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Introducing a new faith based magazine for women – Inspire

Working with Presbyterian Women, I had the honour of working with a small team creating their new magazine title Inspire. Whilst a new magazine, it follows on a legacy for PW who have created a magazine for their members since 1866! Here is what I wrote as an editorial, please do check out the magazine,…

Farming Life column – lifelong learning

Lifelong learning By Rebecca McConnell Published in the Farming Life, Saturday 18th November 2023 Last month, I was asked to judge the County Antrim heat of the best competition Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster has to offer – in my opinion – public speaking. Members had to speak on a topic of their choice for…

Let’s hear it for New York!

New York delivers … but first, let me catch up on my sleep! Having been to and experienced a taste of New York (five days is only a snapshot), I feel I understand John McEnroe better. At Wimbledon, his brash, in-your-face attitude clashed with the hush tones of Centre Court. I know that where he…

It’s up to you, New York, New York

It’s a city I haven’t been to yet. It’s been on my list for a while now. With a big birthday in June, it felt a good time to book flights to New York and visit the US of A and leave the continent of Europe for the first time in my life. Having watched…

All life is precious

This article first appeared as a contribution for Good News for the Countryside column in the Farming Life, where I share the story of an uncle who I never knew and how his, like all life is precious to God. Aged 15 in 1970 Walter Waddell was killed in a farm accident. I share my…

Purple Rain celebrates its tenth calendar

It started with a simple idea. Make a calendar to give to clients as a thank you. Now that tradition is ten years old (Purple Rain will be 12 in February) and to celebrate, I have created a special edition with pictures from not just around Northern Ireland, but Italy as well thanks to my…

Feeding Venice – Exploring the islands that supply Venice with food – part 2

After our delicious lunch on Saturday, we boarded a special open-air train for a guided tour among the ‘barenas’ (salt marshes) to Lio Piccolo, an ancient village reached through a thin strip of land between the waters. The prominent buildings – a dusky pink church and bell tower – were built between the 1600s and…

Feeding Venice – a food, farming & travel log from an Agri-press trip to Italy – part 1

The vaporetto pulls out of Piazzale de Roma into the Venetian lagoon and I can’t quite believe I am in Italy. This is my first overseas trip after the pandemic. I am here for the European Network of Agricultural Journalists AGM and a press trip to the Cavallino Treporti region to explore “Farming in the…

I remember watching some brave people dive off Harbour Hill in the seaside town of Portstewart last summer. As they stepped up to the edge of the cliff and jumped off, I winched thinking, ‘I could never do that!’ Then a small voice in my head said, “No, Rebecca, you don’t have that kind of…

Some Purple Rain PR for Yellow Water

Over the summer, I entered the Irish Farmers’ Journal Country Living’s Local Treasures writing competition. They were encouraging people to write about a place that they went to over lockdown that people in general might not know about. When I saw the competition on social media, I immediately thought of Yellow Water, outside the Co…

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