BOOKS Mayo through a Chinese lens

Mayo through a Chinese lens


A new book, ‘Mayoings: Hillwalking, the Landscape Poetry of Ancient China, and Mayo’ by Dublin-based author Pat Upton, celebrates the natural beauty of Mayo while exploring how walking can yield a different perspective, both on ourselves and on the world.
‘Mayoings’ takes many of the most scenic walks in the county and explores them through the lens of Chinese poetry. Mountains were revered in ancient China as sacred objects and much was written about their beauty. ‘Mayoings’ is an attempt to take many of the themes encountered in Chinese poetry and apply them to a contemporary context.
The book is divided into four main sections and covers many of the most famous walks and mountains in Co Mayo.
Pat Upton, a native of Dublin, has studied philosophy and translation. In 2013, he published ‘City Portraits: 100 portraits of everyday life in Dublin’.
‘Mayoings’ (€9.99) is available in Castle Books, Castlebar; McLoughlin’s, Westport; Dubray Books and Charlie Byrne’s, Galway; Rare & Recent Books, Cong; Carey’s, Belmullet; and via www.mayobooks.ie, patupton.wordpress.com and on Kindle.