Marita Conlon McKenna will talk to the children on her well loved Children’s books at 10.30am in Ardmore National School on Saturday 23rd July and will also speak in St Paul’s Church at 12.30pm. Marita is an award winning Irish writer of adult and children’s fiction. Her first book, Under the Hawthorn Tree, which was set during Ireland’s great Famine, has become a classic and is part of the international best-selling ‘The Children of the Famine’ series. It was adapted for Film and TV by Young Filmmaker’s Ireland and shown on RTE and Channel 4. A musical based on the book was staged in Vancouver. Her children’s book awards include the International Reading Association Award (I.R.A.) USA, Osterreichischer Kinder und Jungendbuchpreis, Austria, Kalbach Klapperschlange, German Children’s Choice Book Award and the Bisto Book of the Year Award, Reading Association of Ireland Award, IBBY-White Raven Book Choice, runner up Grand prix Europeen du Roman pour Enfants, France. Other children’s books include The Blue Horse, In Deep Dark Wood and Love Lucie.
Marita’s best -selling novel The Magdalen broke new ground telling the hidden story of Ireland’s forgotten women of The Magdalen homes. Her adult fiction includes The Stone House, The Hat Shop on the Corner, Three Women and The Rose Garden.
Her new novel Rebel Sisters is set during Ireland’s 1916 Rising and is based on real life Gifford sisters. Muriel, Grace and Nellie Gifford each kicks against the conventions of their privileged Anglo- Irish background and join the growing nationalist cause. As the Great War looms the sisters find themselves involved in Ireland’s quest for freedom. Muriel falls in love with and marries the leader of the Volunteers Thomas MacDonagh. Artist Grace Gifford is engaged to marry the enigmatic Joe Plunkett who is busy planning the Rising, while Nellie Gifford, a member of The Irish Citizen takes up arms and fights alongside Countess Markievicz in the Royal College of Surgeons. Each of the sisters caught up in the Rebellion and the fight for Ireland’s freedom from British rule. A story of love, courage and tragedy that would lead led to Ireland’s independence. Since its publication Rebel Sister’s has topped the bestselling list and has become a book club favorite.
In February 2016 Marita received The Burke Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Discourse through the Arts from The Trinity College Historical Society, Dublin. Previous recipients include Patrick Stewart, Hilary Mantel, Sinead O’Connor, and Ralph Fiennes.
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