Things I’ve loved...

It’s been a big year, and like every year, it brings its twists and turns, challenges and delights. On the delight end of the line, here are a round-up of some of the books, films, places and learning spaces which I’ve loved in 2023.

Schull Library

Libraries are treasuries, and librarians are treasure keepers. We are so very fortunate to have the most wonderful librarian in our local Schull library, Alan, who is a guardian of mind and hearts, recommending books to idea wanderers in need of nourishment. (I also promised I'd put him top of my list, and I now hope he is suitably embarrassed/ chuffed!. You are brilliant Alan, and thank you for all you do for the community) 

Books

I dove into the magical world of Children's Books this year, and gravitated towards authors whose words straddle age categories, and genres. 

Katherine Rundell has proven to be a stellar delight, catering to the child in all of us. Impossible Creatures was both mythic and wondrous. I also I particularly loved The Golden Mole- a series of short pieces by impossibly wondrous creatures too, written for an older audience. Back in the kids worlds, The Wolf Rider's wolves and lead character of Fedora have also stayed travelling in my imagination, while Vita from The Good Thieves’ feisty spirit and verve added dimension to how young girls are characterised in fiction. I’m now looking forward to reading her book, Super Infinite, about the life of John Donne. Short Note: I am a big Rundell fan.

Another delightful discovery this year was the work of Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I relished the world of The Girl of Ink and Stars, while her two collaborations with her artist husband, Tom de Freston blew me away. Julia and The Shark and Leila and the Blue Fox, and the gothic descriptions in The Secrets of Bird and Bone. Her adult fiction book, The Mercies, is on my to be read list.

Philip Pullman's words have been filling my world with the possibilities of imaginal realms. I did not read his books growing up, and so am only coming to them now, which, while regretally late, is a gift to the imagination itself. I traversed the world of His Dark Materials, and, in audio versions, have been captivated by Michael Sheen's readings of The Book of Dust and my current listen, The Secret Commonwealth. 

And Wow. Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Road was hauntingly beautiful.

Other books which stood out for me this year included Feather, Leaf, Bark and Stone by the impeccably talented artist and writer Jackie Morris. It came at a time when I needed soul solace, and it snuck in under the covers of my darkness, offering balm and light. 

Jay Griffiths is both rebel and sage. A Love Letter from a Stray Moon was the poetic prose which straddles both, with the life of Freida Kahlo as the medium. Why Rebel is a powerful manifesto for protest.

Anna Jones, A Modern Way to Eat and One: Pot, Pan, Planet. I was in need of some new veggie inspiration, but these have been a total revelation. I even have a new found love of cauliflower. 

Anna Swir's poetry, Talking to My Body spoke to the mystery in ways other words have never reached.

Rich Rubin's The Creative Act, offered ways into the creative process, which opened it up to both the sacred and the beautifully ordinary, with a twist of zen. 

Music

Allison Russell has been on repeat (and I can't wait for her gig in Dublin in January)

And Aukai offered a sonic backdrop much of my writing this year. 

Film

Watching An Cailín Ciúin, The Quiet Girl on Cape Clear Island as part of the Fastnet Film Festival was a definite year highlight let alone a film highlight. 

American Symphony, a documentary which carries us into the exquisite and raw love shared between Jon Baptiste and Suleika Jaouad shows how even the hardest possibilities of love makes us expand. 

Swimming

I have spent many hours this year in, on and around water - as ever a place of enlivenment. A huge shout out to Sarah McKnight, swim coach (@sarahseaswimming (who literally takes a village to the water) @westcorksauna has also been a huge asset to our West Cork watery world. 

Thrive School

Over at Thrive School, it has been a year of much facilitation, teaching, collaboration and learning. Grateful to having some brilliant co-conspirators in particular, The Brave Lab, Stand/ Suas, and Global Action Plan International, and for my work in Trinity College Tangent, UCD Innovation Academy, Dublin City Council, Jigsaw- The National Centre for Youth Mental Health, and The European Commission. 

Travels

Over in Oxford I was impressed with how The Pitt Rivers Museum is examining its colonial legacy and making more transparent efforts to narrate a more nuanced history of how their collection of archaeological artefacts have come to be. 

While over in Amsterdam I loved the sensory explorations and interminglings of their 'Everything is Connected' exhibition

Also cycling in Amsterdam! A city which does bike infrastructure properly (please take note Dublin, and Cork, and... ) 

Learning Spaces

I found myself both hosting and participating in many various and powerful learning spaces this year. 

The Wolf Willow's Imaginarium, hosted by Vanessa Reid and co, highlighted new ways to navigate complexity through engaging with our intuitive and sensory selves. And Kaos Pilot and L&S Shakers, offered insight into using facilitative tools for progressive dialogue. I loved the panels Kerri Ni Dochartaigh curated for Climate Action Day in Dun Laoighre. 

Grateful also to the team and my classmates at Kingstown College, Dublin, where I completed a Professional Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring.

In my own hosting, the Poetry Salon, continued to shape, inspire and nurture offering a poetic sanctuary in a turbulent world. The Intentional Year cohort, offered a rhythmic way to check in with our deeper selves, while Writing Wild, brought us the wild edged in ourselves, and the natural world. Looking forward to lots more in 2024

Friendships- human and more than human. 

I have listed many resources in this post, but perhaps the ones I have loved the most is the network of friends, human and more than human, that circle and enrich my life many folds over. From the little robin who visited my front door daily for months on end, to the four-legged woof whose companionship is bordering obsessive, to the many wise, funny and supportive friends, near and far, who inspire me, guide me, pick me up, and travel this creative - if sometime circuitous- road, I want to say, thank you, thank you, thank you. 

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Hello. I'm Clare

I'm a writer, educator and facilitator, living in beautiful West Cork, Ireland. I love to share resources and learning to help harness the regenerative power of words, place and story. I hope my work offers nourishment for mind and soul. Thank you for being here. Clare x

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