My Life in Books: 'Nothing nicer than a wander in a bookshop'
Dearbhla Mescal: 'I adore biographies, I love the insight they give me.'
Dearbhla Mescal’s book , published by Eriu, is a collection of poems and reflections which encourages readers to find sparks of happiness in the everyday.
A retired garda, she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2022 and is now in remission from the disease. She is a mother of three; the actor Paul, recruitment consultant Donnacha, and singer Nell, and lives in Co Kildare.
The books by my bed tend to be poetry ones. Right now it’s James Crews’ collection . It is a curated bunch of poems about kindness and love. It is what I want in my brain before sleep.
Like my telly, I am a repeat book reader for comfort. I reread Michelle Obama’s book constantly, along with the Michael Palin diaries. I adore biographies, I love the insight they give me.
For me, the middle of my life was too hectic to make reading any sort of priority — I was thrilled to get a holiday read completed.
When I got sick, I thought I would read loads but there were days when even holding a book was hard, so I found audio books to be a wonderful way to spend a while — the voice in my ears flipping the pages and transporting me to an imagined land away from the here and now.
They are mostly poetry and usually collections of poems. compiled by Allie Esiri; by Harry Baker; by Hollie McNish; by Seán Watmore, and a compilation of poetry by Christopher Burn called .
by Mosab Abu Toha is just profound — made me cry openly on the tube when I was heading home from a trip recently.
, the autobiography of Peig Sayers. I am sure it was a sanitised version of a life led in an Ireland of long ago but 17-year-old me learnt a lot and I liked imagining her world.
It has to be Charlie Mackesy’s . This book is a constant companion; I open it almost every day. Wherever I land, it resonates.
Other books that have been adapted for screen or stage came to me via my eldest son Paul — I loved by Maggie O’Farrell, she paints a picture that lingers with you. You can feel the grass, smell the lavender, and touch the skin of Agnes.
Louise O’Neill’s novel is of this time, it asks hard questions and demands your attention. I am reading by Ian Leslie and am loving it.
I also really liked the film adaptation of by RJ Palacio. I remember my daughter Nell actually wrote to her and got a reply, oh the joy in that!
Anything by Brené Brown but one that stands out is the . I really try to put into practice the idea of whole-hearted living and leading with vulnerability.
I keep my books at eyesight level and they are piled in joyous chaos under my TV in our kitchen and scattered on my coffee table.
Once I see a book I want or that has been recommended to me, I usually ring Ursula in Maynooth Bookshop to see if she has it. If she doesn’t, she gets it in. There is nothing nicer than a wander in a bookshop. I don’t do it often enough. I need to let myself linger among books.
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