Summer sunshine

Summer has finally arrived for me, I’ve arrived home to Sligo and I have a room full of boxes of clothes, trinkets and books waiting to be unpacked so my room feels like my own again.

The week gone by has been a busy one, I had two twenty firsts at the weekend and during the week I had a friend’s dinner party, a Dum Dum Girls gig, library books to return and my student flat to move out to. Of course, it being the week after finishing my finals I celebrated by indulging in two days of much needed retail therapy.

All in all it has been a draining week, foremost on my mind was considering the finality of it all, although I tried to avoid dwelling on melancholic thoughts, every so often the thought would creep into my mind “This is the last time I’ll do this/be here/feel like this”. I’m a pessimist by nature, but also extremely nostalgic. I always think ahead and look back over my shoulder, even when a particular situation is taking place. Does anyone else feel this way?

Enough of this talk, I’m trying my hardest not to feel sad at the moment.

My friend Sarah’s twenty first was an elegant but intimate garden party, the best way to spend a summer’s evening, drinking Moet on the garden terrace, the garden scattered with tea lights and the floral bunting swaying in the breeze, the eerie strains of The Waterboys floating across the cool night air.





Her dress is by Dahlia, from asos.com. The fit and print is divine, I was really impressed with the quality of the fabric and design and would be tempted to buy it myself if she hadn’t seen it first. She looked like she stepped off the set of An Education with her sweet little pixie crop and elegant pumps (from Primark)


Tara's shoes are borrowed from her sister and are from New Look (the gold lace-ups) and my wedges are from the Sonia Rykiel range for H&M

Lucia’s twenty first was another country affair, outside Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, an artistic country town in the South East of Ireland. She looked stunning in a simple black maxi dress from Primark and an enviable gold embellished cropped jacket from New Look. We drank sangria in marquees, seated on deck chairs and cushions outside her fathers bohemian cottage down a sheltered country road.





On Tuesday, May 18th, my friend Sarah (another Sarah, another gorgeous redhead!) and I went to see the Dum Dum Girls. We went for tapas beforehand in the Market Bar, hidden down a side street somewhere off Camden St. I think? I was really impressed with the place, it was spacious and comfortable, not too busy, the staff were accommodating and the menu was up to date, with gluten free and vegetarian options clearly marked. The early bird option was €14 for two small dishes and a glass of wine, I had a fried potato dish and nachos with a glass of red wine. I would recommend sharing though as I couldn’t finish my nachos and I have a fierce appetite! Unfortunately it was raining as we made our way up to Whelans. Having never been to a gig in Whelans before and having had mostly had bad experiences in the nightclub there (overpriced and crowded, wouldn’t recommend it) I was apprehensive about the gig. However Sarah is a seasoned gig attendee and she assured me that it was an intimate setting, one of her favourites in Dublin. And so it was. Despite the doors being advertised as closing at 8pm, they didn’t open until 8.30pm. There were a couple of people there on their own, which impressed me, I don’t think I’d be independent enough to do that. The Dum Dum Girls set was preceded by a northern Irish support act called Girls Names, the acoustics weren’t the best so I couldn’t quite make out what they were singing. The Dum Dum Girls actual set was only 45 minutes long, they said that they had a ferry to catch at 2am. I enjoyed the set, retrospectively though they didn’t interact that much with the crowd, but I expect they were used to a larger audience and there was probably no more than fifty people there. Still I’m glad I went. I bought their cd and got it signed by Dee Dee. Sarah took some great pictures too.



Now all I can do is tidy my belongings away, catch up on my reading, sort though my junk (I’m a hoarder!), await some reply to my CV’s, perhaps get involved in some volunteering, hope to hear back from my masters application and try to plan a small trip – I’m thinking London and Brighton. What about you guys? What are your summer plans? Probably more ambitious than mine! I just feel like I need to wind down and not be in contact with the outside world for a while.