The Story Weaver

I’m looking forward to this event on Saturday in Cavan County Museum. This is the finale of the storytelling project I was lucky enough to have a place on…nice to be part of the advertisement too 📚📖📚

⭐️⭐️ Upcoming Class ⭐️⭐️

✨✨ South Armagh ✨✨

Really looking forward to getting back to the WALD Centre in Cullyhanna to deliver another six week creative writing course.

Places are limited and booking is essential…

Please register using the following form…

https://forms.office.com/r/jjjxae14PE

For payment use the link below…

https://paypal.me/rhpsa21

💚✍️

Don’t miss out - come along and say hello if you’re in the vicinity of Benburb where the Love Local Autumn Fair is underway 🧡🍁🍂

I will be here with my trusted helper Áine and you can buy poetry pieces, commission a unique, personalised occasion gift, find out about my speechwriting services or talk about the creative writing classes I have coming up over the next few months ✍️💜

Today is a poetry commission meeting day - one for a retirement and the other for a commemorative event.

If you have a wedding coming up, are celebrating a significant birthday or anniversary, having a baby shower or christening or want something to mark a special occasion for an organisation or someone within it I can help you to present them with the gift of their experiences in verse 💒🎂🎉👶🏆

I have also written in memoriam of those who have passed away as keepsakes for family so that the person’s life can be forever immortalised ❤️

This can be done for treasured pets too 🐾

I can do meetings in person or over zoom to discuss the details. I will make notes, help you to decide on a writing style and also organise graphics and printing in an all inclusive package.

I will be at the Love Local Mid Ulster Autumn Fair in Benburb this Sunday coming if anyone would like to have a look at my portfolio and work already completed.

If you’re stuck for a present or want something incredibly personal why not let me weave my magic to create a one off piece that can be displayed in the home or business as history in years to come.

To date I have worked with individuals, families, councils, history groups, sporting organisations and educational establishments to provide stand alone compositions for events.

Pictures capture images - words tell the story ✍️❤️

What a wonderful start to another set of creative writing classes in beautiful Benburb Priory today where Mother Nature lent us her muse and we were able to get outside and write in the sunshine!

Painting a Picture with Words was the name of the exercise and that took in nature writing, sensory imagery, vivid descriptions and mindfulness as we allowed thoughts and observations to ink the page in peace and tranquility!

And breathe ☀️✍️

Sure what else would we have been at on Friday 13th only rehearsing for a storytelling production based on the Celtic Festival of Samhain (Halloween) 💀🎃😈

This will be happening in Craic Theatre in Coalisland and I am thrilled to be joined on this adventure by my daughter Áine who will also be performing.

Please come along and support the cast and purchase your tickets to our act below.
We promise you a night of ghoulish delight when you take a seat at our show 🎭

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/craicartscentre

Delighted to be back in my favourite little guesthouse to deliver another six week creative writing course in Glaslough yesterday!

We used a visualisation prompt to ease ourselves back in, I was gifted a lovely bag of homegrown eating apples and had a walk afterwards.

The Castle Leslie estate is always beautiful but particularly so when the seasons are about to change and the sun is shining 🍂🧡

My happy place 🏡📚✍️

Really looking forward to being part of this event again this year!

The location is beautiful, the organisers amazing at what they do and the array of stallholders spectacular!

I will be unveiling some new poetry that can be purchased, on the day of the fair, for occasions or events…why not give someone you care about the gift of verse ✍️💜

Creative writing classes will also be starting again in the Happy Haven in Benburb on Wednesday the 18th September - what a lovely way to spend autumn mornings for six weeks ✍️🍂🍁🥮✍️

How I am feeling as summer ends and a new season begins where my diary is full of classes, new projects, the unveiling of work that was completed last year and lots of unexplored opportunities.

Let me be the shananigator and let the shananigans begin 😉✍️📚💚

A really lovely evening on Friday at the Women’s Wellness event which was held at The Space in the Market Square in Dungannon and organised by the lovely Sarah Logan from Inner happiness in conjunction with Dungannon Enterprise Centre. We had cookery and beauty demonstrations, stands and local business owners explaining their products and how they can help us.

It was our first stall of the season and as well as inviting people to have a look at my poetry commissions I was asked to speak about the link between creative writing and wellbeing.

As many of you already know this is a subject close to my heart and I got to talk about the workshops I deliver, what you can expect and how the written word can help to process trauma, speak about grief, express emotions creatively as well as letting go of negativity.

I spoke about short story writing, journaling, memoirs, scriptwriting, reminiscing and poetry and took everyone on a journey of how you can live the five steps to wellbeing through attending a class!

My courses can also be purely recreational and just for fun for those who simply want to learn to write but knowing about the advantages they can have on our emotional resilience is a bonus!

It doesn’t matter what age you are - we can all reap the benefits and I work with community groups, arts organisations, women’s circles, historical societies, charities, mental health hubs, over 60’s groups and schools - any queries don’t be afraid to give me a shout 📚✍️

I was privileged to be presented with my storytelling certificate on Friday night at an event in the beautiful round house at Bluebell Lane Glamping in Mullaghbawn, South Armagh.

Stephen O'Hara Storytelling was one of my tutors on the course, as well as being the guest artist for the evening, along with the renowned and amazing Liz Weir - Irish Storyteller who was my other mentor. The Bordertalks project was delivered in association with the Storytellers Of Ireland and Armstrong Storytelling Trust alongside the fantastic organisational skills and passion of the lovely Colleen Savage.

I missed out on getting my accreditation last month due to prior commitments but this couldn’t have worked out better or been more special.

When there, I performed on the night and told a story about Redmond O’Hanlon who had the title of being one of the most famous rapparees (highwaymen) in Ireland. He patrolled the mountains around Slieve Gullion and Poynzpass, protected his people and also trained Shane Bernagh Donnelly who had a similar role high above ground around Altmore and Cappagh which is in the vicinity where I live.

You may think that this was the crux of my story but it’s actually a little more extraordinary than that.

As an adopted child I was blessed with the most wonderful parents, but we all have a yearning to learn where we come from and when I traced my roots they took me back to Mullaghbawn which is where my birth mother lived and is buried.

My name when I was born was O’Hanlon and I am directly descended from Count Redmond who brought his skills to Galbally where I reside. I grew up hearing about Shane Bernagh’s chair never realising the significance until a few years ago.

They say that the threads of ancestry follow us and in my case they have brought me back to where it all started.

It is no wonder I feel such an affinity for South Armagh and her people and why I gain such peace from being there and enjoy working there so much. Slieve Gullion, in particular, holds a special place in my heart and I like to think I carry that warrior spirit in me when I’m treading the same land my birth mother did.

In the lyrics of a song written by Tommy Makem:-

“T’was back in 1681 when Count O’Hanlon died.
And still along Slieve Gullion’s slopes they speak of him with pride.

And anyone will tell you from Rathfriland to Forkhill.
That in the silence of the night you’ll hear him riding still.”

✍️💛🐎💚📚✍️

🌟 Event on Friday 30th August 🌟

Don’t miss out on this wonderful evening of relaxation, rejuvenation and insight into how you can make time for yourself and bring wellness into your life!

✍️ I will be there speaking about the benefits of creative writing and how it can become part of your wellbeing routine if used in the right way! You can also get more information about the Story Weaving classes I have coming up in the Autumn / Winter months and learn about the other writing services I provide. ✍️

Come along, say hello, visit some of the stalls on offer, watch the demonstrations that include cookery and skincare and listen to our amazing speakers who will be talking about everything from mindfulness, self-care and nutrition to menstrual health, holistic therapies and gaining balance in your life!

🌟 See you all in The Space @ The Market Square in Dungannon from 6 - 8pm 🌟

Sometimes you just need the dull roar of the ocean to calm your mind, soothe your soul and rejuvenate your spirit. Walks on the beach have always been a source of joy for me and the call of the wild gets my creative juices flowing with ideas!

It will come as no surprise, therefore, that the story I’m writing at the moment will feature a few scenes by the sea.

Isn’t Mother Nature powerful, wonderful and an amazing muse for the artists among us ✍️🌊

It has been a difficult few weeks. There have been various challenges and heartbreak and when these arise we try to make sense of them in whatever way we can and for me this happens through writing.

I was at the funeral of a very special lady on Saturday and as a tactile person who needs things to hold I bought an angelic figurine, a rose quartz crystal and a mindfulness journal in her memory.

Within these pages I intend to:-

💚 Look around me and become acutely aware of the small things that are actually the big things.

💚 Give thanks for the wonderful family and friends I have in my life who love me and show it.

💚 Immerse myself in gratitude that I am lucky enough to do a job I love and appreciate the amazing opportunities I’m offered and value the people I meet through my work (who become friends like the beautiful soul in question❤️)

💚 Sit in nature and allow my senses to guide me to notice everything through the transformation of the seasons and breathe it in.

💚 Make time and space to record emotions and feelings and perfect the art of ‘letting go’.

💚 Reflect, gain clarity, learn from the past and manifest change for myself.

💚 Create my own affirmations with words that I want to live by.

May you rest in peace Deborah and may your kindness, compassion and love of the arts and the natural world inspire us all to be a little more mindful every day ❤️✍️

One of the things I love most about my work is the people I am privileged to meet, the stories they tell and the pieces of writing they complete which means they share a part of themselves with me.

Deborah, it was a pleasure to know you and I will never forget our nights in Mullyash and your friendship since then!

Your passion for history and your love of the area you lived in and its community and people shone through in everything you talked about and did and your legacy will live on through your commitment and words.

May you rest in peace beautiful lady - you are a huge loss to so many of us 💔😔

I am counting myself as very blessed today and am thankful for all the new experiences, friendships and surreal moments that my work provides.

The very lovely Sarah Logan from Inner happiness and I discussed holding a retreat several months ago and between us we came up with a plan and ‘The Write Mind’ was born.

Creative writing and mindfulness have so much in common and complement each other delightfully in terms of supporting wellbeing and emotional resilience in a busy world where we can feel overwhelmed and disconnected! It also helps to put these things into practice when you can visit areas of outstanding natural beauty that draw out imagination and bring a desire to be at peace to the surface!

We held our event on Saturday in the wild, unspoilt and picturesque Bluebell Lane Glamping in Mullaghbawn, South Armagh and it surpassed every expectation we had!

There was an exquisite group of women in attendance all of whom brought their own gifts and through various exercises both in the wonderfully quaint ‘Round House’ and out in nature under the watchful eye of Slieve Gullion we all blossomed, connected, learnt and let go.

Sarah led our participants on a journey through visualisation, meditation and manifestation all of which focussed on relaxation, self-care and reflection. I spoke about the benefits of journalling, gave some sensory writing prompts and helped our attendees to create affirmations and pen letters! We then did some grounding work and went out into the great wide open underneath trees and mountains and let our landscape supply the muse for ‘painting a picture through words’.

Our meal was prepared and served by Eileen McKeown from Moreish Good Food in Moy and we would recommend her for any event as her menu was amazing and absolutely delicious!

We also couldn’t have asked for a better venue or a more accommodating host in Pádraig Carragher and the surroundings are a facilitator’s dream and the perfect backdrop for any type of artistic or restorative pursuits.

Goody bags were gifted which included some beauty products and a notebook and I was excited to unveil my brand new Story Weaver pens which I hope will inspire plenty of writing!

We’re already talking about what we’ll do next year….so watch this space!!

On a personal note - I spent the night there along with friends and got to watch the sun set and woke to see mist gather on mountain peaks yesterday morning and it is an experience I think everyone should have!

This land also has ancestral links for me as it was where my birth mother lived and where she is buried and it is incredibly special for me to be there doing what I love and sharing it with others.

In a world where we can be anything - let’s be kind to ourselves and those around us 💕🤗

In a field of weeds - let’s be wildflowers and encourage each other to grow 💐🌻🪻🌸🌼

And let’s use the tools we have to practice daily to get into and maintain ‘The Write Mind’ ✍️💚🪷🧘‍♀️

Once in a lifetime, if you’re lucky, a special person crosses your path and they provide you with experiences, words and feelings that stay with you wherever you go.

For me, this was my English teacher when I attended, what was then known as, St Joseph’s Convent Grammar School, in Donaghmore. Mrs Cooke also had me in form class and having her in that capacity was like taking your Mammy in with you, as she was so maternal, gentle and comforting in her ways.

She knew I loved books and writing and from an early stage encouraged me to have confidence in my abilities. English was always my favourite subject but she gave me another reason to look forward to it as her lessons were interactive, engaging and fun.

During five years together we covered Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations and comprehensions and compositions were explored. I discovered Seamus Heaney and Shakespeare, learnt language and technique, studied plays and I always liked poetry.

She nurtured my creativity, ignited my imagination, helped me to believe in myself and supported me in growing in all ways. At parent teacher meetings she said I had a gift and should use it and I listened!

Some years later my dreams came true and my first novel was published in 2009 and to my sheer delight it reached No. 6 in the Irish Paperback Fiction Charts making it a bestseller.

My old school invited me back for a wine and cheese evening and book signing, and, I wasn’t the only published writer in attendance, as my fellow author and Amazon chart topper, Emma Heatherington, also a past pupil, was there.

At that event we wanted to honour Mrs Cooke for everything she had done to influence us and to recognise her contribution to our success. Flowers were given, hugs dispersed, anecdotes shared and memories made.

Since then I met her on a handful of occasions and one evening she surprised me by being in the audience at a play I had written which was staged by CannyMan Community Arts in Galbally Community Centre.

Long after I left school and suffered loss or trauma Mrs Cooke found a way of being there for me and again became my compassionate form tutor.

We continued to communicate until her health declined but I always remembered what she told me and have tried to do her proud.

I attended her funeral on Saturday and sat and listened as her cousin, Bishop McKeown, recounted her care for her students, her love of learning and her passion for imparting knowledge. Next to her precious husband and children education was her second priority and what she was devoted to. I looked around at other former pupils, who, like myself, were filled with sadness but there to celebrate the life of an extraordinary lady who motivated, emboldened and left an everlasting imprint on us.

Gemma Cooke

4th August 1941 - 18th July 2024

Wife, mother, teacher, friend and inspirer of a thousand words may you rest in peace.

You are a big part of my story and I will carry you in my heart forever 💔❤️📚✍️

On the road again this morning and heading to meet two clients at different intervals for writing coaching today!

As well as facilitating groups I also work with individuals ✍️

If you are penning a novel and would like direction I can help you ✍️

If you would like to record memoirs and don’t know where to start I can provide pointers ✍️

If you would like to share your own story and chart your experience for therapeutic benefits as well as for the good of others I can give you assistance ✍️

Or if there is anything else you are interested in doing I’d love to hear about it ✍️

Don’t sit on ideas and hope for the perfect time to start - take this as your sign to act on them and let me help you to weave your story ✍️✍️

The pure joy of receiving a beautifully wrapped and signed book in the post from a very talented lady who has been so kind with her advice, time and encouragement of my work has brought me so much happiness this morning 💛🌻

This book was written by Anne McMaster and commissioned by the Garvagh and District Development Association to preserve a much beloved story from the area.

What a powerful way to pass on history and how wonderful to be able to support our local artists and give back to our own community ✍️💚

If anyone would like to order a copy drop an email to the lovely folk at [email protected] and you can look forward to your own journey with ‘Martha and the Vardo’ 🧡

Thank you Annie 🌹xx

It was only fitting to spend the last day of our little sojourn in Ballycastle which appeals to the folklorist in me!

This is where the Sea of Moyle sits between the Antrim coast and the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland where the Children of Lir were banished for 300 years as part of an incantation cast upon them. Legend says they would also spend 300 years on Lake Derrarvargh in Westmeath and finish their time on the Isle of Innis Glora.

They were turned into swans by their wicked and jealous step mother Aoife much to the enragement of their father who was King of the Tuatha Dé Dannan (a magical race translated as ‘the folk of the goddess Danu’). The boys in the family were called Aodh, Fiachra and Conn and there was also a daughter called Fionnuala! We are told that they loved to sing and that they found the water around the north coast to be the coldest (did they revisit in the summer of 2024 🥶🙄❄️)

When they came to serve the final part of their enchantment in Co. Mayo they befriended a monk who enjoyed their crooning on the water and the spell was broken when the bell of Christianity was rang and St Patrick arrived.

There are lots of books and different variations to the story that are worth looking up and passing on to our young to keep the mythology in Ireland alive!

From one Fionnuala to another…I salute you swan princess 🦢👑🦢

We Decide what we Sea…🌊💨🌈✨

Life is like a rough and rolling tide crashing on the rocks.
A wild and untamed symphony full of unexpected shocks.

Some waves bring joy and laughter and take us by surprise.
Others es**rt chaos in their wake as we helplessly try to align.

We can get carried along with the driftwood as the water meets the shore.
Or flail and kick in protest at being caught in the eye of a howling storm.

We can choose to see only darkness as the swell reaches its moody peak.
Or we can trust that there is a plan for us, and that, eventually, the gales will cease.

And take comfort from the people who surround us with love and provide shelter from the rage.
Who hold our hand and guide us forward and help us to turn the page.

I’ve learnt not to fight against it but, instead, to travel with the ebb and flow.
Knowing I will emerge stronger from the shadows and my rainbow will ignite an iridescent glow.

By Fionnuala Cassidy ©️

Photos taken on the latest North Coast adventure last night on a very wet and windy evening in Portstewart 🌊💨🌈

Words penned at 3am because I’m an eejit and inspiration can strike at any time and must be acted upon ✍️✨✍️

A busy morning editing and catching up with the lovely Eileen E Maguire from Madden Historical Group for a book we have been working on about the area which will be launched later this year!

“From listening to the stories of others, we learn to tell our own.”

Margaret Atwood

Yesterday I finished facilitating classes for the wonderful Westenders Community Group from the West Armagh Consortium. A fabulous collective who have produced the most beautiful pieces of work.

We covered developing stories using prompts, journaling, poetry and technique and to my absolute delight I also had those who were interested in script writing, which, as a playwright, is something I love to cover.

Happily, I know I’ll be seeing these lovely folk again and look forward to hearing more anecdotes and history from the area (and some not) along with the tea and craic which have been good for my soul too ❤️✍️