Reconnect with your inner wild

Book talk
Bríd Conroy

WILDLIFE and nature books remain hugely popular – and with good reason. With so much denied to us during Covid, it appeared our latent need to connect with nature was reawakened. This year, there seems to be a renewed sense of urgency about taking action, no matter how small, to embrace and protect nature.
This is the subject of a beautiful new book by Anja Murray entitled ‘Wild Embrace’, published by Hachette Books Ireland. Murray calls on us all to rekindle our connection with the natural world around us. Many ways we can help address the climate change crisis can be found in our communities.
It can be difficult to sustain the motivation to change when faced with seemingly endless drastic statistics about the state of the world. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Murray invites us to build our own relationships with nature in our communities.
There are so many delightful snippets of wisdom throughout Murray’s book. She invites us to go into nature, to find our own quiet selves. Explore the Irish names of your favourite animals and birds. Look for wild honeysuckle clambering over a hedge and take in its scent as dusk descends. Seek out wild orchids in summer.
Murray reminds us about the importance of the symbiotic relationships found in nature, and about  how all lifeforms on this planet have evolved by growing together, by being involved in each other’s lives. Humans have taken over the natural world, extending our influence to every corner of the world. In Ireland there is virtually no true wilderness left. This book is a call to action to embrace our nature and ourselves in the process.
The collection of books by Niall Mac Coitir (with illustrations by Gordon D’arcy) are great to read alongside Murray’s book: ‘Ireland’s Birds’, ‘Ireland’s Animals’, ‘Ireland’s Wild Plants’ and ‘Ireland’s Trees’ are all published by The Collins Press. Readers will learn about the folklore of birds and their connection to our ancient past (the wonderful story of the Children of Lir, for example).
We learn about how animals have shaped our landscape and their place in our human evolution. Mac Coitir looks at ‘fiery animals’ like the stoat, regarded as highly intelligent but also peevish and bad tempered. The bee is an ‘airy animal’, wise and associated with abundance and fertility of the land. The hedgehog is an ‘earthy animal’, and although persecuted for the false belief it sucked milk from cows’ udders, in fact it was extremely useful for farmers as it ate many agricultural pests. The common frog is a ‘water animal’ that came late to our isles. It was found to be harmless and was used in some cures, but was also regarded as a fairy life form.
The myths and legends associated with trees are laid out beautifully too. Mac Coitir shows how we can reconnect with our customs and heritage through the history of our native trees – did you know that broom trees were a symbol of female beauty, purity and maidenhood?
Our wild plants are divided into major and minor plants, depending on their influence on our folklore. Vervain, for example, was considered one of the most magical plants in Europe through out the ages. Offers protection against evil and witchcraft, it was gathered by ancient Gauls on a moonless night in July or August. An ointment made of vervian could dispel fevers and prevent diseases.
The humble dandelion was not just known as the ‘wet the bed’, but also as ‘heart fever grass’, and its ability to cure liver problems, stomach upsets and even rheumatism was highly valued.
This spring season, as the natural world comes alive, we can all benefit from connecting with out ‘inner wild’, and in so doing we respect and honour our natural world that feeds and sustains us.

Bríd Conroy and her husband Neil Paul run Tertulia  – A Bookshop Like No Other at The Quay, Westport.