Creating magic out of dust and rocks: Meet Susan Furniss-Radley

 When Waterford woman and former pilot Susan Furniss-Radley’s life darkened, she chose to absorb the light. Here, she speaks to Kate Demolder about her son River, her company Dust + Rock and the appreciation she feels for everyone around her, especially when the chips are down.

Susan Furniss Radley, Photograph Moya Nolan

WE MEET in the echoing, cavernous, and somewhat cluttered entryway of the Temple Theatre, the former nightclub and church located next to Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin 1.

I’ve been brought here by Susan Furniss-Radley, a blonde, youthful and backpacked mother of three boys (Rex, 11; Hunter, 9; and River, 5) from the Temple Street canteen. She had politely asked, “Do you want to come somewhere quieter?”, before stopping to smile with everyone on our three-minute journey across the busy street.