was a Unionist enclave with many houses flying union flags on polling day in 1918. Cregan was a member of Cumann na mBan and with them was active during the Irish War of Independence. She was given a medal for her participation. In July 1919 she married James Ryan whose whole family had been deeply involved in the Easter Rising, as well as the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. They had three children, Eoin who became a Senator, Nuala (Colgan) and Seamus. The family was initially based in Wexford during the War. The house was often raided when the British soldiers were looking for her husband and Cregan herself was arrested in February 1921 for refusing to put up Martial law posters. Later the family sold the house, and remained mobile while she worked for the Sinn Féin Government and her husband was in prison. It was during this time that she worked as a courier to the continent and to London. After the war, they bought Kindlestown House in Delgany, County Wicklow where they remained. Writing Cregan worked as a journalist for The Irish Press and The Sunday Press. Her political awareness and involvement meant that her work there was on political articles. Her first book for children was Old John and gained Cregan considerable international success and attention. Sean Eoin was also published in Irish, and was illustrated by Jack Butler Yeats. Her work was also aired on the BBC and RTÉ. Rathina won the Downey Award in the United States in 1943. Bibliography Novels for children Old John ( Published as Sean-Eoin in the Irish language Version, 1938) Reprinted 1974. Rathina Children's plays Seamus and the Robber Seamus and the Tinker Plays for adults Hunger Strike (1933) Curlew’s Call (1940) References Further reading Sources about Mairin and James Ryan Irish Women Writers of Children's Literature, 1870-1940 Irish women novelists Irish women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Irish novelists 20th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Irish women writers 21st-century Irish novelists 21st-century dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Irish women writers Irish children's writers Irish women children's writers Irish women journalists People from Killorglin Irish republicans Women in war 1900–1945 Women in war in Ireland People of the Easter Rising People of the Irish War of Independence 1891 births 1975 deaths People from County Wicklow