The year truly begins with a swim

Though a very effervescent New Year's Day concert crowned the afternoon of 1 January, my senior swimming companion Catherine and I were only satisfied once we'd celebrated our first dip of 2026 yesterday (3 January) - and it will be the last for a while, as this was extreme. Yes, the sun shone on Sandycove, and it was packed, not least because people weren't prepared to risk the much more exposed…