The Doves Have Flown Away

The heroes of the story by the Irish writer Walter Mackin (1915–1968), brother and sister Finn and Derval, are left in the care of a harsh and cruel guardian. They make a desperate escape and, knowing only the approximate geographical direction, rush towards the only native and loving person – their grandmother.
The children find it very difficult, and it’s not just due to hunger and cold. At times, events take on a special drama, as the children encounter various people along the way, including greedy "uncles" who seek to seize their inheritance. Like in a real detective story, salvation often comes to the children at the last possible moment. Fortunately, there are more kind and responsive people. Additionally, the author gives his heroes two unexpected protectors: a police detective and an old village judge, from whom, seemingly, the children could expect the least help. Yet both the policeman and the judge take a deep liking to the brother and sister and, circumventing the law that required the return of the runaways to their guardian, assist them.
The book clearly reflects Dickensian motifs. Like little David Copperfield, Finn and Derval lose their father early, then their mother, and end up under the cruel power of a stepfather who wormed his way into the family. David escapes from his wicked guardians and walks from London to Dover to seek protection from his grandmother. Mackin's heroes make an even more desperate escape, covering an even longer journey across all of Ireland, and they share the same Dickensian hope for goodness, justice, and a happy ending.
The book keeps the reader in suspense from the first page to the last. It will be read with constant interest by children aged 10-14 years.