BOOKS: Lost socks and finding the magic of Christmas

WHEN Maria Commins Feerick picked up the phone to ring her father and tell him about her idea for a children’s book, she knew instinctively he would like it. Her father is Michael Commins, the legendary journalist of The Mayo News, and Maria didn’t just get her writing ability from him.
“Myself and Dad both have vivid imaginations and we would have a very similar sense of humour, one that a lot of people might not get! He was the first person I rang when I got the idea for The Lost Christmas Sock. I ran it by him to see if he thought it was a good story before I started writing it, but because we are so similar in that way, I nearly knew he’d like the idea before I picked up the phone!”
Indeed, Maria’s earliest memories of children’s stories come from her father.
“My earliest memory of ‘storytime’ in our house is of Dad telling myself and my siblings, Tommy, Gerard and Fiona, the story of ‘Frankie the Train’. He would just make it up as he went along, and I’d say there was a different ending every time we got him to tell it.”
Her father isn’t the only person who has been smitten by the story either. ‘The Lost Christmas Sock’ – a charming tale of twin sock sisters, Sadie and Susie – has proven very popular since the book’s release last week. Maria has been ‘blown away’ by the positive response.
“It’s a bit surreal if I’m honest. When I uploaded the post to announce the release of the book on social media I was blown away by the reaction. Lovely well wishes from people I hadn’t seen or talked to in years. Screenshots from people who had already bought the book after I said it was available online at mayobooks.ie. Everyone seemed to be genuinely excited about the book and very supportive of me.”

Seed of the story
MARIA always thought there was a book in her but it was only when she was putting away her washing in spring of 2022 that the idea for her first book came.
As all of us have done, she found one loose, lonely sock at the bottom of the basket. Unlike the rest of us, though, her creative imagination took over.
“Out of nowhere I got the idea for a story of a pair of twin socks and how it would feel like for the one left behind if one went missing,” she explained.
And so her children’s book The Lost Christmas Sock was born. It wasn’t a case that Maria consciously worked towards a children’s book – it was more a case of the idea coming to her while she looked for that stray sock.
From there, she decided it would be a suitably festive book.
“I always have loved Christmas,” she said. “I think in general people are a bit kinder to each other and there’s that feeling of coming together. Obviously now that we have our two boys Tom and Ollie, Christmas has gotten even more exciting. I think the reason this lost sock was a lost Christmas sock is because Christmas is a time of hope,” she said.

A busy house
WHEN the idea for the book came to Maria, she was expecting herself and her husband Kevin’s first child, Tom. By the time the book was getting ready for print, their second child, Ollie, was due. And a bit like Santa Claus, he came on time, arriving on his due date of October 3. So a lot of the work in getting the book ready for publication was done while pregnant with Ollie.
“The book was a great distraction and gave me something to focus on. There is only 16 months between the two boys, and if I’m honest I was very nervous about the upcoming labour, as I found Tom’s birth quite traumatic. I ended up having an emergency caesarean section that time,” Maria revealed.
“Ollie’s labour was much longer on paper, but it felt more manageable. The two experiences were so different. If anything, it has taught me that every pregnancy, baby, and birth are unique so to try go in as open minded as possible. And most importantly practice your breathing. It helps a lot!”
A past pupil of Barnacarroll NS and Mount St Michael, Claremorris, Maria works as a general practice nurse in south Mayo but is currently on maternity leave. She is married to the well-known Hollymount-Carramore footballer Kevin Feerick.
She pays particular tribute to one teacher who left a big impression on her.
“It was in Mount St Michael that my love of writing began. I can safely say that was down to having the most incredible English teacher, Ms Mary Devaney. Ms Devaney instilled something in me that made me want to write good essays and poems, and I would have gotten great satisfaction out of completing them and getting her feedback. Sadly, Ms Devaney died earlier this year. She was such an inspiring woman and left a huge impact on me.”
Undoubtedly Ms Devaney would be proud to see her former pupil’s first book – possibly the first of many.

• Published by Mayo Books Press, ‘The Lost Christmas Sock’ is on sale in bookshops and online on mayobooks.ie. The book will be launched this Saturday, November 25, at 3pm, in the Old Kirk and Manse, Hollymount. Lots of kids activities and festive fun on the day. All welcome.