I have in the past often complained about spending time sitting at an electric car charging point waiting for the car I was driving to charge. But at the end of March while drivers of petrol and diesel cars were queuing for fuel, I simply drove to the Tesla’s Irish headquarters in Sandyford and charged the new Tesla model Y

When Tesla first came to Ireland in 2017 they made a really attractive offer to attract new customers and anybody who bought a Tesla in the early part of 2017 got free charging for life at a Tesla Supercharger location. 

The good news for Tesla drivers is that a new Supercharger site is due to open very soon in Blanchardstown and that will be followed by two more in Rathfarnham and one near Dublin Airport. By the end of the year Tesla say they will have 18 Supercharger sites in The Republic at locations in: Letterkenny, Limerick, Longford, Mallow, Sligo and Wicklow.

That’s a long introduction to the updated version of the Tesla Y. In recent years Tesla has caught the public’s imagination and it was debateable whether Elon Musk’s connections to Donald Trump was a help or a hindrance. Elon has moved on from the White House and now it looks like Tesla are focussing on reducing the price of their cars.

As with all new revamps the second version of the Tesla Y is bigger, better and more comfortable to drive than the previous version. Tesla’s engineers paid a lot of attention to the suspension and tyres, which were Hankook in this instance. My test car came in Diamond Black, a colour the late Henry Ford would have liked, but I think there are probably better colours to showcase this new car.

The Tesla badge is dropped and there are very slight exterior changes. You would probably need to be wearing you Tesla Anorak to spot them all.

Inside there is plenty of room for five well-built adults. You still that minimalist, clean look and everything is controlled from the 16-inch screen that dominates the dash. From that screen you can perform a multitude of tasks like moving your seat, opening the boot, the frunk and the glove compartment. There are only two slave controls on the steering wheel. The seats are grey, but you get a white roof-lining, which certainly brightens the décor.

The boot is massive, officially 835 litres of space, and there is more discreet space underneath for the charge cables or you could store the cables in the Frunk. You can get even luggage space by leaving down the back seat and that can be done by pressing a button in the boot. You don’t get a key fob to start the car, only a Tesla card and the safest place to keep that card is attached to the lanyard provided by Tesla.

With a full charge you should get close to 500km and you can get from zero to 100km/h in just four seconds. I liked the car, but wasn’t made about the colour. Prices for the Rear-Wheel Drive start at €42,990, while the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive model starts at €46,990.

SIMI figures showed that 3,851 new electric were registered in the month of March, which was 52.1 per cent higher than the 2,531 registrations in March 2025.  I wonder will the events at the end of March where fuel distribution around the country was seriously disrupted, encourage more Irish people to switch to electric cars?

by John Hosford

June marks one of the busiest and most rewarding periods in the gardening calendar. With the risk to tender plants now largely passed, it is the ideal time to move many flowers and vegetables outdoors and make the most of the growing season ahead. Careful planting, feeding and regular maintenance this month will help ensure strong growth, colourful displays and productive harvests throughout summer.

Vegetable garden

June is the time to plant out tender vegetables. Basil, parsley and lettuce can all now be moved outdoors, while courgettes, pumpkins, squashes, vegetable marrows, outdoor cucumbers and melons should be planted into rich soil that has been generously improved with well-rotted farmyard or stable manure. Before planting, work in a good organic fertiliser and water thoroughly once plants are in position.

Slug and snail damage can become a problem at this stage, so close observation is important. Weathered wood ashes placed around vulnerable plants may help discourage attack. These larger vegetable crops should generally be spaced one metre apart to allow for healthy development.

Applying straw as a mulch around developing plants offers several benefits. It suppresses weeds, reduces moisture loss and prevents soil splashing onto fruit as it matures.

Runner beans, French beans and climbing French beans that were started indoors can now be transplanted into their final growing positions. Outdoor tomatoes can also be planted out and perform best in a sunny, sheltered location. Tumbling tomato varieties are especially suitable for hanging baskets, window boxes and patio containers as they mature quickly and produce flavour-packed crops. Choosing blight-resistant varieties is recommended.

June is also an excellent month for direct sowing outdoors. Beetroot, carrots, Chinese cabbage, Florence fennel, lettuce, pak choi, peas, spinach and spring onions can all be sown now. Vegetable plants started indoors during April and May should also be planted out.

Early potatoes can begin to be harvested this month. Gardeners should remain alert for signs of blight and monitor weather updates from MET Éireann.

Plants for summer baskets and containers

Summer baskets and containers provide long-lasting colour and there is an extensive selection of flowering and foliage plants available to create displays that remain attractive throughout the season.

Trailing foliage plants such as Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, Helichrysum and ivies provide texture and contrast when combined with flowering plants. Begonias continue to be a dependable choice thanks to their weather resistance, extensive colour range and ability to flower into late autumn.

Members of the daisy family also perform exceptionally well in containers. Argyranthemum varieties, available in white, yellow and pink, work particularly well as central feature plants and combine effectively with Surfinias, Petunias, Sanvitalia and Osteospermum.

Lobelia remains a summer classic and is available in shades of blue, white, lavender and red in both trailing and bush forms. Impatiens, or busy lizzies, are another excellent option for shaded areas, bringing bright colour that continues late into autumn.

Pelargoniums, commonly known as geraniums, thrive in sunny positions. Ivy-leaf varieties create trailing and cascading displays and are available in pink, red, white and lavender shades. Zonal pelargoniums make strong centrepieces for patio containers and provide reliable long-lasting colour. To keep them performing well, deadhead regularly, remove mouldy leaves and avoid wetting foliage and blooms to reduce the risk of fungal problems.

Fuchsias are highly rewarding container plants and come in both bush and trailing forms with single or double flowers. With proper care they can continue flowering until November. Gardeners should remain watchful for vine weevil and treat if necessary. They are particularly suitable for shaded and north-facing locations.

Edible planting can also be incorporated into containers. Tumbling tomatoes, strawberries and herbs work well in hanging baskets, while larger patio containers can accommodate colourful vegetables including red cabbage, Kale Black Tuscany, dwarf curled kale and Savoy cabbage.

Sweet peas, climbing runner beans and climbing French beans can all be successfully grown in large containers when supported with a wigwam structure.

Successful baskets and containers depend on consistent care. Water regularly and avoid allowing compost to dry out. Feed weekly from June through October using a seaweed-based liquid feed. Replace damaged or rusted basket chains, use fresh compost enriched with slow-release fertiliser and consider installing a watering system if extended absences are planned.

Fruit garden

Fruit garden maintenance becomes important in June. Peaches, plums and nectarines should be pruned during this period to encourage healthy growth and productive cropping.

Rhubarb can continue to be harvested until the end of the month. Plum trees carrying heavy crops may require thinning early in June to reduce stress on branches. Supporting heavily laden branches will also help prevent breakage.

Under cover

Greenhouse and protected growing areas require close attention as temperatures rise. Damp down regularly in warm weather and maintain a consistent schedule of watering and feeding.

Remove tomato sideshoots promptly and, if they have become strong, cut them cleanly using disinfected secateurs. Glasshouses may need shading through paint-on products or blinds to reduce excessive heat.

Young plants and seedlings should be potted on as required and grape vines must be checked regularly to ensure adequate watering.

Requiring attention this month

Regular hoeing of weeds remains one of the most effective maintenance tasks and is best carried out early in the day when sunshine or drying conditions are expected.

Tall perennials should be staked before they become vulnerable to wind damage.

Roses benefit from a final summer feed at this time. Continue preventative care against blackspot, mildew and rust, and remove suckers promptly as they appear.

With attentive watering, feeding and seasonal maintenance, June offers the opportunity to establish healthy gardens that will continue delivering colour and harvests well into the months ahead.

It is one of life’s ironies that in the digital age shipping holds the key to human survival. Without shipping there is no oil. Without oil there is no transport. Without transport shelves are not stocked. On another level, traversing the sea is the last resort of the truly desperate. In Australia I came of age with ‘the boat people’ filling newspaper headlines and dominating elections. How was the government going to stop the boats? How would they stop poor refugees giving all they had to board leaky vessels in Indonesia, in order to make the crossing to the promised land? Implicit in the headlines and the election promises was the idea that people generally agreed with ‘stopping the boats.’ It was an invasion after all. People smugglers were making a mint, and those poor refugees were dying at sea. Many of us, of course, did not believe that years of incarceration was the appropriate response of a civilised, humanist society. For that was the government’s answer: to deter through detention. And yet the boats kept coming.

In 1979, Odd Nerdrum–back when he was still concerned with contemporary events–painted ‘Refugees at Sea,’ a monumental canvas (roughly 3x5m) which shone a Neo-Baroque light on the plight of the Vietnamese ‘boat people’ fleeing their country. It is an extraordinary work–a powerful grouping of figures, lit from the left by a setting sun; to paint it was a challenge for the young Norwegian painter to not only rise to the contemporary moment, but also to test his metal against the greats of the Western figurative tradition. 

Throughout the 1970s Caravaggio and Rembrandt were Nerdrum’s great exemplars. By 1979 he had already painted two monumental groupings which resonated his Baroque masters: ‘The Arrest’ (1976) and ‘The Murder of Andreas Baader’ (1978). ‘Refugees at Sea’ was larger, more complex, more ambitious; an apotheosis of a decade of Caravaggio-inspired compositions, which allowed him to crest a technical wave of mastery he had not previously achieved. If a large part of Nerdrum’s motivation was to see if he could equal his masters from the past, then he certainly achieved his aim. Ironically, however, ‘Refugees at Sea,’ ‘The Arrest’ and ‘The Murder of Andreas Baader’ did not rise to the contemporary moment; all critics could see was a regressive return to the 17th century, to an outmoded way of painting; his neo-Baroque mode served to take the punch out of the very human drama he conveyed. This did not stop the Modern Art Museum in Oslo, however, from purchasing his paintings.

Such a critical reception was not the case for Jacob Jordaens, who painted ‘The Ferry Boat to Antwerp’ (1623), nor for Theodore Gericault, whose ‘Raft of the Medusa’ (1819) stands as Nerdrum’s most powerful antecedent. The former was possibly Nerdrum’s starting point, having had access to it at the State Art Museum in Copenhagen, whilst the latter must surely be seen as an important exemplar with its Caravaggio-inspired figures and composition. Indeed’The Raft of the Medusa’ is a towering masterpiece of the Western tradition, its historical and metaphorical import underscored by its size (5x7m), which itself would have been a challenge to Nerdrum.

The Medusa was a French frigate, a ship of state which foundered, and thus became for many an allegory of the Restoration (of the French monarchy), following the fall of Bonaparte. The ship, which was carrying the new French governor of Senegal, along with a secret mission to restart the slave trade, was wrecked en route to Africa on 2 July 1816. Of the 400 on board, 250 were granted places in the life boats, the remaining 150 having to make do with a raft lashed together from parts of the wreckage. Of these only 15 survived.

Both as a metaphor for the failure of the state, and an account of human tragedy, ‘The Raft of the Medusa’ is almost without parallel. Nerdrum’s work, by contrast, lacking the specificity of Gericault’s narrative, is tinged with a sense of social conscience and hope; a work more-or-less of social realism in which the down-trodden are made heroic. For where in Gericault’s work most are dead or dying, in Nerdrums’s the majority look with anticipation towards the rising (or setting) sun. Nerdrum would later repudiate his ‘Refugees at Sea,’ stating: “I will never make another picture like that, because not a single individual on board the fleet can guarantee for the quality I gave them. I transformed all of them to heroes, to beautiful saints seeking the good. But I have now come to a different conclusion. I do not think that man is good, but that he can become good… The idea was naive.”

Whatever Nerdrum’s thoughts on his work, ‘Refugees at Sea’ remains a historical touchstone and a powerful painting which resonates on an emotional, metaphorical and aesthetic level. It represents not only the plight of ‘boat people’ (however romanticised), but a continuity of the Western figurative tradition, a Neo-Baroque bridge to Gericault and Caravaggio. It is also a turning point in Nerdrum’s oeuvre. The sun set in “Refugees at Sea,’ not only on the Vietnamese people painted into his drama, but on his ‘social realist’ phase altogether.

Reflecting on this work, one cannot help but think of the recent aid convoys to Gaza, the many refugees who have braved the Mediterranean and the English channel, not to mention the hazardous journey from Indonesia to Australia. It may be the digital age, but it is the vast expanse of the sea that connects us, that is both conveyer and barrier, that is at once a source of hope and despair. Against its perilous nature even the strongest of ships can founder. The sea shows us at our most courageous, and at our most vulnerable; at our most generous and most fearful. Detention, incarceration and expulsion will never make people less desperate. The boats will keep coming as long as there is a sea.

Camilla Griehsel has everything on board to be a diva. And in several senses of the word she is one. Exceptionally talented, a highly accomplished performer, she’s had her brushes with fame and fortune, brief or enduring. But the word ‘diva’ also has negative connotations and those do not apply to her at all writes Moze Jacobs. The Swedish singer is a musician, actress, (song)writer, mother, colleague, friend, and all-round sound person who has lived in West Cork for 23 years. 

Born in Stockholm, Camilla grew up in a loving family where music was part of normal life. “My mom played some piano and sang songs with us when we were small. No one really had any musical ambitions but my parents would encourage me to sing.” She describes her inner experiences beautifully on the inside cover of the 2-CD set of her album Mamasongue: Source (2023), a semi-live recording of what started as a 2-hour show across West Cork plus Dublin, Cork (Everyman, Opera House) between 2018 and 2024: 

“I have been aware of (…) the powerful role that music plays in our lives since I was a five-year-old girl singing to a room filled with adults. I saw tears in their eyes and understood then that music has the power to touch the deepest parts of our beings. When we listen to music with open hearts and minds we become present to the moment and captive to our feelings. If we experience this together we join a network that transcends all (…) cultural barriers and is united by a musical language that goes beyond words into pure sound. This network elevates us from being isolated individuals to being part of a shared consciousness that we might call family, community, benevolence, or love.”

In resonance with the spirit of these words, ‘Mamasongue’ is both her own artistic project and the outcome of a highly creative collective process. It features songs, as well as musicians, from across the world: Niwel Tsumbu  (guitarist, singer, composer), originally from the Congo, resident in Ireland since 2004. Donegal-born Éamonn Cagney (percussion, vocals, composer) is known as Ireland’s foremost hand-drum percussionist. Concorde Nkabinde (bassist, vocals, composer, arranger), an award-winning jazz musician born in Soweto (Johannesburg, South Africa) has worked with many great musicians and is prominent in South Africa’s music scene. Rory McCarthy (piano, keyboards, vocals, composer) hails from Cork. The first song on the first CD opens with a rhythm that is intimately familiar to everyone on earth from before life started. It stretches across an intricate tapestry of music and vocals. And overlaid by Camilla’s crystal clear voice: “The first music I ever heard was my mother’s heartbeat (…). The music of our ancestors. The music of creation. This bitter earth, what fruit it bears (…).What good is a love that no one shares? It be so cold (…) yet someone may answer my call. And this bitter earth may not be so bitter after all. True believer, a long way from home.”

At least six or seven languages can be heard on Mamasongue (English, Irish, Swedish, Lingala, Zulu, Spanish, Aquitanian). “I love the different languages,” shares Camilla. “Not that I can do them perfectly, but I become like a different singer in Spanish. Or Zulu. As if all my Swedish inhibitions are gone.”

When Camilla was 10, she was invited to audition for a renowned music school, “like a normal school but with more music added.” It opened doors to many different genres. “Choir singing. Or performing as a soloist in church. I loved that.” She joined a barbershop group, went busking with three friends in Stockholm’s old town, became a jazz singer, sang for tourists in Gran Canaria and in Switzerland. “Singing in a piano bar at night and skiing all day. Living my best life.” 

Suddenly, aged 24, she got headhunted to replace the singer of a 1980s Scandinavian pop band, One 2 Many, followed by a brief period of almost instant chart success in Europe and the US. It turned out to be not to her liking. “To be honest, I found it all quite embarrassing. The glitzy limousines, everyone wanting to interview me, recording next door to the Bee Gees in London. Whereas all I’d done is sing 10 songs that I didn’t even write anything. It really wasn’t my thing and it made me lose a lot of confidence, initially.”

At the same time, it spurred her to fulfill a long-held dream: to sing opera. “It also led to me meeting my husband on a boat on the Thames, doing promotion. We were with the same record company.” By that time, Colin Vearncombe (stage name: Black), a serious singer-songwriter from Liverpool, had already had a major hit, ‘Wonderful Life’, originally released in 1986. A bittersweet song, it celebrates the magic and beauty of life from a perspective of utter loneliness.

“On that boat, our eyes met and both of us felt, ‘Oh my God, who is that?’” shares Camilla. “And then we were friends for a very, very long time. Nothing happened for nine months. It was lovely to get to know someone for that long. But he proposed soon enough. Out of the blue. I had to take an hour to think about it.” They married in 1990. 

In 2003, with their three young sons, they moved to Schull where a flourishing collaboration started with the band Interference, founded and led by Fergus O’Farrell, a close neighbour. It sprouted an offshoot called Dogtail Soup (from a line in one of Colin’s songs, ‘Cold Chicken Skin’, originally coined for Game of Thrones) and attracted many other brilliant musicians, including Glen Hansard and Liam Ó Maonlaí. 

Then tragedy struck. In January 2016, on his way to Cork airport, Colin Vearncombe was involved in a two-car collision on an icy road. He remained in a coma for 16 days. Camilla had to make the decision to turn the machine off. “Horrendous. I speak about grief a lot. And yes, it’s painful. Like having a large chunk of ice inside your body. But I’ve been chipping away at it. Bit by bit, it melts. He’s still in the living room a lot of the time and when I have something to talk about, I go there.”

It turned out to be an intense conflation of life and death. Her uncle died the next day. Within a week, the magnificent Fergus O’Farrell finally succumbed to muscular dystrophy, aged 48, not as previously predicted, before he reached 20. In the aftermath, Camilla’s mother also died. “A long time ago we decided together that, whoever dies first, we’ll both look at the moon if we want to reconnect. It really is a comfort. I feel her a lot. Yet around Colin’s death, our son Max became a father. So there’s life, too.”

The Dogtail Soup Trio (Camilla Griehsel, Maurice Seezer, Paul Tiernan plus potential guests) play Levis’ (Ballydehob) on June 7 and Prim’s Bookshop (Kinsale) on June 9, with more dates to come in August. Camilla Griehsel plays eight concerts with Barefoot Baroque in July. See next month’s gig list for more details. The documentary ‘Breaking Out: The Remarkable Life of Fergus O’Farrell’ can be purchased or rented on YouTube.

That is one of the biggest financial issues quietly sitting in the background for so many Irish people right now. We are healthier, we are working longer, and retirement is no longer a short chapter at the end of life. Many people could spend 20, 25, or even 30 years in retirement, yet surprisingly few have sat down and worked out what that might actually cost.

I think people are often shocked when they realise how little the State pension alone provides. At the moment, the full contributory State pension is just over €277 per week. While that absolutely helps, for most people it is not enough on its own to maintain the lifestyle they are used to, especially when you factor in rising bills, inflation, healthcare costs, and simply the cost of living in Ireland now.

Between mortgages, childcare, school costs and the general cost of life in Ireland, pensions often end up at the bottom of the list. A lot of people still think retirement planning is something you start thinking about ‘later’. Later when the kids are older. Later when the mortgage eases. Later when work calms down. But the reality is that later comes quickly, and the difference between starting a pension at 35 versus 45 can potentially result in a significantly larger pension pot by retirement age.

I regularly meet people in their fifties who genuinely thought they were ‘grand’ until they actually sat down and looked at the numbers. Most are not reckless with money. They simply never had anyone explain retirement planning in a way that felt realistic or achievable.

Compound growth sounds like financial jargon, but it is actually quite simple. It means that your money starts earning money too. If you invest €100 and it grows by five per cent, you now have €105. The following year, you are earning growth on €105 rather than the original €100. Over years and decades, that snowball effect becomes incredibly powerful. That is why starting earlier, even with smaller amounts, can often leave somebody in a much stronger position than someone trying to catch up later with larger contributions.

The same applies in reverse with inflation. Money sitting in a current account might feel safe, but if it is not growing, inflation is quietly eating away at it in the background. €100,000 sitting in cash today simply will not buy the same lifestyle in twenty years’ time if the cost of living continues to rise.

When clients come in to us for a financial review, we usually start at the finish line and work backwards. Instead of asking people what they think they can afford to put into a pension now, we ask what kind of lifestyle they want later on. A common rule of thumb is aiming for a retirement income of roughly 70 to 75 percent of your current salary in order to maintain a similar standard of living.

For example only, and not financial advice, if a couple currently earns a combined salary of €100,000, we may aim for a retirement income of around €75,000 between them. One way of estimating the pension fund required is multiplying that figure by approximately 24, which would suggest a target fund in the region of €1.8 million. Suddenly retirement stops feeling vague and becomes something much more tangible and real.

From there, we work backwards. We factor in what State pension entitlements may look like, any existing work pensions, old pensions from previous jobs, savings, investments, and even property assets. Many people have pensions scattered across old employments and have no idea what they contain or how they are performing. Part of our role is helping clients find those pensions, review them, and understand whether they still suit their goals and timelines. Many people in Ireland are asset rich on paper but pension poor in reality, particularly those who may own property but have not built enough retirement income outside of it.

Retirement planning is rarely just one pension pot. It is more like a four pillar structure. You may have your State pension, private pensions, savings and investments, and property or other assets all contributing towards your retirement lifestyle. For some people, there may also be future inheritance or business assets involved. The key is making sure those pieces are actually working together rather than sitting in isolation.

That does not always mean starting from scratch. Sometimes it is about amending what is already there. In some cases, we may recommend increasing pension contributions. In others, it might involve reviewing investment strategy or setting up additional savings and investment plans alongside pension contributions to improve flexibility later on.

What surprises many people is how tax efficient pensions can actually be in Ireland. If you are paying tax at 40 percent, a €1,000 pension contribution may effectively only cost you around €600 after tax relief. For business owners and self-employed individuals, pensions can also become a very valuable long-term planning tool. Many business owners spend years reinvesting back into the business while neglecting their own retirement planning in the process. Pension contributions can offer significant tax advantages while also building personal financial security outside of the business itself.

One of the biggest issues I see is people being either too cautious or too overwhelmed to start. Some are afraid to invest because they think it means taking huge risks. Others have pensions they have not reviewed in years and genuinely have no idea what they are invested in. Many people are sitting in default funds that may not actually suit their stage of life or retirement goals.

This is where advice becomes important, because there is no one size fits all approach. Someone in their thirties may be able to take a very different level of investment risk compared to somebody planning to retire in five years’ time. For clients approaching retirement, we are often looking more closely at structure and accessibility. How much should stay in cash? How much should remain invested? What level of monthly income will realistically be needed? Many people are surprised to learn that pensions can often be accessed from age 50 once they have left that employment, which makes timing and planning incredibly important.

The reality is that retirement is no longer something that ‘just works itself out’. Defined benefit pensions are far less common, people are living longer, and the cost of living continues to rise. Hoping things will somehow fall into place is not a strategy.

The good news is that you do not need to fix everything overnight. A pension review, increasing contributions slightly, understanding what you currently have, or even just having the conversation is a huge step forward. Small changes made consistently over time can completely change outcomes later on.

Because at the end of the day, retirement planning is not really about numbers on a page. It is about freedom. Freedom to slow down when you want to, not because you are forced to. Freedom to enjoy your life without financial panic. The ability to make choices on your own terms.

And ultimately, that is the pension gap nobody talks about. It is not just the gap in money. It is the gap between the future people hope for and the plan they currently have in place to support it.

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

Everyone that I have met recently is either exhausted, getting over a sickness or coming down with something. It’s very hard to take an interest in how you look when you feel awful. I could have written about buying this or that item of clothes for the summer but I think that it is more important to feel better first. A great dress can look good on, but a well-cared-for body (and I’m not talking about weight here) will make that dress look incredible!

For the last month I have been out picking nettles, dandelions and ‘sticky willies’ (cleavers) and making tea out of them. A spoonful of local honey is the only add-in. Am I mad? Absolutely, and in lots of ways, but this is what generations gone by used to do regularly. This concoction was known as a ‘spring tonic’ and valued for its deep nutritive and detoxifying properties. Together these three wild herbs (don’t you dare call them weeds) provide a synergistic blend of vitamins, minerals and compounds that support the liver, heart, kidneys and lymphatic system and they are plentiful and free. You will need to give everything a good rinse before you make the tea, of course. You can thank me later because you will notice a difference in your energy levels and sleep after a week. Keep it up for a few weeks and you will wonder how you survived without it. While there is no trace of collagen in any of the above, all three of these plants are highly regarded in herbalism for promoting your body’s own natural collagen production. Nettles are rich in silica and Vitamin C, which are essential building blocks for collagen synthesis and maintaining skin elasticity. Cleavers act as a gentle lymphatic tonic, flushing out toxins, reducing inflammation and leaving you with flawless skin. Dandelions provide the nutritional environment needed for healthy cellular repair, great sleep and ultimately incredible skin health.

Most of us can also relate to the clothing fatigue that comes from staring at a closet full of clothes while feeling exhausted or worn out. You simply cannot figure out what to wear, what looks good or feels right. Most women just go out and buy more clothes and a week later they are back staring into the wardrobe again, struggling to choose and reverting to putting something together that doesn’t feel or look right. Culling is the only answer and I guess that’s where a good stylist comes in. Fresh eyes make such a difference with the end goal being a series of interchangeable pieces that work well together.

Remind yourself that the freedom that comes with an organised wardrobe is so wonderful that you will never once regret letting go of anything. Get rid of the time-wasters first, you know those pieces that you try on and take off again straight away and never wear! Life, experience, babies and sickness changes us, what you wore three years ago might not reflect who you truly are now. Keep only the clothes that reflect who you are and the fatigue will start to lift.

Of course there will always be a gorgeous new summer dress or a pair of shoes or a jacket that you simply must buy. Summer white clothes get tired and need to be replaced regularly. Wear all of your summer dresses – florals are huge again this year. At the end of the summer, if a dress hasn’t been worn on holidays or at home, get rid of it and wish it well on its new journey.

Take care of yourself and give your body what it needs to thrive. For me, laughter is the best medicine. My pygmy goats, Bert and Ernie give me so many laughs. Ernie is obsessed with Rich Tea biscuits and regularly sneaks into the kitchen to steal bananas. He also has a taste for Guinness! Get yourself an Ernie and life will never be dull again!

Talented designer Alice Holliday works from a cosy third-floor atelier on Main Street in Skibbereen. Alice grew up in Castlehaven and her love of fashion and rare sense of style appeared early. Her surroundings, especially nature and the sea, became an inseparable part of her aesthetic.

At the age of nine, Alive already knew she wanted to become a designer. Childhood games with her sister – trying on vintage clothes and putting together improvised fashion shows – became the first steps towards her future profession. Over time, this grew into a clear creative path: making clothes that do not simply decorate a person, but help them express who they are.

Today, Alice works mainly with vintage and upcycled materials, reimagining them and giving them a new life. Her designs are defined by a love of experimentation and sustainable fashion – layering, texture, bold combinations of colour and print.

Look One

This ethereal, nature-inspired outfit captures a sense of joy.

At the centre is an airy, almost weightless dress made from sheer fabric and decorated with bright floral appliqués. The flowers are not just decoration – they create a sense of handcraft and individuality.

The silhouette is soft and flowing, with a fine belt accentuating the waist. At the same time, the layering – the dress worn over denim – adds a modern feeling and a gentle boldness.

It’s a timeless piece created around nature, flowers, light fabric and a feminine silhouette are elements that return to fashion again and again. The accessories also strengthen the look. A bright bag adds energy and focus, while the shoes and sheer socks support the softness and playfulness.

Stylist’s tip: To let dresses like this truly shine, play with contrast. Wear them not only with romantic shoes, but also with more grounded pieces – denim, chunky boots or minimalist accessories. This creates the balance between fairytale and real life that makes an outfit feel modern and stylish.

Look Two

This look feels as though it has stepped out of a fairytale.

The foundation is a layered silhouette. A flowing skirt in a warm terracotta shade creates soft movement and gives the outfit an earthy, natural base. Over it, a dark tunic with a painterly print recalls brushstrokes or floral motifs in a muted palette. This contrast – dark and warm, structured and airy – makes the look visually rich and interesting.

Accessories play a special role. A small bag on a long chain adds a vintage mood. The necklace and hair detail strengthen the sense that the look has been thoughtfully and artistically composed. The red footwear with a large flower is a bold, almost theatrical gesture that brings the whole composition to life.

Stylist’s tip: In a complex, layered outfit like this, it is important to keep a clear focus. Here, that focus is already created by the red shoes. When styling such a look, avoid adding too many more bright accents. Instead, support the colour of the shoes with lipstick or a small detail in the accessories, so the whole outfit feels complete and harmonious.

Look Three

This look is pure fairytale, with a touch of dramatic fashion and ethnic chic. 

The foundation is a black skirt with an ethnic print and a wide leather belt, which emphasises the waist and adds structure. A light mesh layer creates airiness, while the lower layer with ornamental print adds depth and visual interest. This contrast between transparency and dense pattern makes the outfit complex and multi-dimensional.

On the shoulders is a textured white fur cape, which immediately draws attention and adds theatre, luxury and a little fairytale innocence. The printed blouse softly echoes the hemline, creating a sense of unity. The loose sleeves look almost like wings, giving the outfit movement and a delicate, magical fragility.

Accessories are key here. The floral wreath in the hair strengthens the natural theme, while lace gloves add vintage refinement. The layered necklace makes the look more theatrical, and the round bag shaped like an old clock becomes the main narrative accent. The black shoes and sheer tights balance everything without drawing attention away from the main story.

The mood of the look is magical, slightly mysterious, but still warm and feminine.

Stylist’s tip: To adapt such an expressive look for everyday life, you can break it down into separate elements. For example, wear the printed skirt with more minimalist accessories, or replace the fur cape with a calmer jacket. This keeps the character of the outfit, while making it more wearable.

Photographer, stylist, make-up artist and text: Galyna Zaitseva

Clothing and headpieces:
Alice Halliday @alicehalliday alicehalliday.com

With thanks to Violette for providing the clock bag for the shoot.

Yes, therapy is immensely helpful when in crisis. However, I often sit with clients who arrive and might say something like “I’m doing really well so I thought I might cancel today.” That is swiftly followed by often having a deeply helpful and insightful therapy session. This is because therapy can matter when somebody is functioning well, coping adequately and moving through life with ease. Many therapists might say that this time of year gets very quiet when schools start to close and people take holidays along with finer weather and longer days. I don’t experience this in my own practice with clients yet it makes sense. I know when the evenings are longer and the sun is out that I feel much more energised in myself.

The important thing to note is that psychological life continues whether we are in crisis or not. Patterns continue. Relationships continue. Defences continue. How we experience and deal with making meaning, identity, intimacy, grief, work, ageing, sexuality, family and all aspects of ourselves does not disappear during sunny days. Here is the interesting thing, the dis-ease that one can experience can sometimes be more visible, and accessible to address in therapy, when immediate survival or coping is not consuming all available emotional energy.

Many psychotherapists have written about the importance of attending to psychological life before distress becomes unbearable. Irvin Yalom, an American psychiatrist, wrote that “the act of revealing oneself fully to another” is central to therapeutic work in his book ‘The Gift of Therapy’. He described therapy as a place where people can encounter themselves more directly rather than simply manage themselves when in crisis. His work positions therapy as an engagement with existence itself rather than merely a treatment for something.

The idea that therapy can support a person who is living with ease is also reflected in contemporary discussions of psychotherapy. Recent qualitative research describes a man seeking therapy because he felt “somehow stuck” despite having achieved many of the things he had worked toward in life. The article noted that many people without formal diagnoses now seek therapy as a place to think carefully about their lives, values, relationships and choices. Psychological pain is not always dramatic or a crisis.

There can also be value in therapy during periods of relative ease because people are often more able to reflect when they are not in immediate crisis. When somebody is acutely distressed, therapy may need to prioritise containment, safety, regulation and practical support. Yet, deeper exploration can become more possible when the nervous system is less overwhelmed. People may then have more capacity to examine challenges such as longstanding relational patterns or attachment dynamics for example.

Carl Rogers, the founder of Person Centred Therapy, argued that growth occurs within relationships characterised by genuineness, empathy and acceptance. Unlike a medical model of mental health, his work was not about reduction of symptoms or diagnosis. In his book ‘On Becoming a Person’, Rogers wrote that “the curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change”. This has been influential on therapy since 1961 because it captures something that is so very important about psychotherapy. Change often emerges not through doing something to change one’s self rather through sustained attention to experience of the self while in relation to another.

Therapy can also be a place where people recognise the cost of coping strategies that appear to protect them. Emotional avoidance, perfectionism, hyper-independence, co-dependence, dissociation, people-pleasing, intellectualisation and relentless productivity, to name a few, may help somebody survive difficult circumstances. Those same strategies can later narrow emotional experiencing and relationships. Therapy can provide space to understand how these patterns formed and whether they are still needed.

Research across psychotherapy has repeatedly shown that emotional awareness, relational support and reflective functioning are associated with improved psychological outcomes. Therapy can support people in recognising stress responses before they escalate into crisis. For example, it can help individuals identify challenges, relational dissatisfaction, suicidal thinking or emotional issues earlier than one otherwise might. That matters clinically because people are often taught to dismiss their distress until it becomes undeniable. This can be seen in Ireland frequently as there is often a ‘get on with it’ attitude in our society. In many cultures there is still an expectation that suffering must become severe before support is considered legitimate. This can create shame around seeking therapy while ‘doing okay’. Yet, emotional life does not operate according to thresholds of deservingness. Somebody does not need to be at breaking point to benefit from being listened to carefully.

In his book ‘Freedom and Destiny’, Rollo May wrote that “the purpose of psychotherapy is to set people free”. Freedom does not mean permanent happiness or the absence of pain. It refers more to increased awareness, agency and capacity for choice. Therapy may help people recognise how they relate to themselves and others. It may help them understand fears that shape decisions. It may support more honest relationships. These processes are relevant regardless of whether somebody currently feels great or not.

Continuity in therapeutic work, regular connected sessions, can be very important for many people. People who engage with therapy only during periods of acute crisis may experience support as something emergency-based and temporary. Ongoing therapeutic relationships can create a different experience as they can allow trust to develop gradually. Regular therapy can support a more nuanced understanding of emotional life over time.

Therapy also matters because people change across the lifespan. Relationships end, bodies age, careers shift and friendships and families evolve. The self that entered therapy years ago may not be the self that exists now. Returning to therapy during periods of ease can allow people to reassess who they are becoming rather than only reacting to pain. Therapy can offer one the privilege of a lifetime, which is to become who you truly are. The process of becoming the fullest version of oneself rarely occurs only during crisis or in a short period of time. So, as the sun starts to peek out and the days are much longer, it could be wise to look inward when the ease of living is there to support asking hard questions of one’s self in therapy.

For more information on Leo’s services, 

phone: 085 1300573

email: info@leomuckley.com 

web: www.leomuckley.com 

social media: @leomuckleypsychotherapy

Frankly, I nearly lost the will to go outside in the last weeks of May. Unless it was to drive to the airport and fly off to a country where the fog isn’t obliterating the landscape. Looking out the window was like peering into an illustration for a sword and sorcery novel. The mist totally covered the front field. It was easy to imagine a wizard riding out of the solid grey haze. Or a horde of orcs tumbling out of the wet fog to attack the house. Driving home from town, I could not see further than about 50 yards. Worse of all it was cold! Every meeting in the shops or pubs initiated a conversation about how dreadful the weather was. I found myself being consumed by envy for those who were away on holiday and tried not to snicker if it rained wherever they were – even though rain or shine it was warmer where they were than my little sodden cold patch of the planet.

So, it was with a great sense of gratefulness and answered prayers that we woke on the weekend to actual sunshine and blue skies. Not only that but the prediction for the next few days seemed unreal: Full sun and temperatures hitting 28C. We immediately made plans to go to the sauna on Red Strand and spend the rest of Sunday on the beach with fish and chips to celebrate. I also promised myself to get to the ocean any day that the weather remained good. After over thirty years of living in West Cork, I know the golden rule: Drop everything and head to the beach as soon as it looks like a fine summer day. If you don’t, you might miss the summer all together. I’ve been caught out many a time, staying in the house, working indoors (needs must), promising myself that I’ll get out asap; only to find that those fine days were the only ones we going to get…

So, beach blankets were found. Sea sandals slipped on. Water bottles filled and sunscreen forgotten, we headed out in a glorious blaze of blue skies and stone splitting sunshine. The sauna was for once, totally unnecessary, though very welcome. We use the sauna to convince ourselves to take off layers of clothes and go outside practically naked, perhaps to even take an icy dip in the Atlantic. This Sunday it was positively balmy. No need to get our core temperature up with the heated steam. It was just as warming to lie on the sand and soak up the rays. The scene was straight out of a holiday brochure – parasols and striped windbreaks, children building sandcastles, people lying reading books, or sleeping, dogs running happily amok. It was the Costa del Cork in all its glory. The slight breeze coming off the ocean cooled our sunburnt skin. The sound of the lapping waves lulled us to have a quick siesta, and the overall feeling was one of contentment and joy at the answer to our soggy prayers. If Met Eireann is to be believed summer will keep going for the week. Let’s hope it lasts into June and beyond.

As always, when we get the return of summer, I am totally seduced all over again. Like a cheating lover who appears on my doorstep bearing flowers, chocolates and champagne, I welcome West Cork back in my arms and revel in its embrace. Let’s face it, when we get the weather there are few places in the world that can compete with a West Cork beach. Looking out over the shining ocean, with Galley Head lighthouse in the distance and the promise of fish and chips down the road, I have to admit that it doesn’t often get any better. Viva La Costa del Sol!

We think of osteoporosis as a condition that affects the older adult, but it is a condition that is established in youth. Bone mass peaks in your 20s but what builds your bone mass is exercise and loading the bone through heavy weight or resistance. This means that the amount of bone mass you acquire as a child and through young adulthood will determine your risk of acquiring osteoporosis as an older adult even though we actually begin to lose bone mass from about 35 onwards.

Bones are the rigid structures that form the framework of your body, making up the skeleton. And maybe it is our collective association of the skeleton with death that makes us think of bones as inert, dry, dead matter but this association could not be further from the truth.  Bones are dynamic organs composed mostly of collagen and calcium phosphate, which provide strength and flexibility. Bones protect internal organs, support muscles, store essential minerals, and house the marrow, where blood cells are produced.

Bones are constantly renewing themselves through a process called remodelling, where old bone tissue is replaced with new. Bone cells called osteoclasts are our demolition crew which break down and absorb old bone tissue, while osteoblasts are our construction crew, building new bone tissue. This ongoing renewal is crucial for maintaining bone health and strength. Because of their critical role in movement, protection, and overall health, keeping your bones strong is essential – especially when thinking about preventing conditions like osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is often referred to as a silent disease, as the loss of bone density is painless in the early stages. In fact, the primary way it is diagnosed is through a low radiation scan of the body (DEXA scan) which your doctor may recommend based on your age or risk factors. There are several risk factors to consider.

Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis than men because they have smaller bones than men and women with smaller frames are more at risk than women with larger frames for the same reason. Loss of oestrogen and testosterone in menopause contribute to a loss in bone density with some women experiencing excessive bone loss at this time. In fact, if there are no mitigating familial contra-indications against the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy, this should be something to discuss with your doctor, particularly if you have several risk factors for osteoporosis and are below 50.  

If there is a history of osteoporosis in your family this further increases risk, especially if either parent has experienced a fracture from a trip or fall or less. 

Certain medications and treatments leave one vulnerable to bone tissue loss. S.S.R.I.s commonly prescribed for depression, long term steroid use, some medications used in the treatment of breast cancer, prostate cancer and epilepsy can be risk factors. Conditions such as coeliac disease or Crohn’s and having an overactive thyroid can contribute to loss of bone density. And all patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy need preventative treatment to protect against bone loss.

The obvious lifestyle apply here: excessive alcohol consumption (more than two drinks a day), smoking and inactivity. Poor dietary choices factor too, whether it is consuming a limited range of nutrients or poor quality foods, which can lead to chronic inflammation, which underlies so many of our health woes these days. Under-eating and over-exercising in younger years can have serious long-term effects on bone density.  

So what can we do?

Far from presenting a negative and hopeless picture there is much we can do, whether we wish to prevent osteoporosis or even reverse it. Diet and exercise are the two most important tools in your toolbox, so let’s look at the specifics.

One third of bone tissue is made of collagen, a flexible tissue that gives bone the ability to bend under pressure without snapping. Calcium is a mineral that hardens bone and gives it rigidity while collagen provides elasticity, bone health requires both. Calcium supplementation is often the first port of call regardless of the degree of bone loss. We can get calcium in our diets from leafy greens such as kale, spinach and bok choy but if you wish to pursue the supplementary route, ensure that your vitamin D source is combined with the mineral K2, which activates a protein that acts as a guide directing the calcium to the bones and not the arteries. In fact, the Rotterdam Study, which tracked nearly 5,000 people over a ten-year period from 1990 to 2000 found a high dietary intake of k2 resulted in a decrease in aortic calcification or hardening of the arteries. K2 can be found in the Japanese dish of Natto (fermented beans) or perhaps more palatably in Kefir, should you wish to obtain it from food.

An important mineral to include here is magnesium. Calcium and magnesium work as a tag team in the bone tissue, while calcium provides the structure and strength, magnesium regulates calcium balance and bone crystal formation. If your magnesium is low, your body can’t use calcium efficiently.

Other foods to consider for calcium are beans and legumes, sesame seeds and in particular tahini, one tblsp of which contains the same amount of calcium as a small glass of milk. According to research published in the #publication Osteoporosis International (2024), consuming 100g of prunes daily has favourable impacts on bone mineral density.

I mentioned above the importance of collagen to keep our bones ‘elastic’. There is recent and ongoing research into hydrolysed collagen peptide supplementation to increase bone mineral density. Research is ongoing but there are positive noises coming from this area; however, we remain at the ‘studies suggest’ stage for the moment. If you do choose to supplement with collagen peptides, note that Vitamin C really matters for the production of collagen in the body so ensuring your collagen supplement incorporates vitamin C and that you continue to consume a variety of fruit and vegetables in your diet is essential.

Bone needs mechanical stress in order to grow. In a recent study in Queensland Australia a group of post-menopausal women with low bone density underwent a supervised training regimen using heavy lifting such as dead lifts, squats and overhead press exercises. This trial, known as the LIFTMOR trial (2018), has been groundbreaking in that it has proven that supervised, heavy resistance and impact training has positive impact on bone density. The trial consisted of 2 x 30 minute sessions weekly. There is a change in thinking when it comes to exercise and osteoporosis. Rather than fearing fragility we can be empowered to build stronger bones safely. Undertaking strength training should always be supervised properly especially if you are a novice and have low bone density but it is encouraging to know that we can rebuild what has been lost by simply safely increasing load. Start gently and progress. First you should learn how to breathe, how to engage your core and hold your posture to maximise your gains and prevent injury. And of course, walk! Walk briskly, walk uphill, take your stairs but put those joints under load.

One of the quietest struggles many teenagers face is the pressure to become someone before they have fully discovered who they are. Adolescence is often described as a stage of identity formation, but that phrase barely captures the emotional complexity teens are actually experiencing. Beneath the surface of changing styles, shifting friendships, mood swings, and experimentation lies a deeper question many young people try to answer every day: Who am I, and will I still be loved if the answer disappoints someone?

For teenagers, identity is not fixed. It moves, stretches, collapses, reforms. One week they seem confident and independent; the next they appear uncertain, withdrawn, or desperate for approval. Parents often find this inconsistency confusing. They wonder why their teen changes friend groups so quickly, adopts different interests overnight, or suddenly rejects values they once embraced. But identity development is rarely linear. Adolescence is a process of trying on different versions of the self, testing where belonging exists, and discovering which parts feel authentic and which parts were shaped by expectation.

The challenge is that many teens attempt to figure this out in environments where being fully themselves does not always feel emotionally safe.

Today’s adolescents are growing up in a world where identity is constantly performed and observed. Social media has intensified self-awareness to an exhausting degree. 

Teenagers are not only asking themselves who they are; they are also asking how they are perceived, whether they are accepted, and how quickly they can be rejected for getting it wrong. Likes, comments, algorithms, peer approval, and online trends all shape how identity is explored and expressed.

At the same time, many teens feel pressure to fit into expectations coming from multiple directions at once. Parents may carry hopes, fears, cultural values, or unspoken dreams that influence how they respond to their child’s choices. Schools reward certain forms of achievement. Peer groups establish social rules about appearance, behaviour, and belonging. Society pushes narrow ideas about success, attractiveness, masculinity, femininity, and worth.

In the middle of all this noise, many teenagers quietly begin to split themselves in two: the self they feel they truly are, and the self they believe will be accepted.

This is where masking often begins.

Masking is not simply pretending. It is adaptation for survival. A teen may hide their sensitivity to appear ‘easy-going’. Another may suppress their creativity because it doesn’t align with family expectations. Some become high achievers to secure approval, even while internally exhausted. Others adopt personas that seem emotionally invulnerable because vulnerability feels unsafe.

Parents often interpret these changes as phases, rebellion, or attention-seeking, but many of these behaviours are rooted in fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of disappointing people they love. Fear of losing connection if they reveal parts of themselves that feel uncertain or unacceptable.

What makes adolescence especially emotionally intense is that belonging matters deeply at this stage of development. Neuroscience shows that the teenage brain is highly sensitive to social evaluation and rejection. Emotional exclusion can feel physically painful. This is why teens may conform outwardly even when something internally feels wrong. The need for attachment and approval can temporarily outweigh authenticity.

At home, this dynamic can become particularly complicated. Parents naturally project hopes onto their children, often without realising it. A parent may imagine their teen following a certain educational path, embodying particular values, or becoming the version of adulthood they themselves longed for. Sometimes these projections are subtle. 

Sometimes they are spoken openly. Even loving, well-intentioned parents can unintentionally communicate: I will feel safer, prouder, or more comfortable if you become this version of yourself.

Teens pick up on this quickly.

They notice which parts of themselves receive praise and which parts create tension. They learn what makes adults smile with relief and what causes disappointment or anxiety. Over time, some begin shaping themselves around those reactions rather than around their own internal truth.

This creates an exhausting emotional conflict. Many teenagers desperately want autonomy while still needing parental love and security. They want permission to explore identity without risking attachment. When those needs collide, conflict often emerges.

A teen pushing back against a parent’s expectations is not always rejecting the parent themselves. Often, they are fighting for psychological space to discover who they are outside of external definitions. The louder the pressure to conform, the stronger the need to resist.

This resistance can look messy. It may appear as withdrawal, sudden changes in style or beliefs, emotional volatility, secrecy, or rejection of family traditions. Parents sometimes panic during these shifts, fearing they are ‘losing’ their child. But identity exploration is not a sign of failure. It is a developmental necessity.

What teens need during this period is not complete freedom without guidance, nor rigid control disguised as protection. They need emotionally safe relationships where curiosity can exist without immediate judgment.

This does not mean parents must agree with every choice or suppress all concern. It means creating space for conversation instead of interrogation. It means asking questions with genuine openness rather than hidden agendas. It means separating a teen’s evolving identity from parental fear.

One of the most supportive things a parent can say is: You do not have to become who I imagined in order to be loved by me.

Many teenagers carry silent anxiety around disappointing their parents. Even in loving homes, they often fear that authenticity will cost them connection. When parents respond to identity exploration with excessive control, criticism, or panic, teens tend to move further away emotionally. Not because they no longer care about the relationship, but because they no longer feel safe being seen within it.

The opposite is also true. When teens experience emotional safety, they become more likely to reflect honestly, communicate openly, and stay connected even while differentiating.

Identity crises are not problems to eliminate quickly. They are invitations into deeper self-awareness. Adolescence is supposed to include uncertainty. It is supposed to involve questioning, experimenting, and revising. The goal is not to help teens arrive at a perfectly stable identity as fast as possible. The goal is to help them develop enough internal safety to explore who they are without shame.

This requires patience from parents, especially because identity development often activates unresolved fears in adults too. Watching a teen move away from familiar versions of themselves can stir grief, loss of control, or fear about the future. Parents may mourn the child who once mirrored them more closely. They may fear judgment from others. They may worry that uncertainty itself is dangerous.

But uncertainty is not dysfunction. It is part of becoming.

Teenagers are not asking parents to have all the answers. Most are simply asking for room to discover themselves without feeling emotionally abandoned in the process.

The deeper question beneath many parent-teen conflicts is not really about clothes, friendships, career paths, or social media. It is this: Can I still belong here while becoming myself?

When parents can hold that question with compassion instead of fear, something powerful happens. Teens begin to feel that authenticity does not require disconnection. That they can grow, change, question, and evolve without losing the safety of home.

And that sense of emotional safety becomes the foundation from which a more grounded identity can eventually emerge.

While this change is outside of our control and will be managed, maybe even embraced in the future, we must allow ourselves to ‘have our moment’ and allow time to genuinely feel uncomfortable feelings. I am not a ‘get on with it’ type of person and very often find it hard to disguise what I’m feeling. The process of anything, as far as I’m concerned, is as, if not more important, than the task. So how something happens is as valuable as the way it actually happens.  The balancing of the process and task is embedded as a principle in community work training and in mindfulness training also. It’s the journey, not the destination that is important.  

But, in this moment, the destination matters too, because we don’t know where the mindfulness groups at Myross Wood will re-locate to. This will take months to figure out but I am relying on patience and trust and will take it one step at a time. And I’m not at all on my own, so many people care, including my weekly drop-in meditation group on Tuesday mornings, people who have been sitting meditating collectively for six years. Everyone offers comfort and potential solutions. My monthly mindfulness peer support for family carers, also in its sixth year, care very much where we will gather in the future.  

This work really matters to me, it supports us through grief, loss and change in our lives, helping us to manage the micro and the macro moments, allowing us to feel real happiness and joy. We are in the process of developing an online communication page and notice board for all carers in West Cork and this is vital work, led by the carers group at Myross Wood.  The empathy and compassion for others in this monthly group is very special to behold. Huge thanks to Cork ETB who have funded this work for a number of years through REACH funding with the welcome addition this year of the Collaboration and Innovation Fund. The work won’t stop, it will need a new venue.

But here now, reflecting over my time at Myross Wood, I have such appreciation for every single person I have encountered along the way.  Whether it was at a weekly mindfulness drop-in session, a themed workshop, staff teambuilding/wellbeing days, last year’s overnight retreat for family carers, or at a fundraising workshop last November to honour Dermot and all the souls. Or perhaps we connected at our monthly mindfulness peer support sessions for family carers, annual reconnect and re-engage programme or outdoor mindfulness in nature sessions.  Thank you every single one of you, from the bottom of a very full heart.

I have an appreciation for the place itself, close to my native Castlehaven, that held us all, surrounded by nature, such a special place connecting us to our very roots. Walking the other day, I had the most magical encounter with a giant hare, who lolloped along the road, stopped and rose up to his/her full height, just looking at me for a couple of minutes before heading off down the path.  I hope so much that the wildlife and nature living there will continue to be supported after CECAS leave.  The many staff and volunteers who supported us over the years deserve a massive mention on this list of gratitude and appreciation. Thank you for the wholesome soup for our carers group and associated events, the homemade cake and most of all the care.

We will deal with what’s happening but it’s ok to pause and take a moment or more, to feel our feelings around the loss of this community space. I will keep people posted in these monthly writings but please keep an eye on my Facebook page for up-to-date information on where we’re heading.  Care by Rachel Holstead feels very apt today.

‘In those moments when you want to care for all the world, / Remember that in you is also the whole of the world. / And you can only begin here – caring for this skin, / These bones, this heart. / Delve deep into caring, and every cell becomes a temple in which to honour the world.’

Mindfulness in June

Our last two drop-in mindfulness sessions at CECAS, Myross Wood, Leap on Tuesday mornings 10-11am, June 16, and 30. €12. Beginners, returners and newcomers are always welcome.

For more information: phone: 087 2700572 or email: susanoreganmindfulness@gmail.com 

f susanoreganmindfulness

www.mindhaven.ie