Pat O'Shea
Encyclopedia
Pat O'Shea was the pen name of Patricia Mary Shiels O'Shea, an award-winning and best-selling children's fiction writer. She was born in Galway
and was the youngest of 5 children. Her first novel was the best-selling The Hounds of the Morrigan
, which took 13 years to complete. It was finally published in 1985 by Oxford University Press
, translated into five languages, and is still considered among the best classic children's books.
When she was sixteen she went to England
. She worked in a bookshop. She began to write theatre
plays in Manchester
and got a scholarship from the British Art Council
.
In the late 1960s her early theatre writing career proved unsuccessful, though it was supported by David Scase
, director of the Library Theatre, Manchester and his successor Tony Colegate. She also tried writing for television, but that also failed to work out, so in 1969 she began to write short stories and poetry, as well as an unpublished comic novel.
By the early 1970s she began writing The Hounds of the Morrigan to please herself and close associates by producing something she could deem worthy of her favorite children's novels, but with little expectation of getting it published.
In poor health and well into her fifties at the time of that novel's first sudden success, she completed only a few chapters of the unpublished sequel in the subsequent decades, although those also remain highly regarded in their own right.
In 1988, she published a second children's book, Finn Mac Cool and the Small Men of Deeds, through the publisher Holiday. That book consisted of her retelling of folklore tales, and was illustrated by Stephen Lavis. In 1988 Horn Book Magazine
included it in their annual list of notable children's books, giving it a Horn Book Fanfare Best books of the year award.
She died in Manchester
in 2007, at age 76.
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
and was the youngest of 5 children. Her first novel was the best-selling The Hounds of the Morrigan
The Hounds of the Morrigan
The Hounds of the Morrigan is a novel by Irish writer Pat O'Shea. It was published in 1985, having taken O'Shea ten years to complete. The novel centers on the adventures of 10-year-old Pidge and his younger sister, Brigit. Many characters in the book are culled straight from Celtic mythology...
, which took 13 years to complete. It was finally published in 1985 by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, translated into five languages, and is still considered among the best classic children's books.
When she was sixteen she went to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She worked in a bookshop. She began to write theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
plays in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and got a scholarship from the British Art Council
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
.
In the late 1960s her early theatre writing career proved unsuccessful, though it was supported by David Scase
David Scase
David Scase was a British actor.Born at Fulham, London, as the son of a plumber, his first job as in a bicycle factory in the mid 1930s. He joined the Merchant Navy on the outbreak of World War II in 1939, but by the end of the war was working as a BBC sound engineer...
, director of the Library Theatre, Manchester and his successor Tony Colegate. She also tried writing for television, but that also failed to work out, so in 1969 she began to write short stories and poetry, as well as an unpublished comic novel.
By the early 1970s she began writing The Hounds of the Morrigan to please herself and close associates by producing something she could deem worthy of her favorite children's novels, but with little expectation of getting it published.
In poor health and well into her fifties at the time of that novel's first sudden success, she completed only a few chapters of the unpublished sequel in the subsequent decades, although those also remain highly regarded in their own right.
In 1988, she published a second children's book, Finn Mac Cool and the Small Men of Deeds, through the publisher Holiday. That book consisted of her retelling of folklore tales, and was illustrated by Stephen Lavis. In 1988 Horn Book Magazine
Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
included it in their annual list of notable children's books, giving it a Horn Book Fanfare Best books of the year award.
She died in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 2007, at age 76.