Mayo GP to launch book on rural life and healthcare
Dr Noreen Lineen-Curtis will launch her book this week
Achill-based GP Dr Noreen Lineen-Curtis will launch a unique connection of stories connecting rural life and healthcare on Ireland’s westernmost islands with community health and development in rural Kenya.
The book launch takes place in the Beehive Craft and Coffee Shop in Keel on Achill Island this Friday at 7pm.
Rural Eye – 10 Years of Scribbling, brings together stories Dr Lineen-Curtis has written over a ten-year period for Forum, the official publication of the Irish Colleges of GPs.
Proceeds from sales will support the work of Irish charity Brighter Communities Worldwide in Kenya.
Born and bred on Achill Island, Dr Noreen Lineen-Curtis has worked in general practice on Achill for more than 20 years and now works with the Mayo offshore islands – Clare Island, Inis Biggle and Achill Beg.
Her stories offer a personal and often poignant insight into life and work in a remote rural community. They explore the challenges facing rural GP practice, the realities of travelling to work by currach and ferry, conversations about death, motherhood and teenagers, the arrival of Hollywood on Achill, and the many experiences and challenges of working through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Across the ten-year period covered by the book, Noreen's writing also reflects how her thoughts and perspectives have evolved, while her deep affection for Achill and the Mayo islands remains a constant thread.
Interspersed between Noreen's stories are chapters describing the work of Brighter Communities Worldwide in the rural communities of Kericho County, Kenya.
Noreen's connection with Africa began when she spent three months in Ethiopia as a medical student before her final year of medicine. She first visited Kenya and became involved with Brighter Communities Worldwide in 2019.
During that visit, she was struck by the similarities between providing healthcare in remote, rural communities in the West of Ireland and the challenges of delivering healthcare in remote, rural parts of Kericho County.
That connection has continued to grow, and Noreen has become a staunch supporter of Brighter Communities Worldwide and the West of Ireland Kenyan Partnership.
The chapters about Brighter Communities Worldwide work have been written by people living and experiencing that work themselves – 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.
Every penny raised will support communities in Kenya.
“It is unsurprising that all proceeds from this book are dedicated to this fantastic charity. Whether navigating the Atlantic swells off the Mayo coast or working alongside communities in East Africa, the core of our practice remains unchanged in the belief that health, dignity and community belong to everyone, no matter how remote,” said Dr Velma Harkins, President, Irish College of GPs.
Rural Eye – 10 Years of Scribbling has been published by the Irish College of General Practitioners, which is covering all the costs associated with producing the book. As a result, every penny raised through book sales will go towards supporting the work of Brighter Communities Worldwide in Kenya.
The book is available for €20, or €30 including postage, and can be purchased directly from Dr Noreen in Achill, from the Brighter Communities Worldwide office in Cobh, and at Sweeneys Craft and Bookshop on Achill Island.
Copies can also be purchased online through the fundraising page: Buy Rural Eye – 10 Years of Scribbling.
For a posted copy, please email drnoreenlineencurtis@gmail.com with your postal address.
