Listen To Your Heart
My Life in Ireland and Canada
by
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The trails of the Fôret du Val traversed through century-old chestnut, oak, cedar and pine trees, their noble tops reaching high into the sky, allowing streams of sunshine through to throw its patterns of golden lace along the pathways. We would charge around on our bikes, trailing the men on horses with their horns and hounds, and once, when we got caught in a thunderstorm, we took shelter at a friend’s farmhouse, where they served us a circle of fresh cheese as big as a cake, along with some fresh bread and hot mulled wine.
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About the Book
In this vivid account of nearly 100 years of passionate life, Shivaun Gannon takes us through eras, countries, and changing fortunes with her enchanted storytelling. Born into a large, spirited Irish nationalist family, Shivaun spent her childhood in “the garden of Ireland,” speaking Gaelic, cycling in the Wicklow Mountains and swimming in the Irish sea, as electricity, motorcars and wireless radios made their first appearances. A young woman when WWII broke out, she describes with heartbreaking and powerful clarity the parties, near misses and losses wrought on Ireland through the personal lens of her deeply involved family of doctors, nurses, motorcycle dispatchers, aeronautical engineers, and her own marriage and early family life in the midst of war. Post WWII, the Gannons made the difficult decision to emigrate, sight unseen, to Canada – leaving behind deep, proud Irish family roots to begin life anew with six children in Winnipeg. There, harsh winters, poverty, as well as opportunity, incredible resilience and family bonds take the Gannons on a rollicking journey full of music, invention, faith and strength.
About the Author
Shivaun Gannon (née McCormack) was born in 1919 in Wicklow, Ireland. The seventh of nine children, she studied music in France and physical education at Ling Swedish College of Gymnastics in Dublin. In 1941, she married jazz pianist Joe Gannon, and in 1957 they immigrated to Canada with their five children, and their sixth was born soon after. There, she was a beloved Physical Education teacher and consultant for the Winnipeg School Division No.1 for 25 years. Shivaun has lived on Pender Island, BC, since 1984. She has 24 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and loves to stay up late, wear fashionable clothes, make marmalade, play golf, do qi gong, and most of all, tell stories.