Introduction
A brand-new book, Leap, offers stories about living creatively in Donegal – read an extract below.
The brainchild of designer/printmaker Laura Buchanan, and writer’editor, Isla McGuckin, Leap is a collection of stories from the architects, poets, musicians, artists, writers, designers, weavers and more who have built their lives around creativity in Donegal, or who continue to draw inspiration from their Donegal roots.
“Treat People Well”—Daniel O’Donnell’s Quiet Rule for a Noisy World, and the Unexpected Chapter Unfolding in Donegal: Inside the Tender New Book Leap, Where 50 Real-Life Creators Share the Fails, the Breakthroughs, the doubt before the first step, and the unseen acts of kindness that keep art alive; Why Daniel Chose Home Over Hype, How a County of salt air, rain-lit roads, and kitchen-table conversations became a sanctuary for imagination, What the An Grianán Theatre launch revealed about courage and community, and why this project doesn’t preach—it reaches for you with what one editor calls “a nudge when you need one, and a hug when you need one”; From quiet mornings in Donegal to the weight of being recognized everywhere you go, Daniel reflects on staying gentle when the world expects hard edges, on letting creativity breathe without permission, and on the small decisions—returning a call, remembering a name, showing up for a neighbor—that turn fame into service; A moving, open-door look at the values behind the voice, the people behind the art, and the simple choice—made every day—that might be the most creative act of all. Read this before you talk yourself out of the dream you still keep quiet.