Greetings from the Old Country!

Having lived in Toronto for the past year, I have just moved back to my native County Sligo, Ireland, and am (slowly) adjusting to being back. I miss a lot about Toronto; my lovely apartment, my local brunch spot, and most of all, the friends I had to leave behind. But although there were many things I loved about living in Toronto, I could never quite get used to being so far from the sea. Ireland is a teensy, tiny, island, and you’re generally not far from the sea on any side; be it the mighty Altantic, or that lesser body of water, the Irish sea. Coming from the North West Coast means that I always had easy access to the Atlantic shoreline. It’s a beautiful thing in any weather, as it charms while sparkling azure under the sunshine, or as it tumbles, rolls, and crashes fiercely against the Strandhill rocks on a stormy day. The weekend I arrived home I went for a walk along the shore, breathing in salty air and the smell of seaweed, watching dogs running and relishing their beachy freedoms, and playing chicken with a fast tide.

Photo credit, Alison (2010).

The sea also surrounds County Sligo in the form of lots of small bays and inlets, and I took advantage of a break in the rain to take a walk to Ballisodare Bay; past the church founded by St Fechin in the seventh century, the creepy/cool cemetery (there’s talk that the angel statue moves, but I’ve never seen any evidence of it), the quarry which still displays the housing of monks who traded salt in the area, and the cows who call the surrounding fields home.

Photo credit, Alison (2010).

The views are spectacular, showing off that very unique light of the West Coast. It may be impossible to get a decent loaf of sourdough, they’d think you were mad if you asked for a pitcher of beer, and by 8pm on a weekday the place is like a ghost town compared to Toronto’s 24-hour bustle, but there are some things which make up for having to move home.