At the water’s edge Grains of wave-washed sand Years of my childhood. Today as a storm force ten wind whipped the normally tranquil harbour into a white fury, I walked the shoreline. As I listened to the gentle scrunch of rough sand under my feet and watched the unleashed waves hurl themselves at the unshaken
I developed an interest in the rowing club as a spectator over the past fifteen years because I live facing the river Liffey. I’ve seen the members practice their skills regularly in the evenings after work, and racing on the weekends. Once a year they hold their own regatta, and they also have a service
“As children, myself and my younger brother often heard our Father tell stories from his childhood about the river Greese across from his family home on the ‘Blind Lane’ as it is known locally. He told us about how himself and his younger brother Denis would catch trout and how with pollution over the decades
If I close my eyes and concentrate, I’m back there, three years old in a floral dress and green sandals with knee-length white socks. My small hand is clasped in my father’s on a beautiful June morning. Seagulls screech, soar and swoop and the salty pungent aroma of seaweed and salt water’s so strong, it
It always starts the same: you’re stressed out at work, or run ragged at home, or nose down in the books or just tired of your own company all day long. You pack your gear bag, or your backpack, or your rucksack, or you just throw everything into the boot. You get yourself ready in
My family lived with Pop at the Mill House which was dwarfed by the mill on the gable end facing our kitchen. We had a beautiful garden, but to the side was an untamed wilderness full of wild rhubarb, wasp’s nests, and badgers, which led directly onto the river. Although we were forbidden to enter
My husband and I decided to sell our house in Dublin and move lock, stock and barrel to rural Ireland. We moved into a rundown cottage in Doonass in Co.Clare in the eighties. Renovations were ongoing which we found difficult at times. As Autumn approached we finally got the chance to explore our local area.
The 20th July 1969, the day that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Eagle on the moon was a momentous event for the world. However, for the inhabitants of my local village, Ballinacurra, Midleton, Co. Cork, my family and myself it was a date which has always been very special for a different
One of my favourite features of my grandparents house in Ireland is the river that flows by the side of it. The beautiful, historic house looks onto the picturesque river scene on one side. With a view prominently from the living room, you are able to spectate the Boyne drifting on. It’s dark, murky waters
The lakeshore of Lough Mask in Tourmakeady was a few fields down behind our house and the rocky shoreline with its Alder trees growing on the banks was a haven for us children seeking adventure as we roamed along it’s shores. It was all of that and more. It was freedom to play, explore and
Lough Gowna is situated in North Longford or South Cavan. It’s a very large lake of 6 miles long and about 3 miles wide, at its widest point. Lough Gowna is a very busy lake as people come from all over the world to fish for pike, trout, perch, bream, hybrids and roach. Lough Gowna
My earliest memory is of when I was four years old and I had got lost down by ‘the river’. Thankfully a man out walking his Alsaitan dog found me and brought me home. It was a pattern of adventure forged at a very young age. I had a happy childhood, often spent playing down