January 2026
-
Eighty. Honour. Joy.

On Saturday we celebrated my mother’s 80th birthday—a milestone full of stories, laughter, and a few happy tears. I had written a hymn for her, and despite battling a stubborn cough that made speaking a challenge, I managed to read it aloud for her and for everyone gathered. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth Continue reading
-
Spark. Fire. Blaze.

As a parish organist who grew up singing in a church choir, I have always been captivated by the power of music to lift the spirit, unite a community, and make the divine feel present in our everyday lives. Music in worship isn’t just decoration—it is prayer in sound, a living, breathing offering that moves Continue reading
-
Faith. Truth. Welcome.

With the twelve bells of St Patrick’s overhead, I offer this hymn as a prayer for Ballymena: for its people, its churches, and Christ’s light in the valley we call home. Continue reading
AnglicanCommunion, AnglicanTradition, Ballymena, bible, Christianity, ChristianUnity, ChurchOfIreland, Connor, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, EmbodiedPrayer, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, family, FindingConnection, god, HeldInLove, HolyStillness, Hymnody, HymnWriting, InclusiveChurch, Ireland, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishClergy, IrishHymnody, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, jesus, KilconriolaAndBallyclug, KnownAndLoved, LiturgicalLife, LiturgicalReflection, LiturgicalRhythm, MidMorningMoments, NeurodivergentFaith, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, Pilgrimage, PilgrimageIreland, poetry, Prayer, PrayerAndWork, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, Reverence, SacredRoutine, SacredSong, SacredSpaces, Sanctity, ScriptureAndStillness, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney, ThresholdOfGrace, TravelWithPurpose, writing -
Christ. Mercy. Always.

This hymn was written as a prayer of thanksgiving for clergy, and especially for Fr Turlough Baxter on his birthday. It is rooted in County Longford—in its fields, waters, and remembered paths—because faith and ministry are always lived somewhere, not in the abstract. For me, writing within metre and tune is a way of thinking Continue reading
-
Hidden. Humble. Everywhere.

Celebrating those who proclaim the Word with care—parish readers, musicians, writers, and the everyday saints who let Scripture breathe in our lives. A new hymn, inspired by the Book of Kells, now on NeuroDivine.blog Continue reading
AnglicanCommunion, AnglicanTradition, bible, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, ContemplativePrayer, DailyDevotion, DailyOffice, Faith, FaithAndHistory, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, FindingConnection, god, Hymnody, InclusiveChurch, Ireland, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, jesus, LiturgicalLife, LiturgicalRhythm, NeurodivergentFaith, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, poetry, Prayer, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, Reverence, SacredRoutine, SacredSong, SacredSpaces, Sanctity, ScriptureAndStillness, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney, ThresholdOfGrace, writing -
Light. Echo. Flame.

Some stories don’t just belong to the past—they echo in our bodies, our landscapes, and the ways we learn to walk through the world. The Conversion of St Paul is one of those stories. It’s not really about a single moment on a dusty road; it’s about what happens when light interrupts us, names us, Continue reading
-
Mary. Mother. Thanksgiving.

On my mum’s 80th birthday, I’m sharing the hymn her life inspired. I hope to give it voice at her celebration in Ballymena on Saturday — throat permitting. Some words wait years to be spoken, and sometimes love speaks most clearly when the voice is fragile. Continue reading
-
Lamb. Light. Courage.

St Agnes, lambs, and the Irish wind woven together — a hymn where Roman witness meets Celtic ground in a sheltering breath of grace. Continue reading
-
Psalms. Places. Presence.

Psalms. Places. Presence. Hymns shaped by landscape, memory, and the quiet work of beginning again. A small book of thresholds for anyone who finds prayer in the ordinary. Continue reading
APilgrimsPsalter, Autism, AutisticFaith, BenedictineSpirituality, bible, Christianity, ChurchOfIreland, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, EmbodiedPrayer, Faith, FaithInAction, FaithInTheEveryday, god, InclusiveChurch, IrishAnglicanVoice, IrishSpirituality, jesus, LiturgicalReflection, ModernMonasticism, NeurodivergentFaith, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, Pilgrimage, Prayer, QuietMoments, Routine, SacredRoutine, SacredSpaces, ScriptureAndStillness, Spirituality, SpiritualJourney -
Andrew. Richard. Niamh.

Home woven in three strands: partner, creatures, grace Some prayers begin in silence. Others begin in the small, ordinary movements of a home—the click of the kettle, the soft thump of paws on the stairs, the familiar presence of the person who shares your days. This new hymn grew out of that kind of holiness: Continue reading
AttentivePresence, Autism, AutisticFaith, Cats, CatsOfCompassion, Christianity, Contemplation, ContemplativePrayer, DailyDevotion, DivineHealer, Faith, FaithInTheEveryday, family, FindingConnection, god, GodsCreation, HeldInLove, HolyStillness, Hymnody, Ireland, IrishReflection, IrishSpirituality, KnownAndLoved, life, LivingFully, MentalHealthMatters, Neurodiversity, NeuroDivine, NewHymn, NewHymns, NewSong, poetry, Prayer, QuietMoments, QuietWitness, Reverence, Rhythm, SacredRoutine, SacredSong, SacredSpaces, SacredTime, Sanctity, SmallMercies, Spirituality, SpiritualReflection, SupportSystems, UnexpectedGrace, writing

