Paula Meehan, who grew up in tenement housing in Dublin, said: “I feel privileged for a myriad of reasons to have been invited to respond to the house and to make this poetry sequence. 14 Henrietta Street and its hauntings gripped my imagination from the moment I first crossed the threshold. The house inspired me to create this sequence, in recognition of the people I grew up amongst, who formed my moral and social compass; of the original architects, builders and craftspeople, who created such an elegant and enduring building; of the people who made their homes there over the years, who leave behind stories of survival and courage, and of the committed people who worked incredibly hard to realise this project.”
Dragana Jurišić added: “Paula Meehan is a magician of words and working with her on this book and with the people who brought 14 Henrietta Street back to life is an experience I will cherish forever. It was the walls of the house that fascinated me the most: with layer upon layer of old wallpaper or paint, pictures, graffiti, they were like secret maps inviting you to imagine the hundreds of destinies 14 Henrietta Street witnessed.”