About the Author - Noreen Mackey

I was born in Dublin, the eldest of four children. Neither of my parents were Dubliners: my mother, a Cork woman, came to Dublin at the age of 22 to work in the new Dublin offices of Sunbeam Wolsey, a Cork drapery company. There she met my father, who at the age of 18 had come from Ennis in County Clare to join the civil service. At fifteen, I discovered the writings of St John of the Cross, and after an unsuccessful attempt at the Carmelite life, I studied law. I was called to the Bar in 1985, and practiced in Ireland until, in 1993, I was offered a job at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. Delighted at the prospect of living on the mainland of Europe, I took up the offer, and began what turned out to be a very happy three years. I loved Luxembourg – the place itself, which is beautiful, and the fact that, as it is located right in the heart of Europe, I was able to travel very easily to other countries. I could (and often did) leave work on Friday evening, catch the train to Paris and arrive in time for dinner! I also made lasting friends from all over Europe during my time there.

But above all, it was in Luxembourg that the events recounted at the beginning of The Secret Ladder took place. Those events culminated in my deciding once again to attempt to live the Carmelite life. In 1994, I joined the community at "Aubépine" (which is the fictitious name I give it in the book in order to protect the privacy of the nuns.) If you have read the book, you will know the rest of that story.

When I left Aubépine, I spent a short time in France and Luxembourg before finally returning to Ireland to work once again as a lawyer. I now live and work in Dublin.