When I purchased my house in Manorhamilton in 1997, I didn't think that painting it primrose yellow with blue trim was radical. Different maybe, but not radical. It was only when I wanted the pipes running down the back of the house painted blue as well that I flushed out the commentary.
"I've never seen blue pipes," one of my neighbours said passing by, "pipes are black, pipes are always black". They said this as if it was an immovable truth, and my fanciful disregard for tradition would bring down a terrible change in the cosmos. "Not my pipes," I told them with an emphatic sweep of the brush.
Well, I needn't have fretted, my colour worries have been eclipsed by the arrival of a new shop on Upper Main Street, which, to say the least, puts mine in the colour wheel shade. Not that I'm complaining. A bright splash of colour is exactly what Manorhamilton needs, especially the upper part of the town with its high quota of unoccupied buildings that have been lying idle for years. The new shop is a vivid green, with a bright red door and a navy stripe at the bottom. It would be nothing significant in a city like Dublin which is full of colour and bright lights. Here, it practically leaps off the street at you, putting the dominant shades of beige, grey and fading pastels squarely into the background.
Of course I will be portrayed as painting Manorhamilton in a bad light by even naming this, but if you have lived most of your life in monochrome, perhaps colour is a big deal? Personally, I hope that it's the big, smiling face of the Celtic Tiger, of the new millennium, setting out its stall in the town. All new business is a vote of confidence, everything that adds to our attractions, a bonus. Anything that catches the eye of the casual passer by, that brightens up the street-scape is a big plus. It says "it's not doom and gloom here boys, we're shiny, happy people".
It's not just the external face that is changing, it's the internal one as well. If this is the result of the recently introduced tax incentives then all I can say is, it's a shame the county had to wait so long for them. If it's not, then full marks to the spirit of free enterprise which is awakening here. Manorhamilton has 13 pubs, so competition for a limited market determines expenditure. Despite this, two pubs in the town have recently undergone significant transformation. Gurn's Milestone pub have transformed its large lounge with a new modern interior. It can now stand shoulder to shoulder with any other pub you'd like to mention in any prosperous town. The Halfway House on Main Street has gone even further, with a sensitive refurbishment programme including the exterior frontage as well as its old world interior.
Prior to its redevelopment, the Halfway boasted a lovely old bar counter and shelving behind, but it had suffered from neglect over the years. Gone are the old seats, and the Calor Kosangas heater, replaced by oak furnishing, interior panelling and a lovely fireplace in its extended lounge. I'll kind of miss the stuffed pheasant they used to have in the window, but hey, it's a small price to pay for progress. While the work was underway in The Halfway, I realised the difference between city pubs and rural pubs, something that had escaped my attention before. The Halfway had removed its curtains, so you could see in for the first time.
There is not a single pub in the town that is this transparent.
Unlike Dublin, with its cappuccino class, where half the fun is being seen, and spotting passers by, it seems here people want their privacy, a personal nook in which they can take comfort. This gives the impression of quiet, but in reality, there are conversations, and card games and craic being had behind all those curtains. When you walk in and shut the door behind you, it's like entering a private world.
The women's boutique in Main Street is also boasting expansion, which I believe is particularly significant. Nearby Sligo has a host of clothes shops, with large chain stores like Penneys and Dunnes, and many boutiques ready and waiting with bigger and better marketing spends. To expand in the face of such stiff competition for the fashion pound is extremely brave, and there is no reason, with expanded facilities and good buying, why the boutique should not grow and prosper. The light and dark of the seasons here take a toll on all of us, so I'm glad we're cheating nature and providing additional sunshine with pots of paint. So what if it's cosmetic - everybody knows there's nothing wrong with colouring things beautiful.
