There's a feeling I sometimes get when I listen to good music. It brings me back to a time and place, sends shivers up my spine, and creates a bubble of remembrance around me. Sandycove had a very similar effect on me. I'd never been to the coast of the Irish Sea, there was nothing wholly familiar about the place, but the landscape was singing to me (Morrissey as covered by Colin Meloy, but that's not particularly important).
Silent and gray. The smell of brine. A town not fit for the modern era. An ice cream truck proclaiming "the cream of ice cream!" waited on a corner by the popular swimming spot for families. Sea glass and wriggling sea slugs hiding in every pocket of air underneath the rocks on the shore.
It's not a beach as Americans think of it, there's no white sand or people sunbathing, the air is chilly and you'll be lucky to see the sun at all. Instead, the sea is met by large stone walls to protect the city from high tide, and when the tide is low sharp rocks jut out everywhere and create a hazardous shore, traversable only by the foolish (and me in search of sea glass.) The seaweed is thick and pungent, perfuming the air blocks away from the water.
It is a town outside of time, a perfect escape from the city: a quintessential suburb of Dublin; it's only a train ride away.
Sandycove's biggest claim to fame is Martello Tower and it's place in James Joyce's "Ulysses." The Tower is somewhat magnificent, the history is rich and it's thick stone walls are reminder of the Irish defense against invasion. However, Joyce only spent six nights in Martello Tower and I think it's unfair that he provides the main draw the seaside town.
Taking the train into this tiny coastal town just to peruse the tower and get a better visual image of what Joyce was describing takes so much away from it's charm. The street art is plentiful and sea-themed. The winding streets provide breathtaking views of the Irish Sea and a large portion of the Irish coastline. It is all so much more than the Martello Tower.
Silent and gray. The smell of brine. A town not fit for the modern era. An ice cream truck proclaiming "the cream of ice cream!" waited on a corner by the popular swimming spot for families. Sea glass and wriggling sea slugs hiding in every pocket of air underneath the rocks on the shore.
It's not a beach as Americans think of it, there's no white sand or people sunbathing, the air is chilly and you'll be lucky to see the sun at all. Instead, the sea is met by large stone walls to protect the city from high tide, and when the tide is low sharp rocks jut out everywhere and create a hazardous shore, traversable only by the foolish (and me in search of sea glass.) The seaweed is thick and pungent, perfuming the air blocks away from the water.
It is a town outside of time, a perfect escape from the city: a quintessential suburb of Dublin; it's only a train ride away.
Wonderful description! I think the train ride makes it just the more exciting, and agree that Sandycove is much more than simply the home of Martello Tower. I liked the first line about music, and wish you would've expanded on it because I felt the same way when traveling there. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI would have liked to know more about why it brought back so much memory for you, being in Sandycove. I too pointed out that the "beach" was far different from what we know as a beach. Great use of language!
ReplyDeleteHow can something the "somewhat magnificent"? What about the sign that says " Beware of the high waves when the ferry comes in"? What does that say about the town? It is a lovely seaside town full of what James Joyce would say, "lovely seaside girls." It is really still, for all its modern conveniences, very much like an early 20th century town. Why all the butchers in such a small place? Did you ask yourself about that?
ReplyDelete