Testimonials
Fionnuala is an exceptionally gifted creative writer and scriptwriter who has successfully delivered projects on behalf of Beam Creative Network over the last ten years and more. She has a great ability to engage and empower participants which allows them to express themselves creatively. Her passion and love for writing shines through and this is transferred into the work she does.
Kathryn O’Neill - Manager
BEAM Creative Network, Donaghmore
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First Steps Women’s Centre has had the pleasure of employing Fionnuala Cassidy as a Creative Writing Tutor since 2022. The feedback from Fionnuala's classes has been outstanding and our participants have thoroughly enjoyed them and learnt a lot. We are delighted that she will be continuing to teach at our centre in 2024.
Amanda Boyd
Wellbeing Co-ordinator FSWC, Dungannon
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I highly recommend working with Fionnuala Cassidy - The Story Weaver. She is a fantastic and professional facilitator who is passionate about writing, storytelling and supporting people with mental ill health on how to use the creative process to express themselves and improve their wellbeing.
Fionnuala creates a safe and supportive environment where people can feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences. With her background, working in mental health, she is extremely knowledgeable and shows great empathy with the ability to provide support and guidance as needed. I have seen firsthand the benefits that creative writing can have, especially as I have watched Fionnuala engage with our group.
Classes have helped service users to process their emotions, develop coping mechanisms, and build resilience. Fionnuala’s workshops bring people together and create a community who champion each other and their work. She brings out the best in people, she listens, she cares, she inspires… this is what makes her a highly skilled and compassionate facilitator and I am forever grateful for the work that she does with our organisation.
Jenna Thomas
Assistant Director of Insight, Engagement and Innovation, Inspire Wellbeing.
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Fionnuala has worked with both a creative writing group and a historical society in our local community in Madden on a number of occasions. We have asked her back to lead various projects as she is talented, accommodating and passionate about the recording of stories and historical facts. We look forward to continuing to maintain this partnership in the future.
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Eileen Maguire - Madden Historical Group
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At the end of 2019 Fionnuala Cassidy delivered a most enjoyable 6 week project in Creative Writing at Drumcree Centre to a group of women who subsequently called themselves The Drumcree Scribblers. This fabulous programme in conjunction with the John Hewitt Society resulted in them all becoming published authors in a book entitled Once Alien Here. Fionnuala guided and delivered the project with expert lead and passion and encouraged a most enjoyable and positively productive journey. Much tea and banter was had, life experiences and memories penned and shared through wonderful stories, poetry and song, tears of both sadness and hilariousness shared, totally therapeutic! Fionnuala came back and delivered another set of classes in 2022 and is due to return to Drumcree in 2024!
Karen Ingram
Drumcree Community Centre
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What a beautiful, special and personal retirement gift! Thank you so much to a talented lady who wrote a poem with love and kindness which was read out at my final assembly and told the story of my career and my time as Principal at Saints and Scholars IPS in Armagh. I can’t think of a more unique way to record important memories and I will treasure it always.
Thank you so much Fionnuala.
Julie Macartney - Armagh
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I would advise anyone wanting a really unique and special gift for any occasion to go and see Fionnuala Cassidy. I got a christening poem written for my niece and it was like giving two presents at once. It let my sister know how pleased I was at being asked to be Godmother and also allowed me to tell my goddaughter what a special little girl she is. The poem was framed and put in her bedroom and will always be there to tell the story of her birth and how much we were all looking forward to welcoming her into our family.
Fionnuala does a really professional job in writing and the graphics accompanying the words are really eye catching and beautiful. I would highly recommend this service!
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Gemma Robinson, Lisburn.
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I recently commissioned a poem as a gift for my mum’s birthday. Fionnuala came and met me and we chatted and she took all my childhood memories and all of my Mum’s most endearing qualities that make her so special and she turned them into a poem. I trusted her every step of the way and she captured what I wanted to say perfectly. A treasured gift that will be displayed and appreciated for many years to come.
Tina Rogers - Donaghmore
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I cannot thank you enough for the poem you wrote for my friends on the death of their beloved mother. How you managed to capture the true essence of a wonderful woman from my online rambling to you is truly amazing! It is a beautiful memorial and her daughters loved it. It was so difficult to offer comfort. Thank you for being the pen to my paper.
Cath Errington - Longtown, Cumbria
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We were absolutely delighted and touched to receive a poem by Fionnuala about my beautiful Mum Vui Holmshaw who sadly passed away in November 2022 from Cancer. Our Support Worker Cath had started to work with my sister and I who are both disabled and got to know my small but big kind hearted amazing Vietnamese mum and the things that meant most to her - her family, home, her garden and food. Cath shared her memories about mum with Fionnuala and the poem we received was so good and true that we could have used it as a speech or during the funeral service. The words that were written were absolutely beautiful especially considering she had never met mum and was told only a few stories about her. It was mind blowing and absolutely amazing! It's something my sister, Dad and I will cherish forever so thank you Fionnula. A rare talent. Truly amazing.
Judith Smale - Carlisle, Cumbria
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Fionnula put the most beautiful poem together for my Mam & dads 60th wedding anniversary. It touches on all the special moments and their journey together and was so cleverly composed. It was a work of art, thank you for your special talent.
Kevin Boyle - Carlisle, Cumbria
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I had been looking for something special to give my best friend on the morning of her wedding as I was one of her bridesmaids and I thought a poem about our years together would be epic. I contacted Fionnuala through Facebook and she answered me quickly and organised a video call so we could chat. She took our story and made it into the most incredible poem that was funny, deeply personal and so sentimental. I got it framed and gave it as a wedding present and keepsake of the most magical day.
Such an amazing idea and beautiful gift especially when Fionnuala not only writes it but offers a package in the price that covers graphics as well. This enabled me to use a photograph of us together whilst including the colours of the bridesmaids dresses. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Aisling McDermott - Derry
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Fionnuala was just fabulous! I provided some key information and she turned it around quickly with a witty poem for someone who was leaving our workplace.
It was as if Fionnuala actually knew the person in how she creatively turned words into verse.
A joy to work with and to read what was written by Fionnuala was brilliant!
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Liz Reaney - Armagh
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Success that STEMs from Experience! A Great title for the piece that was written......I was so grateful and thankful for Fionnuala's expertise with my celebration event for Year 13 Research Placement Students which was held at Stormont Buildings on 13th Sept. Fionnuala helped me greatly by conveying a whole years work in just one phone call and asking all the right questions that helped to produce an amazing poem that not only recognised those present in the room but all those that couldn't be there. She is smart, funny and very talented and so professional that I would recommend her services to everyone! She adds that extra special touch to any occasion and I am very thankful to her. I was lost for words but she helped me showcase my presentation through her beautifully and carefully illustrated words. Thank you and I will be back.
Melissa Nugent - Nuffield Co-ordinator, STEM NI, Belfast.
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Facilitator
Poet
