We are delighted to announce that Sligo Hub is open for business. Since it launched quietly on March 12th it has had 7000 visitors.
We also have over 5000 likes on Facebook, 1200 on Twitter and over 700 on Instagram – which is our newest platform. For less than the cost of half a cup of coffee each week you could advertise your business for a year.
Sligo Hub is growing in popularity all the time and we have lots of ideas to progress the site. To find out more click here.
I’m sitting in the middle of Belleek Woods in Ballina searching for squirrels. No luck so far.
I was rudely awoken at 4am with a nosebleed so once I had that under control I hopped in the car and here I am.
I’m a bit deflated at the moment to tell the truth. I thought I’d secured a new job of a few hours a week but it fell through. Why does that seem to be the way? You think you are getting things sorted and end up being kicked in the teeth.
Anyway I know that if it was meant to be it would have happened but I feel like I’ve invested a lot of time and not been given a proper explanation.
Sure we’ll see what happens…back to searching….
Over the past six months my life has turned around. Of course not everything is perfect but I’ve discovered it’s the way I deal with things that makes the difference.
The biggest thing has been discovering my passions. Art is my new big thing but my interest in writing and photography have come back. This time last year I thought I might never, willingly, pick up my camera again. Today I found myself trying to get the perfect shot of a water droplet glinting in the sunlight. I didn’t get the image I was after but I enjoyed trying.
I’m having such fun discovering this new, creative, side of me. It makes me wonder what else I’d be interested in. Life is so much more enjoyable when you allow yourself to play and follow your fire.
Yesterday I went to a Hobby Workshop hosted by Sligo Leader. It was a very informative couple of hours. We heard from people involved in different hobbies and how it enhances their lives, we also heard how certain hobbies can help with finding a job. What stayed with me though was the personal stories.
Before the event I got chatting to a lovely lady who I would have known briefly. She told me she quit the day job and is now running courses exploring hobbies – there is a lot more to it than that. This got me very excited because it’s only recently I’ve discovered art and this lady was telling me we are never to old to try something new. That’s exactly right. I’ve signed up for her course 🙂
Two other speakers told similar stories. Both quit their day jobs and turned their hobbies into a business. One man was in IT and got burnt out. He said from a financial point of view he was doing really well but not from a mental health point of view. So he quit, retrained and now combines his love of music, history and tourism into running tours for visitors.
A lady told us how she trained in social care and spent years working in that sector but in her spare time she was always in the garden. She had people telling her she should set up a gardening business.
“When one person tells you something you don’t really pay any heed but when all your friends tell you there must be something in it. I did what I call the Rocking Chair, I imagine myself as an 80 year old and look back on my life thinking of the things I’d regret if I didn’t try things. So I quit the health service and set up my own gardening business. I’ve never looked back.”
Listening to these people reinforced my theory that when you are working at something you love it’s never a chore. This is why I started Sligo Hub. For many years my passion has been promoting Sligo. One day Kate from Refreshing.ie not only listened to me but she teamed up with me. To have the support of one other person makes a tremendous difference and even though Sligo Hub is very new to have the support of sponsors who also believe in me makes it all worth while.
One day I hope that Sligo Hub will provide a wage so that at least I can buy petrol and carry on exploring the county I love so much and telling the world about it. One day I hope I will be the person standing up in front of a room telling them my story. For now it’s just a dream but one day it might be a reality.
Sometimes the powers that be in this country sadden me. This is one of those times. It might not be hard hitting news to the majority of the folks out there but one man has lost his livelihood due to red tape.
I’ve been trying to win tickets for Bloom and I’m failing. I know I could buy a ticket but when I factor in travel costs and lunch etc it works out to be an expensive day so at the moment I’m not going. It’s a great day out so if you are near Dublin it’s well worth a visit.
I love looking at the gardens, there are such talented people involved. I also love the food section that features some of the best food producers in Ireland.
There’s also things for the little folks to do and kids go free – I wonder if I can pass for a child? 😉 If you are interested in crafts you can meet some of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland members plus there’s music and more.
If you want to find out more about Bloom the website is here.
