Successful Launch of Bridget P. McDonnell’s memoir Where Did They Get You? at Roscommon County Library

A lively attendance was evident at Roscommon County Library on Thursday (15th November) for the launch of the eagerly anticipated memoir, Where Did They Get You? by Roscommon writer, Bridget P. McDonnell. More than 80 of Bridget’s family, friends and neighbours, colleagues from her nursing days, members of her local golf club and other invited guests turned out for what proved to be a great celebration. Introducing the proceedings, the author, Bridget McDonnell, thanked everyone for coming and handed over to Oscar Duggan of The Manuscript Publisher. He went on to speak about the background to the book, how it came to be published, its resonance and importance for Ireland of today. He said that the writing of a memoir is a personal undertaking but the decision to make it public makes it part of a shared, collective experience.

In my estimation, this book represents a valuable contribution to the national conversation which we should be having at this point in our country’s history and I commend the author for making it available; just as I would now like to recommend it to all you to read.

He went on to explain how the genesis of the project to publish Bridget’s memoir came about as a result of a meeting he had with the author earlier this year at the SiarScéal Festival, which has taken place annually in Roscommon over the last six years:

By coincidence, next year’s SiarScéal Festival (in March 2013) is taking place on the theme of 'The Gathering' - an effort to reach out to the Irish diaspora. If there is one lesson to be learned from past experience, it is that it is important that we do not lose touch with those generations of Irish people who go abroad to find work. We know from Bridget’s memoir that these people never really lose touch with their roots and indeed many of them come back. They hold the key to our shared future.