County Derry nurse hoping to provide comfort with publication of her debut book

A nurse from County Derry hopes she can provide comfort in a different way with the publication of her debut collection of poetry.

Catherine Farren has compiled 55 poems for her five-star-rated anthology, Retreat and Breathe.

Captivated critics have described the collection as ‘inspirational’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘provides hope of brighter times ahead’.

Remarkably, all of the poems which feature in Retreat and Breathe were composed within a three-month window during 2024.

The Limavady woman explained: “Last year I took part in a free writing course run by our department, led by Fionnuala Cassidy, a successful author and poet herself.

“She encouraged and inspired me so much that the poems just kept flowing,

“The poems are testament to the many stages of life - grief, healing, growth and transformation.

“They are both honest and compassionate and I sincerely hope that the reader finds comfort, whilst feeling both understood and seen.”

The 53-year-old began her own self-development journey in the years before the pandemic.

And the nurse of more than three decades discovered writing was an integral part of her healing process following a lengthy spell of feeling lost and alone.

Catherine’s stanzas flow seamlessly from theme to theme, exploring everything from doubt and identity to relationships and recovery.

Her natural ability to express emotion is matched by an authoritative approach to poetic structure and rhythm.

And the resulting collection is deserving of the lengthy string of five-star reviews it has collected since its recent publication.

Despite the successful debut, mum-of-two Catherine has only gone on to compose one poem during 2025, for a departing friend.

But she is now concentrating on her first novel.

She said: “Since writing Retreat and Breathe I have only written a personal poem for the manager of our team who was leaving to go to another role.

“I am currently working on a novel for my second book - something I have wanted to do for a long time and working with Publish Nation on publishing my first book has given me the confidence to move forward with this next book.”

For more information, visit Amazon and search for Catherine Farren where the paperback and Kindle versions of Retreat and Breathe are available.