D'éalaínn as scoile agus dul siúl trasna na bpáirceanna agus cluainte trasna sruthanna agus bóithríní. Anois tugaím míle buíochais do Dhia a breith ag siúl Mo Dhúiche i mo post, an tír a thaiscéal agus a háiteanna folaithe go léir. Go fíor chaill mé blianta de meánscoil agus d'thogaínn madraí ar siúlta, plandaí nua, crainn Darach agus línte feá fómharach álainn agus fothraigh de na bPlandálaí a fháil, anois ligtear chun bheith lúibíní glas coille álainn faoi bhallaí. Mhothaigh mé grá mór don Dúiche nádúrtha agus a ndaire agus sruthanna beag a bhí amuigh taobh mo chúldorais agus leannann sé léi gan aird at bith a tabhairt ar ár ndíth céille neamhbhuan. Bhí na plandaí ansin riamh sólás a tabhairt domsa agus chuir sé i gcuimhne domsa go bhfuil saol níos síoraí ann ná an domhan daonna. Thaibhsigh na luí na gréine thar Clár Clocháin, na féilte de dearcáin agus meas feá agus a bpotéinsiúl muid a bheathú fónta dom agus lig sé liom chun smaoineamh go difriúil ná is mo ndaoine. Lig an grá seo agus an meallacacht seo liom don domhan thar daonna síos slí bheatha i bhfad óna rudaí coitanta a mhothaigh mé díbheartach leis. Bhí siúl agam áit i bhfad ón gealtacht den domhain daonna agus a néaróis áisteach go léir. Mhothaigh mé a bhí mo chroí i Nádúr go hiomláin. Back féidir lion a bheith mé féin i measc na daoine a mhothaíonn an slí chéanna. Bhí an aer úr, uigeachta de gach rud i Nádúr chomh saibhir ná na rudaí éadrom agus na seomraí múchta de vine daonna. Ba breá liom coláiste agus an slí a thugann sé deiseanna a obair taobh amuigh i bpost. Mothaím faoi dheireadh go bhfuil an rothar ar an long de mo shaol at stiúradh sa treo ceart. Táim ag leanadh in ealaín agus filíocht a chéiliúradh an domhan nádúrtha agus mo shinsear, níos fearr a dhéanamh le gach uile pictiúr agus mo stíl féin le gach uile stríoc. Rinne Nádúr maith dom, sholáthair sí mise le cuan is dídean nair ba cosúil le uilig caillte. Glac sí mise and thaispeáin an slí a mhairfinn saol éifeacht agus mé gan cairde básmhar. Anois aithnim go bhfuil an domhain soghníomhach de Nádúr bheith anseo go deo mo chiall iontais a cothú agus ciall gaoil lena míolta, daonna agus gach uile sórt eile. Mothaím faoi oibleagáid a iad a chosaint. Tá cearta diaga acu le saoirse gan saothrú.
I measc an luachair agus na driseacha a fhaigheann tú mise.
I used to escape from school and go walking over the fields and meadows across streams and long forgotten boreens. Now it is my blessing to have walking Mo Dhúiche as my job, exploring the land and all of it's secret places. I actually missed years of secondary school and would take our dogs walking discovering wild plants and ancient oaks, lines of beautiful autumnal beech and ruins of the planters, now let become beautiful green walled-in arbours. I felt such a love for this natural landcape and its oaks and wee streams which existed outside my back door and carries on with scant regard for our short-lived human nonsense. The wild plants were always there to comfort me and remind me that there was something more eternal than the human world. The sunsets over Clorcloghan, the bounties of acorns and beech mast and their potential to feed us left an impression on me and led me to think differently than most. This love and fascination for the world beyond the human led me down a lifepath away from the mainstream where I felt like a perpetual outsider. I wished for a place apart from the madness of the human world and all its strange neuroticisms. I felt that in Nature my heart belonged most fully. I could be myself among those who felt the same way. The fresh air, the textures of everything in nature were so much richer than the superficial objects and stuffy rooms of mankind. I loved college and how it gave me opportunities to work outdoors fulltime. I feel at last the wheel on the ship of my life is steering in the right direction. I am leaning into art and poetry that celebrates the natural world and my ancestors, getting better with every painting and developing my own style with every stroke. The Natural world has been so good to me, provided me with a haven and refuge when all seemed lost. She took me in and showed how I could live a meaningful life even when I thought I had no mortal friends. Now I know the bountiful world of nature will always be there to nurture my sense of wonder and sense of kin with her creatures, human and every other type. I feel bound to protect them. They have divine rights to freedom from exploitation.
Among the rushes and brambles you can find me.
