We are on the Marina, my granddaughter and me. I hold her in my arms. She points and grunts. “Yes”, I say, “these are the great trawlers all tucked up in bed together now but soon they will be carefully making their way out of Wexford Harbour. They will bring back mussels for us”. She
The tiny stream beside our house was a favourite place to play. The bridge was a source of politics for our neighbours who claimed that either side of the small bridge was of equal importance. The question; “Are you on the Knoxtown side or the Killegney side?” became a well know statement and point of
After an enjoyable evening fishing on the river Slaney, four anglers met in Deanes Bar, Bunclody. Whilst enjoying a few pints of the black stuff, the conversation turned to what had happened during the day’s fishing on the river. As they continued to enjoy their pints, each of the men claimed to have a great
On arising each morning these days those are the ifrst words to be uttered by me without fail, whether statement, quesiton, prayer or mantra ifts my mental bill I’m not too sure but that’s how it is for me. As a senior ciitzen living alone cocooning in lockdown no one hears if I talk to
The sun like a warning, blood red begins to slowly set. Two young children run along the itde’s edge collecitng shells. They giggle and scamper along the shoreline, chasing the oystercatchers as they run. Their bare feet leaving small imprints in the wet sand, for a brief moment, before disappearing. Waves folding and peeling across
When I heard of this competition, I was reading a book called ‘Letter to My Younger Self’ where inspiring people shared moments that shaped their lives and on looking back, might offer advice to their sixteen- year-old selves. While this is not a letter, I found my thoughts wandering to days when I was maybe
In the late ’70s and right through the ’80s, my family spent our summer holidays in Curracloe, County Wexford. For me, it was just magical. Those two weeks every July and August in a rented mobile home in Whyte’s Caravan Park was the highlight of every year. Dad’s green Hillman Hunter, lovingly named “Betsy”, was
Ah NO – this is not about water-divining, but about the wealth of clues in Irish place-names to tell us about the significance of some waterway or water source in that area. It could be a clue to a search. Meaningful Irish words often found incorporated into place names include Cora – a weir –
Curlews still and silent encroach, a soft curruuu in the distance, as you approach. The heron in patient stance, Stoic and poised, waits for frogs with determined glances. Oyster catchers all black and white, their orange beaks stab like sharp knives, as they plunge for their lives. Lugworms burrowed under sand, fat, pink and frilly,
My local waterbody is Morris castle beach in Kilmuckridge Gorey county Wexford. Before you get to the actual beach there is a take away a beach shop and an ice cream shop named Lawlor’s, all run by the same people. Morris castle is connected to Ballinoulart beach, and is about 22km Long. Morris castle was
The minnows sparkled below the threads of wet sunlight. Too fast for me to catch. Wading through the water, so cold despite the warm June weather; water straight from the Blackstairs; cool, and clean, and pure. The straight monolithic bridge cut across the curving of the stream, and the weeds, and the trees. This, the
My earliest childhood memories bring me back to the wonderful riverside of Wexford, to a beautiful and enchanted place- Castle Boro. We would come here on weekends as a family, and the place has remained the same over the years. A tranquil and serene scene, one of the many hidden treasures that the country side