John shares his wonderful lockdown story of how his first book came to fruition plus his journey to writing and much more in our podcast this week.
Here is some more information about John . . .
Author of a recently published book 'You, me and Destiny'
However, we once had business in Sligo but we were involved in a couple of ventures in Sligo
My wife and I owned and operated Crazy Janes restaurant in Rockwood Parade, where Grappa now operates. For a couple of years, we also rented The Riverbank restaurant on the Parade also. My wife was closely involved but my involvement was limited to keeping the books. After the restaurants, my wife Mary returned to teaching Home Economics. She teaches in Mercy College Sligo
John is a former teacher at Summerhill College who retired in 2018. I taught English there and was a Year Head. I was involved in also involved in the production of the college newsletters and magazines. I edited the commemorative magazine marking the move to the new building in 2013. I was always writing sporadically for my own pleasure. During the early days of the Pandemic, my three daughters who had been abroad returned home and encouraged me to release one of my novels. After a bit of persuasion, I released 'You, me and Destiny' on Amazon and it is also available in Liber and Eason in Sligo.
Are you a Sligo Native? If no what is the story of how you moved here?:
From Dromahair just across the county border. When we married my wife and a partner were renting The Rooftop Restaurant in Wine St car park and I was teaching in Summerhill. Sligo was the obvious place to base ourselves
What do you love about living in Sligo?:
What's not to like? I like the lifestyle that living in Sligo affords us. Being near the sea and the beaches is a huge plus. We are walkers so there is no shortage of lovely walks in the area. Sligo has such a rich culture and as regards retail, there is very little one cannot buy in Sligo.
Our daughters and we have brought many friends home from abroad and they have always been highly impressed by the area.
If you could wave a magic wand what would you fix or bring to Sligo ie. facilities, shops, restaurants, culture/arts?:
I would bring a sustained period of prosperity. That is what Sligo really needs. The roads will be there, the new streetscapes will and many more developments in the planning. It just needs an uninterrupted period of economic growth in the region.
Faster train service would help especially if the airport is not set to return.
What are you looking forward to in the future in your personal and professional life?:
We have always travelled abroad and I would dearly love the situation to improve.My daughters are into language big time and last year all three lived in France. One is currently on lock down in Paris and as was the case last year, we would be there for Halloween if we could travel.Last year we had two girls in Paris and one on Erasmus in Nice-one of my favourite destinations which has hit the news for tragic reasons.
If given health we will be fine. As regards writing I intend to publish again in 2021 but I have not decided to go with one of those already written or maybe a different one.
What are your must do Sligo recommendations? Restaurants/Walks etc.: Before the lockdown in March our usual walk was from the Airport in Strandhill, to Killaspugbrone and onto Dorren's Strand. Since then we have walked the circuit around our home- Woodville, Mitchell-Curley park, Strandhill Road and Barnasraghy. I occasionally use some of the marvellous Cleveragh tracks.
We have been doing Saturday morning coffee in town since our girls were kids. Grappa is and was the favourite. We frequent all the nighttime restaurants and are delighted at the new ones appearing.
Currently, I can be found on Instagram at j.fmcloughlin
