Tag Archives: Rachael English

RESEARCH for her new novel The Letter Home really made Shannon author Rachael English think about the horrors of the Great Famine, particularly how it devastated west Clare, writes Owen Ryan. The novel, which hit the bookshop shelves last week, looks at how the experience of the Famine still resonates today, over 170 years after it began. One of the central characters is Jessie Daly, who has just arrived back in west Clare, after losing her job in the capital, and she begins to learn about what happened in her home place in the middle of the 19th century. “Jessie is back at home after being in Dublin for a decade, she’s broke, she’s unemployed and she’s adamant she’s going back to Dublin in two or three weeks, this is only a short time to regroup. “But through meeting a fella she was in school with she becomes interested in the story of a woman called Brigid Moloney who lived …

NORTH-West Clare Writers’ Circle have reached their fundraising target for the publication of an anthology entitled Walk With Me, the profits of which will go towards helping those suffering domestic abuse. The anthology, which contains a wealth of contributions from authors of all kinds will be published thanks to a fund-raising campaign, which generated just over €3,000. Shannon-born broadcaster Rachel English who supported the initiative said, “There’s some great stuff in there. As a writer myself, I can recommend it as a must-have addition to your bookshelf.” The North West Clare Writers Circle is led by Breda Shanonn, a creative writing teacher from Corofin. She has taught all over Clare and has been involved in local writers’ groups. Their co-editor Cindy Griffin runs a bookshop in Doolin and has worked with the Doolin Writers’ Festival. Their secretary Maura Egan is from Doonbeg, their project manager Felicity Burke is from Kilnamona, their treasurer Mary Farren is from Kilrush, and public relations officer …

AWARD-winning broadcaster and author, Rachael English, has appealed for “a ripple effect of kindness and creativity” in response to writing project that aims to support women and children affected by domestic violence. The Shannon native is backing a crowdfunding initiative to support the North West Clare Writers’ Circle to publish a new collection of poetry and prose from writers around the county. After the target for covering publishing costs is reached, profits will go to Clare Haven. “During the first wave of Covid-19, we were asked to stay at home,” said Rachael English. “Home is supposed to be a safe place, but for women and children living with domestic violence, home isn’t safe. Covid-19 has been difficult for us all, but for families living with the horrors of domestic abuse, it’s been harsher still. We know that the demand for refuge services for women and children increased dramatically during this year of Covid-19.” A spokesperson for the Writer’s Group said, …

BROADCASTER and author Rachael English is still on the radio regularly but hasn’t been into RTÉ for over two months. “I think the last time I was in the building was on March 18. Ever since then, I have a little box that uses the wifi and it came from Radio Sport. They ordinarily are the users, it even has a link to Croke Park on it, they’re unlikely to be able to use that for a while,” the Shannon woman says. Presenting Morning Ireland to hundreds of thousands of listeners isn’t the kind of thing one normally does from home but Rachael has got into the habit of it. “It takes a little bit of getting used to, but a lot less than I thought it would. It was a great relief there for a few weeks that it was possible to do it like that. There was one day that the wifi went down, not during the programme …

CERTAIN unsolved crimes echo in Ireland’s consciousness over decades, with names like Philip Cairns, Raonaid Murray and Trevor Deely still recognisable long after their deaths or disappearances. What happens when a crime goes unsolved for far too long is the theme of Rachael English’s new novel, The Night of the Party, set in Clare during the heavy snow of 1982. In her fictional village of Kilmitten, parish priest Fr Galvin is killed, and the crime remains still unsolved a generation later. “Even though it starts with a crime, I wouldn’t really call it a crime novel. You could probably call it a mystery in the old-fashioned way. It’s not a modern thriller, with fingerprints and DNA and serial killers,” says the author and RTÉ presenter, who hails from Shannon. The story shows how being close to a terrible event, but not talking about it, can reverberate through a life, with one of the main characters carrying a dark secret from …

Shannon author and broadcaster, Rachael English’s second novel, Each and Every One, has just hit the bookshops. Rachael’s voice is among the most well-known in the country, as she presents Morning Ireland, and has more than 20 years’ experience on RTÉ Radio, after starting out on Clare FM, when Irish local radio was launched in 1989. Her first novel, Going Back, was quite well received on its release last year, but her nerves were still jangling last week, as she prepares to see how readers and critics react to the latest novel. Even presenting a radio show to hundreds of thousands of listeners isn’t adequate preparation, she said. “I’d love to be one of those people who doesn’t get nervous about these things but I do get far more nervous about book things than I have ever done about anything to do with broadcasting. It’s mad.” She said she feels like people will almost be passing judgement on a part …