That’s it. I’ve decided to bite the bullet and start Corralea’s blog...
I’m not a writer but I feel we’ve lots to say and share about our little corner of Fermanagh: we are right at the heart of The Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark, only a few miles from Cuilcagh Mountain and its iconic Cuilcagh Stairway to heaven, in the centre of an intricate network of underground passages and subterranean caves. Our world is surrounded by water: Lough Erne, Lough Macnean, Lough Melvin ...an ideal place for a Canoe Trail. The hills encircling us are rugged and untapped...the perfect playground for hiking or mountain biking. So I hope to be the voice of Corralea.
2020 has been a roller-coaster of emotions and events. It has gone in a flash and at the same time it seemed to have lasted an eternity. I think because we’ve lost our usual landmarks: Easter, the end of the school year, the beginning of Summer...we’ve lost our sense of time. Nothing is the same, everything seems to be turned on its head.
Even though we have been very lucky at Corralea, we felt safe in our little secluded world and we have enjoyed Lough Macnean, the forest and the good weather, hovering over us were the dark clouds of Covid, of an unstoppable spread of sickness and deaths and the worries of what the future would hold for us and for our children.
Now, at the beginning of 2021, I feel very positive: not simply because vaccines have been developed and we seem to see light at the end of the tunnel but also because we all have started to re-focus on the real things in life: looking around us with a new pair of eyes, enjoying the simple moments in life, re-connecting with the world around us, cherishing family bonds and re-building a truly supportive Irish community.
From our family business point of view, 2020 has been a difficult year but it has opened new opportunities and has forced us to re-think our business and our priorities.
Covid has highlighted the value of the Outdoors for our mental, spiritual and physical health: appreciating things that don’t have a price tag but are invaluable : a place, a moment, an experience. We loved to see customers experience the landscape and using activities such as canoeing, caving or biking as a practical way to reach nature, opening doors to a way of life they had forgotten to appreciate.
So this blog’s purpose is to showcase our destination (people, places and experiences), bring you our intimate knowledge of this area and its heritage, reveal its secrets, unveil local stories, tell you about regional events, disclose hidden gems and acquaint you with our pace of life.
Isabelle