The blog is 16!

Sixteen years ago I decided to start a blog. It was February 2009, we’d recently moved house, and there was a lot of change going on in my world; my parents were ill – dad with kidney failure, and mum recovering from cancer surgery. The blog was my way to deal with everything that was happening.

The blog started as a diary, and in some cases it still is – especially with the Sunday Thoughts blog posts. It’s also a place for me to write about things of interest, mainly in Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim, and Mayo, but also further afield. It’s also a place for me to share my photos and paintings, although I haven’t done much of either recently.

I found it so helpful when I was struggling with my mental health. When I typed about how I felt, I got it out of my head and into the ether, I found it very cathartic, and it also resonated with people, and I made connections.

Last year was a record year, with over 161,000 people reading the blog. It’s mad to have so many readers, as I remember the early days when I didn’t think anyone would be reading.

So, thank you, to everyone who has read any of my blogs and those who comment on my social media channels. A special thanks to those who left me a tip, because they like what I do. It’s so appreciated. There’s no cake this year because I haven’t been out recently – soon maybe.