Having spent the best part of 20 years looking at and obsessing over science papers, from writing my own (oh, the anguish) to working as a journals publishing editor responsible for managing the peer-review process (oh, the humanity) to editing pre-submission articles and accepted manuscripts (definitely the most enjoyable and least emotional aspect of the whole paper publication process), I kind of feel that I've seen it all at this stage. Academic research is not for the faint-hearted and I genuinely feel for anyone fighting to get their work published nowadays. There's so much pressure on researchers, with both funding and career tenure inextricably entangled with a scientist's publication record and the ability of an individual to market him- or herself online. Having a social media presence as a scientist is an entirely new phenomenon to me, and something I never had to contend with during my own time as a researcher - it all just looks exhausting and I'm not sure it does much to advance the scientific cause.
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It had been a long time since I was last in Westport in County Mayo but I found myself there for a family get-together for a few days at the end of July. My previous Westport stays had been largely hen party-related (three hen parties! Although not all at the same time, obviously...) many moons ago, and I remembered little about my earlier visits. Driving through the town on this occasion, I recognized the river and the adjacent tree-lined streets, and I think I may also have spotted the outdoors shop where I purchased my (now defunct) purple raincoat (I loved that raincoat). We didn't dilly-dally; we were staying outside Westport town and the centre was so crazy busy it was just kind of stressful trying to make our way through. It did look lovely though, all colourful and full of bright flowers and pretty shops, with lots of happy people milling about in the sunshine, and it had a real festive holiday atmosphere.
We were on our way to Croagh Patrick, a holy mountain and Catholic pilgrimage site located a few miles outside Westport in Murrisk (see the map at the bottom). At 765m this mountain is a prominent feature of the landscape, and is immediately identifiable with its symmetrical conical peak. St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, spent 40 days and nights fasting at the top, and thousands and thousands of people climb the mountain every year, many for religious reasons (some even in their bare feet). I was maybe 15 years younger the last time I made it to the top and it was every bit as tough this time around, but it struck me how I hadn't even remotely appreciated the beauty of the climb all those years ago. Maybe it was youth and my obliviousness to the wonders of the Irish countryside, or maybe it was because of the usually abysmal weather conditions, but I had never noticed before how stunningly beautiful the views are and how privileged it felt to be climbing this amazing mountain. The warm camaraderie amongst climbers is genuine and spontaneous; everyone lends a hand where needed and offers words of encouragement, and the feeling of achievement to finally reach the top and see the serene little windswept chapel waiting there, is truly beyond description. Although I was in bits for several days afterwards it cleared my head like nothing else, and I have to say that I really enjoyed the climb. I found it difficult and scary in parts but it also made me quite profoundly emotional in the best possible way, and I'm so grateful that I was able to complete it... |
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Really, it contains a little bit of everything, from a celebration of science and the English language to the joys of travel and the Shipping Forecast. The title ('Meanderings') is a fairly accurate description of its content: I write about different things as the mood takes me, but hopefully there's something in here for everyone... Categories
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March 2021
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And on another note... |
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