A few weeks ago I wrote about my trip to the Slieve Bloom Mountains in search of snow. I thought it would be my last chance until next winter. I needn’t have worried. The Beast from the East and Storm Emma descended on us last week and instead of Ireland being all about the black stuff, we kicked off spring concerned with only the white stuff. And no, I don’t mean the bread nonsense, just the snow. This time I didn’t have to venture anywhere to find it. It was right here on my doorstep in Portumna, and plenty of it!
I know the weather has created havoc and untold financial strain for many, and that’s a whole other side to things but this is not something that happens very often in our country. It has been decades since we’ve seen a weather event like this. For many kids, it was their first proper experience in the snow. Even for a lot of bigger kids too. José was stranded in Dublin for the weekend but got to build his first ever snowman! My nephew spent a day building the most amazing igloo for his little sisters and our family WhatsApp group was going non-stop with photos and videos of all my cousins and their little ones, making the most of their snow days. No doubt the same was happening for families all over the country. Those memories are priceless.
As for me, I wandered around Portumna and couldn’t help but think that we got more beauty than beast from this storm. For four days last week our town was transformed into a real winter wonderland and we were lucky enough to be unaffected by power cuts and water loss, as some areas where. As the snow turns to slush now and melts away, things are getting back to normality for most of us. I have to admit to being a little sad to see it go and I’m glad that I spent the time outside capturing our town in a blanket of snow. At least if it doesn’t happen again, I can always look back on these images of Portumna looking just that little bit more magical than usual!
Meanwhile in Dublin…José and his snowman. How did he do?
Disclaimer: he may have had help from my parents!
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