Meg Sorick, Author/Artist

Kufstein Fortress, Austria 2023 On a trip to Austria in 2022, we visited the 11th century fortress at Kufstein. At a high point overlooking the river and the town nestled below, the ‘palas’ (residential quarters) and the ‘Bergfried’ (fortified tower) would have kept watch over the Lower Inn Valley in the province of Tyrol/

One of my favorite War Poets, Siegfried Sassoon at first an enthusiastic soldier, soon became disillusioned with the horror and futility of the fighting on the Western Front. His younger brother Hamo died in 1915 at Gallipoli and this loss no doubt profoundly contributed to his change of heart. Here is my portrait of Siegfried Sassoon and his poem: Glory of Women, written in 1917. It is a…

In Gort, County Galway, not far from where I live, sits Thoor Ballylee — a Norman tower purchased by WB Yeats to refurbish into a family home. The tower was built in the 15th century by the de Burgo (Burke) family but became part of the Coole Estate belonging to Yeats’ dear friend and patron, Lady Augusta Gregory, from whom he purchased the tower in 1916/17. This is my painting in miniature of…

In the fourth largest Meeting Room of The Clinton Hotel, Capital City: The Committee To Decide Whether to Form a Committee to study the state of committees in the nation met for the first time on the first of April. It had taken 3 years to form this committee since the representatives for each of the provinces had to select additional members from among their communities —both urban and rural—…

After a lengthy pause, I am returning to the project of sketching portraits of the War Poets of The Great War. It’s been 3 years (!) since I did my sketch of Robert Graves, but I’m back with a portrait of Edmund Blunden, whom I featured on the blog once before. This time I’m including one of his other poems but please do follow the link to the previous Blunden post to read Thiepval Wood and the…

Follow the path of Sean BotharA haunted place where once stood homesFeel the ghosts of An Gorta MórLingering among the tumbled stones Too poor to answer the immigrant callToo weak to throw an American wakePut to work building useless wallsIn the mountains above Corrib’s Lake This old road lined with hazel and gorseFamine cottages with the family namesBears the hoof prints of the pale rider’s…

A mild November Saturday in 2022. Walking along the Thames in Windsor, UK

Saturday Shot – Field of Flowers

The daily walk has been a blessing during the last 18 months of lockdown. While I used to run in my former days, since I broke my ankle I haven’t been able to get back up to speed. Nonetheless, I have been grateful for the lovely country roads I have to walk in my corner of County Galway. Here’s a shot of the blooming wildflowers I pass along the way:

There was a story in the news last year that has stayed with me for its tragedy and cruelty… not just for those who lost their lives but for the one who was left behind. The names have been changed. Kate had inherited a farm in County Cork from her family and lived there with her husband, Padraig and two grown sons, Michael and Sean. The family didn’t work the farm themselves but leased the land…

Let me begin by saying de gustibus non disputandum est —in matters of taste there can be no dispute. However, I am puzzled by the way the Irish make their burgers. The beef in this country is the freshest, most delicious I have ever tasted in my life. [apologies vegetarians] When I cook it at home I always marvel at the difference between this beef and the offering in the States. It is light…

Lockdown Paintings (38, 39, 40 & 41)

Ireland has given me lovely scenes to paint. I’ve had to rely on photos since we’ve been under a 5km [3 mile] limit on travel since December. But now we are free to move about so I hope to get to see more of my adopted country this summer. Here are some of my latest pieces —the only creative things I’ve indulged in during the last few months. The Galway Hooker Fanad Head Lighhouse The Cliffs…

Where to begin… (again)

Wow, it has really been a while. Like since September of 2020. I have been at a creative loss all these long months. Other than a few paintings, I have found myself unable to produce anything else. I will blame lockdown, yes absolutely. I know some people have used this time to enable them to embark on new hobbies, new projects and educating themselves in avenues of exploration they never had…

“Men who share the same rooms, soldiers or prisoners, develop a strange allegiance as if, having cast off their armour with their clothing, they fraternize every evening, over and above their differences, in the ancient community of dream and fatigue.” – Albert Camus, The Guest, from The Exile and the Kingdom, a collection of short stories.

Having been unable to write as of late [and I am not…

Research Notes – The Great War : Kaiser Wilhelm II

“Good heavens, whatever will happen if Prince Wilhelm becomes Kaiser as early as this? … “He thinks he understands everything, even shipbuilding.” A senior general talking about the future Kaiser a year before his ascension to the throne. And regarding Wilhelm’s short attention span, Otto von Bismarck said, “[Wilhelm] would take a little peek … learn nothing and end up believing he knew…