‘Learning in War-time’

I begin where I must, with a disclaimer: ‘Learning in War-time’ is a title coined by the great Irish writer…

Creative Conversations … with Hazel Southam

It’s that time of year when the days are longer and brighter, and the spring flowers and sunshine are inviting…

After all the preparations, after the slow waiting of Advent, Christmas Day has arrived. For some, this Christmas will be…

Somehow, back in January 2019, I missed the posting of a video by the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Somehow, this morning,…

November has been remarkable this year. For one thing, the foliage on the trees, now just beginning to gather in…

As far as dilemmas go, having to decide whether to take a short trip to Grasmere in the English Lake…

‘It’s you, blackbird, I love. I park, pause, take heed. Breathe. Just breathe and sit’ Seamus Heaney, from ‘The Blackbird…

As I write, it is the first day of October. One year ago exactly it was National Poetry Day, celebrating…

The secret is out: it has taken me a very long time to pluck up the courage to read Tolkien.…

There is something about the light of the sun and the lengthening of shadows over the last few days that…

From the natural arena of the splendid beach at Whitepark Bay, a path moves eastwards through quiet stretches of sheep…

There are three routes that I know of that lead to the windswept arc of fine sand at Whitepark Bay.…

One of the best ways to admire the jewel-coloured glories of the fuchsia bushes that grace the North Coast is…

There is something otherworldly about mist. On this July afternoon, the hottest ever recorded in our part of Ireland, it…

There is no better time to cycle along the Aird than mid July. We set out in the early afternoon,…

Summer is my favourite time of year. I enjoy the earthy colours of Autumn too. And I acknowledge the particular…

This year in County Antrim, Spring has been wonderful, with a welcome introduction of freshness and colour. Yet she seems…

It is Easter Saturday. The sun is shining on this quiet day of waiting between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.…

In the beautiful Spanish language, a language close to my heart, the word Primavera can be used to translate our…

A friend asked me recently if there was a place where the pieces that I write might be found gathered…

It’s mid December, and the duties of a long, demanding semester have finally come to an end. I’m sitting quietly…

I know that many of you were inspired by the first Creative Conversation featured here on Writing Home, when I…