Ballinascreen Historical Society's guest speaker for December to give talk on her remarkable life story

Martina Tierney will be the guest speaker at December's meeting of Ballinascreen Historical Society.

placeholder image — Martina Tierney will be the guest speaker at December's meeting of Ballinascreen Historical Society.

Martina Tierney, a native of Derrynoid, will talk about her life story which is chronicled in her published autobiography 'The Stairway of My Life'.

Ballinascreen Historical Society’s speaker for December is Martina Tierney (nee McCullagh) who grew up in the townland of Derrynoid in the parish of Ballinascreen.

Her talk will revolve around her remarkable life story which is chronicled in her published autobiography 'The Stairway of My Life'.

This is a memoir with a message.

First written as a record for her future generations, this book follows a young woman growing up in Catholic, rural Ireland in a large family in the 1960's and 1970's with no modern amenities and a scarcity of money.

ABOVE: IN DAYS GONE BY... members of the McCullagh family.

It takes us through the life of the author from a child helping on the farm to setting up her own business, which became a global success.

The author outlines the difficulties and anxieties she encountered during her school days and the challenge of building her career whilst rearing a family.

She describes the heart break of losing her father at the age of nine, how she cared for her mother when she was in her final days and the spiritual journey after losing her husband prematurely to cancer.

'The Stairway of My Life' is an emotional and poignant story of loss and grief but also of love, hope and the importance of family. It is a beautiful story which will make you laugh and cry but ends with a very positive and hopeful message.

Martina's talk will take place on Tuesday, December 3 at 8pm in the Workspace Community Hub (beside Draperstown library) with everyone being cordially invited.

A few copies of the book will be available for sale after the talk.

Up-to-date details of all the society’s activities, including the online bookstore, can always be found on the society’s website here