Mise (Me): Drawing From the Well

Sometimes when you live abroad, the alien nature of where you’re located can come in at you from the side. Sometimes it’s incremental – particularly if you’re living in an English-speaking culture that’s not too different from Ireland – sometimes a bit less so. It’s at such times the homesickness kicks in, a kind of… Read more »

Who was Liath Luachra?

Over the years, I’ve had many people ask whether the woman warrior Liath Luachra was a real person, that’s to say whether she was based on a ‘real’ character from ‘Irish mythology’ or not. I figured I’d explain that today. Liath Luachra – the woman warrior – originated as a character from one of my… Read more »

Mise: The Bird Messenger

(Image source: James Barker at freedigitalphotos.net) [two_third_last] A funny thing happened to me on the way to this office this morning. That, in itself, is quite peculiar. My office – a basement separate from the rest of the house – is, literally, ten steps down from my front door. Anyway, there I was enjoying the sun,… Read more »

Stories: Death on the Mountain

Benbulben or Binn Ghulbain in Irish (the Peak of Gulbain) is a substantial piece of rock that dominates the country north of Sligo. I was lucky enough to catch it on a clear day and had the time to sit back and stare at it. It truly is an impressive chunk of granite. Like many… Read more »

Stories: Dancing on the cliffs

  One of the reasons I return home as often as I do is to collect stories, snippets of songs or local folklore that provide plot ideas or concepts for books I’m writing. Recently, I was out visiting Rathlin Island off the Northern Ireland coastline (offshore from Ballycastle) and came across a particularly striking ‘local… Read more »

Folklore: Stone Confessions

Actually, I have a bit of a confession to make. I am not proud … But the truth is … I am a closet stone freak, a Dolmen nerd. Oh, yes! Stone circles, standing stones, cairns, barrows, hillforts. If I had my way, I’d be out there clambering all over them every weekend, grabbing photos,… Read more »

Words into the Void

Starting a blog and releasing a post is a bit like throwing a stone into the bush. You never really know if you’ve hit anything. Until some angry farmer with a head wound comes striding out, threatening you with a very large stick!! Hopefully this won’t be the case with this blog. This blog is dedicated to… Read more »