Clíodhna O’Sullivan
First-time novelist and author of the romantasy Her Hidden Fire, who discusses her upbringing, experiences as an eldest daughter in a troubled household, and how fantasy offered escape.
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Mar 7, 2026 • 28min
“I was a bit player in my parents’ drama, a parentified eldest daughter”
Clíodhna O’Sullivan, first-time novelist of the romantasy Her Hidden Fire, reflects on growing up as a parentified eldest daughter in rural Carlow. She discusses living with an alcoholic father and a depressed mother, how those roles shaped her choices, and how fantasy offered an escape and later fueled her debut novel.
