Maura’s tender tale touches the nation

A story written by Dunmanway woman, Maura Brosnan, has been included in a new book produced by the Ray D’Arcy Show.

Maura was one of 2,500 listeners who took pen to paper to write a story about their lives, but she was one of just 150 selected for inclusion in ‘A Page from my Life’, a fundraiser for the LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice.

Maura who works in administration in the public service never thought she’d see her name in print, but her story was so personal, so moving, that it resonated with not only the adjudicators but with everyone who made the first print-run a sell-out success. 

That first print only went on sale on Thursday, October 29th last, but it went straight in to number two in the Irish book charts, and a second print was ordered straight away.

Another clear indication of its success is that ‘A Page from My Life’ has been selected as one of five books shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards.

Maura’s story deals with a moment in time, a conversation she had with her dad in 2004. 

The author, who was adopted as a young girl, had received a letter from the HSE saying that they had information surrounding the circumstance of her birth that they wished to share with her.

It threw Maura into a quandary because she was so protective of the feelings of her parents, Nora and late Peter O’Mahony.

The conversation that Maura had with her adoring dad is the essence of the 500-word story that now appears in print.

‘It’s emotional,’ she said. ‘I was undecided and shared that with my father who was, to me, the wisest person I have ever known, so full of kindness and knowledge.’ 

Her father’s response was to tenderly hold her hand and say, ‘You must do this, my girl.’ 

The words were, according to Maura, ‘like a blessing.’ They were exactly what she needed and wanted from him at the time.

In telling her story, Maura, who is the proud mother of five, is not just writing about adoption. She is writing about parenting, communication, and love. 

‘He was my father,’ she said, ‘and I loved him dearly, as I do my mother, Nora.’