Co. Waterford – SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland

Dear Co. Waterford …

Dear Co. Waterford,

You deserve a thank you letter because you have been incredibly kind to me throughout my life.

I know I left you for longish periods and had love affairs with Co. Louth and Dublin but you never left my heart.

Those first years of my life that I spent here were magical and you introduced me to the sea and the mountains as well as places full of history and antiquity. You also taught me the meaning of belonging and having a sense of identity as a person from this most stunning county that has remained relatively unspoiled.

Your allure meant that we never lost touch and came back on holidays every year to make sure our connection was never lost.

I fought hard to persuade hubby to move here when we got married because I knew that you brought me a greater level of health and happiness than anywhere else in the world.

Some people long to travel the world but my joy is in travelling your country roads, especially those high above the sea for all the miles and miles of coastline you offer. And how lovely it is to climb into the mountains and take in the vistas all around.

Your jewels, for me, include Mount Congreve Gardens, Lord Waterford’s, Curraghmore, and the picturesque villages and towns like Dunmore East, Annestown, Lismore, Stradbally and, of course, my beloved Tramore.

You are a county that has lots of pride but humility. You love your sport and sportspeople as well as musicians and creative people from all genres.

I’m glad you haven’t changed too much since I was a child as I love the continuity you bring.

Thanks again for being such a support all these years and I am really looking forward to being able to travel your length and breadth from Wednesday on after the 5km Covid restriction.

Love you always,

Irish Ireland

I was out walking with son, Harry, this afternoon in the depths of Co. Waterford.

We were both struck by this little scene which sums up the kind of scene you happen upon when wandering in the Irish countryside.

We could have stayed watching them for hours and they were delighted to have company.

Stormy Seas

It has been one of the stormiest days for a long time and the sea took on a whole new look in Co. Waterford today.

storm2 — Rolling Waves at Kilfarrasy Beach

Stormy seas have a wild beauty about them, but they are also reminders to never, ever take the ocean for granted as it has its moodiness and turbulent times, just like the rest of us.

Here’s a few quotes about storms that I especially like:

The heart of a man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too. ( Vincent van Gogh)

You don’t have to love the storm but you have to know its language in case you meet it. (Mehmet Murat ildan)

There is a great deal of unmapped country within us which would have to be taken into account in an explanation of our gusts and storms. (George Eliot)

America needs to get over it. We can’t control everything. We can’t control the storms. (Russel Honore)

Nothing is more beautiful than love that has weathered the storms of life. The love of the young for the young, that is the beginning of life. But the love of the old for the old, that is the beginning of things longer. (Jerome K. Jerome)

Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray. (Lord Byron)

storm1 — Sea Spray at Newtown Cove, Tramore

Sons and Sunsets

Today brought one of those excursions with son, Harry, that I always enjoy so much.

We went walking in Portlaw Woods which are about twenty minutes drive from Tramore.

Walking in woods is something I associate very much with Christmas time and it’s something Mother and Father introduced us to from when we were very young.

A hauntingly beautiful feature of Portlaw Woods is De La Poer Tower which was built in 1785 by the First Marquis of Waterford, George De La Poer Beresford, Earl of Tyrone, in memory of his son who died in a horse riding accident. The tower is 70 ft high and is very much a local landmark.

Here’s how it looked as the sun was setting:

picsart_12-19-11-28-19 — De La Poer Tower, Tower Hill, Portlaw, Co. Waterford.

The tower certainly is a remarkable memorial to a son and it made me all the more appreciative of having my 6ft 3in towering son walking along beside me.

This is for Me

There’s a family of swans out on the Anne River that I’ve been watching for months now.

The seven cygnets have got very grown up and I know that one of these days they will have flown away. This makes me think of W.B. Yeats’ poetry.

Today, the swans were waiting for me so I clicked record, just in case.

Here’s how they were:

Water Flowing Under the Bridge

The River Suir is one of the longest rivers in Ireland. It has been a part of my life in various different parts of the country.

Here’s how it was as I stood on Fiddown Bridge one evening recently.

img_20160903_200712 — Back towards Clonmel, Co.Tipperary

Clonmel was ‘home’ in my student years and the place where I met up with hubby.

The Suir enters the sea a few miles from Waterford city. I see it almost every day and feel it is part of my stream of consciouness as Co. Waterford is my birthplace and home now for over 25 years.

I love the bends in this wonderful body of water. They say so much about the unexpected; and the hidden beauty that lies in wait.

But that evening on Fiddown Bridge, I wasn’t thinking about past or future. It was more a deep appreciation of the flow of life and being able to take in the fullness of the river at high tide as it brought a calmness with that gentle glow of pink as night fell.

img_20160903_201114 — The Suir heading towards Waterford City and onwards to the sea.

Is there a river that wends through your life?

Newly Thatched in Co. Waterford

Co. Waterford is well known for its thatched houses and pubs and this is the time of year that you tend to see fresh thatch at its best. It’s an absolute delight to the eye and a real art in itself.

I tend to see thatch as being like hair and and thatched buildings always present themselves as unique faces to me.

Kennedy’s pub on the road between Waterford City and Dunmore East has been catching my eye of late with its new ‘hair do.’

How does it grab you?

Tag: Co. Waterford