THE HUNTERS MOON won the Rith Schwartz Children's Literture Award (Canada) 1994 and was shortlisted for the Young Adult Book of the Year Award 1993 of the Canadian Library Association.Īs well as writing her own books, Orla now reviews books for magazines such as Books Ireland and for The Irish Times and is also on the Arts Council list for school and library visits.
THE HUNTER'S MOON and THE SINGING STONE are exciting adventures which involve modern teenagers in Ireland's Celtic past. Her next books continued Orla's fascination with history, fantasy and Irish legend. So she returned to her grandmothers house in Bray and wrote THE DRUID'S TUNE, published first in Canada and then by The O'Brien Press in Ireland. She dropped out of law school, determined to pursue her lifelong passion for reading by writing her own book. So when did the writing start? Orla had intended to become a labour lawyer, enter politics and make her way up to being the first woman Prime Minister of Canada, but the tedium of case studies and dry tomes proved too much.
Her very varied lifestyle continued with a spell as Lieutenant in the Canadian Naval Reserve where she became the firstever female training officer of new male recruits. On a youth exchange programme with Malaysia she lived among the native peoples of Borneo and climbed Mount Kota Kinabulu, the highest mountain in SouthEast Asia. in Medieval Irish History.Ī lover of travel and adventure, she hitchhiked across Canada and throughout California. in Celtic Studies and Philosophy and an M.A. She was North American Junior and Senior Irish Dancer and later taught dancing.Īfter a distinguished University career (Deans Honours List, Archimedes Award for Creative Endeavour, Ontario Graduate Scholar, etc) she graduated from Trinity College at the University of Toronto with a B.A. Growing up in Toronto with seven sisters and two brothers, she returned often to Ireland for Irish dancing competitions.
Orla Melling was born in Bray, Co Wicklow and emigrated to Canada with her family when she was five years old.
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