Tag Archives: books

Getting ready for the ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’ Exhibition in The Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh.

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I am getting very excited as the time gets nearer for the opening of the ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’ exhibition in The Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh in Northern Ireland in a few weeks’ time.

I have been working with Victoria Miller and the wonderful team from Northern Ireland Museums on this big project over the past year and a half as they build and bring this Exhibition to life

It is a totally new experience for me getting involved with listening to young actors, musicians helping to choose illustrators and designers and seeing the detailed craft work done for an exhibition like this. I never realised the hard work and dedication mounting such an exhibition takes.   I am learning so much and it is great fun as I can see things begin to come together.

 I was back up in Omagh a few weeks ago to film with a group of wonderful students from the Sacred Heart School , Tattyreagh..They were  in great form and full of questions and chat despite the awful rainy wet weather

It is hard for me to believe that it is over thirty – five years ago since I first visited thre park to do some research for my book ‘Wildflower Girl,’ . Little did I dream that all these years later an exhibition based around  my book ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree ‘would  be opening there.

As the time gets closer there is so much work going on with Stefan McKee designing and creating the exhibition and talented heritage maker Bob Johnson working in the Ulster Museum Folk site using willow to create the most incredible hawthorn tree for the centre of the exhibition and Matthew Walton creating birds that will sit in the tree. I cannot wait to go back up to Omagh and to see the tree in situ.

The exhibition will be open at the end of March, just in time for the Easter Holidays.

The Picasso Exhibition in The National Gallery  

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I highly recommend a visit to The Pablo Picasso Exhibition currently on in The National Gallery, Dublin, which is a collection of work from his studio (which he would apparently not sell).

This wonderfully curated show is visually stunning with a wide selection of his art work over different periods. It is a celebration of the Picasso’s long life and continued need to paint and create and work until just before he died.

It is interesting on every level and entertaining and also backed up with a detailed and helpful telling of his life story. The additional filmed clips of Picasso being interviewed, making ceramic pottery doves to be fired in a local pottery and relaxing in his garden in the south of France bring a sense of intimacyand connection to the show. 

The exhibition opened in October and will run until the 22nd February 2026.  Tickets are available from the National Gallery but must be booked in advance, with children going free.   

Another one to watch out for is The Gate Theatre’s stage adaption of ‘Poor’ by  Katriona O Sullivan. It is a rare theatre experience to see such a powerful and heart rending account of a childhood of poverty, neglect and abuse turned in to such a triumphant and deeply involving play. I loved the book but seeing Sonya Kelly’s adaption is a very special experience and makes you realise the power of good drama, acting and direction (Roisin McBrinn), in bringing this complex story to life. There were stunning performances from young Pippa Owens (child)  and Aisling O’Mara (adult) and Hilda Fay (mother).

‘Poor’ sold out its run in October but following rave reviews will return to the Gate Theatre on 13th March  and run until 26th April 2026 so …get booking.

Greystones Whale Theatre ‘Legends of Children’s Writing’  

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Tom McCaughren, Marita Conlon McKenna, Patricia Forde and Don Conroy

It is always a joy to be back in Greystones but this time it was for a very special event in the Whale Theatre with my old friends Tom McCaughren, Don Conroy and the Children’s Laureate Patricia Forde which was organised by writer Sarah Webb and Trish Hennessy of ‘Halfway up the Stairs’ book shop in Greystones. 

We had so much fun and it was great to chat with Patricia sabout when we all started writing children’s books and all the good times we’ve had since then. We had a lovely audience of fans and bookworms who came along to meet us, some having travelled from afar.

We all are still busy writing.  Tom’s wonderful new picture book for young children ‘Run Home Little Fox’ has just been published with beautiful illustrations by Shannon Bergin has already been shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards.

Afterwards it was lovely to meet and chat to so many young readers and some older ones too.  Thank you so much for to Sarah and Trish for organising a Saturday that we will all remember and to everyone that came along.

Sarah Webb, Don Conroy, Marita, Tom McCaughren, Patricia Forde and Trish Hennessy

Words by Water Festival in Kinsale

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Kinsale Town, Cork

I will be heading to one of my favourite places in Cork, the town of Kinsale for its ‘Words by Water Festival’ next weekend. It runs from October 2nd to the 5th.

There is a wonderful line up of events and workshops organised over the few days in the most beautiful setting, overlooking the water.   Could anything be more perfect, writers, books and lots of lovely words! 

I will be talking in the wonderful new library in Kinsale on Saturday 4th October where hopefully I will get to meet lots of young readers and future writers.

The library was originally an old mill from the 1800’s which has been repurposed into a state of the art library and cultural space.  It is always great to see exciting regeneration projects like this rather than the terrible dereliction and decay of old buildings that blight so many of our towns and villages.

Kinsale Library, designed by Cork County Council Architects, Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland, 2023 /Photograph Jed Niezgoda – jedniezgoda.com

 ‘Children of the Famine’ is Number One, top of Ireland’s Children’s Best Selling book list.   

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In Greystones Community School’s amazing woodland inspired Library

 ‘Children of the Famine’ is Number One, top of the Irish Children’s Best Selling book list.   

May and June are always extra busy for me before the summer holidays trying to get around to visit some of the many schools that have been using my books, and meeting my young readers and some very creative aspiring writers, before I go on holidays.

In the past few weeks I have visited wonderful schools in Ballymun, Castleknock, Foxrock and finished up in Greystones Community Primary School in Wicklow.

 This is a pretty new school and I got a wonderful welcome when I talked to a big gang of brilliant readers in their amazing woodland inspired library. I was surrounded by deers and foxes and to my mind what looked like two beautiful hawthorn trees.

 A few classes there are also reading my book, ‘Safe Harbour’ which I set in Greystones, as it is one of my all- time favourite places. 

I was so happy to see the beautiful Kenny’s Edition of ‘Children of the Famine’, which combines the three books ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’ , ‘Wildflower Girl ‘and ‘Fields of Home,’ went straight to number one and top of Ireland’s Children’s Best Selling list. Hard to believe that it is exactly 35 years ago since my first book, ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’ was published.