One time took one of those “How Long Will You Live” online tests that ask you about your health and habits – just for fun really. I did quite well actually as my expected death age, of 86 years, is 5 years ahead of the curve for my generation. This is very funny to me because I’ve never really pictured myself older than 30.

I’ve been called morbid before, but I don’t see death as a scary monster off in the future but more as an inevitable deadline we all must reach to visit the unknown. It might all sound a bit nuts but death is a part of our lives that no one ever seems to talk about.

The death of a cousin my age when I was a child had always meant I was without that child-like sense of immortality. I’ve always tried to do the things I want to do now instead of putting them off but in the last few years as I no longer have being underage to blame I found that I was not pushing myself quite enough. What scares me way more than dying, is dying and being…boring?

he death of a cousin my age when I was a child had always meant I was without that child-like sense of immortality. I’ve always tried to do the things I want to do now instead of putting them off but in the last few years as I no longer have being underage to blame I found that I was not pushing myself quite enough. What scares me way more than dying, is dying and being…boring?

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# 1 Write a letter to my favourite author

(28th August 2011) The first one was easy, or at least it did not require great expense or sacrifice. Alan Garner, author of ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen’, ‘The Moon of Gomrath’ and ‘The Owl Service’ (three of my favourite books) had been my favourite author, all my life without fail. It had never wavered even a little. I made a little card with an owl on the front (sad I know) and did some Googling to find an address for fan mail. It went to a publisher in England and I just had to post it and cross my fingers that it made it to him. Though he’d always been my favourite writer it wasn’t until I went to write the letter that I realised how much he’d influenced me. His stories had inspired me to read even though it was harder for me than the other kids and even inspired my early style as a writer.

#2 Plant a tree

I’ve planted dozens of trees across Ireland at this point, working with the Native Woodland Trust or just where they were needed.

#3 Go Star Gazing

#5 Give Blood

This was more of an undertaking than expected because I kept being just under the weight requirement and than a trip to Greece put me too close to Maleria and I had to wait again! But we got there.

#6 Go to an Opera

Tristan and Isolde… mixed reviews…

#8 Research my family tree

#9 Meditate for over an hour

#10 Write a book in Irish

#12 Climb Mount Olympus

#14 Stay by the sea for a week alone

#15 Live without electronics for a week

#16 Learn to drive

#17 Save a whale

#18 Get a book published

#19 Cross Europe by train

#20 Do a Masters

#21 Kayak down Glen Coe

#22 Climb Ben Nevis

#23 Learn Spanish

#24 Climb Carrauntoohil

#25 Walk the Beara-Breifne Way

#26 Go to Costa Rica

#27 See the Midnight Sun

#28 See the Northern Lights

#29 Kayak the Wild Atlantic Way

#30 Learn to Scuba Dive

#31 Improve my French

#33 Speak at a conference

#35 Sing at a protest

(May 2017) Singing with Voices 4 Choice

#36 Swim in the Red Sea

#37 See the Pyramids

#38 See sea turtles in the wild

#41 Go to New Orleans

#42 Swim with dolphins in the wild

#43 Fundraise for Bees

#44 Record an album

(2015) Wild I know. It’s mostly vocal, with some ukulele, technically an EP and mediocre but it exists.

#45 Work abroad

#46 See Angel Falls

#47 Go to New Zealand

#48 Go to Japan for Sakura season

#49 Publish a non-fiction work

#50 Fall in love