Sarah Harte: Leaving a place means losing an entire version of your life

There is no way to restore what is lost, but we lived, and we continue to live just as the Franks continue to make new music

The Frank and Walters, a Cork phenomenon who had international success in the early 1990s and are still thrilling audiences today.

The novelist, filmmaker and wit Nora Ephron suggested that you don’t just leave places; you lose entire versions of your life. Returning to a city you lived in for decades brings a discombobulating sense of familiarity, but also a distinct melancholy.

Last weekend, sitting outside the Metro Café on South William St with a pal, having a cup of tea, I bumped into Mary Costello, the writer and her lovely partner. I interviewed her last year. Her new book, A Beautiful Loan, was launched in Cork yesterday.