Liam immersed himself in writing ‘Submerged’

TAKING advantage of the opportunity provided by the Covid lockdown, primary schoolteacher Liam Patterson from Ballinacarriga has just published his first book, Submerged.

Liam’s book, written with children aged between 11 and 15 in mind, is set in West Cork during World War Two.

‘The story is set during the summer of 1941,’ Liam said. ‘Two best friends have just finished 6th class and are getting ready for secondary school when their peaceful lives in Ballinacarriga and Carrigeen are transformed as a German submarine lurks off the West Cork coastline.’

Liam, who lives with his wife Annette and his children Oisín and Saoirse in Raheen, is a primary schoolteacher in Broadford in Co Clare. He grew up in Ballinacarriga and was an active member of Randal Óg GAA club.

‘I grew up listening to lots of stories and tales about what life was like in West Cork back in the 1930s and 40s,’ Liam said. ‘And as the lockdown progressed, I found it extremely difficult as I missed the daily activities at school and of our local GAA community where I have been involved, with development squads in both Limerick and Cork, so it was my wife who suggested I complete an online writing course and try writing a story to keep my mind occupied.’

Liam, who has an auto immune disease, found the Covid lockdown extremely difficult, but the thought of writing a children’s novel helped to focus his energy and so he set about planning his story.

Of course, being a primary schoolteacher was a distinct advantage when it came to picking a subject and a target audience for his first book.

‘I saw that there were very few books aimed at the age level of between 11 years and the early teen years, so I set about placing my story in my part of West Cork during WWII.’

Submerged is published by The Johnny Magory Company and is available to order on lulu.com.