Exciting news! Brighter Communities Worldwide have collaborated in the publishing of a book!
‘Rural Eye – 10 years of scribbling’ is a book built around stories written by Dr. Noreen Lineen Curtis and published over a 10 year period in Forum, the National GP Journal.
Dr. Noreen is born and bred on Achill Island. She has worked in GP practice on Achill for over 20 years and now works for the Mayo off shore islands – Clare Island, Inis Biggle and Achill Beg.
Interspersed between Noreen’s ‘scribblings’ are stories describing the work of Brighter Communities Worldwide from the communities across Kericho County, Kenya.
Dr. Noreen’s connection to Africa began when she spent 3 months in Ethiopia as a student before her final year of medicine. She first visited Kenya and got involved with the work of Brighter Communities Worldwide in 2019. What struck her was the synergy between delivering health care in remote, rural West of Ireland and remote, rural parts of Kericho county. Ever since then Dr. Noreen has been a staunch supporter of BCW and the West of Ireland Kenyan Partnership and this book is her biggest and most ambitious contribution.
The Rural Eye stories are a reflection on living and working in a remote, rural location. Noreen’s passion for her work, Achill and the Mayo islands is the thread woven between each word. With each story, she visits different topics … the crisis facing rural GP practice, the ferocity of the seas when work commute is by currach and ferry, bringing conversations about death out of the shadows as well as being mother to teenagers, when Hollywood came to Achill and the multiples layers to working through the Covid-19 pandemic. Through her stories, she shares her thoughts and opinions and over the 10 year span, it is interesting to see how some of these have changed with time.
The Brighter Communities Worldwide stories – ‘The chapters describing the work of BCW were written by the people living that work: mothers, health promoters, teachers and the doctor who first crossed the distance from an island off the coast of Mayo to a hospital ward in Kericho County. They carry 23 years of a simple idea: that a stronger, healthier community is built one relationship at a time, one visit, one delivery, one classroom, one stove at a time, in solidarity rather than charity’.
Taken from the introduction by Maria Kidney & Martin Ballantyne
Dr. Noreen’s book – ‘Rural Eye – 10 years of scribbling’ is launching during August and available to buy now. The Irish College of GPs has published the book and are covering all the costs so every penny raised will go to supporting Brighter Communities Worldwide.
You can get your hands on a copy of this book directly from Dr. Noreen Lineen Curtis in Achill, Brighter Communities Worldwide office in Cobh or at book sale events and craft fairs between now and the end of the year.
To pay online, click here to make you donation. The suggested price is €20 or €30 if you want it posted to you – email your postal address to drnoreenlineencurtis@gmail.com
Sincere thanks for your support and please do let Noreen know if you enjoy the book!
Thank you to the Irish College of GP’s for your support in making this book a reality.
