Person to Person: 'Reading fiction allows me to shut off completely'

Tell us about yourself; I’m a writer with two poetry collections published with the Gallery Press: Raised Among Vultures (2022) and Chic to be Sad (2025), supported by literature bursaries from the Arts Council. Raised Among Vultures won the Southword Debut Collection Poetry Award and Chic to be Sad was shortlisted for the Farmgate National Poetry Award.

Where were you born? I’m from Lismore, Co. Waterford.

Where do you live? Ballincollig, Cork.

Family? I live with my partner, Mike Ryan. I have two brothers, Paul in Blackpool and Michael in Barcelona, and my parents are Neil and Siobhán in Lismore.

Best friend? Mike Ryan.

Earliest childhood memory?

I don’t have a fantastic memory, so sometimes I feel like I remember what I saw on videotapes or photos more than what I actually remember. I remember pretending to be a horse and jumping over sticks laid out on chairs and buckets of paint in the garden. I remember playing with my grandmother Joan’s dolls, and I remember that before I got my tonsils out, I was told a doctor had bought me a Baby Born, but I have been told since then that my grandmother bought it.

Person you most admire? I admire many, many people and among them is Paul Casey, who set up and ran Ó Bhéal for 18 years.

Person who most irritates you? Probably myself.

Where was your most memorable holiday? I spent a lot of my summers in Clonea, Dungarvan, where I was close with Sheila Naughton, who I now have the privilege of hearing on RTÉ Radio 1. Those memories are filled with bodyboarding, going viciously fast on the roundabout, and playing ‘the ground is lava’. They’re also filled with barbecues, fresh strawberries, and setting up little shops where we resold jellies from Gordon’s shop.

Favourite TV programme? Hmmm, I just finished The Testaments, which I loved. I can’t wait for season 2!

Favourite radio show? I think Kieran Cuddihy taking over Liveline was a fantastic move! I find him really clever and quick. I also love podcasts; notably I’m Grand Mam, Catch Up with Louise McSharry, and Red Raw with Rob Heffernan and Laura O’Mahony.

Your signature dish if cooking? I’m not a great cook; I love a slow cooker meal because it’s like a gift from an earlier self. I’d make a bolognese or a chicken curry. Mike makes the best chilli ever, so I put my energy into convincing him to cook.

Favourite restaurant? The Farmgate has been super-supportive of poets in Cork, so it has to be them. Also, I had breakfast there recently, and it was amazing. I’m a fan of the Glass Curtain too, and Miyazaki.

Last book you read? I’m really lucky to have my hands on a proof of Alvy Carragher’s next poetry collection, The Only Fear I’ve Ever Had Is Standing Still. Carragher is an incredible poet. This collection, I reckon, will be groundbreaking for Irish poetry.

Best book you read? Perhaps the poetry of Leanne O’Sullivan has affected me the most, and A Quarter of an Hour is the collection I’m most drawn to now.

Last album/CD/download you bought?

I’ve been listening to Jungle’s new album, Sunshine, which brings me great joy.

Favourite song? CMAT, Have Fun!

One person you would like to see in concert? David Byrne. My parents went to see him in Dublin, but I was at Stewart Lee in the Opera House. There are so many good things to see!

Do you have a pet No, but my partner’s dog, Penny, lives on his family’s farm, and she’s the closest I’ll get to a pet, she’s a dote.

Morning person or night owl? Morning person, for sure. I love the quiet and the coffee. I also love breakfast. Saturday morning, provided I’ve not been drinking the night before, is my favourite time in the week.

Your proudest moment? Hmmm, I think I’ll always be proud of myself for recovering from an eating disorder, which isn’t a moment but more of a life’s work.

Spendthrift or saver? Saver. I have to be. Ireland is so depressingly expensive. I’ve become skilled at finding things second-hand.

Name one thing you would improve in your area in which you live? The high cost of housing and the view of housing as an asset instead of a human right. We rent in Ballincollig. We could never afford to buy here. We are lucky to be here at all.

What makes you happy? Reading fiction allows me to shut off completely. I’m finishing The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride, and I love it so much. I’ve also been going to Comedy Cavern at Coughlans and enjoying it loads. I miss The Crawford a lot and can’t wait for its return. I also love good coffee and am partial to a little trip to Wunderkaffee in Farran.

How would you like to be remembered? As kind, perhaps, as funny, as a bit weird, maybe hard-working and dedicated to literature, as supportive to my peers. I’m messy and a bit silly and chaotic in many ways; I don’t mind if people remember that too.

What else are you up to at the moment? I

I’m excited to head to Kinsale Literary Festival on October 4 to read alongside Jennifer Horgan and Eamon O’Leary at the local voices event at Prim’s Bookshop from 11 am. Prim’s is such a cool location, and I’ve been lucky to read with the fantastic Jennifer Horgan before, whose collection, Care, I really recommend. I’m looking forward to hearing from Eamon O’Leary’s I’m a Big Boy Now.

The Words By Water festival promises four days of conversation, storytelling, ideas and celebration in Kinsale this October, and is supported by Cork County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland.

Tickets and the full programme are available at www.wordsbywater.ie.