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Next Friday, March 8, I will be voting for the first time in Ireland, an honor and a privilege — and quite honestly beyond exciting. I have been waiting for this day since I received my Irish citizenship papers in 2018, thanks entirely to Ireland-born grandfather Thomas John McDermott. And certainly, I have been itching to be inside a voting booth since I arrived in Ireland in April, 2020. Among the many differences between the American and Irish voting systems, elections for local and national seats occur every 5 years instead of every 2 or 4, so I’ve been waiting quite some time! You know, … Continue Reading

A Fur Person must be adopted by catly humans, tactful, delicate, respectful, indulgent; these are fairly rare, though not as rare as might be supposed. May Sarton, ‘The Fur Person’ “Hello, my darlings,” Rhona Lucas says in that silly singsong voice we all adopt when speaking with animals. “How are you?” Her darlings come from hither and thither when they hear her, some standoffish ones just taking a look, others ready for a stroke behind the ear, occasionally a snuggle, always drawn (let’s be fair here) to the promise of food. Cats and kittens, of all ages, many abilities, various levels of wellness, gargantuan and … Continue Reading

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to. Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings The inestimable Bilbo Baggins knew a thing or two about stepping onto the road. Despite protestations to the contrary, he decided as a middle-aged hobbit to take off with a bunch of dwarves he never met and a wizard he hadn’t seen since childhood. Along the way, he tricked a dragon, out-riddled a creature, confounded an Eleven king (not easily accomplished), hobnobbed with a shape-shifting man/bear and … Continue Reading

We looked for all the world like turtles, hunched over close to the ground. In our hands were tiny, sharp trowels, which we scraped, scraped, scraped carefully over rocky ground. Every once in a while, someone would straighten up, hand outstretched, eyes bent on something in the palm. “What did you find?” a person nearby inevitably called, and perhaps others would join in. Heads would lift up. Thus was the rhythm of the days at an archaeological dig in the heart of the Burren here in County Clare in early May. A “community excavation” coordinated by the local land trust, it involved people the likes … Continue Reading

“Bil-qatra I-gatra timtela l-garra,” a Maltese proverb tells us. “Drop by drop, the pot fills up.” And so it was when I visited Malta. Each day, a new experience, new knowledge, new awe until by the end of my time there, I felt quite full – still realizing there remains ample room in the pot for further drops. I guess a sign of any good holiday is the notion that you’d like to return, and that’s certainly true for me. I find I have a certain perspective when I travel. I am more interested in learning about culture and history, less interested in vacation pursuits … Continue Reading

This is a tale of resilience, of a 66-year-old man who has endured the heart-wrenching sorrow of loss recently and knows what it is to live with uncertainty, yet one who loved and was loved in return and now is ready to open his heart to more of love’s potential. It is also a tale of persistence, of a woman who by all yardsticks lived a difficult and hardscrabble life, working menial jobs in and around 20th century Dublin, who had to know hers was not a fit life for a child.  It’s a tale worth telling, and it’s my honor to share it with … Continue Reading