Fiona Neary grew up in a family that started fostering in the early 1980s. She co-founded the Rape Crisis Centre in Castlebar in 1993 and later acted as National Coordinator and Executive Director of Rape Crisis Network Ireland. She is currently co-director of the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar. Parcels in the
Fiona Neary grew up in a family that started fostering in the early 1980s. She co-founded the Rape Crisis Centre in Castlebar in 1993 and later acted as National Coordinator and Executive Director of Rape Crisis Network Ireland. She is currently co-director of the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar. Parcels in the Post is her first book.
Filled with pathos and humour, Fiona Neary’s Parcels in the Post is a memoir of a loving household and a snapshot of the fostering system in Ireland, from someone who was at the heart of it from the moment when Fiona’s huge-hearted mum decided to take in foster children on their family farm. Over the next decade, a procession of faces passed through the family home. Every child had their own story, and each story claimed a little piece of Fiona’s heart. All these children had to pass through a chaotic system: where a judge’s decision can alter a child’s life, for better or worse; where emergency placements can break up siblings and foster families are often left in the dark. Her memoir has been described as ‘Warm, life-affirming … an inspirational and memorable read.’
