‘An exploration of how women gaze on one another’

Monaghan-born author Mary O’Donnell’s latest novel ‘Sweep the Cobwebs Off the Sky’ explores aging, memory and caregiving through the eyes of a woman.

Although Mary says the story is not autobiographical, she admits to drawing on what she knew: “The setting and the geography reflect my deep affection for the county I grew up in.”

The writer who has 20 books to her name across poetry, short stories and novel genres, lives in Kildare with her husband of 49 years Martin Newton. They have one adult daughter Anna. However, Monaghan often frequents her thoughts.

“When I used to go up to Monaghan, I had great chats with my mother… I did transplant some of those into the novel. She was very funny and irreverent, the way a lot of older women are. She was raised on a street where there was an Italian family.

“During the Second World War, they taught her Mussolini’s Fascist national anthem! My mother knew it up until her death and used to sing it sometimes - that is something I used in the book.”

While life reflects art, the matriarch in the fictitious book isn’t based on her mother, Maureen: “The old lady mixes a few details up, but generally she’s pretty sharp.

“I think it was an exploration of how women gaze on one another, especially in older life at a time when women are frequently considered to be a little bit invisible.”

In the story, Frankie the protagonist has an adopted sister called Tess, six years her junior. In real life, the author’s sister Margaret was adopted at six-months-old from Bessborough, Co Cork, one of Ireland’s largest and most notorious mother and baby homes in the early ‘60s.

“I was delighted to have a little sister, I couldn’t wait to tell my friends about her at school, since they were always talking about their siblings,” she recalls.

That sisterly relationship is central to the story, however, where it seems to have resonated with its readers is how the mother figure is regarded.

“The letters that I’ve been receiving convinced me that I hit a spot in people’s psyche. I’ve had a lot of very good responses to the book, saying every woman should read it because it deals with a part of life that hasn’t been written about that much, the challenges of older life.”

The storyteller described her latest work as “angry, feisty, shocking and raw.”

UK publisher Époque Press were very keen to collaborate: “This was a departure for me. Up until now all except one book was published in Ireland by Irish publishers. My agent found it quite hard to place.”

Always destined to be an author, Mary remembers getting a kick out of seeing her name in print when her first poem was published in the Irish Press in 1983. She defines herself more as a teacher, but she dabbled in journalism too, having worked as the Sunday Tribune’s drama critic in the late 1980s. Her first book of poetry was published in 1990.

Mary hails from outside Monaghan Town. Her father John O’Donnell managed Town of Monaghan Co-Op, which thrived during his tenure: “At only 26, he was the youngest co-op general manager in the country when he started and the oldest when he retired.”

Her beloved late father wrote a book about the co-op shortly before his death. A century of local history drew to a close when the co-op closed at the end of March 2025.

Her mother Maureen was involved in Monaghan Musical Society and the amateur dramatic circuit: “She was really good. I was very proud of her,” Mary said.

The O’Donnell house was always full of books and music. Creativity was encouraged to flourish.

Mary’s love of literature, which began at home, was encouraged by St Louis Secondary School, Monaghan:

“I was very fortunate to meet a couple of really wonderful English teachers, Joe Sheridan and Miss Sherry. It was always a pleasure to be in their classes.”

Given her extensive collection of writings, Mary in turn was clearly a good pupil too. That body of work has seen her embraced as a member of Aosdána - the academy of distinguished artists - since 2001. Despite that stamp of approval, and the fact she is often described as being internationally renowned, Mary modestly downplays her success.

“Look, I’m not renowned at all. I am of interest to academic Spain, Brazil and Hungary. I’ve had some of my work translated and it is just fantastic to see it in another language. When I travel, it’s usually to give a lecture or to do a bit of teaching. It’s not particularly glamorous, nevertheless, the encounters are always interesting.”

Mary is set to undertake a promotional tour for ‘Sweep the Cobwebs Off the Sky’ in the coming months, appearing at literary festivals and book signing events. Amongst those is an event in Monaghan Town Library on Monday, June 22 and Carrickmacross Library on Tuesday, June 23, both signings begin at 6.30pm.

Asked if she considered herself retired, the writer concluded: “No, I’m not retired from writing at all. I don’t know when that will happen. I’m not ready.

“I know I still have work to do. I’d like to thank readers everywhere… It’s such an amazing outcome to all those hours and months that I spent writing the novel.”