Patricia’s Blog

 

Women and the Achill Mission Colony

Sep 7, 2015 | Comments Off on Women and the Achill Mission Colony

Earlier this year I was back in Achill for my favourite arts festival, the Heinrich Boll Memorial Weekend where one of the themes was the Achill Mission Colony and I was delighted to give a talk on the role of women at the Colony. A version of this paper has now been published in the online publication…

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Following in an Artist’s Footsteps

Jun 27, 2013 | Comments Off on Following in an Artist’s Footsteps

Interesting collaborative arts project following in the footsteps of Paul Henry in Achill and Connemara. Welcome.

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Guided Around The Great Western Greenway

Feb 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Guided Around The Great Western Greenway

Iris Galloway, in her guide to the The Great Western Greenway – ‘the longest off-road walking and cycling trail in Ireland’ – expresses the hope that her book will enhance the experience of this unique trail for walkers and cyclists. She succeeds admirably in her aim by welding together history, folklore, rich information on the…

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Achill Island a Century Ago

May 21, 2012 | Comments Off on Achill Island a Century Ago

  Achill Island 1912: A Microcosm of Swirling Political Movements.

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A Feast of Arts in Achill

Apr 24, 2012 | Comments Off on A Feast of Arts in Achill

Literary readings, three book launches, an illustrated lecture on ‘Women Artists on Achill’ by Catherine Marshall, and a guided walk on the nearby Clare Island, all feature in this year’s Heinrich Böll Memorial Weekend on the May bank-holiday weekend. The book launches include Gisela Holfter’s Heinrich Böll and Ireland, which charts the Nobel Prize winning author’s connections…

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The Great Western Greenway – A Train Route Bookended by Tragedy

Apr 16, 2012 | Comments Off on The Great Western Greenway – A Train Route Bookended by Tragedy

They say it is now ‘the largest off-road walking and cycling trail in Ireland’. The 42km Great Western Greenway stretching from Westport through Newport and Mulranny to Achill Island is proving to be a wonderful draw for walkers and cyclists alike. The trail follows the path of the disused line of the Midland Great Western…

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Making Facts Dance

Apr 5, 2012 | Comments Off on Making Facts Dance

My piece in the current edition of Writing.ie here describes the path I travelled in writing my nonfiction book The Veiled Woman of Achill and the challenge of staying true to the facts of the story while building a compelling narrative around the 1894 dark events at the Valley House, Achill.    

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Outrage on Achill

Mar 27, 2012 | Comments Off on Outrage on Achill

Outrage on Achill. Delighted to get this review of The Veiled Woman of Achill by Aine Ryan in the Mayo News:     

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Rain that is Absolute, Maginificent and Frightening: Heinrich Boll’s Ireland

Mar 19, 2012 | Comments Off on Rain that is Absolute, Maginificent and Frightening: Heinrich Boll’s Ireland

Heinrich Boll in Ireland | Melville House Books. Melville House included Heinrich Boll’s Irish Journal in their book bundle for Saint Patrick’s Day. Boll’s book includes a wonderful sentence about Irish rain: ‘The rain here is absolute, magnificent, and frightening. To call this rain bad weather is as inappropriate as to call scorching sunshine fine weather.’ Irish Journal covers…

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Walk in Paul Henry’s Achill Footsteps

Mar 1, 2012 | Comments Off on Walk in Paul Henry’s Achill Footsteps

You can walk in the footsteps of the artist Paul Henry, following the shoreline from Dooagh to Keel, as part of the May bank-holiday Achill Walks Festival. There are a half-dozen walks, some on the island, some on the north-west Mayo mainland in Ballycroy National Park and the Nephin mountain range. A century ago Paul…

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