One of Ireland’s best-loved children’s stories brought to life at Tyrone museumBy Rebecca Black, Press AssociationOne of Ireland’s best-loved children’s stories has been brought to life in a new immersive exhibition at a Co Tyrone museum. Children have been reading Marita Conlon-McKenna’s Under The Hawthorn Tree, set amid the Irish Famine, for decades since it was first published in 1990. It includes a full-size handcrafted hawthorn tree created by willow weaver Bob Johnston at the Ulster Folk Museum in Co Down, which features branches adorned with copper birds. Ms Conlon-McKenna said she never imagined seeing the world she created brought to life in such a way. “Seeing Eily, Michael and Peggy’s story take shape in a museum setting is something I never imagined when I first wrote Under the Hawthorn Tree,” she said.

Source: Irish Independent April 05, 2026 07:46 UTC