Country life is good for city slickers, whatever their age

Country Living with Colm McSherry

Until recently, I was longing for the good old days when I frequented my favourite city-based and bustling stomping grounds – remembering when I was ignorant to the meaning of the phrase ‘social distancing’. I was so nostalgic for ‘normal’ – desperate for the day when people can cough in public without instantly becoming a pariah. A few weeks ago, I didn’t appreciate how great my humdrum life working from home in the countryside was.

I stood in my modest half-acre garden this week, listening to the sounds of Spring in the air. The birds sang enthusiastically, cheering Winter’s passing. Lambs were bleating in the sunshine. The earth beneath me was stirring with a richness of inaudible sounds. I imagined the whispers of leaves uncurling and vegetation growing.

To experience the seasonal changes so closely is deeply comforting. It’s one of the pleasures of living in the countryside. The earliest hint of longer, brighter days, and the replenishment of the land it promises, fills me with a renewed hope.

My wife and I moved to our bungalow situated between the villages of Monivea and Abbeyknockmoy 10 years ago. It wasn’t a seamless integration. The fact that I grew up in Dublin City, and knew nothing about country living, probably aroused suspicion. I’m sure the local farmers watched my daily grind of jogging up and down the by-roads, and wondered.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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