Something curious is happening in the prosperous suburbs of Ireland. Sales of camping equipment have surged among individuals who have no interest in traditional camping.

When did you last say your prayers? It’s a cheeky question to ask, I know. Because, like the question – have you stopped beating your wife? – it makes all kinds of presumptions. Not least that people don’t pray. Or that prayer has any value.

Like the foreboding storm in Ray Bradbury’s 1962 novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, the atmosphere across the United States is electric with anxiety.

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.

It’s high summer in Achill and that means many things. The sun is not guaranteed (if only) but the roads are busy, the campsites and holiday homes are full and the tourist season is in full swing.

I went AWOL there for two weeks but not much happened. The genocide in Gaza continues unabated and now the Israeli people have added starvation and famine as weapons to their killing machine. Tanks and bombs are not enough.

If I started this article by saying that before we get into it, we’ll take it handy for the first few sets, any reader from the west of Ireland will instantly recognise the reference to one of our greatest institutions, The Saw Doctors.

I wasn’t aware until quite recently who Rosie O’Donnell was. And even though she starred in the film Sleepless in Seattle, her name didn’t ring a familiar bell. An American comedian, Donald Trump has had her in his sights for some time.

There are many upsides to living on Achill Island. But challenges too. Like so many things in life, there’s a trade-off. It is an utterly beautiful place, a lovely place to raise a young family.

Last Saturday week, while most world leaders might have been contemplating matters of international diplomacy or domestic policy, Donald Trump was instead composing a social media post threatening to strip someone of their American citizenship.