The recent blast of sunny weather transformed our favourite beach haunts into Costa del Cork.

When the temperature goes over 20 degrees, there is nothing like a swim in Irish waters for a bracing jolt, and when temperatures go over 25 degrees Cork’s coast becomes thronged with those keen to cool off.

Sadly, a pleasant trip to the beach in the middle of a heatwave can quickly be tarnished by the bad behaviour of fellow beachgoers. These are my Beach Beefs 2025 - see if you agree with any of them...

Bluetooth Speakers

Forget fashionable bucket hats or itsy-bitsy bikinis, bluetooth speakers are the ultimate accessory on beaches for summer, 2025. They are seemingly de rigueur.

Beach towel? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Piece of technology that subjects everyone on the beach to your personal musical taste whether they like it or not? Check!

Why listen to nature’s soothing soundtrack of gentle breezes and crashing waves, or the gentle murmurs of conversation or children playing, when we can listen to German-techno-kiddy-pop-core at anti-social volume levels?

I hear myself say “Is their CD skipping?” and know I’m officially an aul wan.

But a repetitious digital racket is not the background music I want to listen to on my beach trip, so I channel my inner aul wan and approach these bunches of bluetooth buckos and ask them to turn it down…. and most of the time they comply.

Sometimes, they’re just so excited to be spinning choons with their pals,........

© Evening Echo