Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwall

Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell

I first met Betsy Cornwell in August 2021 at Kylemore Abbey, where I was lucky enough to attend one of her writing courses. Some members of my writing group, Writers Ink, had attended her course the previous year and spoke so highly of the course and their experience there. So, I joined a group of Writer’s Ink aspiring writers and headed off to the magical space that is Kylemore Abbey for an unforgettable trip.

Born and raised in New Hampshire, USA, but now living in Connemara, Co Galway, Betsy is a New York Times best-selling author of The Circus Rose, The Forest Queen, Mechanica, Venturess, and Tides. She teaches Creative Writing at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and runs writing retreats and workshops in Connemara and through online mentorship.

In 2020, Betsy rented an Old Knitting Factory in Connemara as a home for herself and her son. The Old Knitting Factory building dates back to 1906 and offered work to local women at the time. Betsy fell in love with the cottage and its amazing history. In 2021, she bought it with the dream of turning it into a childcare-inclusive arts retreat space for other single-parent artists, as well as a family home for herself and her son. She welcomed her first guests in August 2022.

As we sat and wrote together in the Notre Dame Global Centre, which is attached to the Abbey itself, I was in awe as Betsy spoke of her passion and dreams for the Old Knitting Factory.

I had no idea then of the difficult road Betsy and her beautiful brown eyed boy had travelled to reach that moment.

Ring of Salt by Betsy Cornwell

In her memoir Ring of Salt, Betsy shares that journey with a mix of beauty and heartbreak. It is a true story of love, loss, resilience, and survival. She writes of the joy of falling in love first with the west of Ireland as a young American and then falling deeply for the man who became her husband. As the memoir continues, we also read about how all that changed and how Betsy had to find the strength to leave her husband in order to protect herself and her newborn son.

Betsy’s retelling of her story, which is sometimes harrowing, is beautifully written. Her words flow so well that I had to remind myself that this was not a novel and, in fact, someone’s lived experience.

Through homelessness and uncertainty, Betsy never stopped looking for ways to keep herself afloat and protect her son from the reality of their lives.

What touched me most was the way Betsy describes the love of a community of strangers who stepped in to carry her and her child through their darkest times. Through telling her story, she highlights the vital and often lifesaving work of organisations such as COPE in Galway. For over 60 years, COPE has helped people facing homelessness, women and children subjected to domestic abuse, and supported older people to live healthy, independent lives in their communities.

What also stuck out for me was the importance of free spaces that are warm and dry, and safe, such as public libraries. After all, where do you go when you have no money and a child to entertain? Where do you go that is free when you have to remove yourself and your child from a potentially harmful situation for a few hours?

Betsy’s memoir is a story of survival and resilience. It is heartwarming to read about the kindness of strangers who go out of their way to help on a practical level, and also those overseas who support Betsy and her dream to pay forward the help she got by providing a safe, creative space for single mothers. At its heart, though, this book is about a mother’s love for her son and her determination to find a safe place to call home.

The Old Knitting Factory was built in 1906 to employ local women and foster women’s independence in Connemara. I do not doubt that those first original knitters are cheering her on from another place as she fulfils her dreams for The Old Knitting Factory.