Just a 20 minute walk from Sligo town along the Garavogue River, you will arrive at a very pretty but unassuming place, Doorly Park. As you walk toward the iron archway and gaze out upon the lough, your eyeballs are greeted with stunning mountain views. It really doesn’t matter what kind of weather is out, this view always looks majestic. That said it is most glorious on sunny days with bright blue skies and white bulbous clouds.
As you continue walking along the path you will notice the charming benches placed by the river bank to soak in the lovely views. There’s row boats floating nearby obtained by gulls that, I always assumed were having a board meeting about the ducks and how they can better apply themselves at getting the bread thrown in by family’s on outings…
Further along the path, it starts to feel more “woodsy” as housing estates fall out of view and the dense site of marshy woodland takes its place. The pleasant sound of robins and blackbirds fill your ear holes as you cross the first bridge, while the smell of moss, trees, blossoms and water fill your lungs. I love crossing this bridge, in a small way it signifies transporting myself from the urban jungle and into a more natural terrain.
Doorly was always a place for me to vent out my thoughts through my shoes. I’d be totally engrossed while admiring the big in your face views, not really slowing down to acknowledge the small tiny beauties residing by the sides of the path. But in the last couple of years, I’ve really started to engage with what’s actually growing here. Why haven’t I engaged sooner? I ask. I guess my head was up my arse, too busy in my own little bubble.
If I were to blame anyone for this new outlook on Doorly it would have to be my cat. Noob Noob is an indoor cat, we share the same birthday, which is nice.
We used to take her on outings to Doorly Park to relieve cabin fever, not so much any more. It is nothing like walking a dog, with a dog you walk and they pretty much follow, but cats, they tend to do what they want, as only a cat would!
There is a secluded part of Doorly with very little foot fall which is ideal for a cat. You could instantly see a gaze of wonderment in Noob Noob’s face as she explored the sights and smells, mostly sitting, munching on some grass, observing the tall trees and listening to the birds. I’ve got about 30 minutes of this beautiful serene moment before Wild Cat kicks in!
You don’t want to meet Wild Cat, she’s reckless, a deviant and I’m pretty sure forgets who I am? I’m just a blurry shape to her now, out to stop her fun of climbing trees and hunting robins.
I kept her on a harness with a very long retractable leash, you can see now why I don’t take her out anymore, I never felt good about it. Wild Cat hated it.
But in the few blissful minutes I had before Wild Cats’ emergence, all I could do was stand and observe my surroundings with Noob Noob. She has helped me realise all kinds of flowers, fungi, the shape of bark on trees, the type of birds, insects and plant life that reside in these woods.
Not being on a man-made path and venturing in the rural parts of Doorly with Noob Noob has opened up my perspective of the life that grows here, it’s really beautiful.
Since I’ve started to engage with this place I’ve discovered Oak, Elder, Horse Chestnut, Hawthorn, Blackberries, Wild Rose & Rose hip, Cuckoo flower, Buttercup, Dandelions, Bluebells, Daffodils, Speedwell, Dog Violet, Herb Robert, Plantain, Iris, Marsh Marigold, Three-Cornered Leek, Dragonfly, Mayfly, various species of Butterfly, Bullfinch, Robins, Great-tit, Blue-tit, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Thrush and one time I saw a frog.
The thing is a lot of this wildlife is out in plain sight, we just tend to keep our eyes straight in front of us and engage in the big in your face views. I encourage any Doorly Park regulars, the next time you’re there, take the time to observe what’s growing amid the scrum.
There’s a sign that says there’s bats about but I’ve yet to see one, it makes me wonder what kind of life comes out at night in Doorly Park?…
