I am just back from holidays in my favourite place Baltimore, in West Cork and this year all our family came down. It is such a great place to chill and relax and wind down with lots of lovely places to walk, eat and take in the spectacular wild Atlantic scenery.
I also got to read lots of lovely books including Colm Tobin’s marvellous Long Island, Katriona O’Sullivan’s Poor, and American author Elin Hildebrand’s latest summer read which is said to be her last book Swansong which is set amongst the inhabitants of the island Nantucket and its affluent summer visitors.
However, I cannot believe my luck as I will be back in West Cork again for the Skibbereen Arts Festival at the end of July. There are a huge variety of art, music and film events, with something for all ages and Skibbereen will also celebrate the town’s connections with the Olympics.
I am talking in the Uilinn Arts Centre on Monday 29th July at 12.00 for children and later at 6.00 pm in O Donovan Rossa GAA Hall with the wonderful Caragh Bell about my passion for history and how Skibbereen’s Doctor Dan Donovan inspired my book The Hungry Road.
Marita with Shane Hegarty and Sarah Webb in Dalkey Library
All the crowds came out for this years Dalkey Book Festival which had a brilliant line up of speakers and ran over four days. Politics and world affairs were to the fore front along with the best of Irish and International writing including Paul Lynch, Colm Toibin, Anne Enright, Paul Murray, John Boyne and Claire Keegan.
I was talking in Dalkey Library on Thursday evening with authors Sarah Webb and Shane Hegarty about our favourite thing… books … Irish books we remember and loved from growing up and the best of the brilliant crop of new Irish books that we have read and recommend. There was a lovely crowd of young and some older readers and it was part of the Discover Irish Children’s Books campaign to get readers choosing a book by an Irish author.
I was back again on Saturday to attend a thought provoking panel discussion of experts about the upcoming US election and the possible outcome of another Trump presidency or a defeat. But the highlight for me was getting to hear my favourite writer Claire Keegan discuss her work in an honest ones and direct interview with Rick O’Shea.Her precision with words and way of forming story were illustrated by a perfect reading form her new book So Late in the Day
Thanks to everyone involved in running the Dalkey Book Festival. I do love festivals and will be down in Skibbereen at the end July for their Arts Festival and will also be taking part in the Fingal Festival in late September.
It was wonderful to be back in ‘Strokestown Park House’-Ireland’s National Famine Museum to take part in the Canadian Wake, the night before The National Famine Way Walk 2024, which this year was led off by Caroilin Callery and Ireland’s Ambassador to Canada, Eamonn McKee.
The Wake, like in times past, is a gathering to say goodbye to the emigrants and wish them well on their journey with music, story and song and remembrance of times past for most would never see their home or families again. We were gathered to send the group of walkers off on their long journey to Dublin which passes through many villages and towns along the Royal Canal.
The National Famine Way has been spearheaded by the remarkable Caroilin Callery of Strokestown Park House and is a walk along the Royal Canal from Strokestown to Dublin’s City Quay that remembers and commemorates the 1,490 tenants of Major Denis Mahon who in May 1947 at the height of the famine were evicted and offered paid passage on ships to Quebec in Canada.
The tenants included many widows and young children, accompanied by the Bailiff on their long walk from Strokestown along the Royal Canal to Dublin’s quays. Many of the children had no shoes, so shoes had to be made for them. Shoes have now become an emblem of the National Famine Way with pairs of Bronze Children’s Shoe statues placed in different location along the trail.
Arriving in Dublin the Strokestown tenants took steamships to Liverpool, which overrun with starving Irish had become a place of terrible disease and sickness. There the tenants waited until their ships were ready to sail. The ships were overcrowded and lacked adequate food rations for the long Atlantic sea journey and the large number of passengers. Many did not survive the terrible conditions on the crossing and by the time they reached Canada a large number of the passengers had fallen ill with typhus and had been buried at sea or had to be quarantined on Grosse Isle where they died. Those that survived worked hard to make new lives in Quebec and all across Canada and North America.
I was very honoured when Caroilin asked a few years ago to write a story for the walk, which people could read or listen to and use on the app. I wrote about Daniel Tighe, a twelve year old boy who set of with high hopes with his mother, two brothers and two sisters and Uncle William Kelly as they walked all the way to Dublin , sailing first to Liverpool and then on to Canada. Daniel’s hopes would be dashed for by the time they arrived in Quebec for he and his sister Catherine were the only family members to survive the terrible journey on the Naomi. It is called Shoe Story.
However the National Famine Way is now extending as the trail will follow and be marked and recognised in both Liverpool and different parts of Canada. Eamonn McKee, our Irish ambassador in Canada, has played a big part in this exciting new initiative ‘The Global Irish Famine Way’ which will follow the trail of Irish emigrants to Canada and Liverpool and in time America and Australia. Bronze shoes have already arrived in Canada and some will also be located in Liverpool.
So now I have continued Daniel’s Story taking him across the Atlantic to a new home in Canada and read from it for the first time at The Wake on Sunday. It was real honour for me on the night to meet some of Daniel Tighe’s ancestors his young Irish relations. I found it is so poignant to hear them read out the names of all the family groups that left Strokestown and how many children were in their family as they set off for a new life so long ago…
The sun was shining as the National Famine Way walkers group set off from the Gates of Strokestown Park House on Monday 20th May. They arrived to a warm welcome at The Epic Museum in Dublins Docklands on Saturday afternoon 25th of May. Thirty bronze sculptures of pairs of childrens shoes mark the route and walkers can download the app telling the story.
The National Famine Way Walk is growing in popularity with walkers and walking groups, schools and tourists alike all enjoying the beauty of the Royal Canal and its town and villages as they commemorate an important part of our history.
Marita with Ireland’s Ambassador to Canada Eamonn McKee and musicians at the Canadian Wake .
It was wonderful to be back in ‘Strokestown Park House’-Ireland’s National Famine Museum on Sunday evening to take part in the Canadian Wake the night before The National Famine Way Walk 2024, which this year was led off by Caroilin Callery and Ireland’s Ambassador to Canada, Eamon McKee.
The Wake, like in times past, is a gathering to say goodbye to the emigrants and wish them well on their journey with music, story and song and remembrance of times past for most would never see their home or families again. We were gathered to send the group of walkers off on their long journey to Dublin which passes through many villages and towns along the Royal Canal.
The National Famine Way has been spearheaded by the remarkable Caroilin Callery of Strokestown Park House and is a walk along the Royal Canal from Strokestown to Dublin’s City Quay that remembers and commemorates the 1,490 tenants of Major Denis Mahon who in May 1947 at the height of the famine were evicted and offered paid passage on ships to Quebec in Canada.
The tenants included many widows and young children, accompanied by the Bailiff on their long walk from Strokestown along the Royal Canal to Dublin’s quays. Many of the children had no shoes, so shoes had to be made for them. Shoes have now become an emblem of the National Famine Way with pairs of Bronze Children’s Shoe statues placed in different location along the trail.
Arriving in Dublin the Strokestown tenants took steamships to Liverpool, which overrun with starving Irish, had become a place of terrible disease and sickness. There the tenants waited until their ships were ready to sail. The ships were overcrowded and lacked adequate food rations for the long Atlantic sea journey and the large number of passengers. Many did not survive the terrible conditions on the crossing and by the time they reached Canada a large number of the passengers had fallen ill with typhus and had been buried at sea or had to be quarantined on Grosse Isle where they died. Those that survived worked hard to make new lives in Quebec and all across Canada and North America.
I was very honoured when Caroilin asked a few years ago to write a story for the walk, which people could read or listen to and use on the app. I wrote about Daniel Tighe, a twelve year old boy who set of with high hopes with his mother, two brothers and two sisters and Uncle William Kelly as they walked all the way to Dublin , sailing first to Liverpool and then on to Canada. Daniel’s hopes would be dashed for by the time they arrived in Quebec for he and his sister Catherine were the only family members to survive the terrible journey on the Naomi. It is called Shoe Story.
However the National Famine Way is now extending as the trail will follow and be marked and recognised in both Liverpool and different parts of Canada. Eamonn McKee, our Irish ambassador in Canada, has played a big part in this exciting new initiative ‘The Global Irish Famine Way’ which will follow the trail of Irish emigrants to Canada and Liverpool and in time America and Australia. Bronze shoes have already arrived in Canada and some will also be located in Liverpool.
So now I have continued Daniel’s Story Taking him across the Atlantic to a new home in Canada and read from it for the first time at The Wake on Sunday. It was real honour for me on the night to meet some of Daniel Tighe’s ancestors his young Irish relations. I found it is so poignant to hear them read out the names of all the family groups that left Strokestown and how many children were in their family as they set off for a new life so long ago…
The sun was shining as the National Famine Way walkers group set off from the Gates of Strokestown Park House on Monday 20th May and they will arrive at Dublin’s Epic Museum on Saturday 25th of May.
Marita with Irish Ambassador to Canada Eamonn McKee Singer Grainne Hunt
Miss Harrison, Rachel Galvin, Joan Freeman, Eva Dowling, Marita Conlon McKenna, Fiona Murray and Mount Anville school principal Liz Caffrey.
What a fun way to celebrate International Women’s Day in the company of huge crowd of wonderful young women, the 4th, 5th and 6th year students in Mount Anville Secondary School, Goatstown, Dublin. It was a huge privilege to be invited to take part in a panel discussion with a multi-talented group of inspirational women.
It was great to meet the incredible Joan Freeman, a former Senator, who founded Pieta House which does so much to help prevent suicide by providing counselling and other services for all those in need of help and support. It now has twelve centres in Ireland. Also on the panel was Fiona Murray, who helps to run the Special Olympics which brings joy to so many people who take part in its training and programmes all over the world. She is so dedicated to helping these special athletes take part and achieve their goals in the sports they love.
Eva Dowling is a Green party Councillor for Stillorgan and spoke about her own journey and how important it is for young woman to get involved in politics if we ever hope to achieve a better balance of female TD’s in the Dail. She was an inspiration to us all. Then there was Rachel Galvin aka Rachel Galvo, a social influencer who spoke of her life in theatre from her early days in school to joining the musical Drama Society in College to, getting accepted to a London Theatre College, and her quest to develop a satisfying and rewarding career. Funny and witty, we all loved her exuberance and honesty about the ups and downs of trying to achieve her ambitions with plans for her very own stage show in Dublin in the autumn.
Thank you so much to Kate Fallon and all the sixth years and Ms Harrison for inviting me to take part in such a brilliant celebration of International Women’s Day.
Marita Conlon-McKenna 