kids book | Marita Conlon-McKenna

Marita with Writer Gordon Snell.

I am so sad to hear of writer Gordon Snell’s death. We have been friends and fellow children’s writers for many, many years. I always loved to meet up with him for he was the best of company and a great raconteur. Gordon was a really interesting, kind man.

We did lots of children’s events and book things over the years. Both of us along with his wife Maeve Binchy were supporters of the incredible M.S.Readathon.

One of the most embarrassing and funny things that has happened to me was with Gordon. The M.S. Readathon send out a message asking all the Irish Children’s Writers to meet up at the top of Dublin’s Stephens Green for the launch of their annual campaign to encourage kids to read and raise funds for M.S.

I turned up as did Gordon, but no other writers appeared. There was great jazz band and a heap of press photographers, we waited and waited but not a single other soul appeared. The plan was to do a Writer’s Parade with the band and balloons all the way down Grafton Street, to Trinity College. Gordon and I soon realised that we had no other option but to walk as the band began to play. After the first few minutes of excruciating embarrassment, we decided to make the best of it as crowds of shoppers and tourists gathered along the street wondering who we were. The music was jazzy, which we both loved and we linked arms and did a kind of jazzy dance come march the whole way down and back up Grafton Street. The crowds were baffled but we laughed and smiled and waved at them along the way. It was crazy but we had such laughs about it over the years.

Gordon wrote lots of children’s books and also some of the scripts for Wanderly Wagon, the iconic RTE children’s programme which generations have enjoyed. He worked as a journalist and even wrote a cookbook.

He and his wife Maeve Binchy had a wonderful life travelling the world and living in their beautiful home in Dalkey village, two writers both working side by side at their desks. Following Maeve’s death Gordon was involved helping to set up the ‘Echoes Festival’ in Dalkey which celebrates Maeve’s writing.

A true gentleman, Gordon lived a long life, dying at 94 but will be always remembered with great fondness and affection by those of us who had had the very good fortune to know him.

It was wonderful to be back in Greystones in my favourite children’s bookshop Halfway up the Stairs again to celebrate the lovely new edition of my book Safe Harbour with its great new cover by Philip Cullen. On a sunny day passing all the little boats out sailing, people in swimming in the cove, with a man playing the bagpipes in the stilly sea air was sheer joy and then to find such huge crowd of amazing young readers and bookworms coming along to meet me . It was brilliant as we chatted all about Safe Harbour and why and how I wrote it and about Fairy Hill too. There were lots of books to sign and questions to be answered. Thank you so much to Trish Hennessy and Sarah Webb for organising such a special afternoon and to all my young readers for coming along.

In Safe Harbour, Sophie and her younger brother Hugh are caught up in the Blitz, with London being pounded night after night by German bombers during World War 11. When their house and street gets hit their mum is badly injured. As their Dad is away fighting with the British Army Sophie and Hugh are evacuated to Ireland to stay with their Grandfather, a man they have never met and no one ever talks about. He lives in Greystones in a big old house overlooking the sea. They don’t want to be away from home and their mum and he makes it very clear that he doesn’t want them staying with him either. Soon Sophie is caught up in another war but with her grumpy cross grandfather as the dangers of war begin to edge closer.

I spent so much of my childhood in Greystones, that I knew that it was the perfect place to bring Sophie and Hugh after all they had seen and witnessed. To have them run and play and swim on the beach and cove and harbour and enjoy a freedom that they would never have in London and also to experience the magic of Greystones which never changes. ..