JPG Magazine: Stories: Photo Essay: Ireland: Rain or Shine

Ireland: Rain or Shine

By Susannah

1 April 2007

Ireland is a very special place for me. My ancestors grew up there and I have many old photographs of my great grandmother and great-great grandfather, and so on and so forth. Whenever I hear an Irish accent I feel immediatly at home. The lines of houses are usually stone and painted with little swirls that rise up like waves in the paint. Friends are always dropping in and out, and the walled gardens in the back are nices places to think. There is always bread being toasted, and sausages being fried, and the tellie will almost certainly be on. Tea is made every other minute, and there is always someone you need to phone or an old friend you haven't seen in a while.

Some people say that the rain is what takes away from Ireland the most, but for me, it actually adds to the atmosphere of cosiness. I love when I am in the sitting room, sitting in front of a little fire burning with coal, reading a book as I hear the rain fall in slithers across the roof and down onto the street.

Even time seems to take a different rhythm when in Ireland. Onedoesn't read the time constantly from digital watches and rat race alarm clocks, but from the little clock above the door to the tellie room, and you observe, with a pleasant but leisurely curiosity, that it is half past two, and perhaps you should make another pot of tea.

There is always something being mashed or buttered or baked, and fresh apple tart is not uncommon. The animals are owned by everyone, rather than just by one person, for the neighbours often leave out a dish of food when the cat or the dog decides to wander.

The books are also much better in Ireland,and there are always little copybooks about the house where you can jot things down. The supermarket is a Tesco rather than a Stop 'n' Shop, and chores are not chores but rather "outings" where you bump into friends and catch up on all the knews about the other friends.

The houses are plainer but more pleasant, and TV is not considered a "waste of time." Hopefully Ireland will continue to be this way, for it is the one place that I consider perfect.