U. Cronin's Blog, page 4

Drowning Ducks and Growing Dwarves: Expressions of Being Overcome by Bad Luck

I heard an expression the other day that I’d never heard before. It was in the context of the Irish football manager Stephen Kenny’s run of bad luck. Not only has his team not won a match in the last … Continue reading →

Jasper the Hedgehog

It seems like our estate is plagued with hedgehogs at the moment. Sightings of them are rife, to the extent that you are almost guaranteed to see one of these cute little creatures scuttling along the verges and shrub beds … Continue reading →

The Best Gifts Come in Small Parcels

Sometimes the universe gives you a little gift, which, no matter how bad things are, lifts you out of the bleak mood you may have been experiencing. The gift can be as simple as a ray of dawn sunshine piercing … Continue reading →

Middle Age has Caught up on Me

I was hit by a juggernaut of realisation the other day: I am middle aged! I have been aware of the advance of time for quite some while. Hell, I can count. I can keep track of numbers. I’m forty-five. … Continue reading →

Michael Longley: Poet

I first came across the poetry of Michael Longley by complete accident. A few years back, I was checking out the latest album, Hallow, from Northern Ireland’s chief troubadour, Duke Special, when I was stopped in my tracks by a … Continue reading →

My Suburban Fox

Why are we always so surprised and delighted when we come across a fox in an urban (or in my case, suburban) setting? Is it because mankind’s ever-increasing encroachment on nature has rendered even a glimpse of wildness so rare … Continue reading →

Lockdown Painting

I’ve been doing a lot of painting during the last couple of months. A number of things coincided to turn May, June and July 2020 into one giant paintathon: the lockdown; the fine weather (which, however, around St John’s Eve, … Continue reading →

Short Story: Don’t Meet Me at the Airport

The plane was descending. Rory felt that slight pull on the back of his skull, that snap, crackle and pop in his inner ear. His face was white. Anyone looking at him would have assumed that he was a bad … Continue reading →

Sandals and Socks

I saw my first sandals- and sock-wearing specimen of the summer season last weekend. It made me groan and smile at the same time. It’s not a good look, the aul’ sandals and socks (S’n’S). Sandals are worn to keep … Continue reading →

The Hand-me-down Kid

I’ve been experiencing extremely vivid dreams lately. It might be the time of year, or the lockdown birdsong, or just the lockdown . . . The other night I awoke from a dream in which I was wearing a T-shirt … Continue reading →