First encounters

In conversation with FRANCES O'ROURKE

JANE URQUHART

is an award-winning Canadian novelist and poet who lives in Ontario. She spends part of the year in a cottage near Waterville, Co Kerry, that she and her husband, artist Tony Urquhart, bought in 1996. Her most recent novel, The Sanctuary Line, like a number of her works, deals with the lives of Irish emigrants to Canada

‘TONY WAS IN Cill Rialaig, Co Kerry – he’d been invited to the artists’ retreat there and I was in Dublin, on the IMPAC [literary prize] jury.

“He called and said ‘you must come down here and see the light over the sea in this part of the world’. We had no intention of buying a little house in Ireland or anywhere else. But when we saw the cottage in an estate agent’s window I fell in love with it.

“Cathy O’Connell, Noreen O’Sullivan’s sister, sold us the house. All the people on my remote little road, which is two miles long with eight inhabited houses, are O’Sullivans, O’Connells and O’Sheas. The house had belonged to Eugie O’Shea and our status went up because we were living in Eugie’s house. It had been looked after lovingly all its life, but it had no running water, so we put that in, and storage heaters.

“Right away we met all our neighbours. Cathy said ‘Noreen’s a great one for the books, she’d love to meet you.’ Noreen is so much a part of the place she lives I don’t remember the exact moment we met – it seemed like we had always known each other.

“There was a feeling of intimacy from the beginning, that I could tell her anything: she doesn’t have a judgmental side. She’s enormously empathetic, a spiritual person, open and curious, wants to know more about life while still being very much of her own place.

“She and her sister, Cathy, who’s also a very good friend, look after their father, who still lives on the road, and Noreen has children coming and going. I’ve a strong memory of meeting her at the top of the Ballaghoisin pass on the road to Killorglin on the day she brought her youngest child, David, home from the hospital.

“I felt completely accepted: writers are respected in rural Ireland, but also assumed to be normal human beings. That’s different to north America – you might be paid attention to as a celebrity, but being an author is not considered a real job.

“Noreen had a love of literature, but her childhood was so different to mine: her access to books was limited by what was in the library.

“I spend two to three weeks at a time in the cottage when I’m by myself, writing; when Tony’s with me, I come for six weeks. Noreen organised a show of Tony’s paintings in the local library, and about a year ago, I spoke to a book group based in Cahirciveen library.

“When my daughter Emily and her husband went to stay there with their baby, Sadie Jane, they were greeted by a big houseful of baby things – the generosity was terribly heartwarming.

“Noreen’s a truly kind person who’s also absolutely fascinating, which doesn’t always go together. I stay in touch by email when I’m away, and going there feels like coming home.

“We can relax there with greater ease than anywhere else. We feel like part of an extended family.”

NOREEN O'SULLIVAN

is the librarian in Kerry County Library's branch in Cahirciveen, Co Kerry, where she was born. She moved to Dromod parish near Waterville, Co Kerry, 13 miles away, when she married her husband Gerry. They have four children

‘WE’RE A CLOSE, quiet community and we’re all interested to see who had bought Eugie O’Shea’s little cottage. He was a man very interested in neighbours and community, never married, loved playing the violin. So we all trotted along to meet the new neighbours. We were delighted with Tony and Jane.

“Jane is such a down-to-earth person: it was a good few years before I knew who she was. She never really said, and never ever mentioned any of the wonderful awards she had got. I would have met a number of writers but not a writer of her calibre, on an intimate, friendly basis.

“The fascination for me as a librarian was getting an insight into the life of a writer. I’m still fascinated as to how she gets her ideas, and starts her research. We’d have long chats about aspects of her work.

“Jane does meticulous research, often says research is her passion. I’ve read most of her books now, they’re intricate and lyrical.

“The cottage is a place of solitude and contemplation for her. She’s very interested in landscape and environmental issues and in the history of the place. We’ve tackled a few hillwalks together.

“She’s a very disciplined person when it comes to writing: she’s up early in the morning, has her routine. I’d be inclined to leave her alone but yet would like to think I’d be a bit of a balance for her. I’d go up and we’d have tea and a chat; she needs to know that we’re all here for her, that she can hop in to us.

“Now we all feel Jane’s part of our family. When she first came, she brought her mother, who was then in her very late 80s, here – she was a wonderful, wonderful woman. And Jane is besotted with her grandchild Sadie Jane, Emily and Andrew’s daughter.

“Jane’s coming back to the library to talk to our readers’ group; they are absolutely thrilled. She has a kind of ongoing engagement with us.

“We have readers’ groups in most libraries, a group of local people who pick a book a month to read.

“I took up librarianship after school, working for the Kerry library service first in Tralee and then transferred to Cahirciveen. I’ve been there since. I remember as a child I had little access to books except for the school library: I would ration the pages because I didn’t want to finish a book. That’s why I’m so passionate about the library. I did my master’s in library science in Aberystwyth as a mature student.

“The thing about Jane is that she is very empathetic, has great feeling, is very compassionate, has great concern. On her walks, she’ll talk to people who might be on their own.

“And when she leaves, she always leaves her gate open . . . kind of as a welcome. As if to say, I’ve left but I know you’re going to look after things. It’s a reflection of the open, welcoming person that she is.”