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Sasha de Buyl, director of Cúirt

The biggest loss people are finding during the lockdown is the loss of social, face to face, contact - meeting a friend for coffee, giving someone a hug, going to a gig or to the cinema - but to endure all this, when you are also suffering bereavement, is by any stretch, a double blow and a heavy burden.

‘Dearest beloved - It is such a beautiful morning that you ought to be here and we should be walking in the garden …and if we were, what more should we do where the bushes hid us?’ These intimate words were written by the British politician, later prime minister, Ramsey MacDonald, to Lady Margaret Sackville whose initials are on the famous autograph tree at Coole.

We can learn a lot from previous generations. Think about our ancestors who survived the Famine, wars, high child mortality rates, poor medical care and working conditions, the scourge of TB, and shortage of money.

During stressful times it is easy to reach for treats like crisps and chocolate to feel good and self soothe. But don’t be tempted to fill your body with only comfort food. In the long term, it causes more harm than good. Eating lots of fried food such as chips, sugary food such as biscuits, bread and pasta in large amounts, or drinking alcohol in excess will damage the liver and slow the metabolism, leading to weight gain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and even diabetes and osteoporosis.

In April 1902 Augusta Lady Gregory was working hard at her home at Coole, translating from Irish the myths and legends of Ireland. Somebody had dubbed Coole ‘the workshop of Ireland’, and the phrase went straight to her heart. Her pride in it glows in her letters to Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, her one-time lover and life-long friend, and admirer.*

Property prices in Westmeath have remained unchanged for Q1, according to the latest MyHome.ie Property Report in association with Davy.

The Cúirt International Festival of Literature, which was to run from April 20 to 25, will not take place “in its physical form this year” owing to the coronavirus lockdown and restrictions.

With so many people spending more time inside over the past few weeks and for weeks to come, now is a great time to get some reading done and there are a number of great sports books out there - many of them with a Mayo twist - that you can get your teeth stuck into - as well as some others from around the world of sport worth getting stuck into.

We can learn a lot from previous generations. Think about our ancestors who survived the Famine, wars, high child mortality rates, poor medical care and working conditions, the scourge of TB, and shortage of money.