Alice Taylor lives in the village of Innishannon in County Cork, in a house attached to the local supermarket and post office. Since her eldest son has taken over responsibility for the shop, she has been able to devote more time to her writing.
Alice Taylor worked as a telephonist in Killarney and Bandon. When she married, she moved to Innishannon where she ran a guesthouse at first, then the supermarket and post office. She and her husband, Gabriel Murphy, who sadly passed away in 2005, had four sons and one daughter. In 1984 she edited and published the first issue of Candlelight, a local magazine which has since appeared annually. In 1986 she published an illustrated collection of her own verse.
To School Through the Fields was published in May 1988. It was an immediate success, and quickly became the biggest selling book ever published in Ireland. It launched Alice on a series of signing sessions, talks and readings the length and breadth of Ireland. Her first radio interview, forty two minutes long on RTÉ Radio's Gay Byrne Show, was the most talked about radio programme of 1988, and her first television interview, of the same length, was the highlight of the year on RTÉ television's Late Late Show. Since then she has appeared on radio programmes such as Woman's Hour, Midweek and The Gloria Hunniford Show, and she has been the subject of major profiles in the Observer and the Mail on Sunday.
Alice has written nearly twenty books since then, large exploring her village of Inishannon, and the way of life in rural Ireland. She has also written poetry and fiction: her first novel, The Woman of the House, was an immediate bestseller in Ireland, topping the paperback fiction lists for many weeks.
One of Ireland's most popular authors, her most recent book is And Life Lights Up.
Alice Taylor's second novel, a story of land, love and family set in rural Ireland. Sequel to The Woman of the House.
This sequel to "The Woman of the House” and “Across the River" is a story of love for the home place and of the passions and jealousies it can inspire. A story of grief and trying to cope with loss, but also of resilience in the face of family tragedy.
In a series of vignettes of life in her village, Alice Taylor reasserts the priorities of public space and local community. The Parish evokes and explores the positive values of community, which could be renewed and reinvigorated for a present and future that achieves harmony between comfort and the pressing need to respect the environment.
The Phelans have owned Mossgrove for generations. But when it is put up for sale, the lengths to which Irish people will go to keep their land become clear.
An enchanting novel by Ireland’s favourite writer.
The third of Alice Taylor's unique accounts of life in the Irish countryside, and another massive bestseller with universal appeal.
Alice Taylor's classic account of growing up in the Irish countryside, the biggest selling book ever published in Ireland. Beautifully illustrated throughout with a new introduction by the author.
Am I cocooning or self-isolating? In today’s climate both words mean the same thing, but it’s amazing the different picture each word paints in our subconscious. Alice Taylor explores wellbeing, what community now means and so many other topics thrown into sharp relief by the arrival of COVID19.
An extended memoir with reminiscences about the Author's friends, family members and even beloved animals that have passed away. A therapeutic book demonstrating a compassionate way of dealing with bereavement.
Alice Taylor's poems have proved perennially popular. Some have been woven into her phenomenally successful memoirs, and she has published three previous books of poetry. Organized thematically, this substantial collection includes sections entitled "The Home Place", "A Village Romance", "Grief and Grace", and "Winter Ploughing."
Alice’s garden is her refuge. Inherited from Uncle Jacky, she introduces the great variety of plants and objects she has gathered – everything, of course, with its own unique and fascinating story, brought to life by a master storyteller.
Alice Taylor takes us through her home, reflecting back on the routine of her family life growing up in rural Ireland in the 1950s - a time when food was home-baked and everything was reused. An uplifting account, full of nostalgia and wise words to treasure from Ireland's best-loved author.
If ever a voice has captured the colors, the rhythms, the rich, bittersweet emotions of a time gone by, it is Alice Taylor's. This classic account of growing up in the Irish countryside became the biggest selling book ever published in Ireland.
In her eagerly-awaited new book, Alice Taylor salutes the women whose energy and generosity made such a valuable contribution to all our lives.
Alice Taylor guides us through the steps and ways to live a conscious life and focus on the goodness of the world around us. Alice also inspires the reader to be attentive to the here and now and embrace moments as they arise.
Alice began the year wondering how she would feel about reaching eighty. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was just another milestone on a journey that is still varied and interesting. Here she writes about these feelings, and the many pleasant and challenging events of her eightieth year.
From improving her painting to perfecting her garden, exploring family histories and reclaiming her mother’s art of tea-making, Alice celebrates the small acts that fill her days and make her happy.
