Cork author: ‘My path to becoming an author was paved by amazing women’

Cork author LEONA FORDE reflects on International Women’s Day, her own path to becoming an author, and the women who have had a lasting impact on her life.

As we celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, it was clear to me, more than ever, that my path to becoming an author was paved by an array of amazing women, ranging from family and friends to teachers and talented authors.

I have been fortunate to learn from and be inspired by many remarkable women throughout my life.

As a child, I was raised on songs and stories. One of my earliest memories is sitting at our kitchen table in Ballyphehane, listening to Cork’s Oldies and Irish, watching my mam prepare the Sunday roast. As always, my attention was split in two directions. My eyes were busy devouring the latest escapades of The Four Marys in my Bunty annual while my ears were drawn to the song playing on the radio, the ballad Grace by The Dubliners.

Ten-year-old me was full of questions - I needed to know what the word ‘hoaxer’ meant because poor Mary Field was at that very moment being accused of being the St Elmo’s hoaxer, and when that was sorted, I needed someone to tell me all about the song on the radio; who were the couple getting married and why were they exchanging vows in a gaol?

The answers to these questions were my first tales, new words explained and the history behind the ballads brought to life at the kitchen table by my maternal grandmother Maureen Herbert, a natural born storyteller.

No questions were too silly and no topic was off limits. She entertained me with stories of her youth, dances in Dublin, cross teachers with wooden rulers, blackout blinds, Black and Tans, and of course, the time she saw the banshee, a story she used as a warning that if I didn’t behave and do as she said, she might just have to have a word with her old friend.

When I exhausted all those willing to tell me tales at home, I would venture to our local library on Tory Top Road. To me, it was a place of magic, it smelled of paper and possibility.

I loved everything about the library, scanning the shelves, reading a random middle page to test out the book. I loved and hated the agony of deciding which books I’d take home and so sought the guidance of our brilliant librarian, a woman with endless patience who, having finally convinced me to make a choice, ceremoniously stamped the books and dispatched the little pink ticket into its pocket to be filed away until I returned again next week to annoy her once more.

The books I chose were varied, but I particularly adored reading female authors like Enid Blyton, Marita Conlon McKenna and Joan Lingard.

These authors didn’t just tell me stories, they quietly expanded the boundaries of what I knew, introduced me to new worlds, and inspired me by creating strong female characters who taught me that girls could be adventurers, thinkers, troublemakers and leaders.

Their words lingered long after I closed the cover, shaping the way I think, speak, and write to this day.

While being a reader was there from an early age, writing came later, helped by an eclectic mix of teachers, the majority of whom again were female.

Miss O’Brien Ahern, who introduced me to Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, Miss Geary, who inspired my love of poetry, Ms Mahon Buckley, who brought plays to life on stage, Ms Horgan, who showed me how to structure a short story, and most recently Patricia Forde, who encouraged me to share my writing with children.

Another young woman who has been an inspiration to me is my daughter Asha. Her insights into the type of books that were being offered to her and the lack of female main characters led me to create my books, the Milly McCarthy series.

To my delight, Milly, at first just a character on a page, has become something so much more. Young readers have truly taken her to heart, this little rebel full of mischief, courage, and chaos has grown far beyond the page.

She has resonated in ways I could never have predicted, captured hearts, gained a loyal following, and opened the doorway to the joy of reading for others.

As we reflect on International Women’s Day, I wish to acknowledge the many women who paved the way for me.

On a day where we honour women’s voices, I encourage you to do so by helping children discover those voices through books.

Nurture a love of reading in the next generation by letting your kids see you enjoy a book. Read stories together, visit libraries, let them choose books that interest them.

Introduce them to books written by women and filled with inspiring female characters. In doing so we not only celebrate women today, we help shape a future that values empathy, equality and understanding for those to come.