Greetings

I am delighted you are here. Welcome to a space where you will find a mixture of stories, poems, ideas, moments, business thoughts, sports and photos. 

Recently the final Book in the Prof. Harriet series was published. This brings a conclusion to this story now. 

I am researching for my next book, a historical fiction work about the impact of changing from paganism to Christianity in Emperor Constantine's time. Should be a good story.

I am also telling more and more stories as a Sheanchai including an August 2024 performance in front of 150 paying guests in Cork city followed by a Dublin show with over 200 guests.

East of the Web published a story of mine in October 2024.  Dan O' Brien | East of the Web .


Anxiety

I can relate

Anxiety existed when I

Was your age too.

Look for abundance,

Hope dream jamming.

Force-feed fear famine.

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Thanks to Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir for this line!

 '(moonlight is milk for night cats)'. 

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Whatever it is you want to do, find the person who is best at it, and ask them to teach you. 

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All my lovers have succeeded in making me a stranger to those that have expectations of me. 

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An Irish bye, bye, bye, bye, bye—

 

As much as good luck and God bless,

I wish for you the joy of feeling soft rain

curl your hair as you hear seagulls swirl.

I return to my Masters thesis about knowledge and power as I watch the power that individuals are grasping from knowledge AI like Chat GPT.  

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Carbon 450+

The  proud old trees reach their 

full summer leaf on the longest day.

In intimate cahoots, the dense greenery 

over-touches to whisper breath fully-

the air is so fresh lately.

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Backyard grass

Dawn opening sun fires the energy blast.

Hungry slurping stomata break their fast.

Inhaling rich, lush CO2

Spitting out bright glistening dew.

My toes fondly feel this wet waste

Gorged lungs savour the O2 baste.

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Poets poke at life to reveal its sound, rhythm, and story.

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Thanks to Lucie Viridion for this line- 

"as if a furry tarantula had dabbed its feet in ink and danced across that blue misted limen."

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Thanks to Sandra Nelson for these lines

"A blizzard of nothingness blows sideways."

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The mind is its own place, and in it self

Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.

Milton, Paradise Lost.


Nelson Mandela often said 'it is the oppressor who defines the nature of the struggle...fight fire with fire'.

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Thanks to publishers and book-sellers extrordinaire Red Books for hosting a lovely event last night to celebrate St. Brigid. 3 Feb 2023

Delighted to say that I reached my 50,000 word target today, November 25th 2022. Thanks to the support of all in Queenstown, Christchurch, and NaNoWriMo. 

Queenstown NZ

This is the iconic view from the 'Centre Ville'. No filters, just natural beauty.

November is Movember and NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) 

I was lucky enough to be able to visit Queenstown. Hopefully it proves creative!  

GPT4- AI at the cutting edge


This is the question (or instruction) that I asked chat.openai.com

Write a 200-word story in the third person with verbs in the present tense on the subject, my new puppy Seanie 

This is the story- in less than 2 seconds- that I got back. 

She loves her new puppy, Seanie. He is a ball of energy and always up for a game of fetch or tug-of-war. Every morning, she wakes up to his excited face and wagging tail. She takes him on long walks around the neighborhood and they often stop to meet other dogs and people along the way. Seanie is so friendly and loves making new friends.

At home, Seanie follows her everywhere and is always eager to please. She teaches him basic commands and he picks them up quickly. He loves to cuddle and snuggle with her on the couch and she doesn't mind at all. She finds herself talking to him all the time, even when he isn't paying attention.

Every day, Seanie brings her so much joy and happiness. She can't imagine life without him. He is her constant companion and she is grateful to have him in her life. She knows that Seanie will be by her side for many more adventures to come and she looks forward to each and every one of them.

I don't know what you think, but I find it fascinating and scary all at the same time. 

Beach in Bali end October 2022

Bali Sunset, West facing beach- what is not to like? 

Walking in South Wexford

I found this on a walk in Duncormick in South Wexford. Lots of little painted stones in a beautiful setting. The walk is a community walk along the river. It is really nice and pleasant. It is not a looped walk, you get to the end and have to walk back again, but that's OK. It's such a lovely place. Thanks to the community and the people who maintain it. It looks like a work of love. 

Some pics of me out and about

Just a scattering of pictures of me from recent years. There are some published pieces here and other writing looking for publication, 

You will also find I am interested in rural life and regenerating our towns, villages, and countryside. I comment there as @jsmartrural . 


Wanaka November 2022

Beside Wanaka Lake South Island New Zealand. This is a famous lake with #Thattree. The Wanaka Tree. Also, some great gelato. A Sunday off from writing. More pictures on the New Zealand page here! Enjoy.