Marita Conlon-McKenna – författare

Larch Hill is the only home Blue knows. She arrived there just a few days old, wrapped in a blue blanket. Her one hope is to find her mother or father and have a family of her own. Fostered out several times, Blue finds it difficult to fit in. Is there no one out there who really wants her? No one who can really love her?Blue must put up with the orphanage, with the distant and strict care of the nuns. She does have her friends, Mary and Jessie and Molly and Lil, but they're not family. They're not enough.In her heart, Blue is desperate to find out who she really is. The closed file in stern Sister Regina's office holds the secret of her identity. And that is forbidden territory ...

Esther Doyle is a young Irish girl growing up in a small fishing community in Connemara in the 1950s. Her life is a stable one, bound by the slow rhythms of farming life and the joy of looking after her handicapped sister Nonie. But her existence is horribly changed when she becomes pregnant and is sent to the home for fallen women in Dublin, the Magdalen Laundry...

The first book in the famine trilogyUnder the Hawthorn Tree is Ireland's top selling children's book and a classic for young readers worldwide.Ireland in the 1840s is devastated by famine. When tragedy strikes their family, Eily, Michael and Peggy are left to fend for themselves. Starving and in danger of the dreaded workhouse, they escape. Their one hope is to find the great aunts they have heard about in their mother's stories. With tremendous courage they set out on a journey that will test every reserve of strength, love and loyalty they possess.Also available on DVD.

The second book in the famine trilogyAt seven, Peggy made a terrifying journey through famine-stricken Ireland. Now thirteen, and determined to make a new life for herself, she sets off alone across the Atlantic to America. Will she ever see her family again?An extraordinary story of courage, independence and adventureThe other books in the Famine trilogy are Under the Hawthorn Tree and Fields of Home.

A remarkable story of growing up in extraordinary circumstances that will touch the hearts of all readers.Katie's whole world is turned upside down when her family's home is destroyed by fire.Everything they had is gone, and instead of pulling together it seems as though her family is falling apart. They move to a new house, to a school where nobody wants to know her, and Katie wonders just how many changes she can take. In her fight for acceptance and to keep the family together, she learns a lot about herself.

It's hard to pretend that everything is normal when your whole life has been turned upside down …'She's gone!'The letter said she needed time to be herself again. But what does that mean?Greg and Lucy, at fourteen and twelve, act cool and responsible when their mother leaves. Six-year-old Grace is just bewildered. Conor, a troubled ten-year-old, takes drastic action to show how he feels.And behind it all there is hope, and the beginnings of a plan to bring their mother back.

The final book in the famine trilogyFor Eily, Michael and Peggy the memory of the famine is still strong. But Mary-Brigid, Eily's first child, has the future to look forward to. What kind of future is it?Ireland is in turmoil, with evictions, burnings, secret meetings, fights over land. Eily and her family may be thrown off their farm. Michael may lose his job in the big house. And Peggy, in America, feels trapped in her role as a maid. Will they ever have land and a home they can call their own? Eily, Michael and Peggy have once shown great courage. Now this courage is called on again …The other titles in the Famine trilogy are Under the Hawthorn Tree and Wildflower Girl. A study guide to Under the Hawthorn tree is also available.

The mysterious arrival of Bella Blackwell, 'The Bird Woman', to the village of Ballyglen disturbs the peace and quiet of the Murphy household next door. Granny Rose is suspicious of Bella, and Rory doesn't trust her, but ten-year-old Mia falls under the old woman's spell. Bella tells Mia of a faraway place, a world where dragons and giants and ancient magic still exists, and asks Mia to become her apprentice and learn the old ways.One dark night Mia disappears and Rory, determined to find his sister, follows her to a world he does not believe in. Riding the 'Shadow Hound', he journeys to a strange land of legendary creatures and terrible dangers.Bella uses all her powers to prevent the brother and sister finding each other, but Rory begins a brave quest to rescue his sister, break the strange enchantment that Bella has over her and find a way home.

'Great story' Irish TimesSophie and Hugh are evacuated to Greystones in Ireland when their house is bombed during the London Blitz. Their mother is seriously injured and their father is away fighting in the war, so the children are sent to their grandfather in Ireland. They know very little about him, except that his letters cause trouble at home and their dad never speaks of him.How will they live with a gruff old man who probably hates them? How will they manage in a strange country where they know nobody? And, most of all, will the family ever be together again?

Strange things are happening in Fairy Hill. Thirteen-year-old Anna is upset when she is sent to stay with her dad and his new family at Fairy Hill in the west of Ireland. Hearing whispers in the wind, Anna senses she is being watched, but nobody believes her except the mysterious boy down by the lake. When her little half-brother, Jack, nearly gets lost, Anna suspects that someone is trying to steal him away. She wonders if the stories about the old house and the fairies are true. And if they are, could Jack be in real danger?

The No.1 bestselling novel of the Great Irish Famine from one of Ireland's most beloved writersIreland's hopes for freedom are dashed with the arrival of a deadly potato blight that strikes terror in the heart of its people.1845. Seamstress Mary Sullivan's dreams of a better future are shattered as she looks out over their ruined crop. Refusing to give in to despair, she must use every ounce of courage and strength to protect her family as they fight to survive.Dr Dan Donovan is Medical Officer to the Skibbereen Union. The arrival of 'The Hunger' soon brings starving men, women and children crowding into the town and the workhouse, desperate for assistance.Fr John Fitzpatrick's faith is tested by the suffering that surrounds him as his pleas for help fall on deaf ears.Inspired by true Irish heroes, The Hungry Road is the heartbreaking story of the Great Irish Famine told by one of Ireland's best loved writers.__________'Compelling ... An essential book' Sunday Times'Heartbreaking and powerful' Her.ie'Gripping' Business Post'Captivating' Sunday Independent'Powerful ... illustrate[s] the enormity of the tragedy' Irish Independent

The No.1 bestselling novel from one of Ireland's most loved writers!With the threat of the First World War looming, tension simmers under the surface of Ireland. Bright, beautiful and intelligent, the Gifford sisters Grace, Muriel and Nellie kick against the conventions of their privileged, wealthy Anglo-Irish background and their mother Isabella's expectations.As War erupts across Europe, the spirited sisters soon find themselves caught up in Ireland's struggle for freedom.Muriel falls deeply in love with writer Thomas MacDonagh, artist Grace meets the enigmatic Joe Plunkett - both leaders of 'The Rising' - while Nellie joins 'The Citizen Army' and takes up arms to fight alongside Countess Markievicz in the rebellion. On Easter Monday 1916, the Rising begins, and the world of the Gifford sisters and everyone they hold dear is torn apart in a fight that is destined for tragedy.____________'Engrossing' Sunday Times'Marvellous ... A gripping read' Irish Independent'Finally, women are being written back into the history of [Ireland's] awakening' Irish Mail on Sunday