What a fabulous day meeting 70 brilliant young writers at the very special Young Writer’s Day in Dun Laoghaire’s Lexicon Library! The day was part of Cruinniu na nOg –Ireland’s national day of creativity for young people with events held all over the country.

The morning kicked off with a big panel discussion with Dave Rudden, Deirdre O’Sullivan, Alan Nolan and me talking to Grainne Clear about how we all got started writing and illustrating. There were lots of brilliant question from the young writers and illustrators… Many of whom are already working on books…. amazing!!

Then it was time to get writing and drawing at the workshops… followed by a really great talk about  publishing  your books with Eoin O’Brien from O’Brien Press and Grainne Clear from Little Island Books .

I also took time out at the weekend to visit the Dalkey Book Festival and attended a brilliant discussion with historian and author Peter Frankopan and Diarmaid Ferriter on ‘Why History Matters.’ My brain was buzzing after it!

Then to the Dalkey Heritage Centre where my friend author Martina Devlin and Andrea Catherwood gave a fascinating insight into the life of one of my great hero’s Countess Constance Markievicz.  Books and writing … can a weekend get any better!

There was a great turn out for the official launch of The National Famine Way on 30^th May at The Epic Museum on Dublin’s Custom House Quay with singer Declan O’ Rourke playing a few of his renowned famine songs and doing the honours!

A group of Famine experts and enthusiasts and walkers set off to walk this New National Famine Way led off by Strokestown’s Caroilin Callery and Professor Christine Kinealy from Quinnipiac University’s Great Hunger Institute, Professor Mark McGowan of Toronto University and writer and broadcaster Cathal Poirteir.

I joined them for the farewell Canadian Wake in the Percy French Hotel and the next morning watched as the  group re-enacted  an eviction outside the gates of Strokestown Park House as they set off to walk along the Royal Canal to Dublin. Schools and walking groups and lots of people joined them along the way!

Six days later watching them arrive into the city, it was emotional to say the least to see them walk alongside Rowan Gillespie’s Famine figures and then board the Jeanie Johnson ship which is moored across from Epic.

The National Famine Way  is a milestone  project that commemorates  the one hundred  mile journey of 1,490 evicted tenants from Stokestown Park House in May 1847, who escorted by the Bailiff walked along the Royal Canal to Custom’s House  Quay in Dublin. There they boarded ships bound for Liverpool and then on to Quebec in Canada.  Many of the children were barefoot and needed shoes for the long walk to Dublin.

The National Famine Way marks their footsteps along the beautifully restored canal and its pathways  with small stone plinths, each with a pair of bronze child’s shoes in over 30 locations along the way in the towns,villages and beauty spots that they passed through.

A digital app is available on the National Famine Way website which gives information about the canal way and local history and nature. I have recreated the story of Daniel Thighe, a twelve year old boy who walked all the way to Dublin on the Royal Canal with his mother and uncle and little brothers and sisters , all of them bound for Canada.  You can read and listen to Daniel’s  journey on the App.

The National Famine Way is a wonderful collaboration between the Great Irish Famine Museum in Strokestown, Waterways Ireland, Irish Heritage Trust and Trinity College’s ADAPT Centre and a  large number of County Councils.  I was very pleased to be asked to also come on board to help them with this exciting and interesting project.

The beauty of the restored canal and its incredible history, nature and wildlife make it a perfect place for people to walk and visit and explore.  Don’t forget to look out for those little bronze shoes as you go!

Mary McGlynn , Marita and Irene Doody                 Ann O Dwyer and Marita

There was great excitement and fun in the stunning Atrium in Mount Anville School at the launch of ‘A Home from Home,’ a book about the wonderful Sophie Barat Residence

The book celebrates 25 years of this very special residence which was the brain child of Irene Doody of Mount Anville’s Past Pupils Union.  Irene saw there was need for secure accommodation that would provide independent living for past pupils of Ireland’s Sacred Heart schools who for various reasons found they were priced out of the Dublin property market or returned from living abroad, or simply wanted to live within a small caring community following changes in their lives.

With the blessing of Sister Deirdre Doyle, Mount Anville, generously donated a perfect site, which was part of the school’s old farm.  Irene and her amazing committee which included   Ann O Dwyer, Rosemary Wilson, Barbara Duffy set to work to design  the perfect  scheme of low rise bungalows with a  central  building which would house a  dining room and library and a large sitting/ meeting room . The scheme was a unique initiative and once they got planning permission they went about the huge task of raising funds to build it.

Past pupil President Mary Robinson opened The Sophie Barat Residence twenty five years ago.

I was very honoured and delighted to be able to help Irene and the Committee bring this book together to show the work and dedication and care that has gone into not only opening The Sophie Bart Residence  but  in continuing to run it so successfully .

Sophie Barat with its sunny bright bungalows and pretty plant filled landscaped garden and spaces is a joy to visit. It was lovely also to get to meet some of its residents.

Designer Helen Cody did the honours, launching ‘A Home from Home’ in front of a large crowd, many delighted to meet up and reminisce about their own  happy school  days .

Muriel McAuley and Marita               Helen, Marita , Perdita and Eve

Marita , Niamh O’Sullivan and Christine Kinealy  

It is hard to believe that it is over a year since Quinnipiac University’s ‘ Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum’ in Connecticut  kindly agreed to let a large part of its magnificent Great Hunger Art Collection travel to Ireland.

The ‘Coming Home’ Exhibition opened in March 2018 Dublin Castle to great acclaim as the public flocked to see this rich and varied art and sculpture collection, which both reflected on and reminded us on Ireland’s Great Famine.

During the summer the exhibition  moved  to The West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen, which was  one of the worst affected parts  during the famine, and in early 2019 the exhibition transferred to Culturlann Ui Chanain in Derry.

I was very privileged to take part in a few events and talks organised around the exhibition which had a rich and varied programme of drama, film, academic seminars, talks, art and workshops.

At the Legacy Dinner held at 25 Fitzwilliam Place Vice President of Quinnipiac University, Lynn Bushnell told us of us the University’s delight that the exhibition had drawn over 120,000 visitors and had generated such an interest among all ages.

The ‘Coming Home’ Art collection has now returned to its home at Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum home in Quinnipiac.

‘The shame is that Ireland hasn’t created its own Great Hunger Art Collection to remember and reflect on Ireland’s Great Famine. We have the artists and all we need is the vision to find a proper space to house such an important collection of art works.’