My Weekend: My chill out place is Pilmore Beach... a little piece of heaven

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

I am one of two children to Roddy and Olive, who both live in our home place in Ballincollig and have been married for 48 years — that’s some going in my opinion.

I have one brother, Anthony, who works in the airport and he loves his job. I have only one niece, Sophie, and I adore her.

I have a 16-year-old son, Callum, who is in transition year and I’m grateful that he isn’t in a pressurised year as I feel it’s extremely hard for teenagers with the pandemic.

I wear a couple of hats when it comes to work and business.

I have a bridal accessories studio in Castlemartyr called Wedding Belles and an online store www.weddingbelles.ie.

I also have a hat hire business (both of these have been hit badly with the pandemic) and I also have another online store, which always sold ladies accessories. During the first lockdown I branched out into ladies clothing, which honestly wasn’t on the agenda, but I saw a gap for comfy clothing and went for it. That website is www.fabfillies.com.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

Friday night for me is a very chilled evening. I will prepare a really nice dinner with a weekend feel, like a curry or steak, and catch up on some Netflix as I don’t really go near the TV during the week.

Lie ins or up with the lark —which is it for you?

If I have work or something on I get up early, or when Callum is in school I am up at 7am. But I am a morning person for sure, the minute I wake up I’m in a good mood.

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

Work always creeps in at the weekend. When the shop is open, I would be at work on a Saturday as a lot of brides like to visit on a Saturday. Now though it’s online orders and, yes, they do trickle in at the weekend so there is a little work.

If money was no object where would you head to on a weekend city break and who would you bring with you?

I would head to London as I adore the buzz, the shops and the shows, and I would stay in a city centre hotel, which would make getting around easy.

I would bring my partner Donal (even though I don’t think London would be his first choice).

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

For me, my chill-out place is Pilmore Beach outside Youghal.

It is five minutes from where I live and I can never get over the tranquility and beauty when I am over there. It’s a little piece of heaven.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

If we were in regular times, I most certainly would be catching up with friends at the weekend — a meal out or a coffee — but for now it’s just phone calls to them and I spend the whole weekend with Donal and my son Callum.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I suppose millinery is a hobby of mine, tipping away with a few hats, adding to them or changing their look. I really love everything to do with hats and I would follow a lot of the fashion and style at the races from around the world like Australia.

Entertain or be entertained? If it’s the former do you have a signature dish?

I love to be entertained. It’s the feeling of being off duty and when you are at home every day thinking ‘What will I cook for the dinner today’ to get a surprise somewhere else is the job!

We have so many places to eat out in Cork, where are your go-to spots for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

Coffee for me is Sage in Youghal. I love it. The coffee is gorgeous, the brown bread to die for and all dishes in there are 10 out of 10.

For lunch I love Luigi Malones in the city. They have a great selection for lunch and we love to go there to meet my Mum when we can.

Dinner for me is Eco restaurant in Douglas, I have been going there for about 25 years and I’d say I will be going there until the day I die. I never tire of it.

The curry is out of this world and the banoffi is incredible.

Sunday night comes around too fast. How do you normally spend it?

I love a roast in my house on a Sunday, so Sunday nights are spent in a food coma by the fire, with either a movie or Netflix — it’s very chilled out.