A letter from November
The snow, a sauna, and Michael Palin
It’s hard to believe we are in December. November was a busy month, but this year has really had such a bizarre timeline. Since losing a beloved family member in September, time has gone slowly and then speeds up. I have moments of sheer panic and then these shocking flashes of disbelief that threaten to derail me. Sometimes it’s hard not to just burst into tears on the street.
I love to travel, to plan adventures, to meet friends and ~put ~myself ~out ~there but honestly these past few months have been a trial. I’m sure I’m not great company to be around. But I’m trying. Work has been a reprieve. It keeps me busy and in routine. I’m trying to be careful not to throw myself into work completely though, having been there and done that before, I know it can often do more harm than good.
My codependent tendencies are also hugely active at the moment. That desire in me to help, to care - all the good things that come from a good place - get messed up by my unintentional need to control situations: “If I can be there and help a person / tell them what to do, everything will be OK.”
Knowing that I have a tendency to remove autonomy from those I love so that I can “fix” them is an important moment in self-discovery. And every day I have to compel myself to hold back, take a breath, and let go. And to actually calm down and focus on how I feel. To centre myself, but give generously when asked.
I might write longer about codependency in another post some time soon. It’s a word thrown around a lot but as I’ve been honestly interrogating myself in fortnightly therapy sessions (I’m exhausted lol), I’m coming to understand just how layered it is and why many people become essentially addicted to meeting the needs of others.
The first snow of winter 2025 hit Ireland in early November. I was at home with my family in rural Tyrone as the beautiful white flakes began to fall. Of course, what snow means is sauna time and from my second photograph you can see how beautiful The Sauna Shack looked on an absolutely freezing evening. Full disclosure: I wasn’t brave enough to go into the river on this particular evening!
It’s always a wonderful moment waking up to snow in the morningtime, and you can view the scene from my bedroom window at home below. That tree right in front is an ash tree and has been battling against dieback for years. We love this tree so much and have a tree surgeon come out and look at it regularly, trimming the branches and trying to give it the best possible chance of survival. It’s a joy to see new leaves come to live every spring. Let’s hope this continues for decades and centuries to come.
Back to Dublin as the snow thawed and Zoë invited me to a launch of the kind of niche events that only she knows about! Artists and Pirates is an exhibition of satirical political cartoons from eighteenth century, running in the Irish Architectural Archive until early January 2026.
The last time I was confronted with historical cartoons was many moons ago during my undergraduate degree, but I have to say, I found this exhibition fascinating - and hilariously revealing as to the attitudes of many towards the Irish, towards women, and towards the poor. Oh to be a poor Irish woman!
These cartoons were being drawn in and around the time of Jonathan Swift - a noted ‘wit’ whose printer press was actually embroiled in a legal battle regarding Ireland’s publishing independence. Ireland had escaped the strict copyrighting laws in Great Britain in the eighteenth century and so, Irish printers and artists could indulge in satire and critique using the images of famous persons such as the Duke of Wellington, Daniel O’Connell. You can view some of the ‘bawdy’ humour in the cartoon below - which may explain why many took offence to the kinds of witticisms that were being drawn at the time!
Another evening out with Zoë entailed going to see the wonderful, gentle, curious and inspiring Michael Palin (part of the troupe in probably my favourite comedic skit ever) as he talked a rapt audience through his recent travels in Venezuela. This talk was all the more poignant given the current disgraceful attempts by the US to seize control of the country.
Michael talked us through the people, culture, history, food, and moths of this fascinating country. He was every bit as charming and intelligent as he seems from his various world travelling escapades. Recently widowed, and in his early 80s, it was wonderful to see him keeping on keeping on. He recounted how he and his wife had spent their honeymoon in Dublin and pledged to continue to travel as much as he can, while he still can. It truly was an exceptional and inspiring evening with what is undoubtedly one of the loveliest men (and this is high praise coming from me!) on earth.
This month at work, I helped organise a tour of Dublin City Library and Archives and we had a brilliant morning exploring some of their collection gems. From first editions of James Joyce to John Speed’s map of Dublin from 1610, to the head from the blown-up Nelson’s Pillar on O’Connell Street; we were immersed in Dublin’s heritage and history.
We also held a fascinating webinar with Jefferson Bailey from the Internet Archive all about digital preservation and questions around what should be preserved when more and more internet use is the work of AI? It’s a huge question in my sector at the moment - because is there any point in using energy to digitally preserve repetitive non-human actions by bots? Lots to ponder on.
On a brighter note, November was a great month for music as I saw Nerina Pallot, an artist I have been a fan of since my teens. She played a wonderful setlist of old and new songs, including my favourite - ‘Idaho’. The venue was particularly lovely - intimate, cosy and with brilliant acoustics.
Going to this gig was an intentional solo date for myself and I had a lovely fragranced bath beforehand, put on a nice dress and really tried to sit in the moment. Nerina dedicated her beautiful song ‘Madison’ to people in the audience going through a tough time, or those grieving. It was an authentic and intimate night of connection and great art.
Two weekends ago, I went to a gig that could not have been more different - My Bloody Valentine at the 3Arena. This. show. blew. my. brains. out.
MBV are one of those bands that shape your DNA; they are two teens sharing a smoke in a garage attic - they are present in the songs of other bands you stumble upon and love. They are Sofia Coppola-esque, a medley of sound on sound on sound on sound.
This was a 10/10 show, with blasting booming noise (the venue thankfully were handing out earplugs). For me, it felt transcendent to finally hear ‘i only said’ live. And it was very touching to have the show dedicated to Mani from the Stone Roses <3 What a night!
This busy, complex, difficult month was bookended by another sauna and sea experience and the below photograph kindly taken by Gissella shows you the view from Killiney beach down the coast to Bray. Note the moon in the sky and swimmers in the sea. When I say to you - “it wasn’t that cold”, please believe me! We both got in and put our heads under the water. All Adventurous Women Do ;)
As we descend into the Christmas season, I’m sending love to any of you out there who, like me, are dreading it. Not to wish my life away but - roll on 26th December. Roll on the de-platforming of Christian capitalist traditions. We can get each other through it, folks <3 Lots of love xox
Thank you Maeve for being a bright light in an otherwise tired and gloomy Monday in the US. And from your mouth to the ears of the goddess on the arrival of Boxing Day! Much love back atcha! ❤️
so proud of you for being intentional about creating beautiful solo moments of healing AND still giving back to the community. i know it isn’t easy, but you’re such a light. and so cool. your reflections remind me of my own 💕