Roscommon authors publish book on celebration of nature
'The Hare's Corner' by Jane Clarke and Catherine Cleary.
Roscommon authors Jane Clarke and Catherine Cleary have recently published ‘The Hare’s Corner’, a powerful celebration of the quiet, hopeful revolution taking place across Ireland where people are making space for nature to thrive once again.
Originally from Fuerty and now living in Wicklow, Jane Clarke is an award-winning poet and acclaimed author. Catherine Cleary has developed a native woodland in Corry, North Roscommon.
The Hare’s Corner celebrates farmers, families, schools and community groups all over Ireland who are restoring habitats, reviving biodiversity and reconnecting people with the land. Uplifting stories and poems interwoven with enchanting illustrations and photographs bear witness to the renewal and well-being that can blossom when people make space for nature in their lives.
One of Catherine’s stories in the book is inspired by the Carrick-on-Shannon Ash Restoration Project and one of Jane’s poems in the book was inspired by a visit to Tommy Earley who farms in North Roscommon.
“Like so many others I’m very worried about what’s happening to the natural world around us. But this book gives me hope, inspired as it is by farmers, families, schools and community groups who are planting trees, making ponds, letting wildflower meadows grow,” said Jane.
“Along the way they are finding personal fulfilment and well-being from working together and seeing the changes that take place surprisingly quickly.” Jane explained that the book title ‘The Hare’s Corner’ comes from an old farming practice of leaving a small space for wildlife to thrive. “We need these corners now more than ever and this book shows that it’s possible to protect and restore nature by taking small actions that make a big difference. Each page invites readers to reconnect with the wild corners of the world – and perhaps to create their own.
“The stunning illustrations by Jane Carkill and photographs by Burrenbeo Trust staff and volunteers make this a book to cherish,” she said.
Locally, The Hare's Corner is available in Newsround, The Square, Roscommon Town as well as in Salmons, Ballinasloe, The Reading Room, Carrick-on-Shannon and The Athlone Bookshop and Bookstation, Athlone.
