Contemplation
-
Lauds in an Irish Park
A new poem inspired by birds in a park on my way to dialysis. Continue reading
-
The Tidal Hush
Sometimes the body asks us to slow down. The Tidal Hush is a short poem about noticing heat, weakness, and stillness—and discovering that even these moments can become places of quiet reflection. Continue reading
-
The Southward Track: A Liturgy of Woven Threads
I was writing the prayers my heart would need before my eyes even knew the shape of the mountain ahead. Continue reading
AccessibleTravel, AnglicanCommunion, AnglicanTradition, Autism, AutisticFaith, BenedictineRhythms, BenedictineSpirituality, CelticChristianity, Christianity, ChristInTheEveryday, ChronicIllness, ChronicIllnessCommunity, ChronicIllnessFaith, CompassionInCare, Contemplation, ContemplativeCare, ContemplativePrayer, DailyDevotion, Dialysis, DialysisJourney, DialysisLife, ExploringIreland, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithAndIllness, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, family, FindingConnection, FreeTravelPass, HealingPrayer, health, HeldInLove, HolyStillness, Hymns, HymnWriting, Ireland, IrelandTravel, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishLandscape, IrishRail, IrishRailJourneys, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, Kildare, LifeOnDialysis, LiturgicalReflection, LiveWithADisability, ModernMonasticism, NeurodivergentFaith, NeurodivergentTheology, NeuroDivine, PatientVoices, Pilgrimage, Poetry, PoetryOfPlace, Prayer, QueerIrishVoices, QuietCourage, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, ResillienceInIllness, Reverence, Routine, SacredRoutine, SacredSong, SacredSpaces, Sanctity, ScriptureAndStillness, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney, SpiritualReflection, ThinPlaces, ThresholdOfGrace, Travel, TravelByTrain, TravelWithPurpose, Vigil, writing -
Eucharistic Easter hymn — “On Kildare’s Plain the Dawn Unfolds” (CM)
A Eucharistic Easter hymn written in Kildare Cathedral on Easter Day reminding us of the Risen Christ. Continue reading
-
Storm. Shelter. Morning. Guarded by Otto
The wind is roaring through the dark,and rain beats on the pane;yet here my bed is warm and still,a refuge from the rain.With Otto resting in my hand,I breathe in soft and slow;while storms go wandering where they will,I’m held in gentle glow.The shadows dance upon the wall,The world is tucked away;Young Otto guards the… Continue reading
-
A hymn celebrating the Eucharist — “Upon the hill where grasses bend” (DCM)
At the table, heaven draws near: ordinary bread, quiet grace, and Christ present among us—sending us back into the world bearing peace, love, and holy presence. Continue reading
AltarHymn, CelticChristianity, Christianity, ChristInCreation, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, FindingConnection, HeavenOnEarth, HolyStillness, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishSpirituality, LiturgicalLife, LiturgicalReflection, NeurodivergentFaith, NeuroDivine, Pilgrimage, Prayer, QuietMoments, SacredSpaces, Spirituality, SpiritualReflection, TheEucharist -
A hymn giving thanks for the Mothers Union — “O God who gathers us in love” (CM)
Celebrating 150 years of Mothers’ Union worldwide. A Mothering Sunday hymn of thanksgiving for faithful service, for Ireland’s witness, and for my own mother — and mothers everywhere. Continue reading
AnglicanCommunion, AnglicanTradition, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, FindingConnection, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishSpirituality, LiturgicalLife, LiturgicalReflection, MotheringSunday, MothersUnion, NeuroDivine, OraEtLabora, Prayer, QuietCourage, QuietMoments, SacredSpaces, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney -
A hymn of the New Covenant — “In whispered winds You speak again” (CM)
In whispered winds You speak again 1.In whispered winds You speak again,Your covenant made new;Not carved on stone of Sinai’s height,But written deep and true.2.You trace Your promise on our heartsLike sunlight on the dew;As meadowsweet in summer fields,Your mercy rises too.3.The shadows flee the morning light,The ancient rites give way;The tent of cloth and… Continue reading
bible, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, Faith, FaithInAction, FindingConnection, Hebrews8, InclusiveChurch, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishSpirituality, NeuroDivine, NewCovenant, Pilgrimage, QuietCourage, QuietMoments, SacredSpaces, ScriptureAndStillness, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualReflection -
Compline hymn based on Psalm 91 – “Beneath Your wings, O Holy One” (Common Metre)
A hymn rooted in the Irish landscape inspired by the ancient compline psalm 91. Continue reading
AnglicanBenedictine, AnglicanTradition, Benedictine, BenedictineRhythm, BenedictineSpirituality, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Compline, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, DailyDevotion, Faith, FaithInTheEveryday, Ireland, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishSpirituality, LiturgicalRhythm, ModernMonasticism, MonasticWisdom, NeuroDivine, NightPrayer, PoetryOfPlace, QuietMoments, RuleOfLife, RuleOfStBenedict, SacredSpaces, Spirituality, ThresholdOfGrace -
“At Evening, God Has Spoken”: A Vespers Hymn on Psalm 110 (76 76 D)
Psalm 110 has long been one of the traditional psalms of Sunday Vespers. My new hymn, At Evening, God Has Spoken, reflects on that ancient text through the quiet landscapes of the Irish midlands—heathered hills, the Barrow’s waters, and the stillness of evening prayer—resting in Christ our High King through the night. Continue reading
AnglicanBenedictine, AnglicanTradition, Benedictine, BenedictineRhythm, BenedictineSpirituality, bible, CatholicChurch, CelticChristianity, Christianity, ChurchOfEngland, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, ContemplativePractice, ContemplativePrayer, DailyDevotion, DailyOffice, ExploringIreland, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, god, HeldInLove, HolyStillness, Hymnody, HymnWriting, Ireland, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishHymnody, IrishLandscape, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, Kildare, LiturgicalLife, LiturgicalMeditation, LiturgicalReflection, LiturgicalRhythm, ModernMonasticism, NeurodivergentFaith, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, PilgrimageIreland, Poetry, PoetryOfPlace, Prayer, Psalm110, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, Reverence, Routine, RuleOfLife, RuleOfStBenedict, SacredRoutine, SacredSong, SacredSpaces, Sanctity, ScriptureAndSilence, ScriptureAndStillness, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney, SpiritualReflection, SundayVespers, ThinPlaces, WalkingIreland, writing -
The muted blue
I found myself shaping these lines in the crisp hush of early frost, walking toward the station as the birds lifted their chorus into the pale blue morning. The early frost along the lane,The breath that clouds the morning air;The jays cry out their sharp refrain,And rooks rise ragged from their lair.Blue tits dart quick… Continue reading
-
The hum of lines
The poem explores survival, love, and choice amidst chronic illness and its challenges. Continue reading
ChronicIllness, ChronicIllnessCommunity, ChronicIllnessFaith, CompassionInCare, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, DailyDevotion, Dialysis, DialysisAndDignity, DialysisDays, DialysisDiaries, DialysisJourney, DialysisLife, DialysisSpirituality, Faith, FaithAndIllness, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, FindingConnection, HeldInLove, IrishReflection, LGBTQStories, LiveWithADisability, NeuroDivine, PatientVoices, Poetry, PoetryOfPlace, Prayer, QueerIrishVoices, QueerLove, QuietCourage, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, ResillienceInIllness, Routine, SacredRoutine, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney, SpiritualReflection, ThresholdOfGrace -
In the Thin Place of Forty Days
Rooted in the landscape, spirituality, and imaginative tradition of the Irish midlands, the text interweaves the great biblical “forty” journeys—the flood, the exodus, Sinai, the wilderness, and the risen Christ’s forty days—with the sacred geography of Kildare and its surrounding boglands. Drawing on Celtic Christian imagery and the rhythms of creation, it invites worshippers to… Continue reading
AnglicanCommunion, AnglicanTradition, bible, BiblicalRoots, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, ContemplativePractice, ContemplativePrayer, CreativeSpirituality, DivineLight, Eucharist, Faith, FaithAndHistory, god, GodsCreation, Hymnody, HymnWriting, Ireland, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishHymnody, IrishLandscape, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, jesus, Kildare, Lent, Lent2026, LiturgicalReflection, ModernMonasticism, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, Pilgrimage, PoetryOfPlace, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, SacredPerception, SacredSpaces, Sanctity, ScriptureAndSilence, ScriptureAndStillness, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney, SpiritualReflection, ThinPlaces, ThresholdOfGrace -
Andrew, this is you.
Some love stories are written in grand gestures. Ours has been written in endurance. This Valentine’s Day, I honour fifteen years of partnership with Andrew—and ten years of civil marriage later this year—not because the dates fall now, but because love that has lived this much deserves to be named whenever the heart nudges. Our… Continue reading
AnglicanBenedictine, Christianity, ChronicIllness, ChronicIllnessCommunity, CompassionInCare, Contemplation, Dialysis, DialysisLife, DialysisSpirituality, EmbodiedPrayer, Faith, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, FindingConnection, health, HeldInLove, LGBTQStories, life, LiveWithADisability, NeuroDivine, Poetry, PoetryOfPlace, QueerIrishVoices, QueerLove, QuietCourage, QuietMoments, Reverence, SacredRoutine, SacredSpaces, Sanctity, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney, SpiritualReflection -
Stop. Start. Stay.
A hymn capturing the beauty of life’s detours, celebrating gentleness and divine companionship. Continue reading
Autism, AutisticFaith, bible, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, Faith, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, god, Hymnody, InclusiveChurch, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishHymnody, IrishSpirituality, jesus, LiturgicalReflection, NeurodivergentFaith, NeurodivergentTheology, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, Poetry, PoetryOfPlace, Prayer, QuietMoments, SacredSpaces, Spirituality -
Incense. Whisper. Hope. A hymn inspired by Psalm 141. “O Christ receive our evening prayer” (DLM).
This hymn is inspired by Psalm 141, the Church’s ancient evening prayer: “Let my prayer rise before you like incense.” Set in the landscape of Clonmacnoise, it joins the psalmist’s cry to the Shannon’s air and the long vigil of those who prayed on these stones before us. As night gathers, it asks Christ to… Continue reading
Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Clonmacnoise, Contemplation, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInTheEveryday, Hymnody, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishHymnody, IrishSpirituality, MonasticWisdom, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, Pilgrimage, Poetry, PoetryOfPlace, Prayer, Psalm 141, QuietMoments, SacredSpaces, ScriptureAndStillness, Spirituality, TheLostCity -
Shepherd. Host. High King. “Christ calls us to the table here” (DCM)
This hymn began with a simple wondering: What if Christ doesn’t only meet us at the table, but walks the whole week with us? Faith is rarely confined to sacred hours. It unfolds in Mondays heavy with responsibility, Wednesdays full of noise, Fridays marked by grief, and Saturdays thick with waiting. This hymn traces the… Continue reading
AnglicanTradition, AutisticFaith, bible, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, Eucharist, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, FindingConnection, god, Hymnody, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishHymnody, IrishSpirituality, jesus, LiturgicalLife, LiturgicalReflection, ModernMonasticism, NeurodivergentFaith, NeurodivergentTheology, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, Pilgrimage, Poetry, Prayer, QuietMoments, Routine, SacredRoutine, SacredSpaces, ScriptureAndStillness, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney -
Silence. Suffering. Steadfastness.
A day of uneasy memory, quiet courage, and layered history. On 30 January, NeuroDivine holds space for complexity, conscience, and the land’s long remembering—and offers a new hymn rooted in Leinster’s fields for those who honour your servant Charles with tenderness rather than triumph. Continue reading
AnglicanCommunion, AnglicanTradition, AutisticFaith, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, FindingConnection, HeldInLove, Hymnody, InclusiveChurch, Ireland, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishHistory, IrishHymnody, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, LiturgicalReflection, NeurodivergentFaith, NeurodivergentTheology, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, Pilgrimage, Prayer, QuietCourage, QuietWitness, Reverence, SacredRoutine, SacredSong, SacredSpaces, Sanctity, Spirituality, SpiritualReflection, ThresholdOfGrace -
Faith. Truth. Welcome. A hymn for the Parish of Kilconriola and Ballyclug: “Where Patrick walked on Antrim’s heights” (DCM)
With the twelve bells of St Patrick’s overhead, I offer this hymn as a prayer for Ballymena: for its people, its churches, and Christ’s light in the valley we call home. Continue reading
AnglicanCommunion, AnglicanTradition, Ballymena, bible, Christianity, ChristianUnity, ChurchOfIreland, Connor, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, EmbodiedPrayer, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, family, FindingConnection, god, HeldInLove, HolyStillness, Hymnody, HymnWriting, InclusiveChurch, Ireland, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishClergy, IrishHymnody, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, jesus, KilconriolaAndBallyclug, KnownAndLoved, LiturgicalLife, LiturgicalReflection, LiturgicalRhythm, MidMorningMoments, NeurodivergentFaith, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, Pilgrimage, PilgrimageIreland, Poetry, Prayer, PrayerAndWork, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, Reverence, SacredRoutine, SacredSong, SacredSpaces, Sanctity, ScriptureAndStillness, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney, ThresholdOfGrace, TravelWithPurpose, writing -
Lamb. Light. Courage. A hymn for St Agnes Day “O Christ, Whose lambs find shelter deep” (CM)
St Agnes, lambs, and the Irish wind woven together — a hymn where Roman witness meets Celtic ground in a sheltering breath of grace. Continue reading
NeuroDivine 