'His Fireplace': World famous Leitrim writer to be celebrated

An event celebrating the work of John McGahern will take place in Ballymote on September 12th.

Seeing the Words, Hearing the Words will take place in the Art Deco Theatre and Cinema in the Sligo town.

The evening will commence with a discussion of McGahern's work. This will be followed by a dramatisation of some of his work and a screening of That They May Face The Rising Sun. The film adaption of his last novel was released in 2023 was critically acclaimed.

Speakers on the night include Marie Louise O'Donnell, former Senator and McGahern academic. Other speakers on the night will include Pat Collins, Director of That They May Face The Rising Sun.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of McGahern's death. A number of events have been held in the region to commemorate his legacy throughout the year. A biography of McGahern, written by Frank Shovlin, is due out this autumn.

Marie Louise O'Donnell spoke to the Observer about the forthcoming event. “I was involved in helping to save the theatre in Ballymote, which was previously a cinema,” she explained.

The Art Deco Theatre and Cinema is now run in conjunction with the Hawkswell Theatre, Sligo. Marie Louise has been a fan of John McGahern's books for many years and is currently working on a PhD of his work in Technological University, Dublin.

“I always loved John McGahern's work, but in recent years he saved me from watching Judge Judy!” she quipped. “I had retired as a senator. My mother died and my son got married. I began studying for a PhD in TUD,” Marie Louise added.

The event will assemble a group of speakers who will speak upon different aspects of McGahern's work. “I am helping to put on this forum with Eamon Maher. Eamon is my tutor and he is an authority on McGahern,” she stated.

“If you go to a forum, and ask a question, then you should have that question answered,” Marie Louise stated. “The event will feature wonderful people who have an interest in John McGahern and they will bring different perspectives,” she added.

Marie Louise wants the event to be something that McGahern himself would have enjoyed. “I would regard this event as being his fireplace,” she stated.

“This gives a platform to enjoy his work,” Marie Louise added. One of the speakers at the forum will be Fr. Liam Kelly, Parish Priest of Ballyconnell. Fr. Kelly is a cousin of McGahern's and knew him well.

“Fr. Kelly gave the eulogy at John's funeral. When you are organising an event such as this, you have to think, would the person themselves like it? It is important that it is not slick but that it sticks with the core of John as a writer,” she explained. There will also be music on the night and then a screening of That They Shall Face The Rising of the Sun.

Marie Louise believes that there is a universal theme to McGahern's work. “There is a theme of mortality in his work. He understands mortality, because he was terribly affected by the death of his mother when he was young,” she commented.

“In McGahern's work, your community is universal. In your day, in your natural environment is all you have,” she added.

McGahern was inspired by his environment, according to Mary Louise. “He didn't go far for inspiration, he found characters on his back door. He made the laneways in his area universal,” she stated. Marie Louise feels that while the film That They May Face the Rising Sun may have attracted a new generation to McGahern's work, “great writers don't go away, even if they can go somewhat out of fashion.”

A native of Co. Mayo, Marie Louise says that she is “very fond of Leitrim.”

“Leitrim is a very unique county. It is beautiful, there are lakes around every corner. Leitrim never answered the mores of modern life,” she stated.

To gain an understanding of the county, Marie Louise read the Leitrim Guardian yearbook in great depth. “I got the Leitrim Guardians for the past 25 years. I found this to be my way into Leitrim. There were wonderful articles and photographs in those yearbooks,” she explained.

Marie Louise O'Donnell was a member of staff in DCU for 24 years as a senior lecturer in The School of Communications. She initiated a professional Arts Programme at DCU, culminating in the launch of The Helix in 2002. She has also presented programmes on television and radio and has been a regular reviewer and media contributor. She worked weekly as a colour radio writer and reporter on RTE’s Today with Pat Kenny and Today with Sean O’Rourke shows and also on the Late Show with Vincent Browne.

Seeing the Words, Hearing the Words will commence at 10.30 am on September 12th. There will be a screening of That They May Face The Rising Sun at 7.30 pm.