Maria McDonald

Maria McDonald is a Northern Irish author who was born in Belfast. An avid reader, she loves writing sagas and stories about family life.

Having raised four children to adulthood, she only began writing fiction after retiring. Since then, her short stories and articles have appeared in Woman's Way, Ireland's Own and several anthologies. She is also a founding member of the Ink Tank Writing Group at Newbridge Library.

Her 2024 novel, The Keeper of Secrets, is a family saga spanning Ireland and America. Set in 1917, it tells the story of Lizzie McCarthy, who leaves Ireland to marry Ed Anderson in America. Lizzie struggles to find the better life she had hoped for. Ed’s sisters become close allies, while her brother Jimmy joins them before returning to Ireland.

The story explores how one lie changes the family’s course for generations. Against the backdrop of Ireland’s civil war and the Great War, the family puts down roots in America, but eventually returns to Ireland. There, Lizzie seeks the truth about her sister Maggie’s death.

The Keeper of Secrets continues McDonald’s focus on well-researched historical fiction, following her previous novel, The Devil's Own. Her work has been praised for its engaging narrative and rich portrayal of Irish history. The Historical Novels Review described her novel Tangled Webs as “an engaging, fluent and well-researched tale of an Ireland before Partition”.

Maria McDonald now lives in Kildare with her husband, Gerry.

Photo credit: FB @mariamacwriter