Monaghan Schools Read Under the Hawthorn Tree for One Book One County
Monaghan County Libraries have picked Marita Conlon-McKenna's Famine novel Under the Hawthorn Tree for this year's One Book One County schools programme. It launched at the Ulster American Folk Park on 23 October.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Drumlin pasture at Lisnafeddaly, Co. Monaghan. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
Monaghan County Libraries have launched this year's One Book One County reading programme for schools. The book is Under the Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon-McKenna, Monaghan County Council said. The programme is aimed mainly at 5th and 6th class pupils in primary schools and 1st Year students in secondary schools across the county. It was launched on 23 October at the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh.
What pupils will do
The novel follows three siblings, Eily, Michael and Peggy, through the hardships of the Great Famine. The council says students will take part in reading activities, classroom discussions, workshops and cultural engagements. The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport is funding it under its Commemorations Programme. The money covers transport and workshops for participating schools.
The exhibition
The launch was linked to the Folk Park's exhibition of Under the Hawthorn Tree, which opened in March 2026. According to the Folk Park, the exhibition uses soundscapes, interactive displays, scents and rarely shown objects from National Museums NI. At its centre is a full-size handcrafted hawthorn tree made by willow weaver Bob Johnston.
What they said
Cathaoirleach Cllr Aidan Campbell praised the library team for securing funding for transport and workshops. County Librarian Deirdriu McQuaid called the novel "one of the most powerful and enduring works of Irish children's literature". For more library news, see plans for Ballybay Market House.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
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