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She married James McKenna at age 20 and had jobs in the family business, in a bank, and with a travel agency. She took an interest in writing and enrolled in writing classes in UCD, including courses in Anglo-Irish literature, women's studies and children's literature.
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While a mother of young children, she began writing a picture book for her daughter. She credits Dr Pat Donlon, director of the
Children's Literature course, with encouraging and supporting her to publish her work. The inspiration for her first children's novel
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in 1950s
Ireland. Conlon-McKenna said that she naturally made a shift from children to adult's writing when she decided to write a story about the Magdalene Laundries. This subject interested her because of her personal adoption story.
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has been translated into over a dozen languages and is taught in classrooms worldwide. Conlon-McKenna went on to be a prolific writer and has published over 20 books for both young readers and adults. Her debut adult novel
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Conlon-McKenna went on to write more books for young readers. Her characters are often depicted in challenging situations or life events. Among her historical children's books are
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came when she heard a radio report on the discovery of an unmarked grave under a hawthorn tree, where three children from the Famine era were buried.
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trilogy, which was published in 1990 and achieved immediate success. Praised for its child-accessible yet honest depiction of the Great Famine,
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was a worldwide success and sold over 250,000 copies in the Irish market alone, earning its status as a classic children's novel.
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was inspired partly by the diaries of Dr Daniel
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became a number-one bestseller when it was released in 2016 on the centenary year of the 1916 Rising.
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Shortlisted - City of
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in County Dublin. She is a promoter of the arts and was the chairperson of Irish PEN.
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Conlon-McKenna carried out extensive historical research for her 1916-era novel
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author of children's books and adult fiction. She is best known for her
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Marita and her husband James have four children and they live in
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Frankfurt Book Fair
Children's Choice Book Prize (Germany, 1993)
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Bisto Book of the Year Award for
Historical Fiction (1992)
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568:Reading Association of Ireland Award (1993)
65:Convent of the Sacred Heart, Mount Anville
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527:(1995), illustrated by Christopher Coady
519:(1993), illustrated by Christopher Coady
232:trilogy. Other children's books include
222:Under the Hawthorn Tree: Wildflower Girl
101:International Reading Association Award
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535:(1999), illustrated by Leonie Shearing
81:Historical fiction, children's fiction
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103:Reading Association of Ireland Award
99:Bisto Irish Book of the Year Award
282:In 2020, Conlon-McKenna published
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978:21st-century Irish women writers
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218:Bisto Book of the Year Award
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181:Conlon-McKenna was born in
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963:21st-century Irish writers
958:20th-century Irish writers
440:The Hat Shop on the Corner
864:"Under the Hawthorn Tree"
708:The Irish Times - Culture
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953:Irish children's writers
840:www.fantasticfiction.com
160:, the first book of the
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560:Under the Hawthorn Tree
324:Under the Hawthorn Tree
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203:Under the Hawthorn Tree
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173:was published in 1999.
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90:Under the Hawthorn Tree
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230:Children of the Famine
228:, which completed the
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868:Marita Conlon-McKenna
524:The Very Last Unicorn
144:Marita Conlon-McKenna
22:Marita Conlon-McKenna
133:.maritaconlonmckenna
927:Library of Congress
456:Mother of the Bride
387:A Girl Called Blue
242:A Girl Called Blue
894:www.tarabookco.ie
736:"A woman's place"
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379:In Deep Dark Wood
348:Children's novels
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275:in Dublin,
273:1916 Rising
937:Categories
899:19 January
874:19 January
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820:18 January
795:18 January
770:19 January
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713:18 January
679:18 January
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619:References
371:No Goodbye
303:Stillorgan
288:Skibbereen
238:No Goodbye
46:Occupation
34:1956-11-05
547:Good Girl
187:Goatstown
177:Biography
496:Novellas
171:Magdalen
116:Children
54:Language
124:Website
78:Subject
57:English
614:(1995)
600:(1993)
555:Awards
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366:(1995)
317:series
265:Nellie
240:, and
183:Dublin
152:Famine
108:Spouse
70:Period
49:Writer
309:Works
269:Grace
148:Irish
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131:www
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