Leafy-with-love banks and the green waters of the canal
Pouring redemption for me, that I do
The will of God, wallow in the habitual, the banal,
Grow with nature again as before I grew.
The bright stick trapped, the breeze adding a third
Party to the couple kissing on an old seat,
And a bird gathering materials for the nest for the Word
Eloquently new and abandoned to its delirious beat.
O unworn world enrapture me, encapture me in a web
Of fabulous grass and eternal voices by a beech,
Feed the gaping need of my senses, give me ad lib
To pray unselfconsciously with overflowing speech
For this soul needs to be honoured with a new dress woven
From green and blue things and arguments that cannot be proven.
Canal Bank Walk by Patrick Kavanagh
Now, new buildings line the river and, although not lofty, their scale does eclipse those old warehouses.
The colour here from the buildings suiting the blue hour's natural tones.
The 19th of July will see visitors from the EU able to return to Ireland which has had the most severe lockdown in Europe, and then at some point beyond that travellers from outside the region will be able to visit- from the USA, Canada etc. If fully vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19 / Coronavirus or with a negative test then no quarantine will be necessary.
Southbound
The boom time it is over
A ghost town is all that's here
The gold rush it is over
And depression days draw near
So, tonight after sundown
I'm gonna pack my case
Without a word, without a sound
Disappear without a trace
Ohh oh, I'm going southbound
Ohh oh, I'm going southbound
...
I used to listen to this song on my long travels, pre-covid, around Ireland especially on my way south from the north but also on many occasions heading west - well it was kind of southwest.
Interestingly, Southbound was on their Live and Dangerous double live album in 1978 and, although denied after its release, it was later confirmed by producer Tony Visconti that the song was recorded during a soundcheck and the audience dubbed in afterwards.
Nevertheless, whether on the album Bad Reputation or Live and Dangerous it remains one of my favourite songs.
So thankfully, with the reopening that is currently happening, Phil's statue is not quite so lonely and Dublin not so much of a ghost town; that depression slowly receding.
And Panoramic Ireland's tours are also coming back so it's time to book for summer 2021 and beyond, find out more here for Dublin.
When you go to any of the usual booking sections of the site such as for Dublin, Antrim Coast and Dingle you will see the dates blanked out until 5th of March 2021. For the online tutorial any date and any time of day is available, if you would prefer to ask some questions beforehand please send me an email or contact me on the form at the Contact page.