Photo: “Down Around”, Tramore
The amusements still light up against the Atlantic, but the soundtrack I remember is gone.
When I was growing up here, it was Jane Birkin’s breathy, sexy Je T’aime spilling into the street — strangely bold for a small Irish Catholic town.
The church loomed over us from the top of the hill. Rosary was de rigueur in many homes, and Sunday Mass was non-negotiable — yet the French we learned from the jukebox was seductive and just a little scandalous.
Ram Dass said, “We’re all just walking each other home.”
These days, I’m spending more time here, keeping my parents company in their 90s. And I think about “home” — not just the place I was born (Sidcup, Kent) or the place I grew up (more years in London than Ireland) — but the place that captured my imagination and never let go.
The call of the sea.
The salted air of ocean voyages.
Kissing corners in the neon-splattered alleys.
The hot, crisp fluffiness of Cunningham’s fish and chips.
Some things have changed.
But this place - lodged in my consciousness, whispering of adventures yet to come, lovers to discover, magic and mayhem to be had - never has.
What is obvious is that it took a hold of my imagination and formed me in unexpected ways
I’m Anne, an Imagination Technologist. I work with people to see the magic in the familiar - and bring dreams into reality.
How has the place you called home formed you?
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I am Anne K Scott, Imagination Technologist, catalyst and change agent working with pioneers, visionary artists and small business leaders to create a more beautiful world - one metaphorical 'brick' at a time.
This is so beautiful Anne...the formative power of home. Just that line is a powerful prompt.
You remind me of Cannon Beach, Oregon. A small seaside town where I spent many summers as a kid to visit my grand parents. My first time back since a child last fall. I couldn't believe how much the roar of the pacific fed my soul...the formative power of home...ah yes, thank you Anne!