{"id":3246,"date":"2026-09-19T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=3246"},"modified":"2026-09-14T09:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:34:15","slug":"they-do-their-summers-in-spain-and-their-winters-outside-kenmare-and-swear-everyone-has-the-order-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/they-do-their-summers-in-spain-and-their-winters-outside-kenmare-and-swear-everyone-has-the-order-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"They do their summers in Spain and their winters outside Kenmare and swear everyone has the order wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"

They say the calendar can be wrong<\/strong>, that tradition is just a habit that stuck to the wall and never<\/strong> asked why. They chased a different<\/strong> rhythm: fierce Spanish summers<\/strong>, misted Irish winters<\/strong>, and everything in between<\/strong> lined up just a bit truer<\/strong> than the brochures would ever promise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted life on purpose<\/strong>, not on autopilot<\/strong>,\u201d they tell me, sun-drunk on a July<\/strong> terrace, already plotting the soft Kerry<\/strong> rain they\u2019ll step into by November<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why flip the calendar<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Most people think heat should be escaped<\/strong>, cold should be avoided<\/strong>, and spring is the only safe<\/strong> bet. But their logic is clean<\/strong>: if you want the essence<\/strong> of a place, go when it is most<\/strong> itself. Spain is all ripened tomatoes<\/strong>, white-hot cicadas<\/strong>, and late nights<\/strong> that run like a silver thread<\/strong> to dawn. Kerry is winter light<\/strong>, peat-smoke windows<\/strong>, and a sea that roars<\/strong> without caring if anyone is watching<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cSummer in Spain is the point<\/strong>, not the problem<\/strong>,\u201d one of them says, laughing into a glass of verdejo<\/strong>. \u201cAnd winter in Ireland<\/strong> is a kind of bravery<\/strong> that feels like home<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Learning the textures of heat<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t dodge the heat<\/strong>; they parse it like a language<\/strong>. Morning is for quiet alleys<\/strong>, the slow pull of espresso<\/strong>, the bakery\u2019s open mouth<\/strong> of bread and apricot<\/strong> shine. Noon is for shade<\/strong>, siesta, long books<\/strong>, and a window tilted to breathe<\/strong>. Evenings are for grilled peppers<\/strong>, the unhurried clink<\/strong> of plates, and friends who show up with olives<\/strong> and a story that meanders usefully<\/strong> nowhere.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cYou come to Spain to sweat on purpose<\/strong>,\u201d she says. \u201cThe heat is a teacher<\/strong>. It makes you choose<\/strong> what actually matters<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a discipline in doing almost nothing<\/strong>, a craft<\/strong> to pacing your own pulse<\/strong>. Once you surrender the day\u2019s center<\/strong> to the blaze, the edges bloom with detail<\/strong>\u2014the soft fan<\/strong> of a palm, the white afternoon<\/strong> turning honey in narrow streets<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The winter near Kenmare, re-read<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Outside Kenmare, the winter is not a blank<\/strong>, it\u2019s a texture<\/strong>. You learn forty words for wet<\/strong>, and they all feel useful<\/strong>. The hills soak to a deep green<\/strong>, and the sky becomes a restless librarian<\/strong>, rearranging weather with quiet authority<\/strong>. The Atlantic keeps the temperatures<\/strong> honest, cold but forgiving<\/strong>, a rough hand that still knows how to hold<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cKenmare shows its bones<\/strong> in January,\u201d he says. \u201cPubs carry the music<\/strong>, and the lanes carry the talk<\/strong>.\u201d The light stays low<\/strong>, but it\u2019s a certain gold<\/strong>, sliding off stone walls, fastening to wool hats<\/strong>, threading through breath<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There are storms that make houses listen<\/strong>. Nights that make stew taste correct<\/strong>. Mornings when the sheep look like punctuation<\/strong> on the field<\/strong>. You walk until your face goes numb<\/strong>, then thaw it beside a stubborn fire<\/strong>, grateful for strong tea<\/strong> and the hush of pages<\/strong> turning.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Economics, community, and the quiet upside-down<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The inversion isn\u2019t just aesthetic<\/strong>; it\u2019s practical<\/strong>. Spanish rentals prefer summer<\/strong>, Irish cottages warm up in winter<\/strong>, and the off-season carries a different price<\/strong>. Planes are less crowded<\/strong>, roads more forgiving<\/strong>, and neighbors have time<\/strong> to look up from their own lives<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Flipping the order sharpens your edges<\/strong>. You learn to pack like a strategist<\/strong>, to shop like a local<\/strong>, to trade noise<\/strong> for signal. You meet people when they are not performing<\/strong> for a season but actually living<\/strong> it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They swear the culture feels truer<\/strong> when the lines are thinner<\/strong>. \u201cWe know the barista\u2019s dog<\/strong>, the postman\u2019s route<\/strong>, the fisherman\u2019s ordinary Wednesday<\/strong>,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s the ticket<\/strong>\u2014not the sights<\/strong>, the rhythm<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you want to try the reverse order<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Choose places for their seasonal strengths<\/strong>, not their marketing myths<\/strong>. <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Build a gear core that layers: breathable linen<\/strong>, honest wool<\/strong>, one stubborn shell<\/strong>. <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Learn local eating hours<\/strong> and weather habits<\/strong>; shape your day to them, not to your phone<\/strong>. <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Keep a small ritual for each place<\/strong>\u2014a morning walk<\/strong>, a Thursday soup<\/strong>, a Sunday letter<\/strong>. <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Measure success by how many names you learn<\/strong>, not how many boxes you check<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The feeling of getting time back<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    There\u2019s a particular quiet<\/strong> to living against the grain<\/strong>. In Spain, you hear your own heartbeat<\/strong> between church bells<\/strong>. In Kerry, you notice how rain draws circles<\/strong> on the bay<\/strong>, as patient as a clock that refuses to rush<\/strong>. Both places hand you the same truth<\/strong>: a season is a voice<\/strong>, and you have to decide whether to listen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They laugh when people say the order is backwards<\/strong>. Backward from what<\/strong>? The sun has its work<\/strong>, the rain has its work<\/strong>, and so do the people<\/strong> who learn to tune their days to something steadier<\/strong> than itineraries.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cWe didn\u2019t move to chase comfort<\/strong>,\u201d he says. \u201cWe moved to notice<\/strong>.\u201d And noticing, it turns out, is the rarest luxury<\/strong>\u2014tomato-slick August<\/strong>, bog-scented January<\/strong>, and the bright line of a life<\/strong> that refuses to be scheduled by other people\u2019s weather<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3246"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3284,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3246\/revisions\/3284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}