Malachy Murphy expresses himself from his balcony as Madrid begins its 8pm ritual.
Since the state of emergency started I have learned how lucky I am to have a balcón.
I live in Malasaña a very central district of Madrid and a place where a lot of people live in apartments that are totally internal.
There are many people without a balcón or even a view of the street and they are missing out on the nightly 8 pm clapping that takes place from baclonies right across Madrid.
This was a point I raised when the Irish news website thejournal.ie contacted me.
In the article, I point out that during the 8pm applause for healthcare and other essential works each evening the sight of everyone on their balconies applauding not only builds a sense of solidarity with those around me but also reminds me that behind every window on the street there is also someone in confinement like me.
I live on Calle Valverde and that has become a particular focus of the 8pm applause because each evening a short discoteca* takes place from the balcony of a first-floor apartment four buildings up the street from me.
As well as the music, there’s a light show and neighbours in other apartments in the street get involved with their own lights and other effects.
So far this has been on local TV (Telemadrid) and national TV (Sexta).
As a result, I make a point of never missing the applause. On Tuesday evening I got caught out as I lost track of time while cooking. So I rushed out on the balcony for the applause - neighbours across the street spotted me and took a photo. It was only when I looked at the photo they sent me afterwards that I realised how visible the message on the apron I was wearing was!!!
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