inclusion

  • The Heart of a Town

    A town has a heartbeat, just like a person. We forget that. Towns, like bodies, can grow tired, scared, or quiet. They can grieve. They can lose their pulse if not tended to. In Ireland, many towns once thriving now move more slowly. Shops have closed, meeting places stand empty, and there is a sense

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  • Stories of people

    Stories of people

    As part of a project led by Leitrim Libraries around “Griefs Broken Brow” I have been leading a project called “A Cabinet of Curiosities” with two local schools. As part of my visit to Mohill National School, I met a group of 6th class students. The project was designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and a sense

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  • Starting Secondary School: Navigating Second Year, Being Yourself, and Building Community Through Kindness

    As the end of summer ushers us into the start of a new school year, many of us are feeling that familiar mix of excitement and nerves—especially those returning for their second year of secondary school. For many young people, this can be a year of trying to figure out where you fit in, who

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  • New Beginnings

    New beginnings/transitions by the door/landmark moments It has begun. The planning and shaping of a routine. The passing of a new season, a new start, a new beginning. Photos by the door, copy books, pencils, a new pencil case and a brand new school bag.  The first day of school. Early to bed and early

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  • My darling girl

    In search of a sense of place A story of difference. A child, unsure and shy of herself. She covers her face in moments of pride, embarrassment and uncertainty. I see so much of myself in her, yet there is something new about this girl. It is said that the act of care influences behaviours,

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  • B12 and memory

    B12 and memory

    I began writing this Blog Chapter in the early part of 2021. It became lost in a sea of activity and memory. I have updated it, cut it, pasted parts of it and deleted a lot of it. A lot like my new home and my memory. Here it is in its true form with…

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  • Extend and Make Room

    Extend and Make Room

    The final residential for the Extend programme took place a few weeks ago in Leeds. It was a chance for the cohort of 2019 to come together one last time. As a group we shared stories about our lives as well as the progress of our group enquiries. We debated, talked openly and reflected on

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  • What should I tell my daughter?

    Books. Books are good. If I cannot figure out a way to answer or help my daughter, I buy a book for us both to read and talk about. I know more about dinosaurs then when I was 7 years of age, and I know more now about precipitation and marginal gains than I ever…

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  • Are there any violins?

    Are there any violins?

    Finding yourself in music engagement.

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  • The language of democracy in the arts

    How much of our relationship with language and democracy within the arts is shaped by our funders and the policies that we create to manage ourselves? “EVERYONE is so goddamnit hard to reach!” I remember one artist saying to me after a long exhausting day.

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