Mercier author Rachel McKenna invited readers to Step into Nature with her, at the launch of her new book which she describes as “a personal awakening and appreciation to the outstanding beauty and complexity of nature around us.”

McKenna was joined by Dr John Feehan, Cathaoirleach Offaly County Council Tony McCormack, and Offaly Heritage Officer Amanda Pedlow, as well as a host of guests at Gloster House, Brosna for the launch.

An architect by trade, McKenna went through something of a transformational shift when she began to stop and notice the beauty and power of the natural world around her.  Inspired, she set out to write not simply a book, but an interactive guide filled with enticing visual aids that would ignite the interest and passions of her readers to also Step into Nature.

Acutely aware of the global environmental crisis unfolding, McKenna was keen to convey how important the natural world is in so many ways. Through her book, she cultivates a passion and love for the positive power we can all derive from being in tune with and out in nature.

“Each day provides us with the opportunity to listen to the voice of nature, which will reconnect us and fill us with a sense of fulfilment,” she explained.  “By simply slowing down, listening, and observing we can discover miniature wonders of nature, wonders that fill us with awe or those that are so beautiful that the memory stays with you long after the season fades. Each discovery is a small triumph, and such encounters have extraordinary potency and are even compulsive.”

Speaking at the launch, John Feehan echoed Rachels’ sentiments: “Step into Nature is an inspiring account of direct encounters with the everyday flora and fauna we can all see for ourselves with our own eyes, once we learn to stop and look. It is an experience enriching beyond anything we can see on our screens; in the only corner of the world, we can actually engage with and preserve for future generations.”

Written in a diary style, the book chronicles the Irish year in nature through sumptuous visuals and words inviting the reader to create a personal diary with nature that will change the way they view the world around them for the better.

With such a positive message within its pages, John Feehan noted how Step into Nature is not just ideal for adults looking to reconnect with nature, but it will also be a key book for young people. “One of the first things to strike me as I reflect on what Rachel has given us is what a difference it would have made for someone like myself [when I was young.] To Step into Nature through the pages of a book like this, packed with narrow windows through which the wonder not only of exotic orchids and other flowers peep on every page, but of plants and animals across the entire taxonomic range. And where if you step through any of those windows there is a hand of the other side to take yours and lead you away.”

The book is out now, priced €16.99 available in all good bookshops as well as from Mercier.ie