Sarah Hannah fulfills lifelong dream with magical picture book for children

This delightful book about family ties has a subtle message about learning who you are and finding support from your loved ones. Mostly, it’s a fun adventure.

The book is a tribute to Sarah’s much-loved dad Tom Walsh, who died in May, 2024, and to a father-daughter relationship. She also wanted it to offer support to others who have lost people they love.

Sarah grew up in Knocknacarra, close to Barna Woods, and it was her family’s playground when she was young.

She and her brother Colin enjoyed playing hide and seek and tag, leaving her with precious memories of time spent with her family, in nature.

Having attended Scoil Íde primary school, followed by the Salerno for secondary, Sarah studied animation in IADT in Dublin, graduating in 2014.

“It combined my love of filmmaking and storytelling,” she says of the course.

After graduating, she worked as a visual designer for film and TV, winning several awards for her work.

However, her dad’s death left Sarah “completely emotionally and creatively blocked”.

She wanted to get back to work but was struggling. Suddenly, Aggie Witchfinder came into her head.

“Aggie appeared out of nowhere and she kept popping up,” Sarah recalls with a smile. It was the creative release she needed, especially once Daddy Witchfinder’s character came to her.

“I wanted her to be a reflection of my own life and dad’s,” she says of Aggie.

Daddy Witchfinder’s traits reflect those possessed by Sarah’s own father: “generosity, support and love.”

‘Aggie Witchfinder’ is a story for everybody, she stresses.

“I didn’t want it to be going into my own relationship with dad too much, because I wanted it to be relatable in terms of a father-daughter relationship.”

While Sarah has forged a career in animation, this book marks the fulfilment of a long-held dream.

“I’ve always loved children’s fiction and adored picture books, and always wanted to write and illustrate a children’s book.”

Once she had graduated in animation, Sarah “dipped in and out of courses” in children’s writing and illustration, with that aim in mind.

‘Aggie Witchfinder’ which emerged from grief and restored her creativity, is the result.

In September 2024, she attended a ‘speed-dating book-pitching event being held by O’Brien Press as part of Culture Night. Although the story was written and designed, Sarah wasn’t sure about taking it any further.

The publishers had no doubts.

“They seemed to love Aggie”, she recalls of their response. Soon after, they emailed her about taking on the project.

“It has been a great opportunity,” she says, praising O’Brien Press for their support.

The process of producing children’s picture books usually involves a collaboration between the writer and illustrator, with drawings being designed around the text.

Sarah is unusual in that she’s done both text and illustration, and it’s clear how much she loved bringing the book to life visually. She was constantly “sketching the characters, trying different poses and facial expressions,” she explains. That’s something she has experience of from her animation work.

Creating the book’s welcoming feel while giving it a Halloween vibe was a labour of love.

“I wanted vibrant warm colours to capture their relationship,” Sarah says of the oranges, browns and purples she used for Aggie and her dad.

She is currently working in the design department of Telegael Studios in An Spidéal, having moved back to Galway last year, and is involved in a pre-school show which has yet to be named.

Sarah’s own childhood was key to shaping her creativity, with nature, music and art on all sides. That had a huge influence on her career choice.

Scoil Íde and Salerno “were both valuable places” for engaging with arts, she explains.

“We had Baboró in primary school,” she says of the children’s festival, which takes place in October. “And we had Macnas in secondary school, with all their magic.

“That showed me from a young age that art as a career was possible.”

Attending Macnas parades in town as a family was an annual highlight and her love of the street company continues. This year’s spectacle, ‘Fiáin’, was firmly on her calendar last weekend.

Music was important at home too, especially on her dad’s side, where trad was part of life. Tom was originally from Kerry and his dad, Michael, had been a champion Irish dancer.

And books were everywhere, as Sarah’s mother Dolores is “a voracious reader”.

That love of arts from both her parents left a lasting impact on her and her brother, Colin, an award-winning short author whose debut novel, ‘Kala’, was published in 2023 to widespread acclaim.

“My mum keeps saying, ‘I don’t know where we got ye’, but we were surrounded by books,” says Sarah of their influences.

While Colin has opted for adult fiction, Sarah’s special grá is for picture books.

“You can go through an entire picture book without reading a word and still have a sense of what the story is about. Sometimes the images reveal more than the text.”

That makes them great for younger children, who can explore the pictures as their parents read the text, as well as for children who might struggle with reading.

Sarah is currently working with someone else on a picture book and has no plans to move from that genre any time soon.

She is deeply appreciative of the publishers’ support and that of Children’s Books Ireland as well as from bookshops, with several stores having made ‘Aggie Witchfinder’ their ‘Book of the Month’.

Knowing the background to ‘Aggie Witchfinder’ made it an emotional read for Sarah’s mum and brother, but in a good way.

“They could feel the warmth from the characters and felt the father-daughter relationship worked really well. They got warmth from it.”

‘Aggie Witchfinder’ is in bookshops, at €10.99