Nothing can refresh you like a holiday weekend

There is no better weekend in the west of Ireland than the August Bank Holiday. It is the most switched-off time of year we have. It is the day when the ball is thrown in on the month when things slow down. There are few feelings like the one you have at around 4pm on the Friday of any Bank Holiday weekend. The days stretch out ahead of you, and it seems like a luxuriously long time until Tuesday morning.

But the August Bank Holiday usually feels even better, as many have the week or more off. Even if you are back to work on the Tuesday, you usually have the trickier work put off for another time. This time in August is a time to reset. It is not a time to add to burdens, but to recover from them. Everyone is in that mood and that mood is reflected in the general vibe. Don’t be getting worked up this weekend, is the energy in the air, for it’s not the time for it.

It is a time to relax and let the hair down. And find something interesting and enjoyable to do, activities that can keep you occupied but without any hassles or cares. That is what this time of year has been and should always be. Even for the busy farmer, this weekend is something of a traditional reset. The only strange aspect of the August Bank Holiday weekend these times is that the championship is over, whereas it was once the weekend where it really got going. But there we are.

This weekend will see people all over the region heading to festivals and events and all sorts. Our favourite one in this part of the world is the Bonniconlon Show. For decades it has been the big draw on Bank Holiday Monday. Bonniconlon captured the best day in the season for their show, and they now own it. The signs will be up on every road around the region, but while of course it is right and wise to advertise, they almost feel unnecessary – Bonniconlon on the August Bank Holiday Monday is a well-established brand.

The village, pretty and inviting on any day, always looks its best on Show Day. With flowers, fresh paint, and everything neatly swept, you can see the pride the community take in it. While all those attending will be relaxing, the busy volunteers will be working hard to make sure everyone has a nice time. There is a lot to organise and it must require a huge amount of organising and planning to get right. Everyone heading for the show this Monday will hope for good weather but will come prepared for whatever comes.

At the Show, there will be plenty to see and plenty to meet, with the prize animals and the poultry, with the gymkhana, and with the pies and the flowers and the buns and the cakes. There will be exhibitions of various kinds and lively dancing for the energetic. There will be snacks and treats and all sorts of delicious things.

Most of all there will be catching up with friends and relations. The more who come the better the atmosphere. Any agricultural show relies on the people who come to it, and if plenty come, there is always a good vibe.

But whatever you are into, there will be plenty to do around our region this weekend. Great numbers will walk the beach in Enniscrone and any number of our other fine beaches. Plenty in Enniscrone will have a dip down at the pier, and a coffee afterwards. There will be walks – organised and spontaneous – all along the coastline from Killala to Louisburgh.

Some will go hiking into the deepest recesses of our mountain ranges, and in that peace and quiet, come out feeling renewed and ready for the raucous world.

The beaches of Erris and of Clew Bay will be full of excited or determined swimmers, depending on the weather. Whether rain or shine, people will be getting in to experience that feeling of energy and renewal you get from the water. There will be some on the shoreline looking on with envy or amazement or bafflement. We are a hardy lot in the west.

Boatloads will be heading to and from Roonagh, heading over to Clare Island or to Inishturk. Some will be day trippers, others will stay the night and will not care, as the song says, if the boat cannot sail. On those trips, people will meet others from all over the region and all over the world. They will talk about what draws them to visit an island in the Atlantic Ocean and will find that though people may look and sound different, the same things motivate us, make us happy, and make us tick.

In every village and town, there will be concerts and shows and gigs and fellas playing guitars in venues large and small. This is no holiday weekend when you are in the business of entertaining people. Whatever type of music you are into, there will be plenty for your interest, but fair to say it will be mostly some class of country and western that will fill the air.

Everywhere you look there will be people running and cycling. Some of those cycles will be organised, some of the running will be competitive, and a lot of it will be just people letting the cares of the world melt away.

The restaurants and cafes will be run off their feet. They will welcome the business that comes from family gatherings, or simple lunches, or coffees and snacks, and ice creams and treats that are all part of a proper August Bank Holiday weekend.

Whatever you plan to do with it, be sure to enjoy it, and if you have no plans made yet, I am sure that many of our hospitality businesses – especially those who advertise in this newspaper – would be more than happy to help you find that bit of relaxation that we all deserve at this special time of year.

Oh, and whatever you have planned or end up doing, bring a light rain jacket, just in case.