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Soul II Soul… one market which has been buoyant d
uring lockdown is the jewellery and precious keepsake game. Soul Engraver prides itself on a handengraved range made from recycled or ethically-sourced precious metals. Their ‘Sacred Trees’ collection is heart fluttering. soulengraver.com ROADMAP Michael McDermott HALYCON GAZE THIS ISLAND LIFE Declan Murphy has been a naturalist since his knapsack youth in Blackrock. Spirit of the River is part paean to the natural world and part quest to discover more about the iridescent Kingfisher species. His lush, evocative, explorations gently lead us along in his pursuit as we encounter dabbling mallards, flitting wagtails, bobbing dippers, single-parent woodpeckers and countless other creatures. This gentle breeze of curiosity is ideally aligned with these contemplative, slow-flow, times. The Spirit of the River, Declan Murphy, Lilliput Press, €18 Since it looks like we’ll be stretching our limbs on these shores this summer, it’s not too late to create your own island off an island sanctuary. Islands for Sale is offering us the choice of four to purchase right now: Shore Island (Shannon Estuary, 30 acres, €825k), West Calf Island (Roaring Water Bay, West Cork, 62 acres, price upon request), Mannions Island (Dunmanus Bay, West Cork, 4 acres, €260k) or Lees Island (Galway, 85 acres, price upon request). On the rental side of things there’s Inish Beg near Skibbereen or Rabbit Island on Lough Corrib. We’re not in a right mind to consider looking at the turquoise offerings abroad though we did take a gawk at Richard Branson’s ‘Day in the Life’ on Necker. privateislandsonline.com COLMCILLE X 1500 Born in Gartan, Donegal, Colmcille was accused of stealing, inciting a battle and taming a monster. If he was still around, he’d certainly have been reported for throwing parties during Covid. He was a Christian prince, who had Prince Harry notions, and instead of being a high king chose a spiritual path. Anyways, he ended up founding a monastery in Derry and eventually, posthumously, landed the gig of patron saint of there. Finian, a mentor of his, accused him of copying his book of psalms. This dweeby snitch meant Colmcille legged it to Iona in Scotland where David Quinn was founding his Institute. You can only imagine how he felt. How do we know all this? We do so thanks to Holy Shocking Saints and a little bit of our own fervid, lockdown, imagination. Explore the myths, martyrs and miracles in this charming new children’s book which features some beautiful watercolour illustrations. Oh, and Colmcille is 1500 on June 9 so hold your candle breath. Holy Shocking Saints: The Extraordinary Lives of Twelve Saints by Sine Quinn and Margaret Anne Suggs is published by Veritas, €14.99 Variant Literature, $5.60 (pre-order) IRISH SUMMERS Belgian photographer Harry Gruyaert, who turns 80 this August, visited Ireland in his Volkswagen van during 1983 and 1984. He captured tableaus of sunbathers but also solitude and serenity. Whilst fashioned in the time in which his shutter clicked, the images are also fashioned out of constants such as changing light, fragile skies and the muted tones which often shroud our summer. And one of those images is being refashioned by Hermès incorporating his shot of the old, iconic, Telefón kiosk into their ‘Faubourg Odyssey’ Spring/Summer advertising campaign. If you know, you know. @magnumphotos.com/photographer/harry-gruyaert 6