Patricia Lynch facts for kids

Patricia Lynch (born around 1894 – died 1972) was a famous children's writer and a journalist from Ireland. She wrote about 48 novels and 200 short stories! She is best known for mixing everyday Irish country life with exciting fantasy adventures. A great example is her book The Turf-Cutter's Donkey, which had amazing drawings by Jack B. Yeats.

About Her Life

Patricia Nora Lynch was born in Cork, Ireland. Her father, Thomas, was a stockbroker and journalist, and her mother was Nora Lynch. Patricia had one brother, Henry Patrick, and two sisters, Laura and Winifred. Because her father passed away, she went to schools in many different places, including Ireland, England, Scotland, and Belgium.

She became a journalist. In 1916, a famous women's rights activist named Sylvia Pankhurst sent Patricia to Dublin to report on a big event called the Easter Rising for a newspaper called The Workers' Dreadnought. Even though she strongly supported Irish independence, she kept her London accent her whole life! She made good friends with important Irish nationalists like Maud Gonne and Constance Markievicz. Patricia was also very active in the fight for women to get the right to vote. In 1948, Irish playwright Teresa Deevy wrote an essay about Patricia Lynch.

Patricia Lynch married a historian named R. M. Fox in Dublin on October 31, 1922. They lived in Glasnevin. She passed away in Monkstown, County Dublin on September 1, 1972. She is buried with her husband in Glasnevin Cemetery. In 1947, she wrote a book about her own childhood called A Story-Teller's Childhood.

Her Amazing Stories

Patricia Lynch is most famous for her book The Turf-Cutter's Donkey, which first came out in 1934. It was first printed in parts in The Irish Press newspaper starting in 1931. This story is about two children, Seamus and Eileen, a magical teapot, and a small grey donkey named Long Ears. On their adventure, the children meet a leprechaun, a golden eagle, the wise Salmon of Knowledge, and even the legendary Finn MacCool! She wrote several follow-up stories to this popular book. It was even translated into Irish in 1944.

Another popular series she wrote is the Brogeen series. These are fantasy books for children. Brogeen is the main character, a leprechaun who often runs away from home to find new adventures. These stories were read on the radio and even turned into a puppet show on Irish TV!

The Bookshop on the Quay is one of her best-known books that isn't fantasy. It tells the story of a boy named Shane from the countryside who learns how to sell books at The Four Masters Bookshop in Dublin. This book was also read on a popular children's TV show called Jackanory.

Patricia Lynch also worked with other writers, like Teresa Deevy and Helen Staunton, on a collection called Lisheen at the Valley Farm and other stories. In this book, Patricia wrote a story called Strange People about a little girl named Meg and her friends.

People still praise Patricia Lynch's books because they always have simple, clear messages. They are also loved for their magical descriptions of life in the west of Ireland. Her main characters often meet figures from Irish folklore, and they speak English in a way that sounds like traditional Irish storytelling.

Marcus Crouch, a writer, said that Lynch's work has "the richest and most heart-warming of family stories." He especially liked her fantasy book The Grey Goose of Kilnevin and the everyday adventure story Fiddler's Quest.

Many different artists drew pictures for her books. Some of the most famous ones include John Butler Yeats (who illustrated The Turf-Cutter's Donkey) and Sean Keating (who illustrated The Grey Goose of Kilnevin).

Her Books

• You can find more about Patricia Lynch at The Teresa Deevy Archive.

See also

In Spanish: Patricia Lynch para niños