Welcome, Pilgrim

Yes, you are in paradise Greystones, Co Wicklow. A place of quality, so they tell me. Compared to the war zones of the world, that is. Politically speaking the state of peace around here fluctuates. But no bullets fly. Political parties which choose to advertise here do so because we live in a democracy and are free to express their opinions, whether or not you or I agree with them.

Since the banks began to nose-dive the price of houses have fallen. Not to worry. It is all relative. It is a buyers and sellers market since no real advantage may be gained.

Pensioners will always have a few shillings thrown at them. People who stashed their money in stocks, shares and the banks have been kicked in the teeth by the greedy. The global boot kicks rich and poor.

Greystones has just about all the things you could possibly wish for. The sea on one side and Wicklow's Hills on the other. We have a new harbour under construction. Not that everyone agreed that this would be a good thing. There was, to put it mildly, some political unrest. A little anger because some residents were taken by surprise. Progress is still viewed by some as a rogue, a monster with a voracious appetite.

Trouble is, the old harbour was a beautiful crumbling wreck. From a poet's point of view it was stunning. Magnificent in the dawn light. Splendid beyond belief in the summer shadows. But as a harbour it was particularly useless if your sailed a boat, or fished from a large tub, or needed to launch from the shore.

And thereby hangs a tale that I am working on.

For more thoughts in similar vein click here

WICKLOWGOLD.COM a new online enterprise has been launched at little cost for County Wicklow.

Its aim is to add substance and meaning to the present by examining the adverntures and mishaps of county's previous generations..

At the centre of this little nugget on the magical web is Glendalough and its surround of fine hills, rivers and lakes. MORE>>

CREAM SOURS IN GREYSTONES CHAMBER

Fine Gael’s Simon Harris had his first bitter taste of small town politics on June 11, 2009. Shortly after 7:30 pm in the Greystones Council chamber the cream of his electoral success was soured by Independent councillor Chris Maloney who announced that he was forming an alliance with Fianna Fail and Labour members of the council. It will be conceived as Maloney pouring Harris’s chance of being Mayor of Greystones down the drain. MORE

Simon Harris has launched his political career with a bang leaving some hard working politicians in pools of tears and mists of anger. MORE

Tom Fortune, a redoubtable Labour politician who was at the heart of the anti-harbour campaign. MORE

Defeat of Kathleen Kelleher at county level MORE

MURDER INVESTIGATION.

FOR SOME TIME now I have been investigating a case of murder in Greystones.The victim was a shopkeeper in her thirties. She befriended a painter and decorator who was living in Kilcoole. He was obsessed with her and managed to get his hands on a revolver. The lady had an address in Victoria Place. All this happened in Victorian times... If you could like to be kept in the picture for this developing story, please sign up here: Please keep me up to date on this story

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Church Road has changed gradually over the years. The latest work managed to encase a small piece of Victorian architecture in the new structure.