I went to take your picture, Kathleen
In the old monastic city where you don’t rest
Where your story was turned inside out
And made into his, at Glendalough

Where you were reduced to the whore
The devil made woman, in a red dress
And your killing went down in the books
As rightful and good, in the history of him

The world is changing, Kathleen
There are workmen in the round tower
Its high door is standing open again
The churches are old now and falling

A billion hidden truths are blinking 
In the sudden blinding daylight
It’s been a thousand years here
We are waking from the curse

You can rest at last, Kathleen

image source, poet

NOTE: Kathleen Ni Houlihan (Irish: Caitlín Ní Uallacháin, literally, “Kathleen, daughter of Houlihan”) is a mythical symbol and emblem of Irish nationalism found in literature and art, sometimes representing Ireland as a personified woman.  ‘The mythical ghostly Kathleen of Glendalough’ is an early example of the genre and may have inspired later uses of the name in art and literature.’

Dáire Shaw is a queer neurodiverse Irish multimedia woman artist from Wicklow, Ireland. She works primarily across art, photography, and poetry, and is currently pursuing an honours degree as a mature student in art photography at the Institute of Art, Design & Technology, (IADT) Dunlaoghaire, Ireland.  Proudly published numerous publications and has exhibitions in Gaslamp Gallery, Dublin and Wicklow Artists Gallery.

Dáire is deeply interested in the exploration of the human condition at its intersection with meaning through art and symbolism. On a personal level, Dáire uses her art in an attempt to understand herself and the world she finds around her.