Cork teen authors Christmas book from hospital bed

Tue, 23 Nov, 2021 - 20:30

Eoin English

Meet the talented teenager who has co-authored and illustrated a new Christmas book with his pals from his hospital bed.

Inspirational Daniel McCarthy, 13, from Gurranabraher in Cork, has had to overcome several health challenges because of the rare genetic condition, cystinosis.

It causes a build-up of an amino acid called cystine in different tissues and organs of the body, which ultimately damages their cells. The kidneys and eyes are the two organs most often affected.

Daniel, who starts dialysis soon, will ultimately need a kidney transplant. He has spent a lot of time in hospital dealing with complications arising from his condition but he has put that time to good use.

He’s illustrated a new book, Shadow: The Christmas Story, which he co-wrote with his Gaelcholáiste Mhic Shuibhne (GMS) school pals, Daniel Stewart O’Donoghue, Kyle Higgins and Darren Stewart - better known as MC Tiny — just in time for the lucrative Christmas book market.

Daniel McCarthy, illustrator of his book, 'Shadow – The Christmas Story,' seen here with his parents Annmarie McCarthy and Denis O'Sullivan, at Terence MacSwiney Community College, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan

His dad, Denis O’Sullivan, said he’s always had a talent for drawing.

“He doesn’t get it from us,” he joked.

“He loves pen and paper and when he was in hospital, drawing was a great way to keep him busy. And when he started in GMS, he discovered the iPad and it just clicked with him. He just loves drawing. It’s a real passion for him”.

It’s the second book featuring the adventures of Shadow, a very special Belgian dog who moved to Hollyhill on Cork’s northside.

The idea for the first book came when the boys were asked to read the Anna Sewell classic, Black Beauty, in school.

Shadow

Their principal, Phil O’Flynn, said while they enjoyed it, they felt it needed a bit more excitement and adventure, and for it to be set in Cork, and feature a dog, from Belgium, who moves to Hollyhill.

And so Shadow was born — an incredibly emotionally intelligent dog who helps a group of boys on the city’s northside on their journey through their teenage years.

In the first book, launched in June, Shadow saves the boys from several scrapes, including one with a bully, before he goes on to help the bully find redemption.

In the new book, Shadow dreams of a Belgian Christmas, just like the ones he used to know, before stealing away on a ferry from the Port of Cork on an adventure across Europe, with the boys in hot pursuit.

The authors presented the first copy of their new book to Taoiseach Micheál Martin during a visit to the school on Monday and they told him they were hoping to feature on the Late Late Toy Show. He said he’d do what he could to help.

Pictured receiving his copy of Shadow, The Christmas Story, is An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD, also included are students, Daniel McCarthy, Kyle Higgins, Daniel Stewart O'Donoghue, and Darren Stewart, Pat McKelvey, director of schools Cork ETB, Denis Leamy, chief executive Cork ETB and John Fitzgibbon, director of Further Education and Training, Cork ETB. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

But the boys have written a promotional rap they hope will encourage Ryan Tubridy to give their book a plug.

Ms O’Flynn said the boys each wrote a chapter and consulted with each other in detail before deciding on the illustrations, which Daniel completed on an iPad, most from his hospital bed.

“They all watched their favourite Christmas movie, but through eyes of Shadow, and picked their favourite Christmas traditions, and have worked all those into the story. They poured their hearts into it.

“It has given them fantastic self-belief and confidence but it has also encouraged other students in the school to come forward with ideas for books," she said.
The book goes on sale this Friday at the school.