“No need to book,” said the operator answering the phone at the Sherkin island Ferry, as it prepared to bring visitors to the island on Monday for the first time since the lockdown began. “The last time we were in Baltimore, Donie and I had just got engaged.That was about 14 years ago, so we are coming back with our daughters to show them how gorgeous Ireland is.”On Sherkin, island businesses were cautiously awaiting the arrival of the first visitors of the summer season. It was all systems go for Kathy and Mike O’Connor, who run the Sherkin North Shore Accommodation, Cafe and Restaurant with their son Daniel. The business, which caters for a wide range of groups, workshops and artists’ retreats, is hoping to make up some lost ground. It’s a story of survival here that people in the summer don’t see.To live like this you need resilience and stamina – that’s the key.”

Source: The Irish Times June 29, 2020 18:56 UTC