My uncle had a well fenced field surrounded on two sides by a road, the other sides lined with elegant Ash and Beech trees. It was known as the “Four Acres” but was actually 7 Statute Acres – the ‘four acres’ being the ancient Irish measure. The field sloped West to East and had a
He walks the riverside track daily accompanied by his best friend Bailey. The conversation can seem very one sided at times as Bailey is a dog of few words, but he often barks his agreement to suggestions of “walk”, “peanut butter” and “biscuits”! And he’s constantly laughing face expresses his joy in his life. A
The River Nore played a big part in our lives as children in the fifties. The long summer days were spent “up the bank”. There were three swimming areas which were recognised as “safe” at that time. The favourite place for the younger people was known as “Conscience” Island to us all. (This was probably
My tale of the Ahare river in North Co Wexford started as a child when I first connected with the river while on farmhouse holidays in Castletown. The river ran past the farm and as children we loved to explore the dell which ran down to the river and had many fun filled adventures. I
When I was growing up my grandmother often spoke of fairies and goblins and sprites. She loved the piseogs-supersititons. My favourite tale was the one she told about the water sprites who lived in the river Deel. This is what I recall….. The best itme to spot a fairy is dawn or dusk. At these
Occasionally a fish would take a gulp from our juicy worm, before darting away. This was our resourceful attempt to catch one of many small innocent fish in our neighbouring Tay river. If the fish were innocent, well so were we, as we had not a chance of catching a fish no matter how small,
The gurgling rush of water rustles the air, my heart beats quickly; a river, flowing, bubbling, pours below the shade of whispering trees. I looked over my shoulder, seeing the other children clanging sticks, shouting war cries, running around proclaiming what side they were on. I’d had enough of stick battles now and was drained
The monk and Pangur Bán, his cat, slept soundly on a wild, wet, wintry night in 1010. The North Sea was rough, the Scandinavian rivers were still frozen so the Viking longboats could not sail. I would like to fly SAS to Sweden, over the North Sea oilrigs, but Lockdown only allows travel of 5
My grandfather was born in the late 1930s. He lived in Athlone Co. Westmeath. His parents (my great grandparents)owned a cinema beside the river Shannon in Athlone town bridge. When he was 4 years old he had the easiest job in the cinema. His job was to check everyone’s ticket. To check tickets, you had
I go to the bench whenever I need to think, or to plan, to draw, to write. In my memory, I’m sitting here right now. Six in the evening is the best time to come. It’s when the lighting is the best. The sun is just setting as I look across the river, I can
That winter the temperature fell to -20oC, and the river froze over. Nobody told me that it had frozen over. I had been more interested in hiking into icy glens and up into the snowdrifts on the hills. It was only after I had experienced the magic of both those places, that I went down
Today my friends went to the disco. Today I was left wondering what happened to my invitation. Today I realised that they are not my friends. So, instead, today I went to the beach. I’ve always been unlucky when it comes to friends, many times resorting to my own company. I have many speeches about
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