Harbour Memories

A Memory of Portrush.

I have very dear memories of Portrush in the 60's. My mum was born there. She lived with her Mum and Dad and two brothers and one sister in Harbour Road. Mum and her sister came over to England in the 50's. We used to go to Portrush for our holidays. We would stay with my Grandparents on Harbour Road. My grandfather owned a dozen little rowing boats which he used to hire out to the summer visitors. We would go out in the boats every day and I used to pull a little toy boat behind me and fish for crabs on a line. I remember seeing a seal in the water for the first time and thinking it was a dogs head floating. We would spend lovely summer days on the sand and I remember watching a big firework display on Ramore Head. This was also the time of my first bag of crisps with a little blue salt bag inside. I returned to Portrush in 2006. Sadly the cottages on the harbour have long since gone and been replaced by Waterworld. The rickety old wooden bridge across the harbour has been replaced by a concrete bridge and there are now parking spaces at the watersedge. Jim Malloys Harbour Bar has been revamped, but still looks more or less the same. But the memories came flooding back as I stood, where once my mother had lived, and looked out over the harbour. Portrush has a pull for me, its in my blood and I will be back.

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