My passionate interest in Waterfords of the World drew me out yesterday to visit Lord Waterford’s Curraghmore in Portlaw, Co.Waterford. I write about the wonders of this magnificent demesne, which were shown to me by the highly knowledgeable Basil Croeser, in Section Six of Social Bridges.
Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city and has a long and rich history. Jack Burtchaell, historical geographer, has been giving guided tours of Waterford for the last 21 years and is a key figure in passing on the history of the City. In Section Three of Social Bridges, I write about the wonderful insights which I gained into Waterford’s past during a very memorable tour with the inspirational Jack Burtchaell.
In the week that Brendan Kennelly, one of Ireland’s leading poets, celebrated his 75th birthday, I write of how he has been a significant social bridge in my life since I attended one of his poetry readings in my first term at Trinity College in 1975. This article is in Section Two of Social Bridges.
Hugh O’Neill, a Master Thatcher, is a crucial social bridge in terms of keeping the age old tradition of thatching alive in Ireland. I was fortunate to meet him while he was thatching the Sweep Bar in Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford. This is a man with wealth of knowledge and experience in relation to thatching. His wonderful insights are presented in Section One of my writing on Social Bridges.
Social Bridges are a fascinating concept. They relate to people, places, events that connect people across time and space. Everyone will have their own personal social bridges and then there are others that are more commonly shared.
An article, ‘The Irish Walk,’ which I had first published in Ireland’s Munster Express in December, 2010 has just been reprinted in the Old Town Crier, Alexandria, VA, USA. It can be read in Section Four of my Feature Writing Page.
SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland 