Debut novel inspired by a passion for Irish history

By Bernie Ní Fhlatharta

A love of history and a burning desire to write a novel has culminated in a Galway woman’s first book being published.

My Father’s Lands is an historical novel set in Ireland and England in the 16th century which offers an insight into the last stand of the old Gaelic order against the English invaders. It took Ger Burke about nine years to write.

Ger, a native of Knock, a small village outside Milltown, was raised in Tuam, where she attended the Mercy Secondary School, to which she returned years later as a teacher.

She lived in London for nearly two years after getting her BA degree in history and English from NUIG and was then delighted to land a job in her Alma Mater.

Ger was always writing poetry or short stories and over the years has had her creative writing published in a variety of literary publications. Nine years ago she started mulling over her idea for a novel but didn’t have the courage or confidence to stick with it though it’s likely that this delay helped her develop her characters.

Ger married Mel Gannon and raised two daughters, Judith and Ailbhe, who are now adults. She took a five year career break from teaching and went to live in the United States for a short while. While in the US she completed a creative writing course in Holyoke College, Holyoke, Massachusetts and it was there that she really started to develop her idea into what is now a novel, her first book. 

The book, published by Wordonthestreet, a Galway based publishing house which has brought out 15 books and in which she is a partner, is quite a tome at almost 500 pages but it was much longer in its original form.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.