On the occasion of her mother's birthday, the Irish writer Maeve Brennan wrote a letter to William Maxwell describing the emotional landscape provided by her mother. She wrote: 'She gave me an "asylum for my affections" and I learned that my affections so far exceeded her ability to understand me that she came near to drowning.' With essays by a selection of Ireland's best writers, this anthology considers the dual meanings of the word asylum: as institution or site of incarceration and as refuge or shelter.

Essays that explore cityscapes, loneliness, the emotional impact of history, diasporic transience, girlhood, family connections to Brennan and more create space for a broader engagement with Brennan's life and the ongoing impact of her work.

Contributors include:

Darran Anderson

Niamh Campbell

Mary Cregan

Roddy Doyle

Arnold Thomas Fanning

Molly Hennigan

Belinda McKeon

Eilis Ni Dhuibhne

Kate Phelan

Jess Traynor