Books
Europe
USA
Audio / Visual Media
Books
Europe
NEW Anam Cara: 25th Anniversary Edition
A special twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic work of Celtic spirituality and mysticism by beloved poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue, with a new introduction by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, an afterword by the late author’s brother, Pat O'Donohue, and insightful material from O'Donohue's circle of close friends. In this revered classic, John O’Donohue excavates themes of friendship, belonging, solitude, creativity and the imagination, among many others. Widely recognized for bringing Celtic spirituality into modern dialogue, his unique insights from the ancient world speak with urgency for our need to rediscover the thresholds of the soul. With lyrical wisdom and fluency, O'Donohue encourages pathways of discovery to come home to the natural rhythm in ourselves in sacred connection with one another and the landscapes we inhabit.
Click here to learn more about this new release!
Europe Release February 23, 2023
Walking on the Pastures of Wonder
Poet and Philosopher John O'Donohue left behind a remarkable body of work on the subjects of spirituality and Celtic mysticism. Walking on the Pastures of Wonder is a poignant and inspirational collection of radio conversations and presentations from O'Donohue's work with close friend and former RTÉ broadcaster, John Quinn. These timeless conversations explore themes such as wonder, landscape, the medieval mystic Meister Eckhart, ageing and death, in O'Donohue's inimitable lyrical style.
"Wonder, imagination and possibility were John's great concerns... Whatever the medium, there are great riches here - the product of a brilliant mind, a mind that never stopped striving to advance the frontiers of possibility." John Quinn (book foreword)
Benedictus
When we stand before crucial thresholds in our lives, we have no rituals to protect, encourage and guide us as we cross over into the unknown. For such crossings, we need to find new words. What is nearest to the heart is often farthest from the word.
This book reaches into that tenuous space from the known familiar world into new unmapped territory. Drawing on Celtic spiritual traditions to present a compilation of poetic blessings and insights, John O'Donohue offers comfort and encouragement for the milestones and transitions of life. We begin to recognize that our relationships with one another, and even the most seemingly insignificant rituals which frame our days, are crucial to our emotional and spiritual well-being.
Divine Beauty
Beauty is a gentle but urgent call to awaken. John O’Donohue opens our eyes, hearts, and minds to the wonder of our own relationship with beauty by exposing the infinity and mystery of its breadth. His words return us to the dignity of silence, profundity of stillness, power of thought and perception, and the eternal grace and generosity of beauty’s presence. In this masterful and revelatory book, O'Donohue encourages our greater intimacy with beauty and celebrates it for what it really is: a homecoming of the human spirit. By focusing on the classical, medieval, and Celtic traditions of art, music, literature, nature and language, O'Donohue reveals how beauty's invisible embrace invites us toward new heights of passion and creativity, even in these uncertain times of global conflict and crisis.
"John O'Donohue has contributed a major work... It is the work of a writer finding new space to celebrate old truths."
Irish Times
"A lively and informed discussion among great minds - a digest of provocative views on the inexhaustible and compelling topic. This refreshing book falls like rain on the parched plain of contemporary discourse." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Eternal Echoes
There is a divine restlessness in the human heart, our eternal echo of longing that lives deep within us and never lets us settle for what we have or where we are. In this exquisitely crafted book, John O'Donohue explores the most basic of human desires - the desire to belong. It's a desire that constantly draws us toward new possibilities of self-discovery, friendship, and creativity. Exploring perennial themes and gaining insights from a range of ancient beliefs, O'Donohue draws inspiration from Ireland's rich spiritual heritage of Celtic thought and imagination. It is a heritage of profound, mystical wisdom that will open pathways to peace and contentment, and lead us to live with creativity, honor, and compassion the one life that has been given to us.
"As diaphanous and beautiful as the spiritual reality he is portraying, Eternal Echoes speaks to the soul." Larry Dossey
"O'Donohue has produced a treasury for readers of all faiths. A demanding, high-wire existentialist adventure that will inspire readers to re-evaluate their goals and ways of being in the world. O'Donohue ends each chapter with a lyrical blessing or prayer, and his book itself is a profound, healing prayer."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Conamara Blues
Translating the beauty and splendor of his native Conamara into a language exquisitely attuned to the wonder of everyday, John O'Donohue takes us on a moving journey through real and imagined worlds. Divided into three parts - Approachings, Encounters, and Distances - Conamara Blues at once reawakens a sense of intimacy with the natural world and a feeling of wonder at the mystery of our relationship to this world. Whether exploring the silent, eternal memory of Conamara or focusing on the power of language and the vagaries of human need and passion, O'Donohue tenderly reveals the fragile vulnerability of love and friendship. The result is a musical, transcendent, and deeply moving series of poems that exemplifies O'Donohue at his finest.
"John O'Donohue is the real thing: a poetic priest with the soul of a pagan." Booklist
Echoes of Memory
In this powerful, evocative collection, master storyteller, John O'Donohue explores themes of love and loss, beginnings and endings. Inspired by the ancient wisdom of the Celtic tradition and the rugged, majestic landscape of his birth, the West of Ireland, here he also creates a unique vision of a place and a time, and the echo of memory that will never fade.
"O'Donohue's books fairly plead with humankind to escape our contemporary dehumanizing traps and, in so doing, return to a spiritual heritage that includes intimacy, poetry, connectedness and compassion." The Boulder Planet
"His taut concise pieces use words and syntax with the sort of freedom that comes after mastery." Books Ireland
Four Elements: Reflections on Nature
In The Four Elements, Poet and Philosopher John O'Donohue draws upon his Celtic heritage and the love of his native landscape, the West of Ireland, to weave a tapestry of beautifully evoked images of nature. As John explores a ranges of themes relating to the way we live our lives today, he reveals how the energy and rhythm of the natural world - its innocence and creativity, its power and splendor - hold profound lessons for us all.
“In these meditations John inspires us to look again at the thought patterns and habits that we have created. He speaks about the elements in a poetic, imaginative way. He extends to them the presence of an open mind which calls forth a conversation overflowing with beauty and mystery.”
Pat O'Donohue (John's brother, book foreword)
USA
NEW Anam Cara: 25th Anniversary Edition
A special twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic work of Celtic spirituality and mysticism by beloved poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue, with a new introduction by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, an afterword by the late author’s brother, Pat O'Donohue, and insightful material from O'Donohue's circle of close friends. In this revered classic, John O’Donohue excavates themes of friendship, belonging, solitude, creativity and the imagination, among many others. Widely recognized for bringing Celtic spirituality into modern dialogue, his unique insights from the ancient world speak with urgency for our need to rediscover the thresholds of the soul. With lyrical wisdom and fluency, O'Donohue encourages pathways of discovery to come home to the natural rhythm in ourselves in sacred connection with one another and the landscapes we inhabit.
Click here to learn more about this new release!
US and Canada Release November 29, 2022
Walking in Wonder
Poet and Philosopher John O'Donohue left behind a remarkable body of work on the subjects of spirituality and Celtic mysticism. Walking in Wonder is a poignant and inspirational collection of radio conversations and presentations from O'Donohue's work with close friend and former RTÉ broadcaster, John Quinn. These timeless conversations explore themes such as wonder, landscape, the medieval mystic Meister Eckhart, ageing and death, in O'Donohue's inimitable lyrical style. Click here to learn more about this release!
With a foreword by Krista Tippett.
US / UK Release November 6, 2018
To Bless the Space Between Us
When we stand before crucial thresholds in our lives, we have no rituals to protect, encourage and guide us as we cross over into the unknown. For such crossings, we need to find new words. What is nearest to the heart is often farthest from the word.
This book reaches into that tenuous space from the known familiar world into new unmapped territory. Drawing on Celtic spiritual traditions to present a compilation of poetic blessings and insights, John O'Donohue offers comfort and encouragement for the milestones and transitions of life. We begin to recognize that our relationships with one another, and even the most seemingly insignificant rituals which frame our days, are crucial to our emotional and spiritual well-being.
Beauty
Beauty is a gentle but urgent call to awaken. John O’Donohue opens our eyes, hearts, and minds to the wonder of our own relationship with beauty by exposing the infinity and mystery of its breadth. His words return us to the dignity of silence, profundity of stillness, power of thought and perception, and the eternal grace and generosity of beauty’s presence. In this masterful and revelatory book, O'Donohue encourages our greater intimacy with beauty and celebrates it for what it really is: a homecoming of the human spirit. By focusing on the classical, medieval, and Celtic traditions of art, music, literature, nature and language, O'Donohue reveals how beauty's invisible embrace invites us toward new heights of passion and creativity, even in these uncertain times of global conflict and crisis.
"John O'Donohue has contributed a major work... It is the work of a writer finding new space to celebrate old truths."
Irish Times
"A lively and informed discussion among great minds - a digest of provocative views on the inexhaustible and compelling topic. This refreshing book falls like rain on the parched plain of contemporary discourse." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Eternal Echoes
There is a divine restlessness in the human heart, our eternal echo of longing that lives deep within us and never lets us settle for what we have or where we are. In this exquisitely crafted book, John O'Donohue explores the most basic of human desires - the desire to belong. It's a desire that constantly draws us toward new possibilities of self-discovery, friendship, and creativity. Exploring perennial themes and gaining insights from a range of ancient beliefs, O'Donohue draws inspiration from Ireland's rich spiritual heritage of Celtic thought and imagination. It is a heritage of profound, mystical wisdom that will open pathways to peace and contentment, and lead us to live with creativity, honor, and compassion the one life that has been given to us.
"As diaphanous and beautiful as the spiritual reality he is portraying, Eternal Echoes speaks to the soul." Larry Dossey
"O'Donohue has produced a treasury for readers of all faiths. A demanding, high-wire existentialist adventure that will inspire readers to re-evaluate their goals and ways of being in the world. O'Donohue ends each chapter with a lyrical blessing or prayer, and his book itself is a profound, healing prayer."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Conamara Blues
Translating the beauty and splendor of his native Conamara into a language exquisitely attuned to the wonder of everyday, John O'Donohue takes us on a moving journey through real and imagined worlds. Divided into three parts - Approachings, Encounters, and Distances - Conamara Blues at once reawakens a sense of intimacy with the natural world and a feeling of wonder at the mystery of our relationship to this world. Whether exploring the silent, eternal memory of Conamara or focusing on the power of language and the vagaries of human need and passion, O'Donohue tenderly reveals the fragile vulnerability of love and friendship. The result is a musical, transcendent, and deeply moving series of poems that exemplifies O'Donohue at his finest.
"John O'Donohue is the real thing: a poetic priest with the soul of a pagan." Booklist
Echoes of Memory
In this powerful, evocative collection, master storyteller, John O'Donohue explores themes of love and loss, beginnings and endings. Inspired by the ancient wisdom of the Celtic tradition and the rugged, majestic landscape of his birth, the West of Ireland, here he also creates a unique vision of a place and a time, and the echo of memory that will never fade.
"O'Donohue's books fairly plead with humankind to escape our contemporary dehumanizing traps and, in so doing, return to a spiritual heritage that includes intimacy, poetry, connectedness and compassion." The Boulder Planet
"His taut concise pieces use words and syntax with the sort of freedom that comes after mastery." Books Ireland
Four Elements: Reflections on Nature
In The Four Elements, Poet and Philosopher John O'Donohue draws upon his Celtic heritage and the love of his native landscape, the West of Ireland, to weave a tapestry of beautifully evoked images of nature. As John explores a ranges of themes relating to the way we live our lives today, he reveals how the energy and rhythm of the natural world - its innocence and creativity, its power and splendor - hold profound lessons for us all.
“In these meditations John inspires us to look again at the thought patterns and habits that we have created. He speaks about the elements in a poetic, imaginative way. He extends to them the presence of an open mind which calls forth a conversation overflowing with beauty and mystery.”
Pat O'Donohue (John's brother, book foreword)
Audio/Visual Media
More...
US and Canada Release on November 29, 2022 
Ireland Release on February 23, 2023
A special twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic work of Celtic spirituality and mysticism by beloved poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue, with a new introduction by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, an afterword by the late author’s brother, Pat O'Donohue, and insightful material from O'Donohue's circle of close friends.
In this revered classic, John O’Donohue excavates themes of friendship, belonging, solitude, creativity and the imagination, among many others. Widely recognized for bringing Celtic spirituality into modern dialogue, his unique insights from the ancient world speak with urgency for our need to rediscover the thresholds of the soul. With lyrical wisdom and fluency, O'Donohue encourages pathways of discovery to come home to the natural rhythm in ourselves in sacred connection with one another and the landscapes we inhabit. This timeless collection nourishes the heart and elevates the spirit. It is "a book to read and reread forever.” Irish Times
Advance Praise for the Anniversary Edition of Anam Cara
“John O’Donohue’s unique voice and heart and his exquisitely elevating poetic imagination are immortalized in these pages, saturated as they are with his lyrical and contagious love of life and love for people and nature. Even reading it at random is profoundly healing and affirming, especially in hard moments.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Meditation is Not What You Think and the bestselling classic, Wherever You Go, There You Are
"The moment I read Anam Cara...I felt like I had found a kindred spirit. I love everything John has written. It comes from such a deep, profound, wise, and insightful space."
Maria Shriver, author, advocate, and journalist
"What a profound joy it is rereading Anam Cara, John O'Donohue's glorious book of teachings about nature, human life, friendship, love, and loss. Anyone who ever spent time with John came away changed, as do his readers."
Diane Ackerman, bestselling author and poet
“In this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, you will find John a 'soul friend' on your own journey through life, offering support and solace, clarity, and consciousness—expanding narratives that invite you to experience relationships with people, nature, and even your inner world in new ways that nurture well-being and resilience in these challenging times.”
Daniel J. Siegel, MD, bestselling author, neuropsychiatrist
“This book is a phenomenon in itself... a book to read and reread forever, its style of varied narration responds to our times.”
Irish Times
"With this twenty-fifth anniversary of Anam Cara, John's fervent call to dignify each other reverberates in every corner of our beautiful broken world with more urgency and presence. He continues to bring solace to millions at this precipice time." Ellen Wingard, Advocate for Social Impact Leadership
"Anam Cara is a rare synthesis of philosophy, poetry, and spirituality. This work will have a powerful and life-transforming experience for those who read it."
Deepak Chopra
"A lively spiritual companion to all Celts—or to those who are Celtic in their hearts."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"For almost twenty years the poetic and prophetic words of John O'Donohue have held sacred space and holy weight in my heart."
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor-Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago, Illinois)
"Anam Cara is a radiant source of wisdom, a link between the human and the divine. This work is a blessed, rare gem."
Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Be Careful What You Pray For, Prayer Is Good Medicine, and Healing Words
"John brightens the way for you, if you have the courage to go there--he was obviously sent here with the light."
Davy Spillane, Grammy Award-winning musician/composer at North Atlantic Music Studios (Ireland) and Producer of Anam Cara Audiobook
"John O'Donohue's book of Celtic wisdom comes at you like a blast of fresh wind rushing above the din of modern noise and cynical contemporary conversations, revitalizing the spirit to effectively face this turbulent world. Indeed we need John's wildly original and provocative voice more than ever."
Gail Straub, Co-Founder--Empowerment Institute, Author of The Rhythm of Compassion
"From the very first sentence, Anam Cara takes us on an exhilarating journey through the human soul and its many wondrous and mysterious labyrinths, and John O'Donohue is the perfect guide to light the way--a radiant soul full of deep wisdom, true compassion, and boundless joy."
Andrew Carroll, New York Times bestselling author and co-founder, with Nobel Laureate Joseph Brodsky, of the American Poetry & Literacy Project
"Anam Cara has accompanied me on my spiritual journey from its very inception. I have returned to this book often, for solace, wisdom and --most of all--to be reminded that I am not alone in what I desire for myself and for our world. John O'Donohue has been my "soul friend" for years, and his brave revelations of his mind and heart have changed my life. Get ready for a life-altering journey."
Edward L. Beck, Roman Catholic Priest, CNN Faith and Religion Commentator
"In the age of social media in which we add and discard friends with the tap of a screen, we need more than ever John O'Donohue's vital words of wisdom on how the right relationships can lift a life and feed the soul. This book is about deep love, belonging, and honoring nourishing ties that crush small-minded concepts of what friendship can be. A must read for all on the spiritual journey."
Sophfronia Scott, author of The Seeker and the Monk and Love's Long Line
John O'Donohue is widely recognized as one of the most charismatic and inspirational enduring voices on the subjects of spirituality and Celtic mysticism. This latest offering is a poignant and beautiful collection of conversations and presentation from O’Donohue’s work with close friend and former radio broadcaster John Quinn. These timeless exchanges, collated and introduced by Quinn, span a number of years and explore themes such as imagination, landscape, the medieval mystic Meister Eckhart, aging, and death. Presented in O'Donohue's inimitable lyrical style, and filled with rich insights that will feed the "unprecedented spiritual hunger" he observed in modern society, Walking in Wonder is a welcome tribute to a much-loved author whose work still touches the lives of millions around the world.
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR WALKING IN WONDER
"John O’Donohue’s contribution as a prophet will continue. His work as a writer and a poet will endure. These conversations between John O’Donohue and John Quinn, maybe Ireland’s most thoughtful broadcaster, offer a unique insight into the power of Wonder and the importance of symmetry in all aspects of our lives. A powerful contribution." President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins
This book you now hold in your hands is a treasure.
Krista Tippett, Host of On Being
A celebration of the beauty and mystery of everyday things. Walking in Wonder is a delight.
Deepak Chopra, New York Times Bestselling Author, You are the Universe
This wondrous, panoramic lens of John O’Donohue as mystical theologian, purveyor of the divine imagination, genius of intellect and fierce social justice activist is a vital gift bestowed by fellow pilgrim and beloved friend, John Quinn, to a world urgently in need of spiritual replenishment and activism. John calls us to evoke wonder as a sister of compassion and to awaken the imagination as a counterpoint to repressive structures – internally and externally – that perpetuate injustice and deep inequity. More than ever, John offers his magnanimous presence to remind us of our own capacity to inhabit our horizons with joy and care for the world through his definitions of wonder: “presences such as surprise, expectation, celebration, inspiration, unpredictability, participation and mystery.” We are emboldened through this beautiful topography to keep a faithfulness to the quest for wonder in our lives and in the actions we take to make a difference.
Ellen Wingard, Consultant & Author Leadership for Social Impact
John O'Donohue's wondrous words illuminate the pages of this magnificent book as they bring clarity and inspiration to our rapidly changing world. Whether we're discovering John for the first time, or we have already been transformed by the poetry and prose of this profound philosopher, poet, and mystic, Walking in Wonder offers us all a unique opportunity to enter a compelling conversation about the most important yet often hidden challenges of finding meaning and connection in our modern lives. Come join the conversation and soak in these words of wisdom.
Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. Clinical Professor, UCLA School of Medicine; and New York Times Bestselling Author, Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence
"How glorious it is to hear the voice of John O'Donohue again, the lark-tongued poet, philosopher, theologian, and anam cara, who left his imprint on everyone he met. Anyone who spent time with him - in person or in books - came away changed. In this spirited conversation, John is fiercely alive with the electric fizz of being, fully attuned to life, ruminative, and so infused with wonder that every question becomes a lantern. As ever, he delves deeply into the plateaus of being human, and explores the thresholds that arise, frighten, but must be crossed to become the self one dreams. I so cherish this unexpected gift."Diane Ackerman, Author of The Zookeeper's Wife
What John O'Donohue could do with words simultaneously baffles, delights, and soothes the heart. His lyricism and poetic imagination are his enduring gift. His voice resounds off each page here, his words pulsating with life, helping to illumine, elevate, and inspire in us reverberations of the beauty he already saw and so loved in we human creatures.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Author of Full Catastrophe Living and Falling Awake
John O'Donohue's insights in this new collection offer a glimpse into the wonder and presence of knowing him. His signature themes rooted in Celtic spirituality and contemplative exploration offer breadcrumbs on the path, encouraging us to embrace the beauty and gift of each day.
Davy Spillane, Grammy Award Winning Musician and Composer, North Atlantic Studios, Ireland
As this magnificent book demonstrates, even on the printed page John O’Donohue’s voice—so lyrical and eloquent, so profound and impassioned—flashes vividly to life, beautifully capturing a radiant soul filled with humor, compassion, and utter selflessness. Indeed, John not only brilliantly articulated the magic and necessity of joy and gratitude, he ignited a sense of genuine awe in every life he encountered, and he will undoubtedly inspire future generations to learn how to infuse their own lives with meaning and wonder.
Andrew Carroll, New York Times bestselling Author and the co-founder, with the Nobel Laureate Joseph Brodsky, of the American Poetry & Literacy Project.
This volume is a testament to the timelessness of John O'Donohue's wisdom. His words are not only inspirational to those of us catalyzing substantive social change but compel us to consider how we nurture, support and thrive amidst chaos.
Rev. Dr. Diane J. Johnson, Ph.D., National Interfaith and Social Justice activist, Mmapeu Management Consulting
John Quinn’s self-effacing work as editor and broadcaster is rightly renowned. Here he presents, for wider audiences, his absorbing conversations with John O’Donohue’s glorious, far-seeing, far-reaching spirit. Welcome to these luminous encounters!
Lelia Doolan, Irish Activist in various fields
In these conversations, John Donohue's timely words feed the deep spiritual hunger that creeps into our hearts as individuals and our nation as a whole. He reframes the human story of fear, aging, death, otherness and absence, reminding us that they are all bound up in the mystery of wonder. O'Donohue lives on as a prophetic and priestly presence for such a time as this.
Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson, President, Auburn Seminary
Luminous! Walking in Wonder shines light on life's dark mysteries and offers sustenance for spiritual hunger. As you confront the inevitable thresholds of loss, absence and aging, this book will serve as a road map to help you navigate with grace, gratitude and a fearless heart. John O'Donohue's elegant words are a call to live with abundance, to look inward with courage and to look outward with compassion. They are a reminder to embrace the wild energy of your soul.
Gina Vild, Co-Author, The Two Most Important Days: How to Find your Purpose and Live a Happier, Healthier Life
In each chapter the reader experiences a rich and exhilarating new conversation. We witness a man whose intellect and life force are in full bloom, deeply rooted in spirit, humor, curiosity and compassion. John invites us to pause and reflect, challenging us to reach beyond our well-trod and comfortable assumptions.
Richard Harrell, Educator, Musician; The Julliard School, San Francisco Conservatory, Orfeo Foundation
Media
Beauty is an Edge of Becoming : Excerpt of John's Interview with Krista Tippett from On Being
John Reciting His Blessings:
Beannacht
A Blessing for a Friend on the Arrival of Illness
A Blessing for One Who Holds Power