Reflections on an Irish Childhood
Hello and welcome to my blog!
I grew up on the west coast of Ireland in a house dating back to the 19th century. As a child, I became accustomed to howling winds and rattling roofs in our house. The wind once even picked me up and tossed me in the air. There was a field separating our house and the ocean. Summers were spent swimming in the Atlantic ocean and winters curled up in front of the fire.
Legend has it that the adjacent field contains the bodies of a shipwreck crew from the Spanish Armada – hense the name, Spanish Point. It was quite the interesting house to grow up in.
My grandad, Tommy McCarthy was a wonderful character. His vegetable garden provided much entertainment with haystacks and scarecrows. He was a well known musician of Irish traditional music (pipes, concertina and whistle) and was a major influence in our upbringing. A documentary was made about his interesting life called ‘Handing Down the Tunes’. I have linked the video at the bottom of the page.
Over this summer, we visited the farm where he grew up in Kilmihil, County Clare. The pictures below capture the character of the surrounding countryside.
From the other side of the family, I started writing to my grandma, Christine Benagh, in Nashville from the age of seven. An extraordinary and inspiring lady, she was another huge influence on our childhoods.
I remember the excitement that I used to feel when one of her letters arrived in the post. As a young child, receiving post was a big deal, and even more exciting when it came from Nashville.
Her visits to Ireland always brought so much excitement into the house. She would paint egg shells with us at Easter, bake cookies with us at Christmas and made our interests her own.
As I’ve grown older, returning home is always a bit of an occasion and a welcome excuse to indulge in what the sea has to offer.
My recent visit has been especially pleasant. There were plenty of walks in the countryside, and plenty of good food, but the most exciting event was joining the year-round sea swimmers every morning.
Until next time,
Love Lucy
Xx
