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“When I was awarded the Metcalf Fellowship, I was approaching my journey to Ireland from an academic angle,” says Emily Gray. “Instead, it was all about personal growth. I went into it with certain assumptions and found out so much more. My pre-conceptions fell away—it was a reckoning with myself that I’ll never forget. I emerged like a Russian stacking doll—the innermost one.”

Emily had just graduated from Wheaton College (MA) with a major in art history and English and a minor in visual arts. She was working full-time at WaterFire Providence as an arts administrator with dreams of curating.

Emily’s intriguing proposal involved investigating the intersection of pagan deities and goddesses with the Catholic church in Ireland. “There is so much superstition and mythology surrounding pagan gods and goddesses, some of which are venerated only in a small area or region, or by a particular tribe. Places such as rocks, streams, mountains, and trees may all have had shrines or offerings devoted to a deity residing there.

“But how did embracing Christianity alter this—in some cases, deities have been assimilated into the Catholic church, becoming an amalgamation that can be reflected in the storytelling, music, and art of Ireland.”

Beginning her “Irish Ramble”—as Emily refers to it—in Dublin, she quickly realized that this trip might be more difficult than she had expected. “Dublin is hard. I felt raw. No one knew me, no one could see me—I felt invisible. It was exactly what I wanted, but it was heavier than I had anticipated.”

Then, she encountered Paula Meehan, a renowned Irish poet and playwright, at a reading of The Solace of Artemis. “It was so in line with what I was looking for—feminine lineage, matriarchal history, divinity, both pagan and Christian. I felt so seen and reflected, and I broke down crying in front of her, so moved by her words and her ability to see people. She said, ‘What is poetry for if not for inciting feeling?’”