Star Letter 

A HAIRY TALE

I can't help wondering about something and actually, it’s bothering me an awful lot recently. You see I made my hair appointment, the first in 22 weeks, and then the penny dropped.

"The reason for the covid stone" - 22 weeks of hair on my head. Sure it's been weighing me down, it's been awful carrying it around for so long. Can't wait to go to my hairdressers next week. I'm bringing the scales with me too, just to prove my point. Can't wait to lose it, the extra hair I mean. I'm feeling lighter already! 

Bernie Kirwan, Co Wexford  

Eurovision

I enjoyed reading the article 'what's another year’s in Woman’s Way. It brought back lovely memories of the evening Dana won the Eurovision back in 1970.

We did not have a TV in our house back then so my mother and myself went to a neighbor’s house to watch it there. I was sixteen years old, and I was much more into the fashion the ladies were wearing than the songs. I will always remember Dana how beautiful she looked.

Because she was around our own age our school was buzzing on Monday about her. Her looks, the dress she was wearing, and 'All Kinds Of Everything' the simple yet lovely song she sang. Thank you Dana for the memories. I am sure you inspired hundreds of teenage girls that Spring evening when the world was young.

Marian Dalton, Co Carlow 

Confidence Ambassadors

Hearing about Yvonne and her daughter Ali becoming ambassadors for the Dove project was really uplifting. It made me reflect on what my life had been like as a young girl in school. It wasn’t easy, I remember feeling very shy and self-conscious some days walking into class. If I had role models championing for me and accessible resources or people I could talk to, I think it would have made it easier. I could really relate to Yvonne when she said she felt more confident as an adult - I found I grew into myself and now I am there for my children when they experience those same feelings I did. 

Anne Boyle, Co Limerick 

Creative Baskets 

I loved the article on how to turn old items into hanging baskets. It was great to see the option to recycle old wellies and tin cans. I have old woven baskets that I usually hang with beautiful colored plants set in them but I think the wellies will look even better. I always re-use my tin cans. My grandchildren come over some weekends and we paint the tin cans in all different colours together. I put spare change in my tin and I have one for my make-up brushes too! 

Karen O’Neill, Co Meath 

Clodagh Mckenna 

It was so great to see the interview with Clodagh McKenna. She's doing so well at the moment, she's a credit to the country. I love her cooking demos on This Morning. She's always so bright and chirpy, and the recipes are always delicious. I've tried a few and I would highly recommend them. I love the fact that she can't wait to get back to Ireland and have a pint in a pub in West Cork and a sing-song. 

Anne Smith, Co Cork

New Look 

I am writing to compliment you on a great magazine. There are so many items on beauty, health and fashion which I adore. The most important thing is that it is an Irish magazine and everything can be sourced and purchased locally. I look forward to my copy of WW every two weeks and I get great mileage out of reading those useful tips. Keep up the good work.

Stephanie Kenny, Co Dublin 

SPF 

I really enjoyed reading about good quality SPF to buy. I feel as though most people only wear SPF if they are going swimming on a sunny day or if it’s particularly hot outside. I wear my SPF every day - even when it’s raining! It’s something my own mother instilled in me as a child, now I say the same thing to my own children. As long as it’s bright outside, you should have some kind of protection on your skin. I think with all of the different sun protectants you can get today, there really is something for everyone. As a teenager, I could only wear certain creams as I would have oily skin but now there is a whole range of non-greasy SPF products to choose from. It’s great! 

Betty Doherty, Co Clare 

BBQ Recipes

I thought the recipes in the last issue were so delicious. I love the summer for the sole reason of family barbecues and cold, crisp white wine. I feel as though the food at barbeques can always be the same - burgers, hotdogs, maybe some chicken wings? And of course lots of salads! But to see the chorizo burger from Graeme Dodrill was a real treat. It will definitely make an appearance at the next one. 

Deirdre Faherty, Co Waterford 

Tree Love 

How lovely to see Eanna Ní Lamhna writing for you. She's such a great woman. I've been listening to her on Mooney Goes Wild for years. She's always interesting and funny with it. The piece she wrote for you on trees was wonderful. It's strange how we see these trees every day but know so little about them. I loved all the folklore. I'm going to keep these pages and have them for my grandchildren when they get older. I want them to have a full appreciation and understanding of the beauty and wonder of nature.

Lucy O'Brien, Co Wicklow

Emotional 

I just finished reading the article in Woman’s Way about the upcoming anniversary of the 8th amendment vote. This piece brought a tear to my eye. I am in my late sixties and voted in the referendum almost three years ago and have never been prouder to be Irish than when the results of the vote were announced. Ailbhe Smyth is an inspiration to women and has done incredible work for this cause. For the first time in my life, I felt seen. I attended a number of marches and found myself overwhelmed with emotion by the sheer number of people who turned up. Women, young and old, coming together to fight for a cause that we believed in, that we cared about. Fighting for each other. It was truly a thing of beauty. Thank you for covering this. 

Clare O’Reilly, Co Wicklow.

Relatable 

I have always used journaling as a form of therapy and as a way to keep me calm. Putting pen to paper has been an escape for me, it helps me to relax and to express my emotions in a way that talking has never allowed me to do. And it is specifically when I use a pen and paper, it doesn’t feel quite the same when I use my laptop or the notes on my phone. Reading this article really made me feel understood, as I didn’t think many others shared my interest. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece, thank you to the Woman’s Way team. 

Brenda Moriarty, Co Armagh.

Exciting  

Upon reading your article on safe countries to travel to I began extremely excited. I simply cannot wait to find myself lying in the sun with my other half and a lovely cocktail in hand. I haven’t been on a holiday in seven years and when the pandemic hit I felt I had wasted time that could have been spent exploring different countries. I have always wanted to visit the USA and the potential for that dream to become a reality has given me a spark of something that I haven’t felt in a very long time; hope. 

Maureen Doherty, Co Roscommon

Magpies

In Spring 2020 we were all, more or less, confined to our homes.  I was grateful to a pair of magpies for entertaining me for several weeks in April.  I sat at my kitchen table and watched the forays to and fro as the nest was built and lined.  From an early age I was aware of the superstition surrounding magpies – one for sorrow, two for joy etc. – but otherwise I knew nothing about them.  I discovered the magpie is considered evil in Europe and the U.S. but is associated with good luck in some Asian countries.

 As spring turned to summer the foliage all but blocked my view of the nest and the tree was bare and quiet all winter. With the arrival of spring 2021, and the requirement to stay in our homes, I watched for signs of the birds return.  One evening I heard a bird signing and saw a lone magpie.  The sound was not particularly musical but, to my ear, was hauntingly beautiful.  I went online to see what I could learn.  

 Seems magpies stay with their mate for life.  If their mate dies, they feel grief and even lay grass ‘wreaths’ by the body. Following a period of mourning the surviving bird will look for a new mate.  Was my bird singing a dirge at the nest of his dead mate or singing a love song hoping to attract a new mate?  Whichever, that was my sole sighting, this spring.  

Maybe the bird had a premonition this was not a good place to start a new family because, a few weeks later, I heard a loud noise and saw an agile tree surgeon taking down the ‘magpie’ tree limb by limb.  It was interesting to watch his skill and admire his courage but I knew I was trading two hours diversion for tranquil moments watching bird life. 

 Some see the magpie as a pest. They say there are too many as there are no avian predators to eat them.  Imbalance in nature causes problems of all sorts – Covid being an extreme example.   Rather than single out the humble magpie and point fingers – let us look at how, over the past few decades, we humans have adversely impacted on the natural world for our own gain.  I think nothing is black and white – not even the humble magpie!

 Margaret Riordan, Co Kildare