Trinity Lit Society Award 2016 with Ruth Atkins

It’s October and it’s book festival time!

Rebel Sisters has just come out in paperback and it is such a privilege to have so many book clubs reading the book. Also, it’s great to hear that so many of you are going on to research and discover more about 1916. I love it when people come up and share their own 1916 family stories with me, as I do events around the country.

Huge thanks to the Trinity Literary Society for their lovely award which I was very honoured to receive. Talking about books and writing in Dublin’s beautiful old college always reminds me of the writers that have crossed its cobble stoned squares over the years.

Marita with Lia Mills and Sinead Moriarty

Then it was up to my old school, Mount Anville, for a very special Authors’ Night with Lia Mills and Sinead Moriarty. We are all past pupils and it was fun remembering our school days and our first forays into writing with a big group of book lovers.

Then down to North Tipperary to the Drumineer Arts Festival. What a lovely event,held in Nenagh Castle – that has been restored! Talking history in the Round Room of the Castle was very special and having harpist Laura O’Sullivan to play certainly added to the atmosphere.

Marita in Nenagh Castle with Margaret Kennedy and Laura O’Sullivan

Then it was the Red Line Festival in Tallaght where I was delighted to join writer Dermot Bolger on stage in the Civic Theatre in Tallaght for their Readers’ Day. On Sunday, Dermot and I took part in a recording of RTE Radio 1’s Sunday Miscellany in the Civic Theatre.

Now I’m packing my bags again to go to Cork for this year’s Children’s Book Festival where I will get to meet and talk to lots of young fans…