Politics

Roslyn Dee: As the Ploughing shows, deep down we’re all aspiring country girls and boys

The late Edna O’Brien might have disagreed, but, surely, being a “country girl” is something of a relative phenomenon. For me, as a born-and-bred townie, it was rather disconcerting to discover in my teenage years that family friends in Belfast saw me as more country cousin than city slicker.

William O'Connell from Cork takes part in U-21 division at the championships. Photo: PA The late Edna O’Brien might have disagreed, but, surely, being a “country girl” is something of a relative phenomenon. For me, as a born-and-bred townie, it was rather disconcerting to discover in my teenage years that family friends in Belfast saw me as more country cousin than city slicker.

Yet there I was, all 15 or 16 years of me, a proper townie who imagined that with a few tweaks I could be Carnaby Street cool; think 1960s model Jean Shrimpton, but with a Derry twang. Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news.