Carmel Kelly

Welcome!

Fáilte isteach, a very warm welcome to my website. I love books and in my job as a librarian I get to buy lots and lots of them for my library. Now I'm lucky enough to have had seven of my books published and on library shelves everywhere. The first three Spidey, Leanbh Nua and An Tolg Draíochta are picture books as Gaeilge and are a great introduction to the language. Each one has a different amazing Irish illustrator who brings my words to life with brilliant drawings and vibrant colours. Then I wrote a fourth picture book in English called The New Cat to educate children in a fun way about being kind to animals and also to raise money for the ISPCA - the sale of this book has raised €2000 to date. These first four titles are aimed at ages 4-7 years.

After that and quite by accident, I started to research people and events in Irish History that never had a children’s book written about them before and that were also based on something that happened one hundred years ago. In 2017 Man of the People-Fr William Doyle was published on the centenary of his death in WW1, quickly followed by RMS Leinster-The Forgotten Tragedy with an Irish language edition too Tragóid atá ligthe i nDearmad in 2018 and this year Mercier Press published my latest book Kevin Barry to commemorate another important centenary. Why should children have to wait to read about important Irish Historical events? These historical books are aimed at ages 8+ and are read too by many adults who want an introduction to the subject.

I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. X

Fáilte isteach, fáilte mhór go dtí mo shuíomh gréasáin. Is breá liom leabhair agus i mo phost mar leabharlannaí, is féidir liom a lán leabhar a cheannacht le haghaidh mo leabharlann. Anois tá an t-ádh liom go bhfuil seacht de mo chuid leabhar foilsithe agus ar sheilfeanna leabharlainne i ngach áit. Is leabhair phictiúr as Gaeilge iad an chéad trí cinn : Spidey, Leanbh Nua agus An Tolg Draíochta agus is bealach isteach iontach iad don teanga. Tá maisitheoirí Éireannacha difriúla ag gach leabhar, a thugann m’fhocail chun beatha le líníochtaí iontacha agus dathanna geala. Ansin scríobh mé leabhar pictiúr i mBéarla darbh ainm The New Cat chun oideachas ar pháistí i mbealach spraoiúil, a bheith go deas le hainmhithe, agus chun airgead a bhailiú don carthanacht ISPCA – tá €2000 bailithe go dtí seo. Tá an chéad cheithre leabhar dírithe ar aois ghrúpa 4-7 mbliana. Ina dhiaidh sin, agus go hiomlán de thaisme, thosaigh mé ag déanamh taighde ar dhaoine agus imeachtaí ó stair na hÉireann nár scríobh leabhar do pháistí fúthu riamh agus a bhí bunaithe ar imeachtaí a tharla céad bliain ó shin. Foilsíodh Man of the People – Fr. William Doyle in 2017 mar chomóradh céad bliain a bháis agus, go luath ina dhiaidh sin, in 2018, RMS Leinster – The Forgotten Tragedy a raibh eagrán Gaeilge de ar fáil freisin, Tragóid atá ligthe i nDearmad. D’fhoilsigh Mercier Press an leabhar is déanaí ó mo pheann i mbliana, Kevin Barry, comóradh céad bliain ar bhás duine tábhachtach eile. Cén fáth a mbeadh ar pháistí fanacht chun léamh faoi imeachtaí stairiúla tábhachtacha na hÉireann? Tá na leabhair stairiúla seo dírithe ar pháistí 8 mbliana d’aois+ ach bíonn siad á léamh ag daoine fásta atá ag iarraidh buneolas ar an ábhar a fháil freisin.

Tá súil agam go mbainfidh tú an méid taitnimh céanna as iad a léamh agus a bhain mé féin as iad a scríobh. X

Carmel Uí Cheallaigh

Nuacht / News