Arts Week with Judy Murphy

It’s not War and Peace,” laughs Claire Hynes, as she places her first book, My Teacher Has Eyes in the Back of Her Head on her kitchen table. Of course it’s not. As the title indicates, this is a story for children, and was never intended to be a Russian classic. It’s a warm, witty, whimsical book from a retired school principal, who “loves the imagination and of children, and their sense of wonder and awe”.

Claire who was born in Cork and has lived in Salthill for several decades, worked in Scoil Íde just around the corner from her home for 20 years before retiring in October 2023.

“I felt it was time to move on and hand it over,” says Claire of the role of principal, which she had held for 10 years, having taught in the school for a decade before that.

“It was a privilege and an honour to have been there,” says this warm, welcoming woman as apologises for the enthusiastic reception from her dog Barney (Rubble,) a rescue animal with a lot of terrier in him, who’s “a street fighter”.

She makes tea and offers homemade coffee cake – made by her husband Séamus, she stresses, adding that she’s not a baker. Not that she’d have much time for baking, even if she were a champion, because in reality Claire is only semi-retired. She lectures part-time in a teacher training college as well as doing some work with the diocese.

And now she has fulfilled a longterm dream of writing a book for children.

“I had it in my head I wanted to write a book and, as the saying goes, ‘write about what you know’!”

The result is My Teacher Has Eyes in the Back of Her Head.  For ages six to seven, it’s written in rhyme and beautifully illustrated. Claire had sent the manuscript to a couple of publishers, but with no great expectations of being accepted. However, London-based Austin Macauley Publishers were keen and she liaised with them on its production, including on the illustrations which were done inhouse.

“I’d never have had the time to do that when I was working, because between editing and illustrating, there was a lot of over and back,” Claire explains of the process.

The slim book is really a tribute to her children, Joe, Katie and Rob, who are now aged 28, 26 and 24, and it’s dedicated to them and her husband Séamus.

Pictured: Claire Hynes with her new children’s book ‘My Teacher Has Eyes in the Back of her Head’.  The book can be purchased in Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop. PHOTO: JOE O’SHAUGHNESSY.