Special mention goes to Caitlin Keogh whose mum, Joanne Keogh, generously donated to the Laura Lynn Foundation to have her dear Caitlin’s name in the book.
Also thanks to Janice Ryan, who generously donated to the Laura Lynn Foundation to have her beloved father, Paddy Ashmore’s name in the book. As this book deals a little with the non-stop work of the carer, it is only fitting that a hard-working member of the Carer’s Association gets a mention, so welcome Lorraine Ryan and I hope you like yourself in the book.
Thank you so much to friend and workmate Gillian Glynn O’Sullivan who is indispensable both as a friend and colleague.
Thank you to chef extraordinaire Catherine Fulvio – who, at time of writing, was nominated for an EMMY! I would still be lying down with the thrill of it all but not Catherine, who is a dynamo. Thanks to Dr Sam Hafford for medical help.
Thank to you all my UNICEF Ireland colleagues because this work is a huge part of who I am. My part is so tiny but the people at the coalface deserve so much thanks for helping give voice to those who have none.
Thanks to darling Margaret Fagan for so much.
I am blessed with so many writer friends, like Ella Griffin (and Womble), Sinead Moriarty, Erica James, Stefanie Preissner, Jennifer Ryan, Sheila O’Flanagan, Claire Hennessy, Louise O’Neill, Jo Spain, and Kate Kerrigan.
Dear friends of my heart are Tricia Scanlan, Gai Griffin, Fiona O’Brien, Julia Kelly, Felicity Hayes-McCoy who also write, and I would be lost without them. More lost-without-them friends include my darling old college mate, Clodagh Finn, dear Stella O’Connell, Fatima, Kelly and her glorious family, Judy, Brenda, LisaMarie; another dynamo - Catherine Lee, Eva Berg, Caroline, Marguerite, Alice, Redika, Libby, Ruth, Denis, Joe, Mary, Gary, Paul, Cathal, Elaine (my eyebrows are fabulous!!!!!), Eamonn and Deirdre. Thanks also to my just-around the corner friends of Barbara, Teresa, Grainne, Claire and Alyson. Thanks for their friendship to Aisling Carroll, Christine and Karen-Maree on different continents, as well as Cindy, Helen, Aidan and Murtagh, Dr Mary Helen Hensley, and Andréa Burke, whose gift can never be repaid.
Thank you to my beloved and vast family including Robert, Katie (and Bailey), Justine, John, Luke, Jessica and Emily, as well as Annabel, David, Andrew, Matylda, Hanna, Hugo and Maulie.
Thanks to my beloved Laura, Naomi and Emer – plus Alice, Hugo and my godpets. I am so proud of you all. You are amazing young women.
To Francis, Lucy, Dave, Anne and Princess Lola, everlasting thanks, none of which can be repaid with anything but love. I would be truly lost without you all.
To Mum, I don’t know what I’d do without you. And to the six creatures in this house: Dinky, Licky, Scamp, Murray, Dylan and John – I could not do it without you.
Over a year ago, my dear best friend, Emma Hannigan died from cancer. I go to phone you every day, my love. You taught me so much even though you said I taught you so much. I think one day, in whatever crazy unicorn-filled afterlife you are in, we shall argue about it and giggle and hug. My love and sympathy are always with your beloved Sacha, Kim, Cian, Philip, Denise, Timmy, Hilary, Robyn, Steffi and all your family, whose loss is far greater.
Finally, thank you, the reader, for coming with me on this mad journey of fun, sadness, love and hope that shows us that generally, as Scarlett O’Hara said, tomorrow is always another day.
Credits
Cathy Kelly and Orion Fiction would like to thank everyone at Orion who worked on the publication of A Family Gift in the UK.
Editorial
Harriet Bourton
Clare Hey
Olivia Barber
Copy editor
Sally Partington
Proof reader
Laetitia Grant
Audio
Paul Stark
Amber Bates
Contracts
Paul Bulos
Jake Alderson
Design
Debbie Holmes
Joanna Ridley
Nick May
Helen Ewing
Editorial Management
Charlie Panayiotou
Jane Hughes
Alice Davis
Finance
Jasdip Nandra
Afeera Ahmed
Elizabeth Beaumont
Sue Baker
Marketing
Lynsey Sutherland
Amy Davies
Production
Ruth Sharvell
Publicity
Virginia Woolstencroft
Sales
Jen Wilson
Esther Waters
Victoria Laws
Ellie Kyrke-Smith
Frances Doyle
Georgina Cutler
Operations
Jo Jacobs
Sharon Willis
Lisa Pryde
Lucy Brem
About the Author
Cathy Kelly is published around the world, with millions of books in print. She is the bestselling author of The Year That Changed Everything, Secrets of a Happy Marriage, It Started With Paris and Between Sisters, and is a No.1 bestseller in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Her trademark is warm and witty Irish storytelling about modern life, always with an uplifting message, a sense of community and strong female characters at the heart.
She lives with her family and their three dogs in County Wicklow, Ireland. She is also an Ambassador for UNICEF Ireland, raising funds and awareness for children orphaned by or living with HIV/AIDS.
Find out more at www.cathykelly.com or follow her on Instagram @cathykellybooks or Facebook www.facebook.com/cathykellybooks
Also by Cathy Kelly
Woman to Woman
She’s the One
Never Too Late
Someone like You
What She Wants
Just Between Us
Best of Friends
Always and Forever
Past Secrets
Lessons in Heartbreak
Once in a Lifetime
The Perfect Holiday
Homecoming
The House on Willow Street
It Started With Paris
Between Sisters
Secrets of a Happy Marriage
The Year That Changed Everything
Copyright
First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Orion Books,
an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment,
London EC4Y 0DZ
An Hachette UK company
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Copyright © Cathy Kelly 2019
The moral right of Cathy Kelly to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.
ISBN (eBook) 978 1 4091 7925 2
The Orion Publishing Group’s policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.
www.orionbooks.co.uk
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Cathy Kelly, The Family Gift