It is a long time since I put my fingertips to my black Mac keys. For nearly a year, words have escaped me. My poems have disappeared into the routine of daily life and my writing muscles have withered, so forgive the possibly blunt and meandering prose to come but I have news.
When I made tea ten minutes ago, it was dark outside but now a new dawn (hah), is emerging, and I can hear a Great Tit and a Robin singing in the garden hedge. Now, a blackbird has joined in. Behind my scarlet curtains, I can see the grey of morning filtering through the darkness. I can hear cars beginning their rumble through Swellan into Cavan town and beyond, to continue their journey down the N3 to Navan and Dublin. Opposite, Tony and Marie are still asleep, curtains firmly drawn. Solomon is probably up and gone to work already, Catherine is likely to be stirring. Tis not quite Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, but like all small towns, there are daily routines to see and hear.
In two weeks, it will be all be different. I will be in the West of Ireland. After nearly 25 years, I am leaving Cavan, its 365 lakes, its multitude of forests, its bogs, its one mountain…all of which have inspired border poems and stories. I am bidding adieu to the community groups, the villages, the football grounds, the theatres, the library, the reading group, the poets, the county council, the town. And I say thank you. Cavan, you have enriched my life, helped me raise my children, and taught me much about love, conflict, and perseverance!
For my third age, I am moving to the pretty village of Labasheeda (bed of silk) in West Clare. Labasheeda is on the Shannon Estuary and our new home is to be (I hope) an old converted, open plan cottage with fabulous views and a lovely garden, beneath a rookery. Every morning I will be able to have coffee on my balcony with the crows and my aperitif in the evening with rooks.
Living in Clare, we will be closer to Roisin and Joe. As you know, if you have read previous blogs, I love Limerick: its restaurants, pubs, art galleries, the milk market and Joe, my son, who lives there. And in the summer, after her wedding, my beautiful, amazing daughter, Roisin, is moving with Jack, and my granddaughter, Aine, to Miltown Malbay which along with Kilrush will be my new local towns. I really like Kilrush. It has lovely wide streets, a marina and Vandaleur, a fabulous walled garden and wood. Miltown Malbay has lovely restaurants, an excellent bakery, a secondhand bookshop and the Willy Clancy festival, not to mention a knitting shop (you really don’t want to know my terrible exploits in the world of wool and needles). And, of course, instead of the forests and lakes of Cavan, Poppins and I will be walking the beaches…Spanish Point, White Strand, Quilty. Glor and the other delights of the county town, Ennis are only 30 minutes away, and finally, English family and friends may be pleased to know that Shannon airport is but a 50 minute drive.
I am hoping that all this change may lead new words and fresh poems for I feel sure the Rooks will inspire me and I plan to make friends with them all. But if not, no matter. If you do not hear from me again, dear reader, I leave you with a link to the latest Miltown Malbay promotional video below. You are always welcome.
Adieu, Cavan, thank you for the memories.
MILTOWN Malbay Development Company has introduced a new “anti-promotional” video to show off the town’s beauty and unique charm.
Source: Clare Echo https://search.app/CcGR3U7gdmZZG28K6
Kate Ennals 