There is a raw feel to the place as if the wind and cold of the winter months have scoured the place clean. The pier has lost the smell of bad fish and looks clean and bright in the morning light.

We arrived in Dublin Port at just after midnight and got lost getting out of the city. I thought signs for the south would take us in the direction we needed to go but we managed to end up in Dun Lourgie, but from there we found the ring road and were then onto the N7 into the centre of Ireland. Ten years ago the journey would take 6 hours but now with the new dual carriageways and the by-passes that that miss out all of the towns on the way down to Cork it can be done in four.

There was snow in the air in Dublin but once we were out of the City the sky cleared and for the whole journey down the sky was clear and a full moon hung in the west leading us on. There was hardly any traffic on the rod until we got to Durrus when a car pulled out behind us from the Crookhaven Road. It followed us all the way to Ahakista even onto the pier. It was Joe, Tommy’s mate, so as we were arriving at 4.45 in the morning the fishermen were coming out to go do their work on the water.

We went straight to bed on arriving without even giving ourselves time to walk up the pier. Three hours water it was light. The tide was low and the sun was out and it has been brighter than the first day we were here last summer when we awoke to grey and wet. Down by the rocks two great black backed gulls looked out to sea owning the place.