A ‘staycation’, according to the dictionary, is a holiday spent ‘in, or in the neighbourhood of, one’s own home’. So, I’m not sure this qualifies as a travel piece, but it is definitely a holiday story, just without the travel bit.
Every August for the last few years, my mother and myself have booked into O’Donovan’s Hotel in Clonakilty for a week. She comes all the way from Wicklow, but living just 10 minutes outside town, in the heart of the countryside, for me, it’s a novelty to be a townie for a week.
I read recently about a New Yorker who described holidaying at home, making the point that it was easy to staycation in NYC. Luckily, I feel the same way about Clonakilty.
Having someone visiting from another part of the country, of course, helps you to see your home town through other eyes. My mother Dee’s interests are traditional Irish music, shopping, coffee and cake at 11, art, and nice lunches with glasses of wine. She loves the abundance of these in Clonakilty, along with the relaxed and friendly nature of everyone involved in their delivery. We love the buzz of town, and how it changes throughout the day. There’s a special feel to the early morning, drinking a coffee outdoors watching shopkeepers sweeping their pavements, council workers cleaning the streets for the day, delivery drivers bringing goods on clanging trolleys, restaurants setting out their tables, and the chat and banter between them all as they prepare for the day’s business.
Back ‘home’ at the hotel, my mam and I have breakfast together, looking down from her balcony over Recorder’s Alley, watching the town come to life.
For Dee, shopping is her sport of choice, so now, fortified with fried eggs and toast, she’ll hit the shops for her daily work-out. She loves the shops in Clonakilty. Things that someone else notices that I take for granted – the variety, from bags to clothes, homewares to wool, haberdashery to books, art supplies to art – so many independent shops within a stroll of each other. Then, coffee. Is there anything better than the aroma of great coffee meeting you at the door and weaving through the hubbub of lively chat?
After dropping the bags, Sex and the City style, in the room, it’s time for lunch. The location will be weather-dependent: a sunny table in Asna Square, a beer garden tucked away behind a pub, or a cosy table with candles and polished wood. Always a nice glass of white wine to go with the holiday mood.
My mother being an artist herself, after lunch we might browse some of the many art galleries and craft shops in town. Whether we talk to the makers and artists themselves, or the curators who have put the collection together, their enthusiasm is infectious, as they share the uplifting energy of creativity.
As on any good holiday, a siesta might be called for now. I might walk or cycle out to Inchydoney for a walk and a swim (not getting in the car being one of the joys of my staycation), or sit on my balcony and read a book, the chatter and clatter of the Clonakilty afternoon drifting up from the street.
For the last few years, we have both managed to get our favourite rooms, mine being on the second floor, with a balcony looking over the library roof and three church spires. From here, we watch the sun go down with a glass of wine before we hit the music trail.
We don’t have far to go. Downstairs in the front bar, or in An Teach Beag, we get a different slant on Irish music every night. A few doors down, DeBarra’s is where we head for trad on Sunday nights, or Scannell’s for some midweek tunes, then Shanley’s for a broad array of music styles. Dee might even be found there herself playing a few gentle whistle tunes with whoever is around.
Having just spent the weekend at the Guitar Festival in Clonakilty, I’ve added a high-energy coda to my own staycation experience. It’s all the fun and music of a festival, without the tents, muck and portaloos. Is it just me, or was this year even better again? By Monday morning I was tired, emotional and filled up with the joy of live music and a tightly packed crowd swaying to the same beat.
