of women living 20 or 30 years post reproductive age is that we bring intrinsic value to our society, and I am not talking about being a babysitter on tap for grand kids. I mean sharing our skills, nurturing and teaching others. All of our gleaned wisdoms and skills have value: be it music, art or poetry; it could be crochet or baking, organising and decluttering. Me? I started to write for West Cork People in 2023. I like sharing my knowledge and hope it helps women. As we age, we learn patience, tolerance, acceptance and therefore become better listeners,  better friends and partners.

I say embrace being part of the matriarchy and, dare I say it, embrace your inner crone!

I went to visit my Auntie Breda, age 98, today and wanted to share her insight. She was born, raised, married, had seven children and lived all her life in  the small village of Whitegate in East Cork. She currently is living in Youghal community nursing home. Physically frail but still mentally sharp as a tack, we talked about what it meant to age,  to get old. We talked about dying and we decided we are all dying, because in the end, we all will die – but that is not the point of life.

She felt the important thing is that we enjoy life and I am happy to share my East Cork matriarch’s advice here, salty language and all:  just don’t give a  f#ck what others say or think about you; stop trying to change; just be you.

Women’s physical health:
the facts

• One in two women over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture.

• One in three women, age 75 will die of a heart attack or stroke.

• One in two women over 60 years have high blood pressure and most are unaware. High blood pressure is the lead cause of heart attack and stroke in women if left untreated. The harsh reality with high blood pressure is that you get no symptoms; you feel absolutely fine until you have that stroke or heart attack.

• Women’s cholesterol changes through menopause transition, with total, as well as the bad LDL cholesterol, going up. High LDL is thought to be the strongest predictor of heart disease in women.

• A high BMI, over 30, increases a woman’s risk of heart attack threefold. 

Menopause transition results in weight gain, on average 7kg according to studies, but in reality it is more. That weight sits around the belly, known as central obesity and is incredibly difficult to shift. The combination of central obesity and lipid changes is called metabolic syndrome and is associated with  higher risk of developing diabetes.

Women over 60 increasingly experience urinary symptoms of frequency, passing urine many times in the day, nocturia; getting up at night to pee, discomfort when you wee like a cystitis feeling and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in the over-70s. Incontinence is sometimes thought to be the inevitable companion of ageing and we will all end up in pads by the age of 80. Not true: UTIs and incontinence in our old age are preventable!  

While the medical conditions mentioned above are related to falling oestrogen levels through menopause, they are not inevitable. So what can we do to stay healthy into our 80s? Well, prevention is better than cure!

Cardiovascular disease
(CVD)  prevention

Hypertension or high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease are prevalent in women over 60. Diabetes, heart disease and stroke, however, are all preventable.

Regular aerobic exercise, a healthy low fat, Mediterranean diet, not smoking,  moderate drinking, weight loss, keeping BMI under 30 will all result in a massive reduction in your risk of having a heart attack or stroke or becoming diabetic.

See your GP once a year for blood pressure, cholesterol and HbA1C. The HbA1C test picks up pre-diabetes. If diabetes is caught at this stage and you make changes to diet, increase exercise even if you don’t loose weight, you will stop yourself becoming diabetic. Once diabetes is diagnosed you have a one in three risk of heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years so you want to catch that bugger early. 

If you are found to have even slightly raised blood pressure, you take a once a day tablet. If your pressure is kept low, the high blood pressure effects on the heart, kidney and brain simply does not happen and you prevent your heart attack, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke and kidney failure.  

If cholesterol and LDL are raised, a once a day statin tablet has been shown in studies to result in a 50 per cent reduction in your risk of heart attack or stroke over the next 10 years. Even if your cholesterol is not raised, this benefit is seen.

The female heart

Most studies looking at heart disease or trials developing cardiac drugs have been done using male participants. Female coronary heart disease (CHD) is different to male; we tend to have issues with our small coronary arteries; men tend to block off their big arteries. Symptoms can be completely different between the sexes.

Women tend not to get classic chest pain when exercising that men present with; there can be pervasive fatigue; you might feel breathless or lightheaded when you exercise or just feel you don’t have the energy to get out for a walk. Symptoms can be triggered by worry or stress rather than exercise,  so can be put down to psychological chest pains rather than cardiac symptoms resulting in delayed diagnosis. 

Don’t ignore symptoms,  see your GP: if you are diagnosed with CHD before you have that heart attack you prevent damage to a section of heart muscle. This part will  not move properly after a heart attack resulting in a weak heart pump, a condition called heart failure. Yes, once diagnosed with CHD, you need to take a few tablets every day but surely that is better than being dead or very breathless and unable to exercise or walk.

Osteoporosis and falls prevention: calcium and vitamin D, exercise and weight training

We need a minimum 1000 units Vit D per day and this is impossible to get in our food plus we live in the wrong country; 80 per cent of people in Ireland are vitamin D deficient because of lack of sunshine.

We need 1200mg calcium per day. Use this calculator (www.osteoporosis.foundation/educational-hub/topic/calcium-calculator) to work out if you are eating enough and if not your GP can prescribe a combination calcium plus Vitamin D tablet.

Walking helps muscle and bone strength and West Cork women are big walkers. But weight training is also really important. I am not talking about massive dumbbells and hours in the gym; most gyms throughout West Cork are running women-only weight training sessions. A session involves using very low weights in a repetitive way, 10 to 20 movements in each set, to build up different muscle groups. This results in better core strength and balance, prevents falls and will increase your bone density.  

Studies have shown that you get benefits from what they call exercise snacking; just doing a 10 to 15 minute session several times per week. Once you know what exercises to do, get yourself a set of weights and you can do them at home. 

Oestrogen therapy for the over 70s

Vaginal oestrogen is safe and, in my opinion, essential for all women over 60. Systemic HRT,  not so much. 

Systemic HRT means using oestrogen as a tablet or through the skin as patch, gel or spray, which is absorbed into your bloodstream and acts all around the body.

Evidence from recent studies and Cochrane analysis suggests that systemic HRT started under the age of 60 or within 10 years of the last menstrual period is associated with a reduction in atherosclerosis progression, coronary heart disease, CHD,  and death from all cardiovascular causes as well as all cause mortality. More recent evidence points to greater CVD benefits by starting within six years of last period.  

Four to five years systemic HRT use is associated with almost halving of risk of osteoporotic hip fracture by the age of 65. 

However, studies have repeatedly failed to show any benefit for CVD or osteoporosis prevention when systemic HRT is started for the first time in women over the age of 60. There is also some evidence that doing so might lead to slightly increased risks of heart attack or stroke.  Studies showing that, however, did include women aged 69 to 75, who inherently have a higher risk of CVD.

In short, as a menopause doctor, do I ever start systemic HRT for the first time in a woman over 70?  No, because of the lack of evidence for benefit.

However, if a 70-year-old patient already using systemic HRT for many years wants to continue, that is a different situation. The issue here is that prolonged HRT use for greater than five to 10 years,  is linked with slightly increased risk of breast cancer. 

Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) 

GSM is the term used to describe the effects that oestrogen deficiency has on three areas: genital skin, the vagina and the urinary tract.

Local oestrogen therapy is not just about sexy time; many women assume because they are not sexually active, or they are, but do not experience discomfort, that there is no need to use vaginal oestrogen. Not true!

The urinary symptoms so common in women over 70 are caused by oestrogen deficiency. Using vaginal oestrogen will usually completely cure the symptoms.

Local oestrogen therapy can be a cream or pessary. Cream can be applied to skin of external genital area and also inserted inside the vagina with an applicator. Cream is preferable if there is any soreness burning, itching of skin of genital area.

Think of it like filling an empty tank; if you are 70, your bits have not had any oestrogen for 20-plus years; you will need to use it daily for four weeks, then two to three times per week.

Skin symptoms usually resolve quickly in a week or two. For urinary symptoms of dashing to the loo, leaking if you cannot get there fast enough, getting up at night to pee, leaking when you sneeze and discomfort when peeing and UTIs, it tends to take longer before you see a benefit; sometimes a few months,  so stick with it.

Studies have shown that long term use of vaginal oestrogen is associated with reduced risk of incontinence and recurrent UTIs in our old age.

Is local oestrogen therapy safe? Yes, even if you have had breast cancer in the past.

Studies looking at vaginal oestrogen use in women with a history of breast cancer have not shown any increase in cancer recurrence or in mortality.

Studies of women using vaginal oestrogen long term have showed it is not significantly absorbed as their blood oestrogen levels remain very low.

You will find more information on GSM in the British Menopause Society Women’s Health information leaflet accessible on www.thebms.org.uk.

If you have symptoms suggestive of GSM, please see your GP. If needed, your GP can refer you to be seen at the gynaecology clinic in Bantry.

Patrick has spent over 20 years working in this area through the Food for the Brain Foundation, an online Charity that has now assessed the cognitive health of nearly half a million people. What’s emerging from that work is quite striking: the story we are being told about dementia may be missing the bigger picture.

Rather than focusing solely on amyloid plaques, Patrick argues that factors like high homocysteine levels, poor blood sugar control, and lifestyle habits are far more powerful predictors of brain decline. He also asserts that dementia should not be viewed as an unavoidable consequence of getting older, but rather as a preventable disease in many instances. 

In fact, he suggests that up to 73 per cent of cases could be avoided by modifying our diets and lifestyles. 

That’s a hopeful message. If you want to read more, there’s SO much information on foodforthebrain.org – but here’s some things you can add into your diet this week to start making a difference. 

Feed your brain with
omega-3 fats

The message is simple: our brains are built from fat – around 60 per cent of it. But not just any fat, but specifically omega-3 fatty acids like DHA.

This is where traditional diets come in. Patrick spoke about how our ancestors evolved along coastlines, eating seafood – mussels, seaweed, small fish like sardines and mackerel – which helped grow the large, complex brains we have today. Yet many of us now eat little to no fish.

The shift is simple: aim for two to three servings of oily fish a week – sardines, mackerel, herring. Tinned is perfectly fine, but look for Irish brands that fish as sustainably as possible like Shines Seafood. 

If that’s not realistic, a good-quality omega-3 supplement (rich in DHA) is one of the most important additions you can make. Also, walnuts, flax, chia seeds and leafy greens can also help support your omega 3 levels. 

Lower homocysteine
with B vitamins

If there was one concept that really landed during Patrick’s talk, it was homocysteine. Patrick describes it as a “toxic amino acid” that damages both brain cells and arteries. When levels rise, memory tends to decline – and when levels fall, memory improves.

The key to keeping it in check? B vitamins – particularly B6, B12 and folate. These are found in leafy greens, whole foods, and also in good-quality B-complex supplements. But here’s the important bit: B vitamins don’t work properly without adequate levels of omega-3 – so the two go hand in hand.

If you would like to test your Homocysteine levels, you can order the home blood test kit from foodforthebrain.org. This can help you to know if you need to add in more B Vitamins. 

Balance your blood sugar

Another strong theme from Patrick’s talk was blood sugar.

“Sugar kills brain cells,” he said bluntly – and while that may sound dramatic, the connection between high blood glucose and cognitive decline is increasingly well-established.

A diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugar can push us towards insulin resistance and pre-diabetes – both of which are strongly linked to dementia risk.

The goal isn’t perfection, but stability: Cut back on sugar and ultra-processed carbs; include protein and healthy fats with all meals; and eat your veg first – this slows down glucose absorption.

Eat colour, plants and protective compounds

Beyond fats and balanced blood sugar levels, our brains thrive on antioxidants and plant compounds.

Berries – especially blueberries – are rich in anthocyanins, which can cross the blood-brain barrier and help protect brain cells from ageing and damage. Leafy greens bring folate and vitamin C, while foods like dark chocolate, green tea and turmeric add further protective benefits.

Curcumin (from turmeric), for example, has been shown to support levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – a compound involved in learning and memory.

Use targeted supplements to support your brain

I like to top up with supplements as I don’t always manage my diet perfectly. Here’s what I’m taking regularly: Omega-3 (high DHA) – essential for brain structure and mood (and so many other things!); B-complex vitamins – to regulate homocysteine (also good for energy, hormones…); Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) – this is worth reading up on, it’s very protective of the brain; Vitamin D – we all know Vit D crucial for mood and cognitive health, especially in Ireland; Magnesium – to support our nervous systems, and also good for our brain health.

My goal for the next decade is to really focus on my brain health. The more I read and learn, the more I realise there’s so much we can do. Exercise, regular socialising, good sleep, and perhaps cutting down, or even cutting out, alcohol all come up again and again in the research on protecting our brains.

What I found most reassuring about Patrick Holford’s approach is how ‘wholistic’ it is “If we get our diet and lifestyle right for our brain, they’ll also be right for our body,” he said, and that really resonates with me. Even small changes like the ones above can make a meaningful difference to our brain health, while also supporting our overall wellbeing.

I also like the fact that if you log on to the Food for the Brain Foundation website, you can do a free cognitive test to assess your risk, and then order a homocysteine test for more insight. It feels empowering to have tools like this, small ways of keeping an eye on things and taking action early.

Good luck and let me know if you have any natural health questions I can help with!