Adam's Apple

"No great story ever began with a salad" (Mind you, I am partial to salads, but that is another story). I come from a small island (Achill), on the west coast of Ireland - named after oaks and eagles and possibly a lost city (or two) - some say it doesn't really exist, that it is just a state of mind. But I grew up there, I met an alien and an Ollpheist (ask me if you are that curious) and although it was by times darker and more terrifying that Mordor , I magically survived to become a teacher, lawyer, poet, adventurer, artist, lobbyist, consultant, author, digital and motion graphics artist and possible film maker (I will godammit!).
I cleared out for a while and lived in Dublin and Galway (Ireland, of course), Montreal (Canada), Paris (France when I last checked) and London (the EU? maybe , maybe not...).
After practising as a solicitor (attorney) in Dublin for almost 10 years, I moved to Madrid in 2012, continuing to consult on human rights issues and in electoral observation and democratisation support. For the last 5 years, I have been most privileged to work mainly with the EU in various places around the world - Guinea (Boke to be precise), Koidu in Sierra Leone, Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cairo in Egypt. I spent a good part of 2015 in Les Cayes in Haiti and 2016 in Jordan.
Every step of the way, I've picked something up: half decent French, appalling Spanish, a mystically tolerant Argentine, a great art teacher, a frustrated guitar playing instinct and the odd illness. I have always been writing bits and pieces too and in recent years I have found particular pleasure creating screenplays – I think it is a visual thing. This is mostly where I rest my creative hat now, although, I have been lucky enough to have my poetry appear in several literary journals in Europe and the US and my artwork too has featured in a number of artist journals.
So what does it all mean? Ach, who knows! If I were to take a pot shot, I'd suggest the single greatest asset we humans have is our creativity and the more we work it, the more it works for us. At least that’s my story . . .