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Finding My Wild: How a Move to the Edge Brought Me Home
‘Life had brought me to the edge of myself and here I was feeling like I was on the edge of the world.’
After moving back to her homeplace on the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal with her young family, journalist Kathy Donaghy’s life changed in ways she never saw coming. This unflinching memoir looks back at a decade of love and loss, of mothering, identity and ultimately healing. An ode to friendship, home and the extraordinary healing powers of immersing yourself in the natural world, especially the ocean.
After moving back to her homeplace on the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal with her young family, journalist Kathy Donaghy’s life changed in ways she never saw coming. This unflinching memoir looks back at a decade of love and loss, of mothering, identity and ultimately healing. An ode to friendship, home and the extraordinary healing powers of immersing yourself in the natural world, especially the ocean.
224 pages, Paperback
Published April 6, 2023
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36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 1, 2023
People say books are ‘important’ too often but this book is important. Important to many and especially important to me. I always say, the right book finds you at the right time. And this one came along exactly when my once wild self needed it to. Kathy shares her story with you like she’s an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. She invites you in like you know her and will walk with her through the beaches and the woods while she speaks. I was so glad to go with her on the journey.
May 8, 2023
Interesting memoir, especially as I was considering a move to Inishowen while reading (potential job offer there). Also, I can relate to the central grief in the memoir. So a bit of a coincidence all in all.
As I cannot afford to live in Inishowen I will have to find my own wild place in an urban setting, I guess.
As I cannot afford to live in Inishowen I will have to find my own wild place in an urban setting, I guess.
March 5, 2023
A wonderfully poignant account of one woman's quest to find peace, peace that got buried under the stresses of life, some self-imposed, others unavoidable. Kathy Donaghy has a simple way of describing complicated emotional stresses. Finding My Wild is about finding her wild and the twisty winding path that led her there. This is an Irish book with wonderful descriptions of Donegal and its own wild. Sometimes you have to go to another wild to find your own. I loved the way that Kathy felt at odds with the place she called home and how she dealt with that. This is a raw, honest account of a struggle, yet it is filled with moments of joy, satisfaction, achievement. Love Kathy's boys' names! Beautiful, strong names filled with promise for the future. I wish Kathy and her family all the peace that Donegal has to offer.
March 12, 2023
I bought this book because I’ve had a lot of similar experiences to the author & had read some of her journalistic pieces. While I could relate to much of what was recounted, I found it a difficult enough read overall. I appreciate that much of the subject matter is serious, but notwithstanding that, I thought it was a little too intense, a little too inward looking and quite repetitive in places, and that an odd flash of humour here and there wouldn’t have gone amiss. I don’t know if I was looking to gain something from it or if I was just interested because of the similarities to my own life & in fairness, the author wasn’t promoting it as a self help guide or an inspiration or whatever, I suppose the book fulfilled a need in herself to tell her own personal story and she did achieve that.
July 15, 2023
Absolutely loved this book!!!
So much resonated with me – the 1970’s Irish childhood – wild and free, going to college, starting a professional career in Dublin city, travelling, settling down, getting a mortgage, and starting a family. It all sounds textbook but there were a lot of challenges on the way which Kathy is very honest about. They brought up a lot of questions which - ultimately - helped them figure out what their priorities were.
Kathy and her family felt the call of the wild and answered it. They made the brave move back to rural Donegal and managed to hold onto their professional creative lives while keeping their feet grounded. Absolutely loved her ability to plug into all the nature around her and get healed and recharged by it. Excellently written and one of my favourite reads of 2023.
So much resonated with me – the 1970’s Irish childhood – wild and free, going to college, starting a professional career in Dublin city, travelling, settling down, getting a mortgage, and starting a family. It all sounds textbook but there were a lot of challenges on the way which Kathy is very honest about. They brought up a lot of questions which - ultimately - helped them figure out what their priorities were.
Kathy and her family felt the call of the wild and answered it. They made the brave move back to rural Donegal and managed to hold onto their professional creative lives while keeping their feet grounded. Absolutely loved her ability to plug into all the nature around her and get healed and recharged by it. Excellently written and one of my favourite reads of 2023.
November 10, 2024
I'm not too sure what to write in this review to be honest. Its 220 pages of .... nothing much in particular. Woman finds herself at one with nature, rinse and repeat.
On the plus side, the author Kathy lives just a few miles down the road from me and I'm very familiar with the areas of Inishowen she writes about so this grabbed my interest. It's not a bad book, it's just that nothing much happens and what does happen is dragged out very very slowly and often repeated at varying times.
It's the kind of book for snuggling up for a few hours for a leisurely read, if you enjoy beaches, the outdoors wild swimming and nature. It is a relaxing read and it is enjoyable - just dont expect all that much to happen!
On the plus side, the author Kathy lives just a few miles down the road from me and I'm very familiar with the areas of Inishowen she writes about so this grabbed my interest. It's not a bad book, it's just that nothing much happens and what does happen is dragged out very very slowly and often repeated at varying times.
It's the kind of book for snuggling up for a few hours for a leisurely read, if you enjoy beaches, the outdoors wild swimming and nature. It is a relaxing read and it is enjoyable - just dont expect all that much to happen!
July 4, 2023
This memoir speaks to such a true thread - womanhood and nature, the call of home, the community support that is so essential to navigating a life and all its highs and troubles. Sea swimming as a healing force. This book found me when I needed it and Kathy deserves every ounce of pride and praise for this honest, vulnerable, and beautiful work.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews