Guest Post: Dianne Ashcroft, Author
Roy October 28th, 2008
Thank you, Roy for inviting me to visit the Irish Taxi blog. I guess I should introduce myself to your readers – I’m Dianne Ascroft, author of ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ and I’m glad to be stopping by this site today. Since the main character in my novel is a German boy, Erich, I thought I’d share a few facts about German-Irish relations with you. Ireland and Germany have had a cordial relationship for centuries. Their connections include cultural, religious and military ones. Here’s just a interesting few facts:
Did you know?
1. that in the early 1700s three thousand Palatine Germans (www.irishpalatines.org), Lutherans escaping religious persecution in their homeland, arrived in Ireland. Their surnames still survive in Irish families – names such as Fizelle, Fyffe, Ruttle, Glazier, Shouldice, Switzer, Benner, Laurence.
2. that the first German Department in a university in Ireland or Britain was founded at Trinity College, Dublin (www.tcd.ie) in 1776.
3. that between July 1946 and April 1947 the Irish Red Cross (www.redcross.ie) project, Operation Shamrock, brought more than 400 German children to Ireland to be fostered by Irish families and recuperate from the appalling conditions in post-war Germany.
4. that the site where Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation (www.glencree.ie), is situated in Glencree, Co Wicklow was previously used as a receiving centre for these German children to stay at until they were well enough to be placed with foster families.
5. that German classes were taught in Dublin to help these refugee children re-learn their native language before they returned to Germany. St Kilian’s German School (www.kilians.com) on the Eurocampus in Clonskeagh, South Dublin (adjacent to UCD) developed from these roots and the school was founded in 1954.
Learning the facts about the Red Cross project Operation Shamrock inspired me to write my novel, ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ (www.trafford.com/07-1955). It’s the story of a German boy, Erich’s journey to manhood in war-torn Germany and post-war Ireland. Growing up in the embattled Ruhr area of Germany Erich knows only war, deprivation and loss. His mother disappears after a heavy bombing raid and he is left responsible for his younger brother. After the war the Red Cross transports the boys, with hundreds of other children, to Ireland to recuperate. During the next few years Erich moves around several countries in Ireland through a string of foster homes. Separated from his brother, he experiences indifference, brutality, love and acceptance in varying measures. Plucky and resilient he faces and surmounts the challenges he encounters.
Would you like to meet Erich? In Ireland he lives in quite a few different places and has a wide range of experiences but I thought you might like to meet him in Dublin. Why don’t you drop in on the eight year old boy while he is visiting Dublin with a Red Cross worker, Auntie Lizzie.
EXCERPT: Chapter 3, Dublin, Winter 1948
“Well, tomorrow we’ll have another treat,” Auntie Lizzie said. “We’ll go up Nelson’s Pillar.” Erich cheered at this news. “But now it’s time for you to get some sleep.”
Erich happily climbed into bed and allowed Auntie Lizzie to tuck him in. He would have liked Aunt Elsie to be here to tuck him in but he would see her tomorrow night. He settled contentedly into the bed, thinking about the next day.
In the morning Erich hurriedly ate his breakfast, eager to be off. He skipped down the street beside Auntie Lizzie, dodging passersby and staying close to her. When they reached Nelson’s Pillar Erich craned his head back to look up at it.
“It’s very tall, isn’t it?” Auntie Lizzie said.
“Y-y-yes!” Erich exclaimed. “Let’s go to the top! How do we get there?”
“We’ll climb the stairs inside it.” Erich raced towards the stairs. “Wait for me,” Auntie Lizzie called. Erich halted until she caught up with him. She handed him pennies for the entrance fee before he darted off. He ran up a few stairs and then waited for her to catch up to him before he charged off again. Auntie Lizzie was puffing when they reached the top. Erich stood on his tip-toes’; he darted glances in one direction then another so quickly that Auntie Lizzie could barely answer all his questions about what he saw below them.
“It’s a big city!” Erich exclaimed. “There’s so much to see. It would take days and days.”
“It would indeed.”
“But I don’t want to stay here too long. I’d miss Daddy Davy, Auntie Elsie and Gipsy.”
“Well, you’ll be going home to see them today. You can come to visit Dublin again another time,” she reassured him.
“That’s good,” Erich said, relieved. Dublin was exciting but he was eager to get home.
COMPETITION:
Email your answer (include your name and postal address) to roy@irishtaxi.net and the first correct answer will win a copy of ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ by Dianne Ascroft.
What was Operation Shamrock?
A). A Ministry of Agriculture initiative to encourage farmers to grow shamrocks.
B). A Red Cross project to aid German children after World War II.
C). A Guinness education campaign to teach bar staff how to correctly draw a shamrock on the head of a pint.
It’s been a pleasure to be here today. I hope you enjoyed the few facts and figures I had for you. ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ is available to order. For details please visit my website, www.geocities.com/dianne_ascroft or check out my blog, Ascroft, eh?, www.dianneascroft.wordpress.com to see where else I will be visiting on my Virtual Book Tour.
Dianne
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- Comments(7)
I’m in – and if yer not in you can’t win!
Nice post Diane! My niece went to St Killians and was taught all subjects through German and is now fluent, fantastic school by all accounts……I look forward to reading the book
Where do I start?
I am so dissapointed that any living HUMAN being could title a book with a cheap shot name like that.
Shame on you Diane!
I’m sorry you don’t like the title of the book, Bren. It isn’t meant as a ‘cheap shot’ but is a reference to 2 incidents in the book. Writers sometimes use single words or phrases to tie ideas together for a title – it is tying together serious and amusing topics that I’ve written about. I hope you’ll look past the cover to find out what the book is actually about.
Dianne
Answer is B. Looks like a good book.
Regards,J-FThe fact that one man with no understanding of the technical issues made the decision for a committee thats opinions were ignored is ridiculous. ,
Roy I am delighted to see that you have invited a guest poster to our new litrature tread.