Letters to Olive: Sea of Love, Sea of Loss

John Quinn met his wife Olive in Blanchardstown sanatorium. The shy, young teacher and the confident beauty fell in love,  letters flew between them and diary entries recorded heady times.

In June 2001, they went for a trip to Rosslare to celebrate Olive’s recovery from a recent illness. Olive went for a swim in the sea as John watched fondly from the shore it was the last time he would see her alive.

Since her death, John has tried to make sense of his devastating loss by weaving together a selection of letters, some written during their courtship, some written by John after Olive s death, diary entries, anecdotes and poems to illuminate his account of their life together.

About the Author.

John Quinn is a much-loved broadcaster and radio producer who was the recipient of numerous prestigious radio awards during his twenty-five years with RT . He is also an accomplished author and writer of fiction and non-fiction, including Sea of Love, Sea of Loss, an intimate and inspiring book, written as a tribute to his late wife Olive. A skilful and engaging storyteller, his children’s novel, The Summer of Lily and Esme, was described as an instant classic and won the 1992 Bisto Children Book of the Year. His most recent work, The Will to Win (co-written with Sean Boylan), was published in September 2006. John Quinn lives in Clarinbridge, Co. Galway.