Robin Simons tells Jessica Quinn about managing Parkinson’s, dancing on mountains and the positivity of dogs “I think self pity is a terrible affliction”, author and photographer Robin Simons tells me on the crackling phone-line from his home in Germany. Robin has lived with Parkinson’s disease for more than 20 years, and I last spoke with him when he was living in Connemara, climbing mountains and planning on writing a book of poetry and photographs inspired by the health benefits of nature. Ten years on, Robin has finished writing his third book, Dancing on the Mountain Tops, detailing his climbs of 150 mountains in Ireland, including many in Clare, and the lessons he has learned along the way. However, these weren’t the only challenges Robin has faced. In 2016 he had major Deep Brain Stimulation surgery to help treat his Parkinson’s and just five weeks later he had a near fatal collision with a tree. Those setbacks, however, didn’t stop …
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