Many of my stories begin in a garden.

They rarely end there.

I write about nature, place, community and the quiet ways that ordinary people can make a difference. Gardens are often the setting, but the stories are about much more than gardening. They are about stewardship, belonging, biodiversity, family, neurodiversity, hope and our relationship with the natural world.

Everything on this page has grown from real places, real experiences and real people. Together they explore one simple idea: that ordinary places can become extraordinary when people choose to care for them.

Nature's Acre

My book, Nature's Acre – An Irish Nature Memoir of Making a Place Where Life Grows, tells the story of what happened after I was unexpectedly handed the keys to an abandoned Victorian walled garden during the first COVID lockdown.

What followed was never simply a gardening project. It became a story about family, community, wildlife, schools and discovering that small actions really can change lives.

If you enjoy my essays, Nature's Acre is the best place to begin.

Read more about Nature's Acre →
Explore the Nature's Acre Companion →

Selected Essays

These essays explore many of the same themes found in Nature's Acre.

• The Garden Had Its Own Weather
• "It Felt Like a Dreamland"
• Gardens CAN Save Us
• Who is the prefect lawnfor?
• Good clean dirt

Published Elsewhere

I am grateful to have had my work published and featured by organisations that share a passion for nature, conservation and community.

Recent publications and media appearances can be found on my Press & Media page.

Nature in Practice

The writing on this website grows directly from practical conservation work.

School visits, community projects, wildlife gardening, public talks and the restoration of one Victorian walled garden all inform the stories I tell.

You can find more about this work here:

• The Garden Classroom
• About Gardeningwell

About My Writing

I don't see nature writing as writing about wildlife alone.

For me, it is writing about the relationship between people and the natural world, and about what happens when that relationship begins to change.

Sometimes that change starts with planting a tree. Sometimes with a conversation. Sometimes with the unexpected gift of an old key.

Whatever the starting point, I hope these essays encourage people not only to appreciate nature, but to become part of its story.

Nature writing begins with paying attention.
Everything else follows.