Most are but only stirring awake in the dusk of an Armagh city morning, when a special few are already up with the early birds… quietly tidying the city centre.
Armagh I recently received a wonderful email from an awe inspired local resident, who had stumbled upon a lesser-spotted Armagh Womble!
That man, solicitor Diarmuid McKeown explained that he had been out early in the morning, walking to catch a bus, when he noticed a number of empty bottles and cans laying strewn in the vicintiy of Market Square.
Putting his good-citizen foot forward, Diarmuid began collecting a few and popped them in a nearby bin for collection. He thought no more of it.
A few minutes later, further into town, he came across a lady carrying a black bin bag… doing exactly the same thing.
He stopped and spoke with her and what he discovered about this diligent Womble, made him wholly appreciative of the quiet work that often goes unrecognised under the cloak of darkness.
Diarmuid explained: “We got chatting. She had a Scottish accent and, from our conversation, is clearly not originally from these parts, but she told me that she is regularly out around half five or six in the morning walking through the streets of Armagh and that, sadly, she finds them litter-strewn virtually every morning.
“What impressed me was that she wasn’t complaining about it or looking for recognition. She was simply picking it up.
“I left her to catch my bus, but when I glanced back I noticed that she had moved on to tending one of the small flower beds recently installed by the Council.
“I thought there was something rather wonderful about it. Before most of us are even out of bed, here is someone quietly walking around our city, picking up other people’s rubbish and taking enough pride in the place to look after its flowers — apparently for no reason other than that she cares about the place in which she lives.”
While he failed to get the lady’s name, he felt strongly that she – and quite possibly many others like her – deserved a little thank you and some recognition for their efforts.
He continued: “There is plenty written about what is wrong with our towns, perhaps there is room occasionally to celebrate the people who, without fuss or recognition, simply make them a little better.” And, this publication couldn’t agree more!
If you know someone who makes an undercover contribution to the community, feel free to let us know via email at info@armaghi.com. Maybe it’s time to bring those inconspicuous creatures to the fore!
