Lovely Anne, Galway Hooker Sailing Club. All photos by Anna King.

This poem was inspired by my time working with the Galway Hooker Restoration Project. We secured funding from the Western Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) / Coastal Community Projects for the restoration of Lovely Anne.

This evolving poem was also influenced by the writings of John O’Donohue.

Originally written in 2017, it has shifted and deepened over time, much like the tides and friendships it reflects.

ANAM CARA: SOUL FRIEND

“It was on these western shores,
Anam Cara,
you found my soul
adrift in the stillness
of a waiting tide.

You travelled
the dark arc of stars
to settle in my dreams —

and now, awake,
I feel you
soften the echo
of tide-worn years
calling across
the water of time.

For a while we walked
beneath the turning skies,
our hearts attuned
to the breath between the waves;
each breath a thinning thread
binding sea to soul.

As far-off waves
stirred the winds of change,
the seasons turned
towards the gathering night –

and your presence
began drifting –
further and further away –
leaving only memories
anchored in tide-lit stillness,
flickering
in soft dawn light.”
— By Anna King

Sailing on Lovely Anne, Galway, 2022.

The photos below are from the re-launch of Lovely Anne, after restoration by the Galway Hooker Sailing Club. 2019. The restored 137 year-old Gleoiteog sailed from Black Weir, Oranmore to Claddagh, Galway.