Ciara Kenny (Ciaraioch) on rhyme-y poetry, the natural enemy of the Tralee people, and her attempts to be kidnapped by faeries

“The Kerry Creators Series grew out of a passion to connect with other writers, illustrators and photographers with links to the Kingdom. Kerry’s motto is “Comhar, Cabhair, Cairdeas,” which translates to “Cooperation, Help, and Friendship” and I can think of no better description of the people in this place that, as a blow-in, I’ve come to love.”

— Amanda Geard

Ciaraíoch (Ciara Kenny) is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator from rural Kerry near Tralee, which she refuses to leave due to a vague distrust of both motorised transport and townies. She has a keen interest in social justice, feminism, nature, and Irish history and mythology, and creates drawings, paintings, and linocut prints inspired by those subjects. She also draws regular topical and humour cartoons, has provided illustrations for several books, painted public murals and street art, and contributed work to television, magazines, websites, podcasts, and an academic journal, as well as having her work displayed at cartoon festivals and art exhibitions, both with groups and individually. She can be found far too often on most social media platforms as @Ciaraioch, with more work available to view at www.ciaraioch.com

Q&A

1. You’re taking a writing break in a Kerry café … Where is it? What Kerry author would you be reading? And which Kingdom-inspired dish would you be absolutely unable to resist?

It’d be more of a drawing break than a writing break, but for all kinds of breaks I really like Mike’s Beach Café in Fenit, especially after a leisurely stroll beside the sea. Food-wise, I’m not sure how popular they’d be in a beach café but I love a very Kerry mutton pie drowned in soup, especially the homemade ones my lovely aunt Kathleen makes.

I’ve a lot of talented friends when it comes to writing, so I like to think I’d either be reading Úna-Minh Kavanagh’s autobiography “Anseo” and carefully inserting myself into every other paragraph with a biro (she meant to include me more, I’m sure), or some of Conor Cleary’s poetry in “Priced Out” if I wanted to trick passersby into thinking I’m philosophical and intelligent. I’d occasionally murmur something like “hmm, of course, very rhyme-y” to show that I understand it, which would impress everyone and probably encourage at least one man to ask me to marry them. Realistically, I would be reading Twitter.

2. Which month do you love most in Kerry, and why?

It’s a toss-up between April for the sound of bleating lambs and all the lovely new growth, and early October for the start of proper autumnal colours and my yearly attempt to be kidnapped by faeries and taken to the Otherworld, where I hear the weather is a little better and there are slightly fewer Healy-Raes.

3. Who would you rather share a pint of Guinness with: Tom Crean or John B. Keane? Tell us a little more!

I think myself and Tom would both be too quiet to have much conversation, so it’ll have to be John B. I’d be very happy to listen to him tell stories about people, then steal those stories and pass them off as my own in tweets.

For Always I Am Kerry... by **Ciaraíoch**

4. Which is your favourite Kerry …

a. Beach? Barrow, but don’t tell anyone.

b. Pub? I’m teetotal, so I don’t have one that I frequent enough for it to be a favourite, but Jack Macs in Tralee is a lovely spot run by lovely people.

c. Drive? The one home from any other county.

d. Hike? It’s not really a hike so much as a nice walk but I do like Glanteenassig. Spoiled for choice here really though, so it’s hard to pick.

e. Bookshop? Either Polymaths for books about local lore and legend, or the treasure trove that is the Action Lesotho Charity Bookshop, both in Tralee.

f. View? I like the panoramic view from Ballyheigue beach, it gives a real sense of the scale of the county and the Atlantic ocean beyond.

5. If time travel allowed you to go back, visit the Blaskets, and give one item and one piece of advice to Peig Sayers, what would they be?

I’d give her a Thank You card for contributing so much to Irish folklore, and also a photo for her to sign of the little bit of street art I did of her in Tralee (see below), which would probably cause her an awful lot of confusion.

I don’t think I’d give her much advice apart from “Don’t let them edit the good bits out of your book”.

6. We’re lucky to have Ireland’s mightiest (and highest) peak right here in the county. Have you ever climbed Carrauntoohil (1,038m)? If so, how did it make you feel? If not … would you consider giving it a go?

I haven’t, but would like to someday - I might need a bit of training first, though, as currently moving from sitting on the couch to standing requires several minutes of recovery and at least a week of physio.

7. If you could pick one thing the county could do without, and one thing that it must never, ever lose, what would you choose?

It could do without the tendency towards parochial politics that is capitalised on by certain politicians, as I know people here are a lot more progressive than our public representatives often lead other people to believe.

It must never, ever lose its ability to find a Kerry connection to anyone on the planet in less than thirty seconds.

8. Finally …

i. The reeks or the strand? The strand - always happiest near the sea, and the reeks mean being near Killarney people, the natural enemy of Tralee people.

ii. Dingle or Killarney? Both are lovely once the tourist season has calmed down but I have a lot of family and friends from West Kerry, so Dingle it is.

iii. Blaskets or Skelligs? Tough one - I’ve been to both, and they’re both great, but there’s something about the otherworldly magic of the Skelligs that makes it hard to beat.

iv. Black or white pudding? Black, as long as it’s Clonakilty. Cork people know their pudding, it is the only thing I’ll concede to them.

v. Kerryman or Kerry’s Eye? Both are excellent sources of photographs depicting people soberly pointing at potholes, so I couldn’t possibly choose.

vi. Hunter, Dubarry or good old Dunlop? I wear Dunlops, so Dunlops it is. I’d be afraid to get Hunters dirty. They’re dress wellies for good wear, like weddings.

vii. Rooster or Kerr’s Pink? A lovely fresh “ball of flour” Kerr’s Pink.

viii. Turf or timber? Turf, purely for the smell, but if someone could replicate that exactly without burning it and by extension the planet I’d pay handsomely for it.

ix. Dingle Gin or Skelligs chocolate? I don’t drink, so it’ll have to be the chocolates, although my new favourites are Éalú chocolates from Back Wesht.

x. Fassbender or Buckley? Buckley all the way. Love to see a Kerrywoman excelling.