Burncourt author brings out her sixth book

Tipperary author Ann Gardiner has launched her sixth book.
Ann, who is living in Burncourt and is married to well known musician Bobby Gardiner, writes about the life of a young man reared in the shadow of the Knockmealdowns .
Marty’s Mountain is the story of Marty Brennan, a much loved only child, brought up on a sheep farm near the Knockmealdown mountains, famous in the month of June, for a wondrous blaze of purple and blue rhododendron bushes.
CHILDHOOD
He spends his childhood exploring his surroundings in the company of his cousin and best friend, Don.
This includes a visit to nearby Mount Melleray Cistercian Monastery where they meet Brother Joseph for the first time, and a trip to Bay Lough, where Petticoat Loose is said to be draining the lake with a thimble to atone for her wicked ways while on earth. His father wants to keep him at home looking after the sheep but Marty had different ideas and he decides to become a missionary priest and heads for a life in Africa.
After a number of years in Africa, Marty becomes a little disillusioned.
He begins to wonder if missionaries have a right to suppress the religion of the African natives, forcing them to deny their long held beliefs in favour of the Catholic ideology.
He considers the church may be in need of reform in many ways.
And when his father becomes critically ill back at home, he feels guilty too for not being there to help his ageing mother with his care.
This prompts him to question his vocation and after much soul-searching he makes up his mind to leave.
The long drawn out process of laicisation begins and an angry bishop makes him feel very guilty about his decision.
WRITING
Anne has always enjoyed writing, even going back to her school days, but didn’t get down to it seriously until the children had grown up and left home.

Her first book was a personal memoir of growing up on a little farm at the foot of the Galtee mountains.
She later went to live and work in Dublin and experienced the exciting night life of the swinging 60’s with a choice of great showbands in every ballroom.
Then she turned to writing fiction short stories set in the same era, depicting life, love, betrayal, contrary mothers-in-law and lonely bachelors in her books entitled Paraffin Lamp Days, Don’t Tell Anyone, Old-Fashioned Love and Mad For Road
Marty’s Mountain is on sale in the following shops-Maureen Creed, Burncourt, Russell’s Ballyporeen, Post Office, Ballyporeen, Favourite, Mitchelstown, Dolan’s Cahir, Book Market, Clonmel, Bookworm, Thurles, Eason’s, Thurles and Ducey’s, Ballymacarbry.

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