Book to aid Mellon Township Trust

A new children’s book by Clare writer Carol McNamara entitled Gift and the Irish Builders has been published to raise funds for the Niall Mellon Township Trust.

Inspired by the author’s experience of volunteering with the Irish ‘builders blitz’, the book tells the story of Gift, a nine-year-old boy living in a shack in a township near Cape Town, who spends an exciting week helping Irish builders to build proper homes for his family and their neighbours.
Gift had never before met someone from Ireland and he thought the Irish builders “looked funny”. He was fascinated by the different colours of hair, the big boots, hard hats, sunglasses and strange accents.
Written by regular Builders Blitz volunteer Carol with beautiful watercolour illustrations by Ailish Sheehan Gift and the Irish Builders gives a moving and often funny insight into the life-changing effect the builders blitz has on one young boy.
“I wanted to share some of the incredible experiences I have had with the Niall Mellon Township Trust, particularly with children in Ireland, and I wanted to tell the story from the perspective of a local African child. The lives of most nine-year-olds in Ireland are so different that I wanted to give them an insight into what it was like to be nine years old, growing up in a shack in a township in South Africa. However, the story of Gift is not a sad story. Gift is a character who is incredibly social and full of life, energy and optimism. I hope that Irish children can relate to Gift’s personality while gaining an awareness for the difficult lives some children in other countries live,” Carol said.
Gift has a week of great adventure and fun while the Irish builders are in the township. He strikes up a particular friendship with Gerry, one of the builders from County Clare, and spends the week helping Gerry by carrying his tools. Gerry shares his lunch with Gift every day and Gift shares his dream of becoming a footballer when he grows up. Following a football game between the Township and the Irish builders (Gift is too little to play and Gerry too old), Gerry gives Gift his own football and a Clare football jersey, which Gift wears with great pride.
Aimed at children aged nine upward, Gift and the Irish Builders is available online from www.giftandtheirishbuilders.com,