Michaela McDaid Ecotherapy

22/03/2026

Writing and rolling, rolling, rolling
wi' me feet out!

📖✍️🌊🩵👣🐾

21/03/2026

According to my watch
it's time to dander
slooowly
in the woods

🌳🌿💚




Learmount Community Development Group

Far and Wild

20/03/2026

.
Wishing you
balance
peace
health
and love

In darkness
and light

as the wheel keeps turning

Pause
in stillness
between

Spring Equinox Blessings to all

🌱🌄🌤☀️

19/03/2026

💚 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚! 💚

🌳 And when 'here' is Learmount Forest, you're in the right place

This 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮 21𝙨𝙩 March
11am
Learmount Community Centre
Park Village, Co Derry

Join me for a wee dander
A gentle 4-5km walk in the forest, perfect for everyone.

We'll slow down
open our senses
and take it all in

🌿 We'll learn about Ecotherapy, exploring our connection to nature as we walk and talk

and

💚 Visit the stonemasons cottage for local history

and

🌳 It's International Day of Forests

and

🌤 the weather forecast is looking good

Sure, what else would ye be at the day after Spring Equinox?

I'd love to see you 💚

Booking details are here

https://farandwild.org/sperrins-walking-festival-2026/?fbclid=

| |

Far and Wild
Learmount Community Development Group
Visit Sperrins

18/03/2026

Do ye mind last summer
me and the wee wagon went to the Scottish Isle of Arran to hang about with some raggedy poet types?

They're here! 💚
So you can be as inspired, enthralled and entertained as I was, without sailing the seas.

Ye only have to go as far as
Rodden's Bar Buncrana
Friday 20th March
7.30pm.

and / or

Sandinos Bar/Club Derry
Sunday 22nd March
7pm

to hear
TALL TALES FOR ALL MEN
a 50 minute performances, Q&A and evening of music, poetry, and prose

Especially suitable if ye

✅️ think poetry isn't for you 'cause it's stuffy and boring. It isn't!

✅️ appreciate live, raw talent more than shouting conversation over blaring, not-live music

✅️ care about men's mental health and the importance of encouraging men to talk in creative ways

You'll hear from...

⭐️ TONY SHEPPARD
a wonderful poet and songwriter who is travelling Ireland with his new one man show. Tall Tales for All Men is a powerful expression of grief and loss as an adult man, it highlights the importance of encouraging men to talk in a beautiful, witty way. The show has been a raving success all over England and has encouraged the inception of various projects relating to men's mental health.

and supporting acts

🌟 The infamous Francis David Rafferty FRANK RAFFERTY who has performed his thought-provoking and humorous poetry all over the country to massive audiences. Recently releasing a collection, Frank's poetry resonates with anyone who has a funny bone.

💫 JOHN G. HALL - a huge name in the English poetry circuit, John is a writer and editor, who ran the radical magazine "Citizen 32" for many years. Johns work ranges from the gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking, to fiery and empowering.

🤩 ANNIE WARD-MC LAUGHLIN
A bilingual Derry writer, writing in both Irish and English, predominantly known for her cut-to-the-bone, no-frills, rabble rousing political poetry. Annie's recent performances range from political rallies to the Electric Picnic. Her words ignite the sparks of revolutionary fires in every corner where they might be Kindled. ..............

PS They're not officially called 'The Raggedy Poet Types' that's just my term of endearment.

Their passion for poetry is infectious. It infected me with the writing and performing bug, so Mammy Nature might just have a wee word to say too.

💚

16/03/2026

I learned a trick wi' a clipboard last night!
Who else can say that? 😉😆

If ye ever find yourself on a stage,
reading to 0-50 people

You may find your hand is terrified

Even if the rest of ye is grand
your hand shakes like f**k!

Your terrified hand is holding a bright, white page, a beacon and loudspeaker to the audience, "LOOK AT MY HAND, ITS SHAKING!"

That makes it shake more
and the harder you try to stop it,
the harder it shakes

The words you're trying to read are jumping off the page like jumping black beans.

But

if ye put the page on a clipboard, holding it's weight means your hand can't shake. It's like an anchor.

And when you can't see your hand shake,
your body is telling heart and mind

"It's OK.
We''re not terrified.
We got this!"

So ye can read
a wee story about an enchanted forest, a night-time thunderstorm and a guardian frog. An unforgettable experience in and with the other world.

A non fiction essay.

🌳🐸🌙

Massive thanks and respect to Cat Brogan for making it happen,
'cause somebody has to make it happen
and make it happen
you did!
Bright shiny super duper star! 🌟💫

This Writing Thing community flying the flag of brilliant performances by Catherine Kay , Jason Lovell Ellen Factor

Headline poet Luke Morgan was
headline material,
reading headline material!

go raibh maith agat
Borderlines in partnership with
💚

12/03/2026

💚 Please LIKE & SHARE if ...

🌿 Nature has ever soothed, amazed or inspired you

❤️ You believe in humanity

💫 COMMENT if
The message of this poem resonates
and / or
you're from Derry or Inishowen and recognise the beautiful places in this video.

I usually have many words,
but will let our Mammy do the talking

Thank you for watching

and listening

amidst all the noise

🌿💚🌊🩵🥰❤️

Big respect to videoographer for putting words, audio and images together in a way that matters, because this matters to me.

if ye want your work to come alive on screen, he's the one. ❤️

11/03/2026

I was on the wireless today,
Did ye see me
on the wireless?

😆📻

Great to chat with Cat Brogan and Mark Patterson Show on BBC Radio Foyle about this brilliant event on Saturday.

Come, join us for
stories and poems
in Irish and English

You might just love it!

📖💚

Borderlines in partnership with

I'll be reading alongside headline poet Luke Morgan (author of Blood Atlas, Arlen House 2025) and fellow This Writing Thing writers Catherine Kay and Jason Lovell. The evening is hosted by Cat Brogan as part of a special edition of Border Lines.

✍️ Workshop with Luke Morgan
🕝 2:30–4:30pm | Little Acorns Bookstore

🎤 Live Literature Event
🕢 7:30pm | culturlanndoire Uí Chanáin

09/03/2026

Coming to the wee screen in your hand soon

So excited to share this with you .... 🥁🥁

SOOOON!

🎬 ⭐️💫🌟💚

06/03/2026

Oh Friday!

05/03/2026

I didn't start reading until late in life,
for many reasons.

Many people don't read
for many reasons
that have nothing to do with intelligence

Books just aren't part of everyone's childhood or life experience.

'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee was one of the first books I ever read. I felt it was important before I knew it was a classic.

This story stayed with me, stoking the fire in my belly to read and write, despite being a late starter who knows 'nothing' about the arts.

My dear friend Adele Dunn knows this. So as a gift, she took me to the Grand Opera House in Belfast to see the play.

It was powerful, moving, brilliant!
I was transfixed,
bewitched by the magic of it all.

But couldn't help noticing that the audience members all looked and sounded the same.
Not like me, even less like my brown skinned family.

I absolutely love books and theatre, but often feel a bit out of place in these arty farty places.

Like I said, I didn't start reading till late in life.

But I refuse to be embarrassed by what I haven't read.

Instead, I'm excited by all the books I still have to look forward to.

This World Book Day

F**k the snobbery

All rise

and read!

📖📚❤️

02/03/2026

Don't forget, deadline is this FRIDAY 6th MARCH to submit to the wonderful Words by the Water

The event is on Saturday 21st March and is a great opportunity to share your words with a supportive audience.

It's always an entertaining and inspiring evening.

Go for it!

6th March is the deadline for email submissions for selection to read on 21st March. See Guidelines on this page. All writers of stories, memoir, poems etc.