Hounds of the Morrigan... the best of the best

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Thanks to Olivia Lolly; she took the photo.
As some of you might know, during the last CBI conference, it was my privilege to give a brief presentation on that absolutely sterling children's fantasy novel, Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea. (Look, here I am presenting!) Thanks to Geoff Windell, Pat's former partner of many years, and her son, Jim, I was given a wonderful amount of information that I wouldn't have had access to ordinarily. I could have spoken for much longer than the 5 minutes that all of us in the 'Edge of the Page' segment; and my enthusiasm and love of this book is such that I will be posting a series of articles on Hounds of the Morrigan and Pat O'Shea here on my blog.
But I am not the only one (by far) who is excited by this book. In a recent article about Jane Gardam in the Irish Times, writer/journalist Anna Carey (author of The Real Rebecca and Rebecca Rules) refers to Hounds of the Morrigan, giving it much deserved and very high praise:
"The late Pat O’Shea’s hilarious, scary fantasy novel The Hounds of the Morrigan (1985) is possibly the greatest Irish children’s book ever written. But although the book is still in print, it’s hardly a childhood standard, and it pains me to see less original writers receive the acclaim O’Shea deserved."
http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/word-for-word-one-day-jane-gardam-will-get-her-dues-1.1410282 
I couldn't agree more... though I will correct Anna. Hounds of the Morrigan is sadly out of print at this stage. While still being available on Kindle, you won't find a print copy on the shelves in your local bookshop. So, if you happen to be scavenging the shelves of a used bookshop and come across a copy...pick it up, read and cherish it. It is a real gem.

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