Rich and famous find their summer idyll ... in West Cork

Many of the rich and famous prefer to take their holiday later in the year, particularly in winter, when the rest are coping with the British weather.

Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall are expected to be dropping in and out of Martinique and St Lucia later in the year.

Dame Judi Dench has already been to Barbados with her family and are expected to return their sometime later this year. Fellow thespian Michael Palin is in central France for a week.

Helena Kennedy, QC, one of the stars of the criminal bar, and friend of the Blairs has gone on a tour of the US East Coast with her family. While the writer and broadcaster Henry Kelly is in Tuscany and Umbria with his family for two weeks.

Oasis are promoting their latest single, and are said to be too busy to go on holiday. They are expected to take a break in the sun after finishing gigs in September. Their Britpop rivals, Blur, are also keen to state that they too are so busy that they cannot take a break. Jon Bon Jovi, the former " wild child of rock" says he is content to have a brief break with his family in New Jersey in between filming.

Kim Sengupta and Louise Hancock