Saint Helen
Seamus McKenna
Type: ARC
Genre: Historical fiction, romance, contemporary
Word count: 84,000
Warnings: Swearing
Before change came courage: set in 1970s Ireland, this moving story follows a woman who risks everything to challenge a society that had been built to keep women powerless. Inspired by the struggles that transformed a nation.
What’s this?
A powerful novel of intense love, faith, and violence, inspired by real events which shook Ireland.
When engineer Anton Quigley arrives in a small southern shipyard in 1975, to help build an offshore gas rig, he falls for teacher Helen Peavoy, a woman of courage in a society ruled by Church and convention. But Helen chooses charismatic publican Ned Rocket, a married Sinn Féin member, and soon faces scandal, courtrooms, and the loss of her livelihood when she becomes pregnant.
As tensions rise and ruthless nationalists seek to extort money from the developers of the gas platform, a shocking murder tears the town apart. Grief, suspicion, and divided loyalties threaten to destroy Helen‘s fragile happiness.
Rich in detail and emotional truth, this unforgettable story explores flawed, deeply human characters navigating love and conscience in dangerous times, proving that sometimes the greatest act of love is letting go.
A voracious reader, I early on developed the urge to write. I spent several years practicing as a Civil Engineer, all the while composing my prose and perfecting my technique, and being published in newspapers and magazines.
In 2023 I obtained an MA in Creative Writing from Dublin City University (DCU). I have broadcast on RTE (Irish national broadcaster) Radio 1’s Sunday Miscellany (new writing for radio), and I have written three books; one non-fiction and two novels.
Registration closed.
Only ARC team members can mark as completed.
Only ARC team members can log a review.