+34Women once feared or punished are placed back at the centre of their own stories in Ellen Ryan’s latest YA release.
Women once feared or punished are placed back at the centre of their own stories in Ellen Ryan’s latest YA release. For feminist-history readers, the value is not only outrage, but the reminder that power often survives under accusation.
, became an instant bestseller. It won ‘Children’s Book of the Year: Senior’ at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2022 and was shortlisted for overall book of the year.
The book was the official inspiration for Ireland’s national 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and her second book,, was shortlisted for the ‘Children’s Book of the Year: Senior’ at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2023 and featured on the Irish children’s bestseller list for Christmas.will reveal ten narratives of women who shaped their cultures and inspired change through their magic and wisdom. True stories. True magic.
Discover the untold stories of powerful women who have been labelled as witches throughout history—not the kind that ride broomsticks, but real priestesses, wise women, and healers who defied oppression. From a Haitian Vodou priestess who fought for freedom and an Irish wise woman who healed the hungry during a famine, to a Japanese shaman-queen who brought peace to her land. This collection invites readers to connect with their global histories and culture through powerful narratives.
Yes, I always wanted to be a writer but even after studying journalism, I didn’t have the confidence to make a real go of it. So, I took a safer career path and worked in public relations, promoting everything from nappies and video games to wine bars, glaucoma tests and pension plans – the full circle of life. But it was always the writing part of the job that I enjoyed most.
Years later, the birth of my daughter brought perspective and I stopped caring so much about failing. I returned to journalism and began writing news articles but privately, I began to tiptoe my way into the world of fiction. My husband and I took a tour of the Oweynagat Cave at the Rathcroghan archaeological site in Roscommon. There, I learned about the goddess Morrígan, queen of phantoms, who was said to dwell in the cave with her monsters.
I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t heard her story before and wondered how many other gods might exist in this ‘secret’ Irish pantheon. I felt something had been stolen from me and embarked on years of research into our mythology. A growing conviction to give these stories back to our young people gave birth to my books,is a testament to all the women of magic who deserve more than a ‘witch’ label.
For centuries, the term ‘witch’ was meant to invoke fear or, at best, obstruct the truth of who these women were and what they achieved. Women who were healers, seers, high Priestesses, alchemists, changemakers. Women who did what they could to help the sick or disenfranchised and affect change in their communities. Like my earlier books, this wasn’t an idea that just came out of nowhere.
Rather, it was a pull that has been with me all my life. I’ve always had a sense that magic exists inside women of all ages and stages in life. So, for years, I searched for stories where this is undeniable. The women featured in this book span cultural, religious, racial and economic divides, and offer an insight into histories that our children may not learn about in school.
You don’t have to believe in witches to connect with this book, but perhaps readers can witness how women inspire social change and celebrate ‘otherness’. In a world where gender inequality remains a reality for women of every age and background, and with witch hunts still ongoing in some countries, stories such as these can unite and uplift us.
I believe the history of female spirituality is an important part of our global feminist history and that reading the stories of our sisters can be a magic spell in itself – as perhaps each can light a match that ignites our own power. To write this book, I drew from historical accounts, memoirs, and texts covering everything from archaeology and magic to feminism, botany, and more.
But when learning about the lives of others, research can only go so far. It was important to me that I met with and learned from women whose life experiences reflect some of the book’s stories. Women like Brenda MacIntyre, known by her indigenous name, Medicine Song Woman; Mudang Mi, a priestess of Korean shamanism; and Lora O’Brien, cofounder of the Irish Pagan School.
Their experiences showed me how women of magic offer guidance, healing, and transformation, both for individuals and for their communities. By generously sharing their knowledge, I noticed all the beautiful similarities and differences between their cultures. I also had the privilege of participating in some of the spiritual practices featured in this book – from fortune-telling to shamanic journeying – and the experience has had a profound effect on my own sense of spirituality.
I have ADHD and normally dislike sticking to schedules. But recently I’ve been juggling three book projects at once, which involves daily emails to publishers and agents, travelling for UK meetings or publicity, and continuous writing to deadline. As I’m also a mother, I finally accepted that I had to give discipline a go.
Lately, I’ve been using WellMethod, which has helped me form habits that don’t come naturally – realistic daily exercise, real lunch , going to bed on time, and scheduled work slots. Once, I would have thought a routine like this was stifling, but I’ve come to realise that disorder and feeling bad about myself was far worse.by Wilkie Collins.
I had just finished college and was working in a boring job when I discovered this Victorian tale full of madness and murder. Every lunch break, I sprinted to the canteen to maximise reading time. I wanted to befriend – possibly become – the protagonist, Marian Halcombe. I fell into a paradox of rushing to read the book while trying to eek it out to prolong the pleasure.by Marita Conlon McKenna.
Aged twelve, this book about the famine rocked my world. I went through so many emotions – shock, horror, but also pride. It shaped my view of Ireland, our people, and myself. I felt I’d been given the gift of my own heritage.by Emilia Hart is probably my top ‘witchy’ read.
It’s full of my favourite things – the evocative magic of nature, wild women who fight back against predators and a page-turning mystery. But what I particularly love is that the story centres around three generations of wise women – or witches – in one family. They have never met, but each finds her intuitive powers stoked through discovering the stories of her female ancestors.
Coming from a tight-knit clan of women myself, I am drawn to books that reflect the depth of our bond. I have so many and find this impossible to answer, but given the nature of my new book, I’ll share my favourite Irish authors of ‘witch-literature’. For adults: Sinéad Gleeson, author ofSeeing What’s Hidden: Uncovering Ireland’s Ancient Ways of KnowingHe had such a powerful way of connecting us to our environment, to our language, to ourselves.
As an Irish person, reading his work feels profound: an act of self-love and liberation. His loss is immeasurable.by Marita Conlon-McKenna. It felt like a call to action – to someday write something that made children feel proud of their culture – as she had done for me. Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland, put it best when she said: ‘Writers and illustrators in Ireland don’t appear fully formed at twenty-six and take the world by storm.
They have experiences with books and reading as children which shape them. ’by Eckhart Tolle. I didn’t find this book until I was in my twenties and burnt out – juggling a full-time job and a part-time Masters degree. With Tolle’s teaching, I learned to ‘observe’ the noise in my mind, rather than taking it too seriously.
It changed my life, and I only wish I’d come to it sooner. I think in this increasingly noisy and overwhelming world, mindfulness is such a valuable tool for protecting our mental health. I once thought it was vague and theoretical but it’s a practical life skill that can be taught, and I’d love to see mindfulness introduced as a school subject.by Nussaibah Younis.
A debut novel about a heartbroken academic who takes a United Nations job in Iraq, leading a deradicalisation programme designed to reform ISIS brides. It’s a serious topic turned on its head, and the most scandalous, risqué, laugh-out-loud book I have read in years. I keep asking everyone to read it and it genuinely distresses me when they don’t.
There are so many wonderful bookshops across Ireland, doing such important work, but I’d like to give a special mention to Books at One in Letterfrack, Connemara. They have the best cakes and coffee and the most wonderful team. Bookshops such as this are the beating heart of their communities. If you have conviction for what you’re trying to write, and crucially, if you enjoy writing it, then just keep going, keep going, keep going.
It might take two, five, or ten years but eventually, you’ll get there. Conviction plays a big part in publishing. Reading is an act of self-love. It is time that I gift to myself, permission to visit new worlds for a while, a chance to live lives different from my own and go on adventures from the safety of home.
Writing asks more of me. When I write, I bring something into the world that didn’t exist before and it makes me vulnerable. I find writing liberating and exhilarating while also maddening and terrifying. But through it, I connect with people in new ways and I connect more deeply with myself.offer me the freedom to venture outwards and to learn more about myself and others.
When I return from the act of reading and writing, I feel I know the world a little better. Artist Andrea Jameson: ‘I wanted my recovery year to be seen to be a happy one, and to prove to myself that I could do it’
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