Country Living with Francis Farragher

THE year 2022 seems to be freewheeling along at an alarmingly fast rate with our good Summer and long sunny days now just a distant memory as we tread through the gloomier and danker days of November. Already the talk is of Santa Claus, Christmas parties and shopping expeditions, while the opening of the seasonal outdoor market in Eyre Square on this Friday is ushering gently – but quite quickly also – into the season of goodwill.

There was a time when November tended to be the Winter equivalent of the Lenten period in late Spring, with various people giving up little vices in preparation for the season of Advent which clicks in on the last Sunday of the month.

It was also a month when some of us would invariably make the ‘huge effort’ to ‘give up the drink’ but as the years pass, one of the commitments I make to myself, is that I’m too long in the tooth to be making  sacrifices that are just a step too far.

I’m making an effort at present to read a Dermot Whelan book, ‘Mind Full’ – quite an enjoyable and insightful read – where he devotes a chapter to the impact that the ‘Demon Drink’ can have on our lives.

One of the conclusions he came up with was that giving up drink for a period of one month was quite a fruitless exercise – even self-defeating – as when the penitent returned to the pint, as on Easter Sunday after Lent or December 1 in the wake of the November drought, larger than ever amounts would be consumed. (For the record, his recommendation for a meaningful break from ‘the pint’ would be a period of one-year – now that would be a real tester).

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.