Author Archives: fionaconlonmckenna

Judith Kerr – Mountains to Sea Festival 2017

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Judith KerrWhat a treat to get to listen to much loved children’s author and illustrator Judith Kerr talk about her life and work at this year’s Mountains to Sea Festival in Dun Laoghaire! From her early childhood in Germany to the family’s flight to Switzerland just as Hitler took power, to their move to Paris before the family decided to settle in London. Despite all the moves and changes over those childhood years, all Judith wanted to do was draw and draw. She ended up studying textile design in London.

Her first stories were inspired by her own children and she wrote ‘The Tiger who came to Tea’ for her daughter. Stories about Mog, their family cat, soon followed. The ‘Mog’ stories like ‘The Tiger who came to Tea’ becoming classics, read by generations of children all over the world.’ Her novel, ‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’ was inspired by her own childhood during the Second World War.

As she talked with her editor, Ian Craig, we were treated to her wonderful art work. At 93 she is still writing and creating books which include ‘My Henry’ (about her and her late husband) and ‘The Great Granny Gang’. It was wonderful to see that creativity is both timeless and ageless, and Judith certainly inspired all of us in the audience.

It was great to meet up with Joanna Trollope. She talked to a packed audience with great honesty about her life as a writer and theme of her new book ‘City of Friends,’ which explores the working lives of women.

A discussion on Brexit chaired by journalist David Murphy with economics expert David McWilliams, journalist Martina Devlin and historian and lecturer Diarmaid Ferriter certainly provided lively views on what may or may not lie ahead for Ireland in the coming years as Brexit finally is triggered.

This year, as ever, Mountains to Sea provided a rich array of different events for festival goers to enjoy.

Thanks to all those who organised and planned the Festival programme.

World Book Day 2017

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Chris Judge, Marita and Sarah Webb

What a lovely way to celebrate this year’s World Book Day by taking part in a special event in the fabulous Lexicon Library in Dun Laoghaire.

The morning was organised by Sarah Webb (DLR’s Writer in Residence). Chris Judge, illustrator and writer, Sarah and I all talked about our favourite books with a big audience from local schools. Reading was such a big thing for all of us when we were growing up and those books we first read were so special and have stayed with us always.

Chris, with his flip pad, illustrated the dangers that lurk in the toilet and in the classroom. Looking at the array of books we all picked, it was soon clear that we all loved some of the same books over the decades. The kids told us about their favourite books too.

It was the perfect way to celebrate books and writing and reading!

A Night of Book Launches!

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Despite the wet weather it was great on the eve of World Book Day to go along to Dubray Books on Dublin’s Grafton Street for the launch of Ryan Tubridy and P.J. Lynch’s new picture book Patrick and the President which is about US President J.F. Kennedy’s visit to Ireland during the summer of 1963.

President Kennedy had a rapturous reception in Dublin before travelling down to New Ross to see the family homestead. His great-great grandfather Patrick Kennedy and his family had fled from there to America during the Great Famine. Ryan has a huge interest in JFK and has written about him previously but decided to do a book for children about the visit.

It was great to meet my good friend and former head of the National Library of Ireland, Pat Donlon there and to discover that P.J. had used her grandson Paddy Kelly as the model for Patrick, the boy in the book. Young Paddy is absolutely delighted to be on the cover of a book.

I headed off to nearby Idelwild afterwards for the crowded launch by Michael O’Brien of The O’Brien Press’ spring list with a wonderful array of new books and some brand new authors.

After a quiet January and February it is lovely to greet the spring with everyone talking about new books and writing.

GPO Launch of Leaders and Learners

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It was such an honour and privilege to launch the Leaders and Learners exhibition in the Witness Gallery of the GPO in O’Connell Street on Friday.

The social history exhibition based on the work of Primary Schools students from City Quay National School and Drimnagh Castle National School, is part of College Awareness Week.

In this fascinating project, the students researched the lives of many of the 1916 leaders, their educational background and what they might aspire to study if they were alive a hundred years later. They also wrote about their own ambitions to attend college and study in the future.

Looking around at their colourful portraits of Grace and Nellie Gifford and Countess Markievicz, Padraig Pearse, James Connolly, Elizabeth O’Farrell and so many others, I felt that I was amongst friends.

The students were awarded certificates for their participation and it was great to chat to such a bright, interesting crowd of students who had made their own of 1916 and enjoyed researching and working on all the projects which are now on display. The Leaders and Learners exhibition will run until the end of the month in the GPO.

Afterwards I took the opportunity to visit the GPO’s Witness History 1916 Exhibition, which is just brilliant. By just being in the GPO, you are already part of Irish history, but the exhibition helps to give an overall concept of Dublin at the time of the Rising.

There is a spectacular film of the days of the Easter Rising itself, which almost surrounds you and makes you feel like you are looking down at all that is happening. As you watch the leaders of the Rising talking in the GPO, they make their plans and study a map which brings the visitor to that part of Dublin and the action there. Throughout the visitor centre there are displays of mementos and uniforms, letters and even sections of the Post Office. I also found the walls covered with theatre and army recruiting and advertising posters of the time added to the experience.

Outside there is a wonderful new courtyard with a sculpture of stones to commemorate the children who died during the 1916 Rising. There is also a bright new coffee shop and gift shop and of course there is the wonderful Post Office itself, which is where it all began.

The GPO Witness History 1916 Exhibition opened as part of the 2016 Centenary, but is a permanent exhibition. If you are in the city or planning to visit Dublin, it is well worth exploring.

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Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards 2016

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What a wonderful night at Dublin’s Double Tree Hilton at the Irish Book Awards! The great and the good of Irish publishing and bookselling gathered for the glamorous and glitzy annual celebration of Ireland’s Books of the Year.

I was very honoured as Rebel Sisters was on the shortlist for the Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year. The award on the night went to TV’s Graham Norton as expected, but I’m so proud of my book and so pleased that it has been enjoyed by so many readers and book clubs here in Ireland and in the UK and the USA.

My daughter, Fiona, accompanied me and we had a brilliant night at the Transworld table with my publishers Larry Finlay and Bill Scott Kerr, with the wonderful Jilly Cooper entrancing us all. Jilly received the very special Bord Gais Energy International Recognition Award for her significant contribution to the Irish book trade over the years and for entertaining so many readers with her books. Acclaimed Irish Poet and writer John Montague received the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award. It was lovely to chat with author Donal Ryan and his wife Anne-Marie who were also on our table.

Great to meet up with so many friends and writers at this very special night that celebrates literature and authors!

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