Happy Sunday, and welcome to another Sunday Thoughts blog post. I think this one might be quite long, so grab a cuppa and put your feet up and have a read.
It’s been a busy week, with lots of different things happening. I’ve had three social outings this week. The first was to meet a friend who I met through the blog, she doesn’t live in Sligo but comes down now and again, we went for coffee and a scone, and it was lovely to see her and catch-up.
On Friday my friend Sian took me for an early birthday breakfast, which was lovely. I’m all for making the most of the birthday celebrations and dragging them out for as long as possible!
Yesterday I went to the magic show, which was part of the So Funny Sligo Comedy Festival, I’ve never known anyone work as hard as Brendan Tierney does to bring this festival to Sligo, and it’s been lovely to see full houses at every event. The magic show was good fun, it was mainly for kids, but it was great seeing them getting so involved in the show, and I was home in time for dinner.
It would have been my mum’s birthday yesterday. I remembered her quietly, in my own way. There’s no point dwelling on what might have been, I can’t turn back the clock and what’s done is done, but I hope she’s at peace now.
I’ve been watching Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix. Have you seen it? It’s sad but fascinating at the same time. I won’t give it all away in case you haven’t seen it. People, understandably, will try anything when they aren’t well. I remember when I was trying to feel better with my mental health, I’d go from one thing to another to try to make myself well again. There are some people out there who will pray on vulnerable people, and that’s sad to see. I don’t understand why Belle Gibson did what she did, and I don’t understand how she hasn’t been held accountable.
On to other things. I ran another #heartofsligo day on Valentine’s Day. The world of social media can be quite depressing at times, so this was my way to brighten it up and encourage people to share their love of Sligo, using photos, stories, videos, etc.
I’m not going to lie, it didn’t go as well as other years, but it still reached hundreds of thousands of people. I think since twitter has changed to X that has changed the dynamic. It was also hard to get people involved this time. I sent out press releases to local media and agencies, but only got one reply, and no press coverage. That’s grand, but it would have been nice, it would also have been nice to see people that I’ve supported join in, but sometimes life is a one way street (something I need to remember in future when they knock on my door). The Heart of Sligo is a voluntary campaign, I don’t get paid to run it, and my shoulders were screaming at me in pain yesterday. It’s a long day hunched over a laptop.
This was the first time that I’ve run the campaign over Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, as well as twitter. I won’t do it on Facebook next time, there was little to no interaction on my posts. I’m really noticing that lately, unless you pay to sponsor posts (and I don’t), the reach is very poor. The other channels (even LinkedIn which is usually dead) did a lot better. On the positive side the hashtag was trending almost all day and got up to number 6. So that was pretty good, a special thanks to the kind person who left me a tip: https://ko-fi.com/magnumlady
Because I’m such a glutton for punishment, I’ve decided to run a #heartofireland day on March 14th. This will be to get everyone in the mood for the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. I’m hoping that more people will join in. They can share their favourite places in Ireland, as well as their favourite businesses, and I’m encouraging Irish artists to get involved too, I’d love to see some Irish art. I’d also love to see Irish businesses and Irish authors join in, it’s a great way to get your message out there by using the hashtag, and it costs nothing. You can even schedule a post on some platforms, so that you are organised ahead of the day, and you can spread the word – that doesn’t cost anything either.
Anyway, I’ll stop rambling for now and get ready for day two of the birthday. Even though the birthday isn’t until tomorrow. Happy Sunday to you all.
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