Valentine's Day 2021 - The Lockdown Guide
Valentine’s Day was celebrated slightly differently this year due to level five restrictions in Ireland. It could be compared to a make-shift / a Do It Yourself (“DIY”) Valentine’s day. Unfortunately, the young people of Ireland could not flock to Pygmalion or other bars for dinner or drinks with their significant others. A romantic trip to the city of love i.e. Paris was also off the cards as people were confined to their 5km radius, as Joe Mcnamee of the Irish Examiner put it. I caught up with friends and family and asked how they celebrated Valentine’s Day this year. All told, love was most certainly in the air this Valentine’s Day despite the uncertainty of COVID19.
1. Zoom dating:
Many found themselves in different counties and apart from their significant others. We know that restaurants and shops have pivoted since the outset of COVID19 and funnily enough the world of dating has pivoted too! Zoom dating has become the new phenomenon and many couples throughout Ireland saw themselves scheduling a zoom call to mark the Valentine occasion. RTE news featured a young couple Yvonne Farrell and Adam Lambe who were unable to celebrate the day together but they made do with a movie and meal via zoom!
2. Irish Valentine's Day Cards:
An Post:
COVID19 saw a surge in the number of letters and cards that were posted throughout Ireland. As a young person, I know how easy it is to send an instagram message or whatsapp and I’ve recently come to note that there’s something much more personal about writing or receiving a letter. An Post started their “Come Together By Staying Apart" campaign this time last year and since then they have delivered over 5 million postage-paid postcards with the idea that they will connect loved ones who are apart.
'Hug For You' Cards:
We all remember Adam King from the Late Late Toy Show who stole the nation’s heart with his ‘A Hug For You’ artwork which he debuted on the show. Adam then went on to design his very own ‘Hug For You’ Valentine’s day cards which were sold throughout Supervalu and Centra stores. These cards were a massive hit with young people who supported Adam and the Temple Street Children’s Hospital by purchasing a 'Hug For You' card.
Conor Merriman Cards:
A Dublin based designer, Conor Merriman launched a range of Valentine’s cards which celebrated our diverse love landscape in Ireland. His collection included the ‘In Tandem Love Card’ which is pictured below and celebrated different couples living in Ireland. These cards were very popular amongst young people who inspire a generation of diversity and inclusivity.
3. Valentine's Day Irish Gifts:
Flowers have become a byword for the ‘Valentine’ occasion. People placed orders with a range of romantic Irish florists well in advance of February 14th. The owner of the ‘Blooming Amazing’ florist in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, reported that there was an increase in flower orders this year. With more people apart and increased isolation, romance was still blooming! People used Valentine’s day and flowers as a means to reach out to people.
The Rolling Donut based in Dublin’s city centre introduced the heart-throbbingly delicious Valentine’s Day donut box which was the ultimate treat to send your Valentine. The Valentine’s box contained twelve donuts in various heart-shaped styles.
4. Valentine's Day Foodies:
Irish chef, Catherine Fulvio served up various mouth-wateringly delicious and romantic meals to celebrate Valentine’s day on RTE1. She showed the audience how to create their very own ‘Raspberry Lemon Cocktail’ concoction. I’ve added the recipe below and the instructions are straight forward to follow and the cocktail is perfect for any occasion like a birthday etc.
• Ingredients (Makes 2)
• 6 raspberries
• 90ml Limoncello
• 100ml ginger flavoured stock syrup
• Moinéir Raspberry Wine (Wicklow Way Wines)
• To decorate the glasses
• Lemon & caster sugar
• To serve
• Ice, optional
• Raspberries & swizzle sticks, to decorate
• 2 x flute glasses
Method
Place the raspberries and limoncello in a jug or glass to infuse for 5 minutes.
To decorate the flute glasses, rub half a cut lemon over the rim of the glass and then dip the rim in caster sugar. Set aside to dry. Add ice to the glasses to chill, then discard the ice. Muddle the raspberries lightly and sieve the mix well, dividing the liquid between each of the two glasses. Pour the stock syrup into the glasses and top up with Moinéir Raspberry Wine and give a stir. Finish each glass with a swizzle stick and ice (optional) and serve.
5. Fine dining - hampers & boxes:
The Gloss showcased a number of Valentine’s Day Restaurant delivery boxes. These dinner boxes came from some of Ireland's finest restaurants. The Virginia Park Lodge’s offering caught my attention. This restaurant is located near me in County Cavan and is run by the renowned chef, Richard Corrigan. They created dinner boxes with luxurious dishes like lobster, scallops, seaweed butter etc. These dinner boxes were sold and delivered across Ireland.
The restaurant is also offering Mother's day hampers and you should click on the button below to place an order with them. Don't forget guys... Mother's day is less than two weeks away! The hamper offers a three course lunch and is quite pricey. But if you have a few siblings it would be well worth your while splitting the cost of the hamper between the lot of you.
Valentine’s Day was a great example of how Irish people shared the love whilst apart. We need to continue doing so in light of level five restrictions. Give the cocktail recipe a go this Friday when you finish up study or work! And most importantly support some of the suppliers listed in my blogpost above. And be sure to remember that "love conquers all." Would love if you could subscribe to my blog page and I’ll have more content coming out in the next few weeks. In the meantime, check out some fellow bloggers who are discussing all things dating related; you’ll find the links attached here. They discuss all aspects of relationships including break-ups and dating apps.
1. http://ucd-5469086.hs-sites.com/en/how-to-get-over-a-breakup-in-lockdown
2. http://ucd-5469086.hs-sites.com/en/lockdown-date-ideas
Stay safe and see you next time for more dating content,
Nikki xx
