"There is no phone coverage,” the receptionist said as she handed me our hotel room key. “There is no TV anywhere here and there is no wifi either.” Well you’d want to see their faces.

Telling two teenagers in 21st century Ireland that there is no wifi in the hotel where they were to spend three days would be similar to informing a stag party that there was no alcohol in the bar.

They had the choice of going abroad but were happier to just chill at home

I took the children west last week for a few days. Patrick is starting secondary school and Deirbhile is going into Leaving Cert, so a big and momentous year lies ahead for them both. Where does the time go? They had the choice of going abroad but were happier to just chill at home. So we settled on a more active staycation instead, which was like going back in time in every sense.

It is almost cool to stay at home now rather than jet off for a summer holiday. The screen-free zone in Connemara allowed us to rediscover the magic of board games.

It didn’t take long for the shock of having no access to Instagram, Snapchat or whatever to dissipate after Patrick successfully retrieved a game of draughts from the hotel reception. I’d forgotten the fun of draughts which I used to love playing at his age.

There we were, over three hours playing while the family of four beside us played cards

And by the time the clock struck midnight, there we were, over three hours playing while the family of four beside us played cards. It felt like a sort of detox. The first thing I do when I go into a hotel room is turn on the TV or the radio via my phone. It’s like comfort eating for me, especially if I am abroad alone for work.

So having no TV or telecommunications technology of any sort also gave me some cold turkey. But like the children, I quickly got over it and took solace in reading a book with a coffee while the children went zip lining.

Then it was off to Inishbofin. I am almost loathe to share with you the secret that is Inishbofin off the Galway coast. Because it is just perfect the way it is, not overrun with tourists, a calming place of peace and tranquility. And it was another resting eye opener for the children of a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city and screens. You can keep your Love Island, give me this island any day.

After two lovely days, it was onto the boat back to the mainland and the long journey home to Dublin full of memories of draught games, boat trips, traditional Irish music, running, fjords, zip lining, swimming in the sea and more

You almost felt that you were emptying body and soul of all negativity by merely walking along the narrow winding roads between rugged flowery ditches.

It hibernates from October to March then hell for leather for the 170 or so island inhabitants who live off tourism during these months. After two lovely days, it was onto the boat back to the mainland and the long journey home to Dublin full of memories of draught games, boat trips, traditional Irish music, running, fjords, zip lining, swimming in the sea and more.

But most significantly it was great to prove to us all that life can be so much more fun when the phone, television and screens are forced off. We survived more or less without them for the few days. By the way, don’t tell anybody about Inishbofin. It’s a hidden gem. We don’t want everybody to know!

A little respect please

It was great to see the all female officials presiding over last weeks Super Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea. But we are still in the dark ages. I was at an underage match a few weeks ago which was refereed by a woman. And it made me sick what some giggling grown men said about her along the line.