My poetry is inspired by the natural world, memories, relationships and folklore

TELL us about yourself;

I am a bilingual writer whose first collection of poetry, Tonn Chlíodhna, was published by Coiscéim in 2015, followed by Eala Oíche in 2019.

I have won Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge (Listowel Writer’s Week) twice.

My poems in Irish and English have been published in literary journals including Cyphers, Cork Words 2, The Cormorant, The Honest Ulsterman, Southword and Comhar. I was awarded an Arts Council Literature Bursary (Irish) in 2021.

My poetry is inspired by the natural world, memories, relationships and folklore.

My poem Teorainn Nua / New Boundary is included in The Poetry in the Park |Poetry Day Ireland organised by Patricia Looney and Cork City Libraries.

Where do you live?

I live in St Luke’s. It’s a vibrant part of the city. We have wonderful neighbours. The trees on our road turn a beautiful gold in autumn. 

And in spring the new leaves remind me of the Robert Frost line: ‘Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.’

Family

My husband Jay and our daughter Rosa, 15. Our son Liam (2005-2012) is always in our hearts.

Best friend?

Without a doubt my best friend is Jay. I’m also lucky to have great friends.

Earliest childhood memory?

Being in a pram and hearing the sound of the sea.

Person you most admire?

The Holocaust survivor Edith Eger. Her courage and positivity inspire me.

Person who most irritates you?

Anyone who is cruel to people or animals. I find any form of cruelty hard to take.

And of course Putin. But he’s in a category all of his own.

Who would you like to see as Minister for Finance and why?

Someone who believes in a fair and equitable society.

Someone who takes the climate crisis seriously.

Where was your most memorable holiday?

Sicily and New York.

Favourite TV programme?

Schitt’s Creek and The Handmaid’s Tale. Recently I’ve also enjoyed An Cósta Thiar on TG4.

Favourite radio show?

Marty in the Morning, Lyric FM, The John Creedon Show, RTÉ Radio 1, An Saol ó Dheas and An Cúinne Dána, Radió na Gaeltachta.

Your signature dish if cooking?

Caramelised onion and goat’s cheese tarlets with some pan-fried purple-sprouting broccoli on the side.

Favourite restaurant?

Café Paradiso - I’m lucky to be a vegetarian in Cork.

Last book you read?

My Cousin Rachel, By Daphne Du Maurier. Inní, a short story collection in Irish by Réaltán Ní Leannáin. 

Her stories are timeless, heart-wrenching and unforgettable.

I’ve just finished Victoria Kennefick’s superb poetry collection Eat Or We Both Starve.

Best book you read?

I’ve read so many great books. That’s a tough call, but these are three I keep going back to.

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë, Scothscéalta, by Pádraic ó Conaire, The Stairwell, by Michael Longley.

Last album/CD/download you bought?

Muireann Nic Amhlaoidh and The Irish Chamber Orchestra’s Róisín Reimagined. A wonderful journey through music and song.

Favourite song?

An Mhaighdean Mhara by Altan Marble Halls by Enya.

One person you would like to see in concert?

Go back in time and see Ella Fitzgerald at the Cork Jazz Festival

Do you have a pet?

We have two dogs: Bella the basset and Maddie the cocker spaniel. 

They are my constant companions and my two bookends when I’m writing.

Morning person or night owl?

I love the energy of the early morning and the bird song.

Your proudest moment?

The publication of my first poetry book.

Spendthrift or saver?

I spend and save in moderation. My tastes are simple.

Name one thing you would improve in your area in which you live?

Everyone should pick up after their dogs, and we always need more trees.

What makes you happy?

Reading and writing. Music and the Irish language. Being at home with Jay, Rosa and the dogs.

How would you like to be remembered?

As someone who was kind to others and true to herself and her craft.

What else are you up to at the moment?

I’m completing my third collection of poetry in Irish and working on a few other writing projects.

I have new poems forthcoming in The Waxed Lemon and The Ogham Stone.

Two of my English poems were highly commended in this year’s Desmond O’Grady International Poetry Competition.

MORE ABOUT POETRY DAY 

Poetry Day Ireland 2022 takes place tomorrow, Thursday, April 28. This year’s theme is ‘Written in the Stars’. Among the events running in Cork are:

Poetry in the Park, presented by Cork City Council Libraries, all day. Poetry will be recited by established and award winning poets, as well as emerging poets, at parks including Clogheenmilcon Walkway, Gerry O’Sullivan Park, The Marina, Fitzgerald’s Park, Tramore Valley Park and Ballincollig Regional Park. The programme brings poetry to people in their everyday lives, creating a sense of community, awareness and celebration of the vibrant literary life of Cork City.

Written in the Stars, presented by West Cork Literary Society tomorrow at 7.30pm in MacCarthy’s Bar, The Square, Castletownbere. Writers are invited to share and discuss poems of their own that reflect this year’s theme.

Painting Poetry Exhibition, by poet and artist Steph Sheahan, tomorrow, from 6.30pm to 9pm, 4 Tuckey Street, Cork City. A colourful showcase and graphic interpretation of a collection of Steph’s poetry through painting.

Open Mic presented by 49, North Street, Skibbereen, tomorrow, 11am - 1pm. There will be a 10-card Menu of Poems to take home. Rita Ann Higgins (formerly the People’s Pandemic Poet Laureate) curated the poems. Imelda May and others have made recordings of the poems, which will be featured at the event. A very special guest is Pol O’Colmain, poet and musician extraordinaire of the Working Artist Studios in Ballydehob.

Cork County Library also hosts events. Newmarket Librarian, Peter Keating, reads a selection of original poetry alongside works by other authors in Newmarket Library, today, Wednesday, while members of Mallow Library’s Creative Writing and Poetry Groups present poetry readings tomorrow, from 3pm-4.30pm.

See www.poetryday.ie for further information.