Tides

I grew up in a small seaside town in the southwest of Ireland, and while it would be too much to say that the sea was an important part of my childhood, it was certainly a regular part of it. I remember my uncle showing up unannounced with a bag of freshly caught crab and Mom dropping everything to cook them (whether she wanted to or not). I remember the summer house we never really used, but where I took my first photograph (age 3 or 4, my older brother sitting on the toilet). And of course the beach, where we spent many summer days lounging around waiting for Dad to finish work.

When I moved to Cork City for college, I started to appreciate the sea more, or at the very least to romanticize it more. When I'd visit home at the weekend I'd make a point of visiting the beach and over time it became the place I would go to think. It's entirely possible that my affinity for the sea is an affectation that I cultivated, but if that's the case then I've had it long enough that I can't seem to shake it. However it happened, the Atlantic Ocean that I grew up with has become an enduring symbol of my life in Ireland.

In 2008 I moved to Seattle for a job. Over the coming years I found the space and time to understand myself a little better, and found some tools to help me understand my place in the world. At the same time my nieces and nephews have grown up, my parents have gotten older, and being a queer, male, white, immigrant, tech-bro/artist in Seattle is complicated. Even though Seattle has been the absolute right place for me, the water has never felt quite right, and the draw back to Ireland feels like a current I just can't fight.

Tides is an ongoing series resulting from my reflections on where I live and where I call home.