Patricia Lynch

This collection incorporates an almost complete set of first editions of Patricia Lynch's works and a particularly elegant first edition of The Turf-Cutter's Donkey in Irish (Asal Fhéar na Mónadh), which was translated by Maighréad Nic Mhaicín and illustrated by Jack. B. Yeats.

Related Essay:
The following piece was written by Brendan Leen for Cregan Library:
What finer introduction to Ireland's most renowned and fondly regarded children's author, Patricia Lynch, than that penned by her close friend and fellow kindler of the youthful imagination, Eugene Lambert; in his Recollections of Patricia Lynch, Lambert recalls:

"In the early 1960s Richard Fox, theatre critic and journalist, interviewed me at the Olympia Theatre where I was performing my ventriloquist act in a variety show. At the conclusion of the interview he asked me for a photograph of myself and Finnegan, my ventriloquist doll. He gave me his address to send the photograph to him — 39 The Rise, Glasnevin. I said that I would drop it in as it was only a stone's throw from where I lived in Finglas. Next day I brought the photograph to Richard and to my amazement and delight I was introduced to his wife, Patricia Lynch.
I had known Patricia Lynch through her books since I was a child and to meet her in reality was just marvellous. Patricia was a very slight, frail lady with a touch of a cockney accent, a twinkle in her eye and an impish sense of humour. Their house was built in 1936 and had remained a time-capsule as nothing had been altered since the day the builder left. A small lawn in front of the house had several large conifers which slightly shaded it. Patricia's rare garden was a virtual fairy glen, with elder trees for her famous wine, bluebells, primroses and all sorts of wild flowers. She had a tiny patch which she used to cultivate while sitting on a box; barely breaking the soil with a hand-rake, she grew a small crop of strawberries and vegetables.
The front door led into a hall on either side of which was a room; the right-hand room was Richard's study and on the left was the living-room where Patricia wrote.
A slightly musty odour of elderberries, cloves, apples and books permeated the house. Patricia's room was sparsely furnished — an old Chesterfield; two small armchairs; upholstered butter boxes on either side of the fireplace; two small glass cabinets, which had been given to her by students at Kevin Street Technical College to hold copies of her books and memorabilia; and an old oak writing desk, which doubled as a dining table.
Both Patricia and Richard worked at their writing, each in their own room, every day except Wednesday afternoon when they had visitors for tea."