December 6^th, 2009

 

Welcome to my first Ballina blog………

 

Bridge over troubled waters…….

 

BALLINA’S new bridge, opened in 2009, is a wonderful pedestrian structure crossing the River Moy just above the salmon weirs and the world-famous Ridge Pool. Ballina, is, of course, the official Salmon Capital of Ireland.

 

Fishing is an important component of Ballina’s commerce, salmon angling estimated to bring upwards of 10 million euro a year into the local economy.  Its real value is much, much greater, of course.

 

The bridge links the town of Ballina and ancient Ardnaree, and is the third bridge (but first pedestrian crossing). It is the only bridge built under our own jurisdiction: the other two, the Ham (1836) and the Arran Bridge (1835) were built when England ruled this country.

 

The pedestrian bridge, appropriately designed to resemble a fishing rod, has its detractors…. and its supporters. The positioning of the structure, the role is fulfils, the money it cost (less than 2 million euro), were amongst the points at debate. Even the local Town Council was divided on the issue.

 

First published May 2009

Lovely encounters on an afternoon stroll

 

By Terry Reilly (c)

These last few weeks have been wet and windy in the West of Ireland, but sure we are used to nature’s petulance and looking forward to a great summer. On one of the reasonable days recently we took to our favourite seaside walk along the Atlantic shores of Enniscrone in County Sligo, well kitted out with rainwear.

Passing a farmhouse that looks out over the rolling seas, an old friend of ours, a black male Labrador, left his sheltered station by the house and joined in the ramble as we moved down the quiet boreen dotted with primroses, the dog stopping every so often to mark out its territory. Some dogs are like that in Ireland: where people like to walk there are usually four-legged friends who like to saunter along for the company. When they get so far, they head back home again with a wag of their tail as if they are indicating ‘that’s my lot for today, see you next time.’

By Terrry Reilly (c)

2009

Las Vegas, finally! The Strip. Gamblers’ paradise (or hell?). Sin City. We flew into Vegas from New Jersey and within an hour were cast right into the middle of another world, built on casinos whose profits for the year would surely fund several respectably sized countries.

It’s a place full of contradictions. You can smoke in the casinos but you cannot smoke in the adjoining food outlets under the same roof and just a few feet away. To go anywhere you have to walk through the gambling halls. Sit at a bar and your glass shares the space with the ubiquitous gambling machine. You expect it, the wall-to-wall gambling, of course, but when you are confronted with it cheek by jowl it’s almost like meeting a gunman down a dark alley way. The slots are even in Las Vegas airport, a salutary reminder to those who flee the Strip after probably losing heavily. Needless to say, we were not unduly tempted; after doing the Irish lottery, or putting money on the Mayo football team over the years, we know how hard it is beat the odds!

 

By Terry Reilly (c)

September 2008: Even as the world whirls from one global economic crisis to another, it is heartening to see that there continues to be life out there, and indeed real quality of life. And it is often found in small communities with their feet firmly planted on the ground.

 

Look around you in Ohio and I am sure you can identify examples of good people doing good work. Good people who don’t get paid for their voluntary efforts: they give because they have a sense of place and want to make their own place a better spot. For them the words ‘golden parachute’ don’t apply, for they never get too far off the ground, don’t put other peoples’ funds at greater risk, and are in no wa responsible for the toxic sub-prime mess.

 

Just good, decent, honest people doing their best for their families and their neighbourhoods and society as a whole.

 2009

By Terry Reilly (c)

Though proudly bearing the title ‘Salmon Capital of Ireland’ because of the prolific catches of wild silvery fish on the Moy, Ballina has much more going for it than that coveted accolade…

By Terry Reilly (c)

We have just returned from a very enjoyable trip to the US of A, taking in New York, New Jersey, Las Vegas and Boston during a hectic three weeks, so this month’s article is definitely not about life down an Irish lane!

Landing at Kennedy having cleared emigration at Dublin Airport makes arrival in the Big Apple a much more pleasurable experience these days, and we were quickly downtown and amongst the hurly burly of the bustling streets and avenues.

Firmly on the agenda was a visit to Ground Zero, to see how the Freedom Tower project was coming along since our last visit three years ago. The new building is rising impressively from the ground, with the steel erectors poking their way into the sky to build a landmark memorial to all those who died in 9/11.

By Terry Reilly (c)

2009

Don’t know how the weather has been with you good people in America in recent times, but here in Ireland we have just recorded our wettest July in over fifty years!

Some areas of this green isle suffered three times the usual rainfall for the month, and our weather people say Atlantic depressions tracking over Ireland were to blame for the wet weather and frequent thunderstorms, repeating the pattern of the last two summers.

But despite the heavy rain, there was some consolation for sun seekers - sunshine levels were generally above normal, with many days having bright mornings and early afternoons before the showers developed.