Published: Wednesday, 18th August, 2010 5:15pm

Curraghboy native pens new Mother Teresa book

Mother Teresa of Calcutta's unique life and her love affair with Ireland is the subject of a new book by prolific Roscommon author John Scally.

Monday, August 26 next marks the centenary of the birth of Mother Teresa, and this new publication, Mother Teresa - The Irish Connection, written by the Curraghboy native, not only recounts her truly remarkable life, one which left an enduring imprint on the world because of her compassion and her work for the poor, but also explores the Nobel Prize winner's Irish connections in detail for the first time.

Although most people are aware that a significant number of Irish women have joined her congregation what is often forgotten is when she chose to become a nun she joined an Irish order.

She actually began her life as a nun in Ireland in the 1920s and throughout her life had many further contacts and connections with the Emerald Isle.

Even after her death the connection with this country remains as her sisters continue work in each of the four provinces in Dublin, Blarney, Sligo and Armagh.

When she first came to this country in 1928 Mother Teresa began a love affair with Ireland, an emotional attachment that continued right up to her death.

This book, published by Poolbeg Press tells the tale of a unique love story and contains for the first time a lengthy interview with Mother Teresa conducted by the author during one of her visits to this country.

The publication is penned by best-selling author John Scally, who is also Beresford Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History at Trinity College, Dublin and a prolific writer across the subjects of religion and sport. Some of his recent works include The Best of the West: GAA Greats of Connacht; A Layman Reflects in the Sunday Gospels; Whose Death is it Anyway?: Euthanasia and the Right to Die; Load of Balls: Football's Funny Side, along with biographies of rugby great Tony Ward, Ger Loughnane and Roscommon legend Dermot Earley.

Mr Scally, a native of Curraghboy in South Roscommon, lives in Dublin and has also presented and produced a number of documentaries and series for RTE Radio 1 and RTE television.