Sir, – Brianna Parkins’s recent article on summer in Ireland being nothing less than a shared delusion (“How to know when it’s summer in Ireland: The signs are subtle so pay close attention”, People, June 7th) got me thinking about the Top 10 of what an Irish summer means to me:
1) Salad sandwiches.
2) The “will I/won’t I wear shorts?” dilemma.
3) Wearing shorts anyway even though I know my knees will turn purple.
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4) Queueing for ages for a 99, and when my turn comes I still haven’t decided whether I want sprinkles and/or raspberry sauce with it.
5) “Does it start in May or June?” discussions.
6) Wondering how effective sunscreen that’s five years beyond its use-by date really is.
7) Wondering where all those convertibles are the other 51 weeks of the year.
8) Wexford.
9) The smell of a freshly mown lawn.
10) Sheltering from the sun instead of the rain. – Yours, etc,
HUGH McDONNELL,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 9.
