Marita Conlon McKenna

Marita Conlon McKenna is an award winning Irish writer of fiction. Her first book, Under the Hawthorn Tree – 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. Marita’s best-selling novel The Magdalen broke new ground telling the hidden story of Ireland’s forgotten women of The Magdalen homes. Other fiction books are The Stone House, The Hat Shop on the Corner, Three Women and The Rose Garden. Her new novel, Rebel Sisters launched on the 4th February 2016 is set during Ireland’s 1916 Rising Easter and is based on real life Gifford sisters. In February 2016, Marita received The Burke Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Discourse through the Arts from The Trinity College Historical Society, Dublin. Marita is involved in promoting all aspects of writing and literature and encouraging children to read.