Wow! eBook
War Children: Stories from Ireland's War of Independence
Author(s): Gerard Whelan (Author)
- Publisher: O'Brien Press Ltd
- Publication Date: 3 Sept. 2002
- Language: English
- Print length: 192 pages
- ISBN-10: 0862787769
- ISBN-13: 9780862787769
Book Description
Six stories — one set in Dublin, the others in the countryside — about children who get caught up in the War of Independence and suffer dire consequences.
Mattie Foley dreams of escaping the harshness of life in the Dublin slums, but her dreams and reality become dangerously entwined with the discovery of a gun.
When Statia Mulligan sets off to get feed for the hens, she longs for the peace and quiet of her favourite spot by the stream; she doesn’t expect to become part of an ambush.
Larry Quinn goes after the cow that has strayed — how could he know that in his absence the Black and Tans would force his mother to reveal all she knows?
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘Very powerful short stories for young adults’
–The Pat Kenny Show
‘Excellent collection … They will impel their readers towards new questioning as to what “war” actually is’
–Robert Dunbar – The Irish Times ― The Irish Times
‘These stories … are moving, thrilling and yet sometimes funny accounts of events just a couple of generations removed from where we are now.’
–Mary Arrigan – The Sunday Tribune ― The Sunday Tribune
About the Author
Gerard Whelan was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, and has lived and worked in several European countries. After some time living in Dublin, he has returned to live in his native Wexford. He is the author of many books for children and a multiple award-winner. His first novel, The Guns of Easter, won the Eilís Dillon Memorial Award for first-time writers. Dream Invader later won the Bisto Book of the Year Award. He has also been shortlisted for the Reading Association of Ireland awards. Gerard is also the author of A Winter of Spies and Out of Nowhere.
