Drumree author's book on two Columban priests murdered and kidnapped

In 'Murder in the Missions' Jean Harrington, is the true story of two Irish priests whose lives were forever changed when they moved to an island devastated by corruption and greed. Columban Order priests,  Frs Des Hartford (Dublin) and Rufus Halley (Waterford) left Ireland in the 1960s to work in dialogue and conflict resolution between Muslim and Christian communities in the Philippines, a country which was rapidly descending into civil war. For many years the priests lived peacefully as Christians in a Muslim-dominated region on the island of Mindanao, their mission not to convert but rather to serve the local people. But in a volatile environment where kidnappings and attacks are an everyday fear, both priests ultimately find themselves caught up in the conflict to terrifying effect.

Despite their commitment to peace and non-violence, both were targeted by Muslim insurgents. Fr Hartford was kidnapped by the Moro National Liberation Front and used as a bargaining tool in their negotiations with the Philippine government. Fr Halley was murdered by Islamic extremists. Recreated from interviews, diaries, letters and testimony, Murder in the Missions tells their story
 

Drumree author Jean Harrington co-founded Maverick House, a non-fiction publishing company, in 2002, where she remained as managing director until 2011. During that time she also set up an office in Bangkok and started selling and distributing books all around southeast Asia, as well as ghost-writing several books. Her first ghost-written project, 'Survivor: Memoirs of a Prostitute', sold over 20,000 copies. She also ghost-wrote 'The Irish Ballerina' with Monica Loughman. She joined the board of Publishing Ireland and subsequently became its president. She was elected as the Irish representative to the Federation of European Publishers in 2010, where she remained until 2012 when she left publishing and started working in education.

The book launches this week in Dublin and in Dalgan Park, Navan, home of the Columban Fathers.

Published by Mercier Press Murder in the Missions is available nationwide and online, RRP €14.99 ISBN 978178117129.