BORDERLINE
On the way down here I’d passed a sign for a protest march by ‘Border Communities Against Brexit’. They are a group of local representatives from a range of business, community and farming sectors established with the purpose of countering the imposition of a hard border on the island of Ireland because of Brexit. Working on both sides of the border on a collective basis, they are trying to counter the already seen effects of the Brexit vote in their communities. Whilst European visitors are up, British visitors are well down and in some border towns trade is down by 30% in hospitality sectors. To reach Dublin from the North West of Ireland the quickest route is often through Northern Ireland so any goods being brought to the island’s largest domestic market face the prospect of having to go through untold officialdom and checks. There’s a sense that decisions being made far away in Brussels and London are having a very profound local effect on the ground. The same sense of distrust and unease with distant politics exists here that sparked the Brexit vote in the first place. It feels strange to think that in a few years to enjoy the wind and waves here may require some sort of customs check but I concentrate more on my immediate future and cross a county border hoping to find a duty free reward.