I'm taking to boat from Fishguard to Rosslare tomorrow.
Crossing the same sea Terry crossed with his mum and dad when he was three or four.
He used to say his mother didn't believe him at first, when he told her he remembered the trip, but then he described the green check blanket she put over his legs when he was being buffeted by the wind on deck.
I would never bet against Terry's powers of recall.
I still have the blanket at Kteltowers.
I booked my trip a long time ago, to take the 'Shelly River/Mother Indigo' tour.
My life feels very different now. Grief is no longer the dominant signal. Others are louder and more urgent. I'm grateful for them - relieved I woke up. Relieved I was woken up.
I plan to take some ashes to Strand Hill, Sligo, where this photograph of Terry's mum and dad, Florence and Joseph, was taken by Mick Grady - KC.
"Where I come from it wasn't far from Elvis Presley to St Bernadette
They both had faces on holy medals on a chain around my neck
Later on I played Elvis on a mandolin, on a night boat to Rosslare."
And as the sky grew light above Wexford
we went on deck with the wind in our hair
And a sea song. I hear a sea song. Always a sea song." - TC
https://soundcloud.com/terryclarke47/3-sea-song
The photograph below was taken in a place in Cloonacool I hope to visit, where Pat McCarrick, a fan of The Shelly River had some lyrics to Terry's song: Last Summer out at Cloonacool' painted on the wall. Is that the sweetest thing?
These stories and songs had their roots on the banks of The Shelly River
They’re all wild seeds now - Terry Clarke.
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