Fiacha Fola

"Fiacha Fola", by Celia de Freine, is a book of poetry that explores the Hepatitis C scandal.

It tells one woman's story, but one that is not completely unique to her; it is a history shared by many other women affected by this scandal.

Fiacha Fola means blood debts, an apt name for the first poetry book written about the Hepatitis C scandal.

It is written in Irish, with the poems in sequence, essentially telling a story.

Bit by bit the tragedy unfolds in the description of the everyday events of family life, love, birth and illness; slowly, without fanfare or self-pity, the brutal truth of the scandal is unveiled.

The initial poems describe a young woman who falls in love, marries, and becomes a mother, but whose happiness is marred by the onset of unexplained illness and unhelpful encounters with the medical profession.

The poems then describe the breaking of the scandal and the reactions of the medical profession and of the woman to the news.

Finally, she explores her own emotions in the aftermath of the scandal, and the revelation of the true cause of her illness. "Fiacha Fola" is a deeply moving book of poetry, without being sentimental. It is dedicated to the women who were caught up in the scandal, and gives us a glimpse into some of the difficulties that they have had to endure.