When a town shuts up shop

The closure of 100 businesses in Dun Laoghaire since 2008 has torn asunder the landscape of my youth, says Dave Kenny

IT’S high tide at Sandycove as I start strolling into the past. A small girl is paddling on the tiny beach, despite the raw October weather. She’s wearing an anorak.

Two middle-aged women emerge from the waves. Rain-clouds are tumbling in over Dublin Bay, yet bathers refuse to accept that summer’s gone. People swim here year-round. Generation passes its towel to generation. Recessions come and go, but Dun Laoghaire people have the sea.