Authors: Marita Conlon-McKenna
The National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin: heartfelt thanks to all the curators and librarians who so kindly assisted me during the research for this book and were endlessly patient.
Kilmainham Jail, Dublin: special thanks to its staff and the wonderful guides and curators.
The Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London: a wonderful place to visit and my special thanks go to Robert Winckworth for your assistance.
The Pearse Museum, Saint Enda's, Rathfarnham, County Dublin.
The National College of Art and Design, Thomas Street, Dublin.
The Bureau of Military History, Dublin: thanks to Hugh Beckett and Noelle Grothier for your assistance.
The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin: thanks to Harriet Wheelock.
The Church of Ireland, Representative Church Body Library, Churchtown, Dublin: thanks to Mary Furlong.
The National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin.
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London.
And a special mention for my local Libraries in Stillorgan and Deansgrange for all their help and assistance in sourcing books.
Thanks as always to Caroline Sheldon, my wonderful agent, for your loyalty, encouragement and belief in my work, and to Felicity Trew. Also thanks to Rosie Buckman, my foreign rights agent.
For my editor, Linda Evans: after years working together I will miss your good humour, friendship and encouragement. Thank you so much for everything.
Thanks to my new editors at Transworld, Harriet Bourton and Francesca Best, for your enthusiasm and for not being overwhelmed when faced with this big Irish book.
Huge thanks to my wonderful copy-editor Brenda Updegraff, production editor Vivien Thompson, Natasha Barsby and designer Sarah Whittaker. Thanks to everyone at Transworld UK for your support and hard work on yet another book.
And my special thanks to Eoin McHugh of Transworld Ireland for your support.
Thank you to all the team at Gill Hess in Dublin â Gill and Simon Hess, Declan Heaney and the wonderful Helen Gleed O'Connor â for all the years of looking after me and my books.
Thanks to Michael McLoughlin of Penguin Random House Ireland. It's nice to work together again. Also thanks to publicity manager Patricia McVeigh for all your hard work.
Sarah Conroy, for your endless patience and help with my website.
Sarah Webb and Martina Devlin for your friendship, wisdom and encouragement.
Thanks to all my fellow writers for the endless book chats and to all my lovely friends.
And a big thank you to all the wonderful booksellers and bookshops that bring us writers and readers together.
For all my readers both at home in Ireland and overseas: thank you for being part of the journey and for reading my books.
Marita Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland's favourite authors. Her books include the award-winning
Under the Hawthorn Tree
, set during Ireland's Great Famine, which has been widely translated and published and is now considered an Irish classic. Her other books include the bestseller
The Magdalen
. She is a winner of the International Reading Association Award in the USA. She is a former chairperson of Irish PEN. She lives in Dublin with her husband and family.
THE MAGDALEN
PROMISED LAND
MIRACLE WOMAN
THE STONE HOUSE
THE HAT SHOP ON THE CORNER
THE MATCHMAKER
MOTHER OF THE BRIDE
A TASTE FOR LOVE
THREE WOMEN
THE ROSE GARDEN
For more information on Marita Conlon-McKenna and her books, see her website at
www.maritaconlonmckenna.com
TRANSWORLD IRELAND PUBLISHERS
28 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
www.transworldireland.ie
Transworld Ireland is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at
global.penguinrandomhouse.com
First published in the UK and Ireland in 2016 by Transworld Ireland
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Marita Conlon-McKenna 2016
Marita Conlon-McKenna has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction though based on historical fact. Names, characters, places and organizations are based on real people and real settings but the incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781473508606
ISBN 9781848271999
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author's and publisher's rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2