Living on the Edge

We live on the edge. Almost. Almost on the edge of the Irish sea. There's nowhere I'd rather live.

From our kitchen window, I can see the mountains. If I stand on my toes, I can see the shimmer of sea on the horizon through the bathroom window.

The sea is a constant in my life.  I missed it those short years when I lived away from home while attending college many years ago.

Our daily dog walks take us to the shore and I welcome the opportunity to breath the sea air, listen to the call of the seabirds and clear my head after a day's work.

The estuary and mudflats present an ever changing canvass. 

The sinking winter sun turns the shorefront into a photographer's paradise and reminds us just how beautiful nature can be.
Last week, however, the sea became our enemy. As storm Christine lashed the Irish shores,  the seawater poured over the embankment which protects the low-lying reclaimed land where we live. Fortunately, the levee held but it was a nerve wreaking experience watching the sea flow across the fields, stopping just yards from our home.

As the raging storm coincided with high tides, we spent an anxious few days living on the edge. We'd been flooded before so put our 'flood plan' into action, moving everything upstairs, erecting  the floodgates in the front and back door, packing overnight bags, and planning what we'd do with the pets if we had to move out. 

Luckily our fears weren't realised - this time anyway. 

It's now up to the Irish government to make funds available so that coastal communities don't have to live in fear.
In our case, the county council have plans to raise and strengthen the embankment - a relatively straight forward task once funding is in place.
More complex solutions will be needed elsewhere to protect those living along the coast, including a number of major towns and cities.