The New Library Opens in Stillorgan

Posted on 05/10/2026 by fionaconlonmckenna

Hip, Hip… Hurray….The lovely new Library in Stillorgan has just opened and I popped in for a visit as I was so curious to see it. Libraries are my favourite spot and I spend a lot of time in them… This one is close to where I live.

Everyone has been waiting for this, as the old prefab style library behind the old Stillorgan Bowling Alley closed down a good few years ago, with the library moving across the road to a much smaller space upstairs in the Shopping Centre.

The large site was developed into apartments by private developers and Dunlaoghaire Rathdown County Council. At long last after all the years of speculation the Council’s apartments and Library are finished.

The library is a really nice, bright, well designed space, with a good children’s section on the ground floor and space for people to study and read and browse. There is a lift and stairs to the First floor, which has more study and reading spaces and lots of lovely new books shelves to fill. It is right in the hub of Stillorgan and was already busy with a lively story telling session for younger kids, with older students arriving in school uniforms to study.

We are blessed with great libraries in the County, with the flagship one in Dun Laoghaire overlooking the harbour and pier, and other ones are in Deansgrange, Blackrock, Shankill, Ballyogan and Dundrum.

Like everyone else, it is concerning to see that the latest published readership figures show that among teenagers and young people reading books for pleasure is going down. The vital and most important thing about libraries is to use them.

Writer Gordon Snell Remembered

Posted on 02/05/2026 by fionaconlonmckenna

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.

Ernest Hemingway’s House in Key West, Florida

Posted on 04/05/2023 by fionaconlonmckenna

Taking a break from a busy book schedule it was great to escape to the stunning beauty of the Florida Keys and chill out in Key Largo, Islamorada and Key West. Everywhere we travelled was paradise,surrounded by water and nature, so it was the perfect place for a great holiday.

In Key West I visited the home of one of America’s greatest writers Ernest Hemingway –a literary hero of mine ever since I first read ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ when I was a teenager. Hemingway was a winner of both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1953) and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1954).

I am always curious and fascinated by great writer’s homes as they provide a glimpse into their lives. The Hemingway house, a French colonial style house built in 1851, did not disappoint for it is a beautiful house on Whitehead Street, close to the lighthouse and to the water where Hemingway loved to sail and fish. Climbing the small stairs to his outside separate study it was great to see the place where he created so much of his work. Descendants of his original six toed cat still laze around the house and garden. Another famous and influential American writer Judy Blume lives in Key West and is a co- founder of the busy local bookstore ‘Books and Books’ and often can be found there. I can’t wait to see the film version of her classic book ‘Are You There God, its Me Margaret,’ which is due out later this month starring Rachel McAdam and Kathy Bates.

We also visited The Little White House ‘- the Truman home which is only a few minute walk away from the Hemingway home and is also well worth a visit. President Harry S. Truman was a regular visitor to Key West and loved spending time down there. Truman was one of the most influential American presidents. The House is a Presidential Museum with beautiful furnishings and design and is still used sometimes by American presidents.

All the Fun of a New Book!

Posted on 02/04/2023 by fionaconlonmckenna

With Sarah Webb, Trish Hennessy and Meriel O’Toole in Halfway Up the Stairs Bookshop in Greystones, Co Wicklow.

The first few weeks after Fairy Hill’s publication have been great fun, meeting lots of lovely readers and booksellers, librarians and teachers, visiting schools and bookshops to talk about the book and encourage everyone to write and to Keep Reading.

I had a brilliant time with lots of lovely readers in a very packed Halfway up the Stairs book shop in Greystones (one of my favourite places a book shop that specialises in children’s books).

It was great to get along to meet so many friends at the Children’s Writer and Illustrator’s Lunch organised by the wonderful Sarah Webb in the Royal St George Yacht Club last week.

Then I was back in the North Wicklow Educate Together School only a few days later meeting a great bunch of First Year students.

I love meeting my readers and talking about books and words, and the pictures we all get in our head that inspire stories and poems, plays and songs, scripts and even comics and graphic novels. The one thing I notice is all the really talented young writers out there with great stories to tell…..

A Memorial to Michael O’Brien at the Dublin Book Festival

Posted on 14/11/2022 by fionaconlonmckenna

Michael O’Brien President Michael D.Higgins

It was a great honour to be asked to take part in the memorial tribute for my friend and publisher Michael O’Brien in Dublin Castle as part of The Dublin Book Festival. Friends and family and colleagues from the book world gathered in the Print Works to remember this extraordinary man who had done so much to grow and develop Irish publishing over the years. He was involved in setting up so many organizations that would encourage reading, writing and publishing.

O’Brien Press growing from the small beginnings of just two people working there to becoming one of Ireland’s foremost award winning publishers. Michael had huge energy and drive and a vision for Irish publishing that he lived to see fulfilled. His achievements in terms of publishing were enormous as found gaps in the Irish book market and set about filling them as well as regularly attending the huge book fairs and selling translation rights to so many books by Irish authors.

His son Ivan O’Brien and Editor Ide O’Laoghaire and designer Emma Byrne all shared their memories as a montage of photographs of Michael’s rich life was shown on screen.

I told of my first meeting Michael in O’Brien Press in Rathgar in 1989, when he gave me the good news that he was going to publish my book ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree.’ This was the start of a long friendship which stretched over many years, with O’Brien due to publish my new children’s book Fairy Hill in spring 2023.

Playwright and author Frank McGuinness was a long -time friend of Michael’s but unfortunately at the last minute was unable to attend but Ivan read out his words about the high regard he had for Michael O’Brien.

President Michael D Higgins also spoke of their enduring friendship over many years and how he looked forward to meeting Michael and the lively discussions that ensued. Michael was always an innovator, full of ideas ready to try new things.

Michael O’Brien was huge figure in Irish publishing and will be missed by all of us who had the good fortune to know him. However he has left an abiding legacy and O’Brien Press continues to thrive under the good care of his sons Ivan and Eoin O’Brien and all the publishing team there.