To Love and Serve – a story of love, identity, and the changing role of women in Ireland
Mary Flood. Storytelling has always been a part of her life.
A debut novel by a Roscommon woman brings readers on a journey through Ireland's past, exploring the struggles and resilience of women in a time of significant cultural change.
For Mary Flood, storytelling has always been a part of life. Now, in To Love and Serve, she draws deeply from her life experiences in Strokestown and Roscommon until 1987.
The novel, set in Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle, and Sligo, took shape during the quiet reflection of the Covid lockdown. Ireland's evolution, especially for women in recent decades, inspired her to read widely from the works of Irish authors, including Sally Rooney, Marian Keyes, Anne Griffin, and Anne Enright.
"In today's literature, we see modern Irish women who are independent, free, and full of choices," Mary explained. "But I couldn't help wondering—was something lost along the way? In To Love and Serve, I wanted to explore what life was like for women in the past, particularly those in controlling relationships, and how difficult it was to break free and carve out their identities."
The novel invites readers to reflect on these changes. Were women of past generations more secure in their values and beliefs, or did societal expectations simply trap them?
Mary and her family left Strokestown in 1987. She had just qualified from UCG in English and Geography and had taught for a period in Castlerea and Lanesboro.
While living in Strokestown, she was secretary of the local Agricultural Show and a member of the Tidy Towns committees’ school and church councils for several years.
Mary also ran for Roscommon County Council in 1979. Her father, Jack Kirwan, Lecarrow, was a member of Roscommon County Council and was also involved in Scor, St. Dominic’s GAA Club, Civil Defence clubs and more.
Now retired from a career as an English teacher and examiner in Cheltenham, Mary is dedicating her time to marketing To Love and Serve—along with three more novels already in the works.
She hopes readers will connect with the story, reflect on their own experiences, and perhaps even see echoes of the past in today's world.
•The book is for sale in Mulvey’s bookshop in Carrick-on-Shannon, Newsround in Longford, and Roscommon and from Dawn ‘til Dusk, Strokestown.
