Newry and Mourne Museum visit

Posted on 18/05/2015 by fionaconlonmckenna

I travelled up to Bagenal’s Castle, which is home to the Newry and Mourne Museum, to talk to a lovely group from the local schools about writing and the Great Irish Famine.

Earlier on, as part of the Museum’s ‘Living History’ initiative, the group had been shown how to make stirabout and to use yellow meal. They were also introduced to the strict rules and regulations of the Workhouse as they sat at long trestle tables in the Museum’s re-created workhouse dining hall.

A lovely trip and then back to Dublin and finishing my new book…

The Road to the Rising

Posted on 08/04/2015 by fionaconlonmckenna

What a wonderful Easter Monday with the sun shining and Dublin’s O’Connell Street transformed into to Sackville Street 1915 with no traffic and a vintage carousel, tram, cars, and a steam-engine!

Hundreds of actors dressed in period costume set the scene as thousands of us Dubliners thronged the crowded street, enjoying the demonstrations of millinery, hairstyling, men’s outfitting, baking and barrel making. Choirs and musicians from two open air stages sang songs of the period as we enjoyed a day of living history. There were guided tours, and a whole host of talks that were absolutely packed out in the Gresham Hotel, Wynn’s Hotel, Liberty Hall, the Abbey Theatre and the GPO, such is the interest in our history and the past.

As my new book is set during the period it really did help me to imagine those times and I attended a wonderful talk by family members of The Volunteers and one that gave us amazing detail about life for both the rich and the poor during that period.

I have never seen such a massive crowd on the street and the atmosphere was wonderful and friendly. So, congratulations to RTE and everyone involved in organising such a major public event that we will all remember.

A perfect two days was rounded off by seeing Paul Simon and Sting perform at the Three Arena. It was an absolute privilege to be in the audience and hear songs that are so special to so many of us. An unforgettable performance by two incredible musicians!

Actors in period costumes Easter Monday 2015

Get your hats Easter Monday 2015

Marita outside GPO Easter Monday 2015

O’Connell Street Easter Monday 2015

The History Detectives at the Mountains to Sea Festival

Posted on 21/03/2015 by fionaconlonmckenna

I had a wonderful time in Dun Laoghaire, at the Mountains to Sea Festival talking to lots of great kids, in a packed Pavilion Theatre, about writing and researching history.

My partners in crime were writers Brian Gallagher and Nicola Pierce. Get three writers together talking about one of their favourite topics and it’s going to be fun, revealing and crazy.

We went off for a long lunch, still chatting madly and did it all again with another session in the new DLR LexIcon Library.

Lots of great events on, so check it out if you get a chance!

Marita, Brian Gallagher and Nicola Pierce

Grainne Clear, Marita, Brian Gallagher, Nicola Pierce and Sarah Webb

Today FM’s Facebook post on Under the Hawthorn Tree

Posted on 03/03/2015 by fionaconlonmckenna

I’m not on Facebook myself but heard through my kids that Today FM has posted the original cover of my book Under the Hawthorn Tree on their Facebook page asking who read it as a child. I am delighted with the huge, positive response to the post. Would you believe it, I wrote the book twenty five years ago!

Original Irish cover by Donald Teskey

It was written for my own children with little thought of it getting published. I’m mad about history and wanted to tell the story of Ireland’s Great Famine, in a way they would understand. I heard of three small skeletons from the time of the Famine being found in a field, buried under a hawthorn tree. Suddenly I had a story and Eily, Michael and Peggy and their baby sister were on the page, and I couldn’t stop writing. It was crazy as I wrote the book in 12 weeks. My own son was only a baby and I was still doing night feeds and life was pretty hectic.

I sent the book to a publisher and well…talk about luck!

I am so eternally grateful to everyone who has read the book, bought the book, passed it around their families, and used it in their schools. It is still being read by lots of children and readers of all ages around the world. My original readers are now reading it with their own kids. It is a very special book and enabled me to work as a writer. I am so proud of Under the Hawthorn Tree and its amazing 25 years!

The Blue Horse

Posted on 03/02/2015 by fionaconlonmckenna

What a lovely start to 2015 to discover that my book The Blue Horse has been chosen as the ‘One Book, One Community’ novel to be read by a huge group of schools in North Dublin and the City.

I went along to the wonderful launch in O’Connell’s CBS School, where I got to meet hundreds of enthusiastic readers and their teachers who are mad about reading and books. It was great to see images from the book up on screen and one of the teachers even got a cake made of the book cover!

Well done to everyone and I hope you all enjoy reading Katie’s story!