Irish Examiner View: We're finally dancing in the street again

This weekend has a real summer party atmosphere for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.

Dearbhla Guinan, Butevant; Amy Taylor, Newcastle; and Alicja Kulawiack from Poland at the Ed Sheeran concert at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

It was 58 years ago that Martha Reeves and the Vandellas released their much-reprised summer hit 'Dancing in the Street'. And this weekend, iffy weather forecasts set to one side, carries a genuine feeling of a prolonged Irish party time since the pandemic first bit us in March 2020.

Cork has the standout gig, with appearances by Ed Sheeran at Páirc Uí Chaoimh expected to attract a total of 75,000 fans over last night and tonight. This is on top of the 160,000 he drew to Croke Park last weekend.

Maeve Murphy and Ava Hartnett, both Macroom, Collette Murphy and Julia Jaz, both Killarney, going to the Ed Sheeran concert. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

In addition, Cork Airport plans to welcome more than 40,000 passengers over the May bank holiday weekend, bringing visitor numbers back to 82% of their 2019 levels. 

More than 60,000 people passed through the airport during the Easter break. Airport managers are forecasting more than 2m for the whole of 2022, and the challenge for them must now be to find ways of increasing that performance and capacity for next year.

One welcome decision to assist the leisure industry, which was grievously hard-pressed during lockdown, is to extend the waiver on the fees that restaurants and pubs must pay for outdoor dining. Cafe society proved to be a popular and morale-boosting innovation, and is commonplace in the rest of Europe.

Dublin needs every assistance it can get, with turnover at only two-thirds of 2019 levels. 

Cork has already agreed not to impose street-furniture licences for last year, and says it awaits the outcome of a Government review for this year. 

Let’s get on with it.