Edith book event: Martina Devlin and Tom Somerville in conversation
Date and time
SOLD OUT – Martina Devlin, author of Edith, and Tom Somerville of Drishane House in conversation at Mary Ann's Bar and Restaurant
About this event
PLEASE NOTE THAT BOOKINGS FOR THIS EVENT HAVE REACHED CAPACITY. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PUT ON THE CANCELLATION LIST, PLEASE EMAIL YOUR NAME AND NUMBER TO PUBLICITY@LILLIPUTPRESS.IE, AND IN THE EVENT OF ANY CANCELLATIONS, WE WILL CONTACT YOU.
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‘Edith Somerville’s world is upended – her writing partner is gone; her safety, family home, and lifestyle are threatened by brewing civil war; and even her creativity is wavering. But Edith’s eponymous heroine is smart and sanguine, and she finds safety and comfort in esoteric practices as well as the arms of friends. This is a pacy novel of menace, intrigue, and nostalgia that examines the butting cultures of Independence Ireland with all the forensic joy in politics and language that readers expect from the wonderful Martina Devlin.’ Nuala O’Connor, author of NORA: A Love Story of Nora Barnacle and James Joyce
In this work, set during the turbulent period of Irish Independence 1921–22, Edith Somerville finds herself at a crossroads. Her position as a member of the Ascendancy is perilous as she struggles to keep her family home, Drishane House in West Cork, while others are burned out. After years in a successful writing partnership with Violet Martin, Edith continues to write after her partner’s death, comforted in the belief they continue to connect through automatic writing and séances.
West Cork's much-loved author Edith Somerville of Irish RM fame is the subject of a talk at Mary Ann's Bar and Restaurant in Castletownshend at 6pm on Tuesday July 12. Writer Martina Devlin, author of a new novel about her called Edith, will be joined by Tom Somerville of Drishane House, Edith's family home, to discuss her life and work. All welcome. Free admission but please register in advance through Eventbrite or by emailing publicity@lilliputpress.ie
Martina Devlin has written 11 books and two plays and is an award-winning journalist. She has won a VS Pritchett Prize from the Royal Society of Literature and a Hennessy Literary Award. Martina presents the City of Books podcast for Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and is the first holder of a PhD in literary practice from Trinity College Dublin where she has taught Irish literature.
Drishane House has been the home of the Somerville family for nine generations, or nearly 250 years. Thomas Somerville built the house around 1780 in classic Georgian style, its elevations hung with purple Benduff slate and surrounded by park-like gardens with mature trees, including several rare specimens. Edith Somerville was a key figure in preserving the house for the next generation, and visitors can enjoy the house, gardens and museums which are under the care of Tom Somerville and family.
Tom Somerville inherited Drishane from his father, Christopher, and grew up with stories of Edith Somerville’s personality and the work she undertook at Drishane House.
This conversation between Martina Devlin and Tom Somerville will provide a fascinating personal insight into Edith Somerville’s life, work and legacy as well as her impact on the local area.