The Hare's Corner Making Space for Nature

About this book

The Hare's Corner is a powerful celebration of the quiet, hopeful revolution taking place across Ireland – where people are making space for nature to thrive once again.

In partnership with the Burrenbeo Trust, this beautifully crafted book brings together ten inspiring profiles of participants in Burrenbeo projects, written by Pocket Forests co-founder Catherine Cleary. These real-life stories – from farmers and families to schools and community groups – shine a light on the small yet profound changes that are restoring habitats and reviving species across both rural and urban landscapes.

Woven through The Hare's Corner are evocative poems by acclaimed poet Jane Clarke, enchanting illustrations by Jane Carkill and striking photography. Each page invites readers to reconnect with the wild corners of the world – and perhaps to create their own. Named after the traditional farming practice of leaving a field's edge for wildlife, The Hare's Corner is a testament to resilience, renewal and the deep well-being that can blossom when we let nature in.

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Biography

Jane Clarke, originally from Co. Roscommon and now living in Co. Wicklow, is an award-winning poet and editor. She has published three highly acclaimed poetry collections with Bloodaxe Books: The River (2015), When the Tree Falls (2019) and A Change in the Air (2023), which was shortlisted for both the Forward Prize for Best Collection and the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2023. Her anthology Windfall: Irish Nature Poems to Inspire and Connect (Hachette Books Ireland), illustrated by Jane Carkill, was published in 2023.

Catherine Cleary is an author, journalist and nature activist. She has written and co-authored four books: Life Sentence (O'Brien Press, 2004), A Month of Somedays (Londubh Books, 2012), The Sheridans Counter Culture Guide to Cheese (Transworld Ireland, 2015) and The Stars Are Our Only Warmth, the life story of homeless activist Alice Leahy (O'Brien Press, 2018). She writes about food and the environment for The Irish Times. She co-founded Pocket Forests, a social enterprise bringing nature to urban areas, in 2020. Catherine and her family recently took on the establishment of a native woodland on land in Roscommon.

Jane Carkill is an illustrator and textile designer living in the heart of the Burren. Her illustrations have been showcased in various highly acclaimed publications, including Fios by Darragh McKeon (The Gentian Press, 2025), The Keeper of the Bees: Bees and Beekeeping in Irish Folklore by Eimear Chaomhanach (O'Brien Press, 2024), Windfall: Irish Nature Poems to Inspire and Connect edited by Jane Clarke (Hachette Books Ireland, 2023) and Wild Embrace by Anja Murray (Hachette Books Ireland, 2023). She is a member of the non-profit organisation Illustrators Ireland. Her debut authored book Watercolor in the Woods (Page Street Publishing, Macmillan) was published in 2024.