In Ordinary Time

‘Mc Mahon’s personal story is the unifying strand in a bigger, constantly shifting narrative that explores complex cultural and historical terrain’ * Sean O’Hagan, Observer * ‘Absolutely gripping… in lucid prose that is both direct and lyrical, she burrows through layers of family history and Irish history’ * Irish Times * 'A vivid, evocative and resonant counterpoint of time, memory and meaning' * Joseph O'Connor, award-winning author of 'Shadowplay' * ‘A beautiful memoir’ * Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ Radio 1 * ‘A raw, urgent book, its narrative stretched across the year, from Imbolc (the Feast of St Brigid) to Samhain, as it traces love, loss and all else. An extraordinary debut already being likened to Doireann Ni Ghríofa’s  A Ghost in the Throat but this is shaped by its own hauntings’ * RTÉ * 'Stunning. A work of great emotional and intellectual heft… Truth and honesty shine out of every line’ * Mary Costello, author of 'Academy Street' * ‘Beautiful, compelling, thought-provoking… An uncompromising reflection on what it means to be of Irish heritage today, whether at home or abroad’ * Tara Flynn * ‘Painfully familiar in its account of family loss and trauma in the urban working class, and personal enough never to feel like a survey or aerial view of Irish women’s history. Sensitively written and quietly devastating, it’s the book I had been waiting for’ * Niamh Campbell, award-winning author of 'This Happy' * 'In Ordinary Time is the best kind of memoir, a braid of the personal and political, the spiritual and global' * Cameron Dezen Hammon, award-winning author of 'This is My Body' * 'Magnificent... Spare, pristine, bracing – a marvellous book' * Carlo Gébler, author of 'Confessions of a Catastrophist' * 'Quietly addictive, deeply moving and enlightening' * Priscilla Morris, author of 'Black Butterflies' * ‘A beautifully-written memoir. It’s a deeply personal, largely confessional work, in which McMahon ties together strands of her life in New York and Ireland with elements from mythology and history, particularly the often horrific history of Irish women. Anyone who has ever emigrated from Ireland will recognise her compelling descriptions of separation from family and land, the freedom that emigration offers – and the enormous loss.’ * Jaki McCarrick, author of Belfast Girls * ‘We can move consciously towards healing. And we can begin by talking. 'In Ordinary Time' is that conviction in action... a must read’ * Olivia Cole * ‘The peace I discovered reading In Ordinary Time came from the reminder that the cycles we’re all in can be broken, and they can also be repaired’ * Maeve Higgins, Irish Examiner * ‘The fragments of her New York life seem carefree alongside the shocking events endured by her family in this beautifully crafted memoir which left me wanting more’ * The Gloss Magazine * 'Carmel's book is so intelligent, yet so accessible.' -- Grace Bailey, host of San Clemente