Join us in celebrating St. Patrick's Day with an informative and lively presentation by Deborah McDermott. Deborah is a former resident of York , but after retirement moved to Ireland. Since she arrived in Ireland more than three years ago, Deborah decided to immerse herself in modern-day Irish literature. Already a lifelong fan of the likes of Dubliners Roddy Doyle and Colum McCann, she was nonetheless stunned at the number of Irish authors who had not crossed her literary path before. So she's had her work cut out for her. She makes no claim to even a cursory knowledge of Irish writers - more are recommended to her seemingly every day. But she feels like she's laying a baseline, and she'd love to tell you about the novelists and non-fiction writers whose work she's read since coming to Ireland. Chances are you haven't heard of many of them, either. More is the pity, as the quality and scope of these books are truly second to none. So sharpen your pencils and join her as she recommends some of the best books she's read so far - and a few that are waiting in the wings.
Deborah McDermott is probably best known to York residents as the York Weekly/Portsmouth Herald reporter from 2014-2019. She has also held posts as Maine Bureau Chief of the Herald and editor of the Weekly. A dual citizen of the US and Ireland, after retiring she moved to Ireland where she has resided ever since. Currently she is enrolled in a two-year diploma program in Irish archaeology at the University of Galway, which keeps her aging mind quite busy. She volunteers at a cat shelter, is a local member of Tidy Towns (a nationwide town beautification program), and is among those leading an effort to establish a climate master plan in her town. She also has a blog about life in Ireland and her travels. It can be found at www.wanderofwanders.com.