From a young age, the author was told that one of her ancestors had drawn some of the first maps of Ireland. Then she found a photograph, and embarked on a journey to discover his story Every family has its myths. In mine, we were told&nbsp;that one of our antecedents had worked on the first maps of Ireland. As a child, I used&nbsp;to picture a solitary person in unspecified period dress – a tailcoat, perhaps some kind of cravat – striding pensively about fields and mountains, pen in hand. On summer holidays, I&nbsp;would stare out of the window of our&nbsp;red car as Donegal or Galway rolled by and wonder that such a task could be achieved. How did one man set about drawing a map of a whole country, of these towns and strands and trees and rivers?All myths comprise a great deal of fanciful embroidery through which runs the distinct thread of truth: time and retelling will always refract reality. This mapper preyed on my mind. I&nbsp;thought about him, always, when I&nbsp;travelled around Ireland. I thought about him in my final year of school, when my geography exam required me to analyse a square of an unknown map. I wanted, as I often do, to know more, about his life, his work, who he had been and how he had mapped. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/31/maggie-ofarrell-fiction-comes-from-what-you-dont-know">Continue reading...</a>

تتأمل الكاتبة ماغي أوفاريل في أسطورة عائلتها التي تقول إن أحد أسلافها ساهم في رسم أول خرائط لإيرلندا، مما دفعها لاستكشاف قصته وطبيعة السرد التاريخي. بدأت هذه الرحلة بصورة أثارت فضولها حول الماضي وتعقيدات الحقيقة في السرد.

La autora Maggie O’Farrell reflexiona sobre el mito familiar que sostiene que un ancestro contribuyó a los primeros mapas de Irlanda, lo que la llevó a explorar su historia y la naturaleza de las narrativas históricas. Este viaje comenzó con una fotografía que despertó su curiosidad sobre el pasado y las complejidades de la verdad en la narración.

L'auteure Maggie O’Farrell évoque le mythe familial selon lequel un ancêtre aurait contribué aux premières cartes de l'Irlande, ce qui l'a poussée à explorer son histoire et la nature des récits historiques. Ce voyage a commencé avec une photographie qui a éveillé sa curiosité sur le passé et les complexités de la vérité dans la narration.

Author Maggie O’Farrell reflects on her family's myth regarding an ancestor who contributed to the first maps of Ireland, prompting her to explore his story and the nature of historical narratives. This journey began with a photograph that sparked her curiosity about the past and the complexities of truth in storytelling.