Home > Blog > Today in Ireland > Tall Ships in Dubmore East
DoChara's Ireland Blog
Random Writings about Ireland and the Irish
Wednesday
July 13 2005
Tall Ships and Good Humour
Down to Dunmore East on Saturday to see the tall ships race begin - or not as it turned out, since there was no wind at all. The day was warm, if a little dull and misty, and the ships were glorious and majestic, truly queens of the sea.
The place was absolutely mobbed, I doubt if there has ever been so many people in the town. Traffic was moving at about two miles an hour when it moved at all, there were long lines to even get into any of the shops and your chances of getting into a restaurant or cafe hovered between slim and none.
Normally this kind of chaos brings out the worst in people but I didn't see a single person the whole day who looked less than totally blissed out and never heard an angry word spoken - even when a coach attempting a frankly impossible left turn held up traffic completely for over an hour the people stuck in the ensuing jam just shrugged and sent someone for ice cream.
Something of the slow grace of the great vessels which were always in view seemed to rub off on the crowd. I wasn't in Waterford city earlier in the week while the ships were there, but I believe the same good humoured acceptance of upheaval was in evidence there too. Ferries and speedboats and cruise liners just don't have this effect.
The ships were all crewed by young people on sail training courses, an experience that, among other things, is said to 'build character'. Apparently just seeing them has a pretty good effect on character too.
Comments on "Tall Ships and Good Humour"
Comments are Closed
TrackBacks
Powered By: TrackBackr
