Patricia’s Blog

 

Her eyes were not exactly blue or grey: Short Story First Lines

Sep 28, 2010 |

This is the first sentence of a new short story: ‘Her eyes were not exactly blue or grey.’ Alisa Cox – she who wrote the writer guide  Writing Short Stories – has recently posted this (and three more sentences) of a new story on her blog. It whets the appetite and leaves me frustrated since I’ll have to buy the…

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Human Chain and Butts on Mullaghmore

Sep 6, 2010 |

In the week that Seamus Heaney’s Human Chain was published,  four of us – me, Joan, Deirdre and Mary – wound our way along the blue waymarked path around Mullaghmore in the Burren.  The heat of the day was blunted by a lively breeze and Mary asked us, Did you hear Seamus Heaney on the radio this morning…

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Books on Writing: my well-thumbed half-dozen

Aug 29, 2010 |

I have a full shelf of Books on Writing and still buying. I had a few goes at making this selection, ended up with ten books, then had another go to get it down to the half-dozen I’m allowing myself. Along the way the criterion I used was this: which books have I reached across…

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An Accidental Gatherin’ of Mollycewels an’ Atoms: Sean O’Casey’s Dublin

Aug 17, 2010 |

Sean O’Casey was in the air for me at the week-end. I had tickets for The Plough and the Stars at the Abbey on Saturday evening and woke to find the Irish Times magazine had a reproduction of poster by American artist Owen Smith for the new production of The Silver Tassie by Druid Theatre.…

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Literary things to do in Erris

Aug 5, 2010 |

There are a host of literary things to do in Erris – the area in the north-west corner of County Mayo, Ireland, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. A thrilling place for the literary inclined. Here are a half-dozen suggestions of things to do and texts to read: Read Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Belderg’ at the Ceide Fields – the most extensive…

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A Nation agog with Molly Allgood: In Synge’s Footsteps in North Mayo

Jul 25, 2010 | Comments Off on A Nation agog with Molly Allgood: In Synge’s Footsteps in North Mayo

Ireland is agog with her – with Molly Allgood. What would she have thought if she had even the faintest imagining that her name would be flying around the nation on the airwaves, on the web, in rooms and libraries where book club members gather in 2010? It seems that Joseph O’Connor’s Ghost Light has made…

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Hands Moving at the Speed of Falling Snow – Aideen Henry Poetry Collection

Jul 7, 2010 | Comments Off on Hands Moving at the Speed of Falling Snow – Aideen Henry Poetry Collection

I’ve been reading Aideen Henry’s first poetry collection, Hands Moving at the Speed of Falling Snow (Salmon Poetry). We both attended the poetry workshops given by Mary O’Malley and Mick Gorman as part of NUI Galway’s MA writer programme. I have good memories of listening to Aideen read some of these pieces in a room that looked…

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Yesterday’s Newspaper Today

Jul 7, 2010 |

It’s seldom I don’t get to flick through the newspaper on the day I buy it. I’m afraid I’m not one for the online version. I have to feel the rub of the print ink on my fingers and the anticipation of what’s over the next crackling page. But last evening my fingers were black…

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