Elizabeth Prendergast. Beginner's Pluck

Beginner’s Pluck.
Interviewed by Sue Leonard.
Published in The Irish Examiner on 23rd December

Beginner’s Pluck Elizabeth Prendergast.

Elizabeth trained as a nurse in London, and spent a year working there in Casualty, before returning to Ireland, where she sold endoscopes.
“I gave that up when I was pregnant with my elder daughter.”

She went back to College, and took an MA, before, finally, becoming an artist. Meanwhile, she helped with the archives in the Airfield Trust, and it was here that she found some documents relating to the Jubilee Nurse. Feeling this was a story that had to be told, she roped in her friend, Helen Sheridan to help.

Who is Elizabeth Prendergast?

Date of birth: 1960, in Kerry, but quickly moved to Wicklow.

Education: Presentation College in Killarney. School of Art in Cork. UCD History of Art and Archaeology. MA in Arts policy and Arts management.

Home: Ballsbridge.

Family: Husband, David O’Leary, and two adult daughters, Tess, and Meg.

The Day Job: Botanical Artist.

Interests: My social interest in walking in Herbert Park every morning, then meeting for coffee. I'm in a book club with the same group.

Favourite Writers: Molly Keane; Elizabeth Bowen; Jennifer Johnston; I love their sense of humour.

Second Book: If I was to do one, it would be a book of Botanical Artists; about their lives and their obsession with plants.

Top Writing Tip: Find yourself a quiet space, where nobody can disturb you.

Web: www.elizabethprendergast.com Twitter: None.

The Debut: Jubilee Nurse Voluntary District Nursing in Ireland, 1890 – 1974. Elizabeth Prendergast and Helen Sheridan. Wolfhound Press: €18.99.

Jubilee nurses worked tirelessly providing a nursing, and sometimes a maternity service to people in their own homes. This history draws on archival material and interviews with some of the nurses.

“The nurses were the centre of the community, and were loved. But it was the District Nurses Associations that caught my imagination. These committees of women volunteers, numbering 50,000 at any one time, ensured that the nurse’s money was paid, and that she had a bike.”

The Verdict: An illuminating account of women who've been written out of history.

© Sue Leonard. 2012.

Writing class means Ciara is sitting pretty | Irish Examiner

Writing class means Ciara is sitting pretty | Irish Examiner

Silver surfers | Irish Examiner

Silver surfers | Irish Examiner

Patrick Semple. Beginner's Pluck

Beginner’s Pluck.
Interviewed by Sue Leonard.
Published in The Irish Examiner on 15th December 2012

Beginner’s Pluck Patrick Semple .

Patrick didn’t start writing until his mid forties. A Church of Ireland rector, he wrote a short story which was published in Ireland’s Own. Since then he has written poetry, and two memoirs. Having served in Laois, West Wicklow, and as staff of a theological college, he ended his career at a parish in the centre of Dublin. His main work there, was in Mountjoy, and in Hospital Chaplaincy. Patrick has now retired.

Who is Patrick Semple?

Date of birth: 18th November 1939, in Wexford Town.

Education: The King’s Hospital, Dublin; Trinity College Dublin, (Theology and Philosophy.) Post Graduate at the University of Chicago.

Home: Monkstown, County Dublin.

Family: Wife Hilary. Two adult children and four grandchildren.

The Day Job: Retired. I write and fill the dishwasher. And I teach creative writing in Maynooth.

Interests: History. And I’m passionate about cricket. I watch it, and Rugby on television.

Favourite Writers: Paul Durcan: Robert Frost: John Betjeman, and for prose, I love Joyce’s Dubliners.

Next Book: Curious Cargo. This describes various cargo voyages Hilary and I went on.

Top Writing Tip: Don’t worry what people will think of it. Keep writing.

Web: www.patricksemple.ie Twitter: no.

The Debut: Transient Beings. Code Green Publishing. (Print on Demand.) €9.25. Kindle: Not available.

Based in the mid 1970’s this novel shows the struggles of an Irish country rector, as he goes about his duties, whilst having serious doubts about his faith. Meanwhile, his wife spends more and more time in the local pub. How can he convince her to admit she has a drink problem and go for help?

“I wrote it because I had a vast experience of the Rural church of Ireland, and of alcoholism, which I encountered in parishes. I got some insights into what it was about. The two themes are of alcoholism, and of belief and doubt. I went through huge doubt myself, and am now an atheist.”

The Verdict: An interesting and enlightening account of life as a Church of Ireland Rector.

© Sue Leonard. 2012

It should always be a red-letter day | Irish Examiner

It should always be a red-letter day | Irish Examiner

Jenni Doherty. Beginner's Pluck.

Beginner’s Pluck.
Interviewed by Sue Leonard.
Published in the Irish Examiner on 8th December 2012.

Beginner’s Pluck. Jenni Doherty.

Writing from an early age, Jenni published her first poem at 10. Her mother was an English teacher and reading was always encouraged.

During a journalism course in Dublin, Jenni did work experience for Hot Press. Then, moving to Derry, she worked for the Guildhall Press. She’s worked with books ever since; in bookshops, publishers and the library service. Always writing, she’s performed poetry, touring Ireland with The Poetry Chicks.

Who is Jenni Doherty?

Date of birth: 11th April 1971. (A twin,) in Greencastle, Co Donegal.

Education: Loreto College Coleraine, for O ‘Levels; Community College in County Donegal for Leaving Certificate. Cathal Brugha Street DIT Dublin, Social Studies, then Palmerstown College, a year’s course in Journalism.

Home: Derry for the past 20 years.

Family: Single. I have joint custody of a mixed breed terrier, Shorty.

The Day Job: Working in my book shop, Little Acorns, and marketing and publicity for Guildhall Press.

Interests: I love playing Pool, and walking. I love music. I wish I could sing – I got kicked out of a choir. I collect film music. I listen to it when I’m writing.

Favourite Writers: As a bookseller, I couldn’t choose favourites. I love reading poetry, I love Irish writers, local, and children’s writers.

Second Book: I hope my next book will be a collection of short stories.

Top Writing Tip: To write well, you have to read. Write something you would like to read. That’s the only way to develop your voice.

Web: No. Twitter: @irishpenjen

The Debut: Rain Spill. Guildhall Press:€8.64. Kindle: Not available.

A mixture of prose and poems, Rain Spill has a sure sense of place. With an overriding backdrop of weather, many of the poems are about growing up from the young teenage years to womanhood. Doherty deals with dark issues like suicide, abortion, rape and domestic abuse, but also with gentler subjects like family, siblings, and simply going out and having a good time.

The Verdict: A varied collection which includes some powerful and lyrical images.

© Sue Leonard. 2012.

Living with your parents ... the boomerang life | Irish Examiner

Living with your parents ... the boomerang life | Irish Examiner

What Jackie Collins thinks of '50 Shades of Grey' | Irish Examiner

Queen of the bonkbuster | Irish Examiner

What Kate Middleton could be in for. (From my archives.)

Real Life: 'It's so much worse than normal morning sickness' via @independent_ie

Beginner's Pluck. Lee Henry.

Beginner’s Pluck.
Interviewed by Sue Leonard.
Published in The Irish Examiner on 1st December, 2012.

Beginner’s Pluck Lee Henry.

Artistically and musically creative, Lee Henry has always loved writing, too. He wrote his first detective story at ten.

After university, he worked in a clothing factory near his home in Northern Ireland. When the factory closed down, he wrote a piece about it, and this drew him into journalism.
“I wrote a weekly column for a local paper, then did a course in CSB Media in Belfast. After that I worked for the BBC as a broadcasting assistant. Then I started writing Arts pieces for the website, Culture Northern Ireland. I’m now their web editor.”

The book was inspired by the taxis Henry took whilst working for the BBC.
“I wanted to write a book. And, as I got to know a lot of taxi drivers, and learn their stories, I thought it was a good way of learning more about the history of Belfast. These guys were telling me all these stories that hadn’t been told before.”

Who is Lee Henry?

Date of birth: 8th February 1981. Newcastle, County Down.

Education: St Columbans, Kilkeel. Manchester Metropolitan University; English and History.

Home: Belfast.

Family: Wife Mairead She works in the Linen Hall Library..

The Day Job: Web Editor / Arts Journalist.

Interests: Spending time with my extended family. Watching films; writing and playing music.

Favourite Writers: My favourite book is A Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I love James Elroy, Robert Jordan, and William Boyd.

Second Novel: I want to do something different. I want to challenge myself and write a novel.

Top Writing Tip: Make time for writing. I found that difficult. I assigned evenings over the week. And I locked myself away for two weeks over Christmas.

Web: Leejameshenry.com Twitter: @leejhenry

The Debut: Belfast Taxi. Blackstaff Press: €14.30. Kindle: €9.64.



Belfast Taxi is an amalgam of history, and personal narrative. Henry interviewed 30 taxi drivers, from Charlie, who drove the press around, to Tom, who was shot during his work in the eighties.

The Verdict: Fascinating, and hugely enjoyable.

© Sue Leonard. 2012

Kate Mosse. An outsider’s view on the courage of women | Irish Examiner

An outsider’s view on the courage of women | Irish Examiner