Marita Conlon-McKenna
(Author)
Marita's website: http:/maritaconlonmckenna.com/
Meet the author as she talks to 3,000 pupils from 150 schools: http://www.neelb.tv/board-events/truck-events/marita-vc/
(Author)
Marita's website: http:/maritaconlonmckenna.com/
Meet the author as she talks to 3,000 pupils from 150 schools: http://www.neelb.tv/board-events/truck-events/marita-vc/
Marita Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland's best loved authors and her books are enjoyed by readers around the globe. Her début novel, Under the Hawthorn Tree, sold over 250,000 copies in Ireland alone and has been described as 'the biggest success story in children's historical fiction'.
Marita Conlon-Mc Kenna was born in Dublin in 1956 and spent much of her childhood by the sea in Greystones, County Wicklow. Later, she worked in the family business, the bank, and also in a travel agency. She now lives in Stillorgan, Dublin with her husband James and she has four grown-up children.
From an early age, Marita was always fascinated with history, particularly with the Great Irish Famine and she devoured every book on the topic. When she heard a radio report about the discovery of an unmarked grave with the skeletons of three children from the Famine period under a hawthorn tree, it sparked her to write her first book. Marita was so passionate about the topic that she would work on the book whenever she had a spare moment, and would dream about it when she slept. It is the fastest book, to date, she has ever completed, finishing it in twelve weeks. Her only aim was to write the book for her children, particularly her eldest daughter, and never imagined that it would become so successful.
Under the Hawthorn Tree was published in 1990, and it immediately became an international bestseller with rights sold around the world- to Puffin in Britain, and Holiday House in America. It has also been translated into French, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Italian, Japanese, Turkish, Arabic and Irish. Back home, it remained on the Irish Bestseller List for over two years. It has also been read on RTE radio and was filmed by Young Filmmakers Ireland in association with RTE and Channel 4. It won the prestigious International Reading Association award in the U.S., The 'Osterreichischer Kinder Und Jungendbuchpreis' in Austria, and The Reading Association of Ireland Award. It is a favourite among students and teachers in Irish schools. The popularity of Under the Hawthorn Tree led to two further novels, Wildflower Girl and Fields of Home, which now make up the 'Children of the Famine' Trilogy. These books tell the story of the O'Driscoll family who lived during the famine times, and follows the emigration of the youngest daughter to America, and the family's struggle for land in Ireland in America.
Marita has now written more than twenty books, for children and adults. Her other children's books have also favourites in libraries, including The Blue Horse winner of the Bisto Book of the Year Award, No Goodbye and Safe Harbour. She has also written three picture books for younger children. For all of Conlon-McKenna's books she delves into a great depth of research before beginning to write. For the 'Children of the Famine' Trilogy she regularly visited a famine grave in West Cork (where her mother was from), the Ulster American Folkpark in Omagh to examine and get a feel for a ship that many Irish emigrated on, and also spent some time in Boston studying archives in libraries.
Marita Conlon-McKenna has always been curious about life and she feels that this is a great trait for a writer. She enjoys exploring Irish history and writes about issues that interest her. From a very young age Marita loved to read, and she feels that this was her inspiration to become a writer. From the age of seven, she wanted to write her own book and so spent lots of time writing, and always carried a notepad and pencil with her. Marita loves encouraging young people to read and to spread the magic that exists with reading and writing - where words on a page come alive in pictures in everyone's head.
Marita is now working on a new children's book entitled 'Two'.
Marita Conlon-Mc Kenna was born in Dublin in 1956 and spent much of her childhood by the sea in Greystones, County Wicklow. Later, she worked in the family business, the bank, and also in a travel agency. She now lives in Stillorgan, Dublin with her husband James and she has four grown-up children.
From an early age, Marita was always fascinated with history, particularly with the Great Irish Famine and she devoured every book on the topic. When she heard a radio report about the discovery of an unmarked grave with the skeletons of three children from the Famine period under a hawthorn tree, it sparked her to write her first book. Marita was so passionate about the topic that she would work on the book whenever she had a spare moment, and would dream about it when she slept. It is the fastest book, to date, she has ever completed, finishing it in twelve weeks. Her only aim was to write the book for her children, particularly her eldest daughter, and never imagined that it would become so successful.
Under the Hawthorn Tree was published in 1990, and it immediately became an international bestseller with rights sold around the world- to Puffin in Britain, and Holiday House in America. It has also been translated into French, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Italian, Japanese, Turkish, Arabic and Irish. Back home, it remained on the Irish Bestseller List for over two years. It has also been read on RTE radio and was filmed by Young Filmmakers Ireland in association with RTE and Channel 4. It won the prestigious International Reading Association award in the U.S., The 'Osterreichischer Kinder Und Jungendbuchpreis' in Austria, and The Reading Association of Ireland Award. It is a favourite among students and teachers in Irish schools. The popularity of Under the Hawthorn Tree led to two further novels, Wildflower Girl and Fields of Home, which now make up the 'Children of the Famine' Trilogy. These books tell the story of the O'Driscoll family who lived during the famine times, and follows the emigration of the youngest daughter to America, and the family's struggle for land in Ireland in America.
Marita has now written more than twenty books, for children and adults. Her other children's books have also favourites in libraries, including The Blue Horse winner of the Bisto Book of the Year Award, No Goodbye and Safe Harbour. She has also written three picture books for younger children. For all of Conlon-McKenna's books she delves into a great depth of research before beginning to write. For the 'Children of the Famine' Trilogy she regularly visited a famine grave in West Cork (where her mother was from), the Ulster American Folkpark in Omagh to examine and get a feel for a ship that many Irish emigrated on, and also spent some time in Boston studying archives in libraries.
Marita Conlon-McKenna has always been curious about life and she feels that this is a great trait for a writer. She enjoys exploring Irish history and writes about issues that interest her. From a very young age Marita loved to read, and she feels that this was her inspiration to become a writer. From the age of seven, she wanted to write her own book and so spent lots of time writing, and always carried a notepad and pencil with her. Marita loves encouraging young people to read and to spread the magic that exists with reading and writing - where words on a page come alive in pictures in everyone's head.
Marita is now working on a new children's book entitled 'Two'.