Book cover of “KItty’s Hive” by local author Ann O’Farrell

(By Lynn Thorn)

To celebrate Saint Patrick’s weekend local Irish author, Ann O’Farrell, will be launching her new novel, “Kitty’s Hive,” with a book signing at the Celtic Shop of Dunedin on March 16. Ann is a founder member of the Dunedin Library Writer’s Group, and has given numerous talks on Ireland and her novels in local settings and book clubs. Her most well-known work is the Irish trilogy, “Norah’s Children,“  a heartwarming, heart-wrenching, story of five young children orphaned and adopted into very different families. “Kitty’s Hive“ is also set in Ireland but is a change of pace for the popular author from dramatic saga to a more light-hearted tale.

Kitty O’Connor is an Everywoman. She is all things to all people and her many roles will be recognized by women everywhere. She is a wife, a mother, a daughter, a housekeeper, employer, friend, nurse, and neighbor, and all these roles collide in a chaotic twenty four hours when her wayward nephew arrives at her home, on the run from the British police.

Set in suburban Dublin in1953, “Kitty’s Hive“ is packed full of excitement, tension, pathos, and humor. Kitty must care for the fragile, bedridden, Alphonsus, the endearing young Danny, her bickering daughters, and her irascible father, Sean Lynch. When an investigating Sergeant Hennessy eyes the family’s maid with more than a professional scrutiny, and Kitty’s husband adds fury and friction to the mix, her position becomes almost impossible.

Local author Ann O’Farrell will be at The Celtic Shop of Dunedin on March 16.

Ann holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Trinity College, Dublin, and worked in Ireland as a theater director, designer, and tutor in Drama Therapy in Trinity College before retiring to Florida with her husband, John.

Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with a conversation on Ireland and “Kitty’s Hive“ with Ann at The Celtic Shop March 16th from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.