Clare; the Banner County
I’m Irish, from County Clare on the west coast (i.e., the really rainy side). I grew up further inland, on the shores of Lough Derg, close to Inis Cealtra or 'Holy Island'. This uninhabited island is home to the remains of a Round Tower, where resident monks used to take refuge in times of attack, and other features of ancient monastic settlement, including several small stone churches. Holy Island is very peaceful and beautiful, and I try to visit whenever I can.
Gaillimh; the City of the Tribes
My parents are also Irish, and I have two younger sisters who are lovely and great fun! I moved to Galway, just north of Clare, to study at university and ended up staying there for nine years. Galway is one of the liveliest cities in Ireland, and has a wonderful arts and music scene; it is also located right beside the Atlantic Ocean, and is very close to the Gaeltacht region of Connemara, where people still speak Irish as their first language. I loved being a student in Galway and living beside the ocean very much, but the weather is pretty atrocious in this part of the country... the photograph below is remarkable for the blue skies and sunshine!
From Galway to Cambridge, and back again
I’m very proud to be Irish and, when I moved to Cambridge in the UK in 2007, I discovered a hitherto well-hidden streak of patriotism that made me do irrational things like buy tourist tack (sorry, but it was) in Shannon airport (including an Irish potato cookbook magnet thingy that has never been opened but now lives on the fridge door, and a mini-leprechaun sitting in sparkly solitude in a snowglobe-type contraption on the bookcase), and learn all the words to a variety of Irish folk songs. I argued passionately about the complexity of Irish history and culture, and got quite emotional about it all. My husband tolerated all of this with quiet stoicism and resignation. He loves Ireland as well but not to the same extent (in my opinion, nobody understands my country like I do), and although there are quite a few things that annoy me about Ireland, I’ll never admit to it.
Fast forward to the present and, having said our goodbyes to the UK several years ago and just about surviving the torturous journey across the Irish Sea (we are terrible at moving house), we have now readjusted to life in our home country and have settled back in our beloved Galway. I have to say, I very much enjoyed living in England. I’m not sure that Cambridge is so representative of the rest of the country but I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled around a bit, and I can honestly say that I’ve liked it all! I love the regional differences, especially the accents (I adore all Northern accents, especially), and I like the way people Just Get On With Things. No drama, no trying to find out everyone’s business, nice and reserved and peaceful. Everyone doing his or her own thing. An ethos that is completely alien to the Irish mindset. On the other hand, I feel that life is far more relaxed here in Ireland, and there's a sociability and warmth and humour - just a general ease of interaction with others - that cannot easily be found anywhere else (of course I'm biased!). Family, conversation, the sharing of news, and having a good time are all still very important to the Irish; it's a country where people wear their hearts on their sleeves, but this is done lightly and without any pretension.
Fast forward to the present and, having said our goodbyes to the UK several years ago and just about surviving the torturous journey across the Irish Sea (we are terrible at moving house), we have now readjusted to life in our home country and have settled back in our beloved Galway. I have to say, I very much enjoyed living in England. I’m not sure that Cambridge is so representative of the rest of the country but I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled around a bit, and I can honestly say that I’ve liked it all! I love the regional differences, especially the accents (I adore all Northern accents, especially), and I like the way people Just Get On With Things. No drama, no trying to find out everyone’s business, nice and reserved and peaceful. Everyone doing his or her own thing. An ethos that is completely alien to the Irish mindset. On the other hand, I feel that life is far more relaxed here in Ireland, and there's a sociability and warmth and humour - just a general ease of interaction with others - that cannot easily be found anywhere else (of course I'm biased!). Family, conversation, the sharing of news, and having a good time are all still very important to the Irish; it's a country where people wear their hearts on their sleeves, but this is done lightly and without any pretension.
Science, science, science
So, I’m a scientist. I spent quite a few years studying (once I got into university there was no getting rid of me - I was the perennial student), and graduated with a PhD in Pharmacology in 2006. My thesis involved looking at the toxic effects of the drug 'Ecstasy', particularly in the brain, and how co-consumption of caffeine can augment these toxic effects. I’ve always been fascinated by the human body and studied physiology, biochemistry, and anatomy as an undergrad. I gradually drifted into the area of neuroscience, doing an MSc in Neuropsychopharmacology, which involved studying the biological basis of affective and psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia, and the drugs used to treat them. I did my PhD research in the same department, before moving to a somewhat different field when I relocated to Cambridge in 2007. Here, I worked in the field of experimental psychology, which was such an amazing experience – I learned so much about behaviour and the brain, and collaborated with fantastic scientists. I mainly did research in the area of drug addiction, a topic that I feel very strongly about (check out the Science and Addiction sections of my site!). However, although I love science and research, after five years of postdoctoral work I decided that I wanted to do other things, and explore other arenas. This site was my first foray into the world of non-scientific writing and publishing (well, not entirely, as I have a whole section dedicated to science - I will never be able to leave that behind), and several years later, I am still thoroughly enjoying the experience!