Peonies in Amsterdam

Peonies in Amsterdam

Is it just me or is life flying by these days? It seemed like there were 107 days in January and, all of a sudden, it's June. The main highlight for me in my writing life during May was my reading of Love, Lycra and Tattoos in Amsterdam, along with the publications of some prose pieces/memoirs in Ireland's Own.

Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities with its amazing architecture, its creative and easy-going vibe. The fact that it is home to a group of lovely friends and fellow-writers that I made during my two year sojourn there in 2019-2021 makes it all the more special for me.

Everything almost ready......

Two of those friends, Elizabeth and Ilsa, who are active members of the International Women's Group in Amsterdam, were instrumental in organising an event on the 7th of May where I read extracts from my novella and two short stories from the book.

During the reading....

This was followed by an excellent Q&A session and book-signing. It was a wonderful event that I enjoyed thoroughly.

Book-signing and photos....

It was past the main tulip season by the time I got there. Tulips begin to bloom in the Netherlands in mid to late March and reach their peak season in mid-April. When we lived there we were lucky enough to visit the Keukenhof Gardens when the tulips were at their glorious colourful peak. It is the ultimate Dutch spring experience and well worth a visit.

Near the Keukenhof in April 2021

I am hugely indebted to Fatima, the chairperson of the IWC, who gave her blessing to the event, spread the word and who presented me, not with tulips, but with a beautiful bunch of peonies afterwards. Peonies are one of my favourite flowers with their lush and layered blooms. When I brought them home to Elizabeth's house boat, each bloom unfolded in ruffled layers, adding a lushness and a texture that few flowers can rival, in my opinion.

A revelation to me on this trip came with our visit to Mezrab, which describes itself as 'the house of stories' in the city. We first heard about it a few months ago from a guy who sat beside us at the Dublin Story Slam in the Sugar Club. He was one of the performers on the night and he told us his favourite place to perform is on a Friday night in Mezrab, so we dragged Elizabeth and her husband Tim along to the venue in the Eastern Docklands in Amsterdam to try it out. Founded by Iranian-Dutch storyteller Sahand Sahebdivani, it’s become known for its cosy "living room" atmosphere. Friday night is the biggest night there, you cannot book in advance and the entrance fee is a donation of whatever you feel you can afford. The language is English unless otherwise specified.

On the night the theme was 'breaking away ' and, at the beginning of the evening, the host asked us to share a true-life story with someone beside us whom we didn't know. This really broke the ice and we met some really interesting people sitting nearby. The six featured story-tellers were excellent and they told diverse, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking stories. If you're lucky enough to be in Amsterdam on a Friday night, it is well worth a visit if storytelling is your thing.

We also took the time to visit the World Press Photo Exhibition 2026. It is currently on display at De Nieuwe Kerk, a 15th century church on Dam Square until September 27, 2026. The flagship showcase features award-winning photojournalism and documentary photography from the latest annual global contest. According to the blurb, this 69th contest features 'the best and most compelling photojournalism and documentary photography of the last year, selected by an independent jury.' Some of the photos in the exhibition were quite harrowing with a number of upsetting photos depicting the various war zones, famines, climate disasters and instances of man's inhumanity to man during the year gone by. Having said that, it is a vital part of freedom and democracy that these brave photographers put themselves in such danger to be witnesses to these events, to highlight the injustices and catastrophes and to share the images to the rest of the world. It is most definitely worth visiting, but be warned!

I was delighted to have two prose pieces feature recently in Ireland's Own magazine. The first was in their special issue commemorating the 1926 census, 'This is Us.' I submitted a piece called 'Family Names and Other Mysteries' where I outlined some of the errors that have emerged in the subsequent transcription of our family's census forms of the time, along with the intricacies and wonders involved in the naming practices in our family. Just this week, another piece was included in their Summer Special edition which I called 'My First Playground.' In this piece I described our childhood games when we lived on Main Street in Killarney in the 1970s. All clean good fun!

It is gratifying to know that Ireland's Own has a weekly circulation of approximately 30,000 to 35,000 copies, resulting in an estimated total weekly readership of up to 100,000 when accounting for multiple readers per copy and passed-on issues. The magazine maintains a uniquely enduring and loyal footprint and celebrated 120 years of publication in 2022. While primarily a fixture in Irish homes, it commands a dedicated international audience, with thousands of copies sold in Britain and more recently, there are digital readers spanning the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. I hope the readers enjoy my recent contributions.