The Hillsborough International Oyster Festival (HIO) is now in its 23rd year. Hillsborough is best known for it’s castle – the official residence for government in Northern Ireland as well as the official residence for the British Royal Family.
This year’s event is 1st – 6th September. The nominated charities for the proceeds in 2015 are Clubs for Young People (CYP) and Hillsborough Village Centre.
If there is a local event relating to food, chances are I will do my best to attend. I recently went to Festival Lough Erne, a food event in Fermanagh with my Mum and aunt. After hearing about the Speciality Food Fair in Moira, I knew I would attend.
I have a soft spot for Moira. I worked for the Moira Guest House and I have family nearby. I love Moira for all its coffee shops and the wide variety of shops in the village.
It was a beautiful summer’s day in Moira. I arrived at Moira Demesne to see the play area filled with children enjoying the sun. The area was full of activity with people of all ages enjoying themselves. I visited the event with my aunt and we made our way to the tent where local producers were showcasing their goods.
My biggest fear as a child was dogs. It was not the most manageable fear, especially as I grew up in a rural area and each family seemed to have at least one. I would sit in the car while Mum visited a friend and my friend’s parents knew not to let the family dogs anywhere near me.
I have grown out of my fear and fallen for dogs completely. I bonded with my cousin’s dog Brody, and realised how much personality each dog has. Being a big dog lover now, I was delighted when Shannon asked me to come to the Salty Dog Show with her.
When my friend Zoe suggested we do something together, I asked her what would interest her. Her response was, “something farm related”. This stumped me for all of around three seconds. After all, we were in Co. Fermanagh and agriculture is a major industry in the county. I suggested we visit the Tickety-Moo, a dairy farm based in Killadeas, near Enniskillen. It is a fifth generation farm, owned by the Grey family. The farm began in 1898 when four cows were milked by hand on a three legged stool. It has since advanced greatly and 210 cows are milked daily (by robots), producing around 25 litres each per day.
I’m deviating from my usual subject of travel today. I want to talk about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD as it commonly goes by. I want to show you that OCD is more than being clean. More than disliking odd numbered things. More than putting your DVDs in alphabetical order.
People who suffer from OCD do not enjoy doing these things. They don’t feel fully satisfied after completing the activity. People with OCD do these things because they feel they HAVE to and the anxiety associated with the activity is released only temporarily.
