Killarney writer Mairéad O'Sullivan was thrilled to hear that her poem ‘Graveside Rain May 2021’ is to be included in an anthology of poems concerning our engagement with our surroundings.

Her work, which was inspired during the funeral of her uncle, has been published in 'Local Wonders' which is available in bookshops and online from this week.

"I’m very excited to be included in this publication among so many brilliant poets, including Paula Meehan and Gabriel Rosenstock," she said.

"My poem was inspired by the torrential rain at the funeral of my uncle, and how rain can be seen as a positive force, especially in agriculture, and my uncle was a farmer."

She added that it's an idea that she's interested in academically as well.

"I have an MA in Anthropology and Development from Maynooth University and I did my thesis on food and agriculture, focusing particularly on current conversations around conservation, sustainability, and locality, and how people engage with these ideas. That said, poems have an emotional impulse, and I think I had to make the rain make sense. I felt it couldn’t rain that much for no reason, especially at a funeral. It’s a way of looking at the world, I suppose, and trying to pay your respects in the way that you can."

‘Local Wonders’, published by Dedalus Press and edited by Pat Boran, is available from dedaluspress.com and bookshops.