Art of the matter: Don Conroy on why he worries for Greta Thunberg

A beloved part of many an Irish childhood, the artist, author, and environmentalist Don Conroy tells Donal O’Keeffe why he loves his ‘abusive’ friend Dustin the Turkey, why big men hug him at festivals, and why he worries for Greta Thunberg.

Don Conroy is a busy man. “Juggling, juggling,” he says. “You know yourself.” He’s en route from Wicklow to Dublin when he stops to take a call from the Irish Examiner. He asks what the weather’s like in Cork — overcast between showers — and says cheerily he’s been driving through “summer downpours”.