It’s been a busy year. . . 2019 has been the year I finally got to do two island writing residencies I’d been planning for some time – to Sointula on Malcolm Island (part of Vancouver Island) and to Limnisa in Greece. This was where, after a break from writing for a while to care for my folks, I finally finished my novel for children. I also got the chance to research my next children’s novel and to start writing my next book for adults.
Read MoreTwo years ago on return from holidays I found a small, nondescript plant in my flower bed. It wasn’t unusual for one of my folks to plant something in my garden while they were checking on the house, but I didn’t think it a particularly great spot, or much of a shrub at that, so I pulled it out and set it aside. A week or so later Dad mentioned in passing that he’d planted a peony for me while I’d been away. I was distraught! I’d only recently admired the stunning cerise pink peony in my parents’ garden and so he had bought one and planted it for me with little ceremony, as was his way.
Read MoreFor many years, I’d been regaling my nieces and nephews (the niecephews) with stories from my travels and about the wildlife I’ve been lucky to have encountered along the way. By far their favourite though are always the dolphins, who we regularly scan the seas for at home too. So it was, that I decided to take the niecephews to see the resident pod of bottlenose dolphins in the Shannon Estuary in West Clare. They LOVED it! And their Auntie had a ball too - so many beautiful dolphins swimming in all directions around our boat..
Read MoreI had a wonderful time speaking to the pupils of St Ronan's novel-reading group, who so kindly invited me to their school in Clondalkin to talk to them about whales. They had been reading Why the Whales Came a novel for children by Michael Morpurgo, and were interested to learn more about my interactions with whales around the world. We also talked about the many threats facing wild whales and dolphins including overfishing, boat strikes, pollution and captivity for entertainment.
Read MoreI was invited to TV3 to talk about books with Sinead Desmond on the Ireland AM morning show. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the panel discussion on books by Meghan Daum and my own novel. The Songbird’s Way.
Read MoreIn 2007 I took a trip to the Arctic Circle to photograph killer whales. The setting in the Norwegian fjords was incredibly beautiful and I found myself profoundly moved after coming eye-to-eye with one of these magnificent creatures.
Read MoreI was delighted to be invited by Newstalk presenter, Orla Barry to take part in this Green Room panel discussion in January 2014. I formed a panel with fellow authors Niamh Boyce and Paul Lynch - we had a lively and enjoyable chat with to Orla about our writing processes and I talked about my path to publication for The Songbird’s Way.
Read MoreDubray Books recently celebrated forty years serving the book readers of Bray , Co. Wicklow. Dubray are a fantastic book seller who give great support to local writers and authors, and so I was delighted to join Wicklow writers Sebastian Barry, Paul Howard, Cathy Kelly and many others to join in the celebrations and read a piece from The Songbird’s Way.
Read MoreA new book written by the Chief Executive of a developing Irish charity is partially based in Wicklow and features a number of references which will be familiar to readers, such as the Christmas Day swim Greystones beach.
Wicklow town and Brittas Bay also feature prominently in ‘Look into the Eye’, Jennifer Barrett’s debut novel.
Read MoreWhen my sister went to live in Australia earlier this year, I knew I would have to go visit, stopping off at Ningaloo Reef en route to cross off my number one Bucket List entry - photographing whale sharks underwater. But of course, visiting wild animals in their natural habitat, is never entirely straightforward. They rarely have the good grace to live right beside an international airport, with direct flights from Ireland and a range of low-cost, high quality hotels nearby. This expedition was no different . . . Still, I was on a mission – there were whale sharks to be swum with, and this lady was not for turning.
Read MoreAre we really in touch with the people we want to stay in touch with, or have we substituted quality friendships for the high quantity of social media and online ones? I decided to find out…
Read MoreIrish author and charity worker Jennifer Barrett is still very proud of her Kerry roots, with part of her new novel ‘The Songbird’s Way’ set on the family farm in Garfinny, outside of Dingle town.
Read MoreOh wow, what a night! Books, Songbirds, good friends and family, great pub session, sing-off between the choir and the visiting South African rugby supporters, lots of bodhran-playing and all ending up by dancing on the seats!
Read MoreI wrote the book for all of those who are different or who may be struggling to fit into society’s view of what’s conventional. The story is inspired by the writing of Joseph Campbell who encouraged people to ‘follow your bliss’ and by Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.
Read MoreNow! With that one word, we slipped quietly off the side of the small zodiac speedboat and into the freezing arctic waters below . . . As I slipped into the water, I was filled with nervous excitement and anticipation, which thankfully distracted me from the extreme cold.
Read MoreI had been dreaming of this night for so long and it didn’t disappoint! It was wonderful to see so many people along to the launch of Look into the Eye as part of the Dublin Book Festival. We quickly sold out of books which was amazing!
Read More‘Get to it!’ was the slogan for the 2009 Dublin Book Festival, and the picture that went alongside featured a boat with a sail of pages, flying seagull books and a whale’s tail fluke. It was eighteen months since I’d started writing Look into the Eye, my first novel with a whale of a sub-theme, and I was beginning to lose faith that I would ever finish writing it. So I cut out the festival advertisement and hung it beside my bedroom mirror. Every day I would look at the picture, seeing it as motivation to Get to my desk and write.
Read MoreFor years, I made a calendar of family photographs. The first one was in 2008, and I made it especially for my grandmother, making copies for my folks and my uncle. Sadly, my grandmother died suddenly the very morning the calendar arrived by post - she never got to see it. I’ve long wished I’d sent it just one day earlier - I know she would have been amazed at the new technology that made it possible to personalise a calendar with family photographs.
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