David O'Mahony: Every part of Cork City is a reminder of where I come from

Despite never having lived in the city, no matter where I go, I find myself tumbling down a rabbit hole of connections to my ancestors

The painting visible on Penrose Quay, Cork: George Mounsey Wheatley Wheatley Atkinson, Paddle Steamer Entering the Port of Cork, 1842. Collection Crawford Art Gallery, Cork

I can scarcely visit the city without some reminder of where I come from, and it’s easy to tumble down the rabbit holes of connections.

I guess I’m feeling reflective. Maybe it’s the jarringly high amount of snow compared to red in my beard, or maybe it’s because my fiction has started leaning toward tales involving the sea, and so many of my ancestors on both parents’ sides were involved with the ocean, from naval warfare to the merchant marine, to ship building.