Hilary Mantel and me: UCC's Mary Morrissy recalls her encounters with the author 

The late Wolf Hall writer had asked Mary Morrissy about living in Cork, and planned a visit to read at UCC. Unfortunately, neither would happen 

  Hilary Mantel with her Wolf Hall novel in 2009. Picture: AFP PHOTO/Ben Stansall  

Never meet your idols, they say; it’s bound to disappoint. One of my literary idols was – or should I say is, because death doesn’t destroy that relationship – Hilary Mantel. Not that I ever met her in person, but as any reader will tell you, the intimacy on the page between reader and admired and beloved writer is sometimes more intense than everyday friendship.

My reading relationship with Hilary Mantel goes way back, long before the Wolf Hall trilogy. My correspondence with her is more recent, but more of that later.