Thank the Lord! The rain has stopped, the sun has come out and the soggy land is slowly soaking up all that excess water. The cows are back in the fields and some farmers have even managed to get the tractor into the mud and get the ploughing done. It […]
A West Cork Life
I was driving home on a sunny afternoon recently, when I spied two women walking down the road ahead of me. I did not recognise them as they neared but as is customary, I slowed down and lifted one finger off the steering wheel as I passed. Imagine my shock when […]
Today is Women’s Christmas and, as every year, I’m delighted to see the end of the holiday season. It was lovely and relaxed but by New Year’s Eve I was ready to move on. I hang in there for the first few days of January, but I’m itching to get […]
I have never been one to get into Christmas too early. I try to resist all jingle bells, decorations, or carols until after my birthday in mid-December. Besides, in our family we have to celebrate Thanksgiving before we even entertain the thought of tinsel. This year’s Thanksgiving was special as […]
Is there any other feature of the Irish landscape more iconic than a field? From John B Keane’s masterpiece to nostalgic childhood images of running through summer meadows, the field is quintessentially Irish. Sure, there’s cliffs and mountains, lakes and rivers, forests, and the wild Atlantic way; but for me […]
Full disclosure: the following column will be a total lovefest of West Cork. If you’re feeling contrary and want to complain about West Cork, stop reading now. It’s been warm and sunny for most of the past six weeks, and I am so bewitched by summer that I don’t remember […]