On a weekend break in Ballycastle, we thought it would be a good idea to spend sometime on Rathlin Island. So we parked the car at the Marconi memorial and went to get tickets for the fast ferry service. Others had the same idea and the fast boat was full. So an hour later than planned we crossed to Rathlin on the older, slower boat. That was a treat! There were only a couple of vehicles on board and on both sides of these the crew placed some rows of plastic chairs, tethered in line. On landing we headed straight for the hotel which was hosting an exhibition of local artists. I liked the paintings which seemed to me to portray the remoteness of the island through the seasons.
We had only planned to stay a couple of hours and with our later than expected arrival decided it was time to get something to eat. We could see in the distance a brightly decorated house that seemed to have lots of tables and umbrellas out front. We were also attracted by its abundance of flowers and so, as it turned out, were the wasps we found there. The owner of the house was serving teas. Lunch in full sunshine, was large pots of tea, warm fruit scones and jam followed by shortbread.
Moving further along the seafront we could see what looked like a memorial stone but as we got closer we realised it was a large stone chair. The writer's chair. Engraved into the back of the chair were the names of writers of different genres who had attended workshops and events on the island. Familiar names - wordsmiths - novelists, poets, singer songwriters. Did they each take their place in the chair and think about their craft? Like the wishing chair at the Giant's Causeway did someone bring to mind a hope or an ambition for their writing?
The thought occured that a blogger might take inspiration from such illustrious company - that the words of previous sitters might rub off and stick.
On the way back, this time to the modern, sleek, fast ferry we passed a plaque celebrating the first radio broadcast in 1898 by Marconi. Rathlin should consider hosting a podcaster convention. The place has a connection with communication.
