About Me
Welcome to my website.
Born in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland in the mid-1950s I have always felt deeply connected to and interested in the place. Our family hardware and pub business was located in Dominick Street, a dynamic and lively neighbourhood in which to grow up.
My career choice as a nurse and midwife gave me the opportunity to travel to Zambia where I was based in Monze Mission Hospital for a number of years before returning home to work again in Mullingar in a number of healthcare management positions.
Now retired and living on the outskirts of town, I am a graduate of the Maeve Binchy Writers Course in the National College of Ireland, author of two books (“Suitcase Number Seven” & “Snappin’ Twine“) and developer of the family board game ActiVacation®.
My Work
Snappin’ Twine
A collection of verses and vignettes
‘Snappin’ Twine‘. (October 2024) This collection of verses and vignettes charts the impact of some of the women of 1960s Mullingar – mainly Dominick Street.
The stories, which are told from a child’s perspective, are about independent female role models who made significant contributions to the business and social life of the town and inspired several generations, right up to the current day.
ActiVacation®
A board game for all ages
ActiVacation® is a certified, limited edition (500), travel-based board game which was released during the 2020 pandemic. The aim of the game is to get to the airport for a flight home before lockdown after an activity based vacation to every continent in the world. En route, players answer questions, buy, sell, barter and negotiate their way to a win. The limited edition sold out quickly but plans are afoot to develop a new, post-Covid edition.
Suitcase Number Seven
A rugby story with a difference
The fictional memoir ‘Suitcase Number Seven – a rugby story with a difference’ (2005) is a ‘warts-and-all’, moving, funny tale of life and sport which charts how my uncle, a gifted sportsman, Munster rugby captain Tom Cleary (1930–1997), slipped from a position of considerable esteem and ended his days living with his sister and family in Mullingar.