A POEM A DAY - CLIFFS OF MOHER


These spectacular cliffs face the Atlantic, on the western coast of Ireland, south of Galway Bay. They are only accessible via a visitor centre (or farmer's car park) and the area was packed with tourists even on a September week day. However even the number of people wanting to see the natural beauty of the coastline could not dim my thoughts of the millions of Irish people who looked west and left their homes for a new life in America. Between 1820 and 1930 4.5 million Irish citizens arrived in America, the majority driven by hunger in the famine years, poverty and the desire for a better life. I came to Ireland to see where my mother lived and bring to life her memories and the stories she told us. Likewise we have come across many American tourists visiting Ireland looking for a connection with their ancestors, people who looked out over the Atlantic towards their new country. I am an immigrant, happy to have been welcomed in Spain where I have enjoyed a good life, with improvement in my health. I feel the same pull back to my roots as most migrants, now torn between my childhood home and the country where my own children have laid down their roots.  




© 2019 Jacqueline Knight Cotterill.  All rights reserved. 

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