Edith Somerville: A look at the life of a fascinating West Cork woman 

From her Irish RM stories, to rumours around her sexuality, Martina Devlin had plenty of material from which to create a novel about Edith Somerville. She'll be reading from her book at West Cork literary festival  

Edith Somerville from Castletownshend is the subject of a novel by Martina Devlin.

 As a journalist, Martina Devlin knows a good story, so when she began to delve into the fascinating life and times of Edith Somerville, she had found someone who she knew would come alive on the page.

Somerville was born in Corfu in 1858 and grew up in a landowning family in Castletownshend, Co Cork. She published books, including the popular Irish RM stories which were later adapted for television, with her cousin Violet Martin, who went by the name Martin Ross.