My friend and I had 24 hours away together to celebrate Nollaig na mBán. We’re both musicians, we have both travelled extensively and we have both lived large lives. And now, we’re both parents to children with special needs.  

In a previous lifetime, 24 hours away would have meant eating, drinking and partying on as little sleep as possible to get the most out of our time. But priorities have changed. Neither of us have slept properly in years. Now, the goal was to eat good food, have a few quite drinks and get a good night’s sleep. 

At first, we both experienced that panic of thinking we’d lost something. Or someone. Usually we’re laden down with stuff – changes of clothes, emergency food supplies, communication devices. Now all we had was our phones, wallet and hotel key card. 

The pleasure of wandering aimlessly, with no agenda. We saw a nice-looking pub and stopped for a pint. No one complained it was too noisy, or too warm, or too boring. Another ramble, another pint in a random pub and then on for food. Oh, the joy of putting our own tastes first and not trying to cater to everyone else’s wants and needs. We ate tapas, drank wine and chatted uninterrupted.  

We were back in our hotel by 10pm, well fed and with just the right amount of porter and wine in us to be merry but not drunk. Lights were out by 11 and then we slept. It might be the only full night’s sleep we’ll get this year. I’m looking forward to next year’s already.