Sir, – Ireland’s current flirtation with Mediterranean weather has already produced several predictable national developments: supermarket shelves stripped of barbecue charcoal, men removing their shirts in public with a confidence unsupported by circumstance, and RTÉ presenters speaking about “staying hydrated” as though we were crossing the Sahara.
Most fascinating of all, though, is the sudden collapse of our entire civic personality once temperatures rise above 23 degrees. We become incapable of ordinary conversation, with every interaction turning into meteorological theatre.
One neighbour informed me yesterday that he had slept badly, going on to describe conditions more reminiscent of the trenches in Flanders rather than a semidetached in Bray, with a duvet he was free to remove at a moment’s notice.
Meanwhile, office workers across the country have rediscovered the sacred Irish tradition of pretending no work can reasonably be expected during this warm spell – a standard that if applied consistently, would leave southern Europe economically silent from May until September.
Still, we should enjoy it while it lasts – by the June bank holiday weekend, we will no doubt be back to standing in drizzle saying: “To be fair now, we needed the rain.” – Yours, etc,
GEOFF SCARGILL
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
