Keep eye and ear open for the wonders of spring’s delights

This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

Driving from Dublin to Kerry, Des would always turn to his wife the moment he saw the Kerry mountains and express his delight at being back in Kerry, especially so in early spring days.

It’s a great moment when you see those mountains whether it be from car or train.

This year it would seem there has been far more rain on the east coast than in Kerry, certainly more flooding.

While travelling on the Luas last week, crossing the Liffey at O’Connell Bridge on an unusually dry day I looked up the river towards Heuston Station. It was 7.10am, light was in the sky, and just for those few seconds there was something beautiful about the Liffey. 

The mornings are getting brighter and there is a noticeable stretch in the evenings. I can still vividly recall my mother being thrilled when it would be bright when my father came home from work at 4.45pm. It was as if she were making a formal public announcement. These days I’m home from work 15 minutes later than Dad was, and guess what, it’s bright.

In recent days I’ve seen primroses, daffodils, cherry blossoms, and travelling by rail from Tralee to Dublin on Sunday I saw my first lambs of the year.

In spite of all the never-ending rain there are definite hints of spring arriving on our doorstep.

I’ve survived another winter and with the passing of every year I consider it no unsubstantial feat. I’ve made it, Alleluia.

Watching the snow-covered streets and fields across Ukraine it is beyond my understanding how the people can withstand such hardship and suffering in this time of war.

Our temperate climate makes for ideal living conditions. But what’s ahead of us with climate change? Something Donald Trump calls a hoax.

It’s that time of year when it can only get better; there’s everything to which we can look forward. The sights and sounds; the morning music of birds, almost time to cut the grass. And then at the end of this month the clocks go forward; the final stamp of approval.

That morning crossing the Liffey and looking at its beauty I was aware that everyone sitting near me on the Luas was staring into a phone. 

It  dawned on me the number of people who have closed themselves off to the sounds about them, blocking their ears with earbuds and earphones. If you stop to say hello to someone or to ask a question, you have to roar at them before they hear you. Are we losing the run of ourselves? It would seem to me the world is in a spin.

The other day I found myself checking the weather on my phone to see if it was raining outside. And it’s as mad as that. It reminded me of Bob Dylan’s words: ‘You don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind is blowing’.

But in the meantime, make the best of the days and weeks ahead. Instead of being a slave to your phone, see and hear the beauty of the world around you. A chance to do some thinking too, even daydreaming.

‘Spring is the time of plans and projects’ - Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy.