Dollyer

I recently went for a walk along Dollymount Strand early one morning. There was a cold sea breeze coming in over the bay. At one point I stood and looked out over the water as I hunched up against the cold air. It was then that my mind began playing tricks because I imagined I could see and hear all the kids from years ago running up and down the strand, splashing in the water and screaming at the top of their voices. Isn’t the ould memory a wonderful thing all the same? I could picture the Ma’ and Da’ settling down amongst the sand dunes. The Da’ taking charge of course as if he was back in his old army days. ‘Here, you run off and fill that kettle with water for the tea’. ‘Get your clothes off and get into that water quick or I’ll throw you all in’. The Ma’ was sitting on the Da’s overcoat cuddling her baby close to her breast. The older brothers were gathering bits of driftwood for the fire. Myself and the rest of the gang hadn’t a care in the world as we ran miles out to the water. And do you know the other thing I remembered when I was standing there looking at the water? The old wooden bridge we had to cross when we got off the bus. Bejakers that was a scarey old bridge. The Da’ used to tell us to be careful or we’d fall through the cracks in the timber. Do you remember you could look down through the timbers and see the water below? There was no place like Dollyer. We could run wild and there were no ould neighbours to give out to us for making a racket. The Ma’ brought loads of tomatoe and cheese sandwiches that her and me sisters made that morning. It was like a production line in our kitchen at home when we were going to the seaside. By the time we got to eat them they were soggy and saggy. Do you remember the fire that the Da’ would light? No matter where you sat the smoke would always find you and burn the eyes out of your head. These are some of the things that went through my head as I stood on Dollymount Strand looking out over the water. Isn’t it a funny ould world all the same.