It was Lisa Walsh’s choice that we meet on the banks of the Liffey for our podcast chat today. She’s a true Northside Dubliner from Ballymun. She’s only lived at 3 addresses in her lifetime, a home bird by all accounts.
Lisa, who trained as a social worker in child protection, loves the feeling of being rooted and acknowledges the sacredness of a home for her children, “It’s their home. They might never be able to afford a house of their own, so they need to see my home as theirs. I’ll leave it to them. But I don’t want to give them too much, I want them to earn for themselves, not to take privileges for granted so that their achievements are all the more sweeter”.
Lisa is now an accomplished playwright who writes what she knows, community, people and Dublin. She describes the Liffey to me and suddenly it’s like I’m seeing it for the first time in years. “It holds the chaos of the city very calmly. When I’m near the Liffey I think of all the people who have crossed it, from South to North, like my parents did way back when they moved for a better life. I think of all the couples who had their photos taken on O’Connell bridge on nights out. The Liffey holds their hopes and dreams, and it’s happy being the rhythm of whole city. No matter what happens, the river holds it all, calmly.”
I don’t think I’ve ever considered the Liffey to be a character in a story the way that Lisa describes it, playing a part in all of our lives.
She is the first of her family to go to college. She crossed the Ha’penny bridge each day to attend Trinity, in her Doc Marten boots and tights, not knowing what was in store for her on the Southside, she almost used the Liffey as a source of courage.
“I had no frame of reference for college, I hadn’t got a clue, I was terrified. When I got to the bridge, I remember it so clearly, it was like a magnet, holding on to me, rooting me. I took strength from that. I started to think I could do anything. With every step I got taller, louder, braver. I could take on anything that was in store for me in Trinity”
Lisa and I continue writing a joint love letter to Dublin. My sound engineer who is recording the podcast quips that he’s never met anyone who loves Dublin more than me, until now. We talk about all the issues that affect people, especially young women, growing up in “working class” areas of Dublin. We talk about the social structures that can limit you. The “poverty trap” that informs Lisa’s work. She writes from a working class perspective the way that only those with a lived experience can.
She grew up in a tight knit community and was always encouraged to advocate for herself. Knowing when to fight for what you need, and knowing when to adapt and fly under the radar.
Even in our short conversation I feel empowered and proud to be a Northside woman, our Dublin accents getting beautifully thicker with each sentence shared between us.
Rx
Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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