A Dance in Donegal
About the Book
About the Author
My Thoughts
A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel has Moira Doherty traveling to Ballymann, Ireland to teach. Her mother had made the arrangements before
she passed. Some of the townspeople
welcome Moira to her mother’s hometown, while others shun her and eye her
suspiciously. Moira has a feeling that
there is something about her mother’s past that she failed to disclose. Soon Moira has a group of close friends and Sean
McFadden, the handsome thatcher, has caught her eye. Will her mother’s secrets, though, mess up
Moira’s new life? A Dance in Donegal captures
the beauty of Ireland. You can tell Jennifer
Deibel loves Ireland from her beautiful word imagery. The Gaelic words and Irish customs helped to
capture the locale. Moira Doherty was a naïve
young woman when she began her journey.
I liked the growth she experienced.
I also enjoyed the cast of colorful characters. I like how the author described Moira’s
emotions (very realistic). God, faith,
scripture, and prayer are incorporated into the story. Moira brought her troubles to the Lord
through prayer. She relied on Him for
comfort and guidance. The romance was
sweet and heartwarming. I was glad that
the author added the mystery into the story because it gave it additional depth. A Dance in Donegal is a charming debut novel.
What was the inspiration for your book?
I started writing A Dance in Donegal as a way to process my emotions and experiences after our first two years in Ireland. My family and I lived in a tiny, rural village in far west Donegal—a place that eventually inspired the fictional village of Ballymann. As “blow ins,” we often struggled to break through barriers of suspicion and distrust, and it was very lonely and trying. However, over time, we were able to make deep, meaningful connections. Moira’s story is, in many ways, a mirror of my own experiences, but it takes a much deeper and richer look through the lens of a history and culture unlike any other in the world.
You and your family spent almost a decade living on the Emerald Isle. How did your experiences impact your novel?
Oh my goodness, how did our experiences not impact this novel! Had it not been for those two arduous, lonely, wonderful, exciting years in Donegal, we never would have come to know—and love—the Irish people and land as we do now. Those two years changed the trajectory of our entire lives, opening our eyes to the beauty that is Ireland and her people . . . and the rough and storied past that made her the enchanting Emerald Isle she is today. My heart and soul are echoed throughout the pages of this book, and our time spent there was the catalyst and inspiration for it all.
One of the themes in your book
is living the life you were meant to live. Can you explain how this theme plays
out in your book?
Throughout the story the main character, Moira, finds herself confronted with her own limitations as well as those placed on her by the local villagers. She faces decision after decision in which she must choose if she is going to do what is right, no matter the consequences. In her darkest moments, Moira questions her choice to move to Ballymann, but through her hardships, she comes to realize that she had to endure those difficulties in order to discover a deeper, richer love and joy than she would have ever dared to imagine.
Are there any other lessons
embedded in the pages of your novel?
Along with the idea of doing the right thing no matter the consequences, themes of bravery, love, selflessness, and grace are woven throughout this book. It is my prayer that the picture of God’s grace and love for humanity would be apparent in a very natural and organic way and that readers would view how great, wide, deep, and long is the love of Jesus in a fresh way
Kris
The Avid Reader
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