IF EVER a piece of art encapsulated the mood of a nation ...
A fabulous Sinead O'Connor mural in Dublin has gone viral, and it's easy to see why.
Ireland's most brilliantly sorrowful singer, coupled with the heartbreaking notion of lamenting the loss of Ireland's most celebrated and (in)famous of pastimes, and the cold, hard fact that - simply put - nothing compares to the pub with yer pals. It just works, guys.
Of course, for some, the writhing agony of publessness has come to a much appreciated end today. As the country enters Phase Three of lockdown, pubs with the capacity to serve 'substantial meals' swung open their doors to the very thirsty public.
It's thought that around 60% of pubs around Ireland, the ones with no food service, remain closed until July 20 at the very least. So for customers of those establishments, may this mural imbue you with a sense of hope. We *will* be together again.
For months - despite the fact that the English still have plenty of access to tea, the Swiss still have all the chocolate they could ask for, Italy's pasta shortage was fortunately only short-lived and I'm fairly sure Scotland's deep-fried mars bar supply was just fine - us Irish have stumbled on, aimlessly, without pubs ... our pubs. But the madness is nearly over.
As for the mural itself, it was created by street artist Emmalene Blake and takes pride of place on Richmond Street in Dublin's city centre.
Go and visit it sometime, maybe on your way to grab a pint or two.
