Hazel McIntyre

Hazel McIntyre was born on a farm near Culdaff, in County Donegal, on the 26th October 1946, the fourth child of Robert and Marie McIntyre. Hazel's mother, Marie Du Sang Maxwell, was a French Canadian from Winnipeg and the family ties with Canada became very real to the McIntyre Children. Hazel works tirelessly to promote Ireland's links with Canada and is helped in her efforts by The Canadian Embassy in Dublin and The High Commission in London.

Hazel attended the local primary school where she remembers having the distinction of being the only Protestant child in the school. These early years in rural Donegal gave Hazel a unique insight into the life of her community and this is evocatively reflected in her writings.

The sudden, and untimely death of her brother William, at the age of 29 years, left a terrible void in Hazel's young life and this experience has led her to helping others overcome grief and trauma by writing about these experiences as a form of therapy.

Following secondary school Hazel went to Nursing Training College in London where she later met and married Charles Clarke. In 1975 they returned to Ireland and built a house overlooking the farm where Hazel grew up. In 1993 they moved to the Kilfennan area of Derry where they now live spending their weekends and holidays back in Culdaff, the place that Hazel describes as her spiritual home.

Hazel McIntyre began writing short stories in the late 1980's, which were published in magazines and the local press. Her first book Iron Wheels On Rocky Lanes was first published in 1994 to outstanding critical acclaim. This was followed by a work of fiction set in Donegal and New York. For love Of Mary Kate was a great success for Hazel and set her firmly on the road of the novelist. For Love Of Mary Kate was chosen by Woman's Way' (Ireland's best selling woman's magazine) for their Millennium edition, as 'the most compelling read' and an abridged version of the novel was published by the magazine in January 2000. Lament in The Wind which was set in Ireland and New Brunswick, Canada was published in 1998 and also received outstanding critical acclaim both in Ireland and Canada. Hazel compliments her fiction with reflective short stories, poetry and essays. Echoes Of Another Time, a lovely evocative memoir, was published in Oct. 2000. Secrets On The Breeze, following on from For Love Of Mary Kate (the second in a trilogy) promises to be another compelling read.

Hazel describes herself as a storyteller, and has entertained listeners and viewers on Radio and Television in Ireland, the USA and Canada.

Hazel's Web Site Address www.hazelmcintyre.com

Back