Karina Tynan is a writer and psychotherapist. She was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, though most of her life was spent in Dublin where she raised her two children, Kathy and Luke.
A fascination with mythology – Irish mythology in particular – has accompanied her throughout her life. Her two collections, TÁIN and SÍDH are written from the perspectives of the women in these ancient stories.
Myth
Myth is great theatre holding endless wisdom and insight. To quote the Irish poet Eavan Boland from her poem The Pomegranate: “And the best thing about the legend is/ I can enter it anywhere. And have.” Here she speaks about the Greek myth of Ceres and Persephone, showing how that same myth held her experiences as the mother of a daughter through the many stages of her mothering.
Karina says, “That is how I understand myth. Over my life, along with my journey as a psychotherapist, myth has harrowed me, taught me, accompanied me and held me. My experiences with these great stories led me to a greater empathy for the woman, or maybe it was for myself.”
Then she began to retell from the perspectives of the women that inspired her throughout the four cycles of Irish mythology.
Writing
TÁIN: The Women’s Stories, based on the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology, is Karina’s first publication, released in December 2021. Her second publication, SÍDH : Stories from the Women in Irish Mythology was released in November 2023 She continues to write poetry, some of which has been published in Irish anthologies, and she has also written four plays awaiting fresh attention and energy.