Ah, the 90s. A time we’ll always look back on with nostalgia, love and a fair bit of embarrassment.
From the dodgy haircuts to those awful outfits that you were made wear (thanks Mam), it’s fair to say that we weren’t at our best during those formative years.
And yet, they were the best of our lives. No stress. Just a carefree youth.
When we look back to those childhood summers, these are the memories that come flooding back…
1. Sunburn
We may all be experts on SPF and UV now but back in the 90s, a quick swipe of whatever was left in the house was the best you were going to get. The fact that it was the same bottle the family had used since you were a toddler never seemed to matter… until that evening, at least. Us Irish are not meant to tan.
2. Ice-cream vans
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream!
We still love them now, but it’s impossible to match the feeling of sheer excitement when you heard the sound of the ice-cream van arriving as a kid. A 99 covered in neon syrup, please!
3. The summer holiday
Long before the Ryanair revolution took hold, the most exotic location you could imagine for your summer holidays was Ballybunion. It may have consisted of arguing with your family the whole way down in the car and swimming for five minutes on a freezing beach but it was different. And that was enough for us.
We also cannot forget Butlins Mosney. It was the Irish version of Disneyland (and I remember it to be just as good).
4. Tip the can
We didn’t need much to keep us entertained as kids. Thankfully, as we didn’t have the technology we have these days. When it came to summer, you would jump out of bed and run straight out the door.
Summer meant one thing – long evenings chasing each other around the yard and shouting ‘ten more minutes’ every time your mother tried to get you to come home.
5. Jelly sandals
I don’t know about you, but these were the ultimate fashion item to have as a kid. They were colourful, comfortable and best of all, they had glitter.
What more could you want? They seem to have come back into fashion the past while and come in adult sizes. Maybe they’re worth getting a pair of again to reminisce on our childhood.
6. Paper fortune tellers
Were you going to be a singer or an astronaut? How many kids were you going to have? Who would you marry? It better not be Tom who picked his nose from your road.
All of these were answered (or so we thought) in the form of paper fortune tellers. Nothing was better than your friend turning up to your house with one.
7. Renting movies in your local video shop for a night in
Irish weather is unpredictable and we don’t get the best summers, so those rainy days turned into movie nights with your Mam and Dad. You would hit the local video shop and spend hours trying to pick something that would keep everyone happy. And you always ended up having to rewind it first.
8. Pogs and games of marbles
You might have been allowed a few hours on the Nintendo during the winter months but during the summer, you had to go outside and ‘get fresh air’. The only thing to escape the boredom was playing a game of marbles or, better yet, get your collection of Pogs out and play with your friends.
The simple games were the best ones.
9. Tie-dye shirts
Neon was the way to go, and crazy patterns. What on earth were we all wearing? Cringe.
10. Summer camp
After a few weeks, the parents would realise they just couldn’t have you under their feet for the whole summer so you were packed off to the nearest summer camp.
Depending on where you grew up, it could be anything from GAA to dancing and drama. New friends and a free t-shirt at the end, can’t go wrong.
11. Going to Dublin Airport to look at planes
This is still a thing today but back in the 90s, it was the premiere tourist attraction with many families flocking to Dublin Airport to park their car and watch planes take off and land.
The more organised Mammies would pack a picnic and make a day of it, otherwise you might get lucky and be treated to a bag of chips from the chipper.
12. Teletext listings for a cinema day out
If you were fortunate enough to live near a town, you had the joy of the cinema to look forward to in the summer. These were rare occasions (it costs an arm and a leg!) and you couldn’t just pick up your phone to check movie times like you can these days.
No, no, you had the newspaper and, best of all, Teletext. If you missed the page with your movie though, you had to wait until it came back around.
Don’t we wish we were back enjoying those care-free summer days!
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