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Previous: In her desperate bid to be Cathal's mother, Leona becomes increasingly distressed by his seeming unwillingness to respond to her, resulting in a shocking outburst of physical aggression which results in Cathal's arm being broken. When Cathal reaches the school age, Leona's mental health further deteriorates, and she withdraws from life, crippled with fear... Continue Reading →
Previous: Leona struggles with the care needs of a newborn baby, but is reluctant to seek help from her community out of fear of the truth about Cathal's identity being discovered. Cathal's arrival in the village attracts attention from the local guard, who is aware of the disappearance of the baby from Galway Regional Hospital,... Continue Reading →
Previous: Shattered by the confirmation of her phantom pregnancy, in her desperation to maintain her perfect family picture, Leona kidnaps a day-old baby boy from Galway Regional Hospital, lying to her father and telling him it is the baby that she was indeed pregnant with all along. Colm once again confines Leona and the baby... Continue Reading →
Previous: Leona's naive delusion about her new role as woman of the house has resulted in an incestuous relationship with her father and an unplanned pregnancy. Rather than fearing for the freedom of herself and her baby at the hands of the Catholic Church, Leona maintains her fantastical vision of family life with her father... Continue Reading →
Previous: Sixteen-year-old Leona Moss' confused relationship with her father is discovered by her eldest brother Frank, with devastating consequences. Her middle brother, Liam, leaves the family farm to emigrate to England for work. Sins of the Son: Nature, Nurture, Torture Camp NaNoWriMo Project Part 3 Leona sat on the edge of the examination bed. Colm... Continue Reading →
More than ten years ago I began to formulate the concept of what would eventually become Sins of the Son. The idea was to follow the downward spiral of a person from regular member of society to cold-blooded murderer, and the subsequent psychological deterioration that would drive someone to commit such an act. The story... Continue Reading →
Day 29: Grikes The terrain of the island of Inisheer is composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated rocks called "clints". Quite unsteady under foot, so a good set of walking shoes is needed. Such a quiet, unspoilt spot, with occasional offshore seal spotting!
Day 28: The Lighthouse Inisheer Lighthouse was completed in 1857 after it was argued that the Inishmore lighthouse was too high and it did not cover the entrances to the North or South Sounds of the Islands. The lighthouse originally had a fixed optic lamp which was supplied by the Chance Brothers of Birmingham. In... Continue Reading →
Day 27: Stone Walls The stone walls really are of the most impressive and peculiar sights on Inis Óirr. The criss-cross walls define the farmers fields, and collectively add up to thousands of miles. I had walked up to O'Brien's Castle only to find the grounds closed off to visitors (being March it was still... Continue Reading →
Day 26: O'Brien's Castle The Castle oversees Inisheer from one of the highest points of the island, with views of the beach, pier, and ruins below. This castle is thought to have been built in 14th century making it one of the oldest ruins on the Aran Islands. It would pre-date the other ruins in... Continue Reading →
Kate Kelsen 