Lost, Found, Remembered

by Lyra McKee

'A fearless investigative journalist and author.'
PATTI SMITH

'Determined, tenacious, intelligent, and honest in her approach.'
ANNA BURNS

'A fierce light, a formidable voice.'
SINÉAD GLEESON

A memorial collection of writings by the murdered young journalist Lyra McKee - from viral articles to unpublished material - that celebrates her life, work and creative one that will live on.

When Northern Irish writer Lyra McKee was murdered in Derry in April 2019, aged just twenty-nine, she was survived by writings that had been read and loved by thousands worldwide. Compiled by those who knew her best, Lost, Found, Remembered weaves together the words that defined her reputation as one of the most deeply empathetic, politically urgent journalists of her generation.

Showcasing the range of her voice by bringing together unpublished material alongside both her celebrated and lesser-known pieces, it reveals the sheer scope of McKee's intellectual and radically humane engagement with the world - and lets her spirit live on in her own words.

Genres: Nonfiction, Ireland, Irish Literature, Essays, LGBT, Journalism, Queer

208 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2021

About the author

Lyra Catherine McKee was a journalist from Northern Ireland who wrote for several publications about the consequences of the Troubles. She also served as an editor for Mediagazer, a news aggregator website. On 18 April 2019, McKee was fatally shot during rioting in the Creggan area of Derry.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyra McKee was only 29 years old when she was killed in Derry, Northern Ireland. She was shot and killed in the Creggan neighborhood, during a riot. Lyra grew up in Belfast, but had recently moved to Derry to be with her partner. She was gaining recognition as a fearless journalist, and had been working on a book project (to be published sometime in 2021). She had written in depth about the high number of suicides, particularly among young people, in Northern Ireland, and the psychological havoc that residual trauma in families and communities plays on people. This short volume includes some of this work. Particularly fascinating is her reference to epigenetics. This is a field of study of how trauma impacts DNA, and results in the carrying on of trauma through generations. It has been studied in Holocaust survivors and their offspring.

Lyra was about 7 years old when the 1998 Peace Accord was signed in Northern Ireland. The subsequent peace has not been total. There have been paramilitary factions, some connected with IRA breakaway groups, that have continued to engage in terrorism. One of the most infamous incidents was the bombing in August, 1998 in Omagh. It was the worst single bombing in Northern Ireland of the Troubles with 29 fatalities. One of the topics Lyra was exploring was looking at these dissident groups.

Lyra gained national and then international fame when she published an essay "Letter to My 14-year-old self". As an adolescent and then teen, she struggled as someone who knew early on she was attracted to the same sex in a society that was still deeply hostile to LGBTPlus people. Fortunately, her mother accepted her sexual identity, unlike many others she knew whose families condemned them.

Lyra McKee would have undoubtedly accomplished so much if she had lived. These essays are not always polished and one can see that she was learning how to do the kind of research she needed to support her arguments. She left university after less than two years, but she learned from others, and taught herself, many of the skills that a university degree cannot teach a journalist. She wrote about the threats to true journalism that now exist, and through her essays, readers will appreciate how important and cogent her arguments for the preservation of a free press were and are.

[Conor Tannam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short pieces from the sadly deceased journalist. She was a very talented writer. A great loss to Northern Ireland.

[Niamh O'kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different pieces, different subjects, different messages. One common denominator: Lyra McKee. Her writing style was unapologetically beautiful and she had important things to say, some now haunting and poignant to read.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyra wanted a better life for us all, together.

She was a determined, open, investigative journalist who grew up in North Belfast. She believed in the power of conversation to change minds, and hearts.

Exploring the events of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the repercussions on the generations who experienced it, and the generations born from it. Lyra was a ‘ceasefire baby’; “I don’t want a United Ireland or a stronger Union. I want a better life”

She was published in Buzzfeed, The Belfast Telegraph, a TedxTalker.

Lyra McKee was fatally shot on April 18th 2019 whilst reporting on an ongoing riot in the Creggan area of Derry.

These are her words; Lost, Found, Remembered.

A girlfriend, a daughter, a sister, a friend.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

She didn't see Northern Ireland through a nationalist or unionist gaze, she saw it with the eyes of her generation: the ceasefire babies, and through the experience of living in the North as a lesbian journalist. She was highly critical of the divisive nature of Northern politics and the influence of religion and yet she was always conciliatory, ready to bring about the change she was longing for. Northern Ireland needed her, but she was taken too soon.
She knew what she was up against, but she didn't give up, she kept on fighting with her pen.
A very moving collection of Lyra's incredible work!

[Jordan Phizacklea-Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyra McKee was an articulate spokesperson for that generation of Northern Ireland who grew up with the violence of the mid-90s, saw the promise enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement and tragedies that only spilled out in the years to come as the suicide rates for her generation spiralled. She also put her efforts into supporting the province's queer community and pursued coming to terms with Northern Ireland's dark history, eventually losing her life in this pursuit. This compendium of the best of her work is a remarkable collection of fearless journalism from an important voice that was silenced all too soon.

[Pádraig · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand modern Northern Ireland and, in particular, the struggles facing the Good Friday Generation, I'd highly recommend this book.

It's raw, fresh, eye-opening and in parts haunting.

[George Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of writing from Lyra McKee, a working-class lesbian investigative journalist in Northern Ireland who was tragically killed at the age of 29. It's a shame that her voice was cut off so suddenly, as she writes incisively and empathetically on a variety of issues from the Troubles to NI's suicide epidemic to LGBT issues to the importance of talking with those you disagree with.

I'm quite surprised that the book jacket makes no mention that McKee was a lesbian activist. It was well known about her before her death and it's discussed in several of the pieces in the book, so it's a strange but surely deliberate omission.

[Aine Eastwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book for Christmas in 2019, read about a quarter of it then abandoned it. Took it to Manchester with me two years later and read the remainder in August of 2022.
And holy shit.
Lyra had the amazing ability to handle dark topics with just the right amount of humour. Her coverage of growing up during and then post the Troubles and the suicide epidemic in Northern Ireland were so unflinchingly honest. Despite reading it sitting outside university accommodation in Manchester in 2022 I felt transported back to Belfast in the early 2000's. Even beyond that, it shook up what I thought I knew about life in Northern Ireland and what it meant to live in Belfast.
The piece that affected me the most was her Letter To My Fourteen-Year-Old Self. The opening lines of "Kid, it's going to be okay" healed something inside of me that I didn't know was hurt. Her pieces in that entire section and the unapologetic hope she has in them, that things are going to get better and we will be happy, made me feel strangely excited for when I find that future for myself.

I know I'm probably way late in saying this, but Lyra's death was a massive blow not only to her friends and family, but to the journalism world and Northern Ireland. It was a senseless tragedy that should never have happened.

I wish I'd read this book when I first had it, but I'm also glad I waited to read it/forgot it existed for a while.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A selection of essays, articles and an extract from the book she was writing, this is a fitting and moving tribute to Lyra McKee who was murdered last year in Derry. Unafraid of challenging the status quo in Northern Ireland Lyra wrote with passion and intellect, especially as she wrote about the fate of the 'Ceasefire babies' a term that she hated for anyone born around the time of the Good Friday Agreement. She was furious that more (mostly young) people have died by suicide in Northern Ireland in 20 years of peace than died in 30 years of war. She asks important questions about a society that goes through 30 years of war and then is unable to offer support to people and their mental health. Lyra was also a lesbian and her famous 'letter to my 14 year old self' about how coming out will be ok and her life will get better and her ted talk about 'uncomfortable conversations' that she is open to having to help people (especially people with religion affiliation) open their minds to LGBT people and even change their views. Her writing is intelligent, fiercely passionate, inspiring and moving. I cried as I finished reading this at the loss of such a talent. Northern Ireland needed her as an advocate and as a critical friend.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is such a shame that Lyra McKee was taken from us all too young. If anything this posthumous book does is show us the promise of a wonderful journalist in formation. Her best pieces are the previously unpublished ones for the book she was working on called, The Lost Boys, where she charts the complexities of living in Belfast as part of the Ceasefire Baby generation. She captures a new generation's intelligence about the inheritances and traumas of the Troubles in a highly accessible and engaging manner. She sadly was only starting to assemble a interesting body of work when her life was cut short during a riot in Derry in 2019. Not all the writing is strong in this collection. I could have lived without her poems as a teenager, for example. But her insights into living in Belfast, contending with the politics and poverty as well as being gay shows a brilliant young mind just beginning to ascend at the height of an intelligence that was never allowed to fully bloom.

[Charlie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an emotional read. Lyra was a true beacon of hope for so many. She was for the people, and wanted to help everyone and anyone she could. Her style was hard-hitting, gut wrenching at times with her no-nonsense approach to ‘taboo’ issues and topics generally ignored by the mainstream media. But as a reader, you truly get the sense that these were not just stories to her - they were carefully constructed fragments of hope for people who have been wronged by the systems of our society to cling to and feel heard for the first time in their lives. Lyra gave them a voice.

The loss of Lyra is deeply tragic, but the legacy she leaves behind in these writings will live on, as will the spirit of hope and justice that she embodied in her work and as a person.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book well worth reading for anyone with an interest in Northern Ireland. McKee wrote with compassion and balance about issues current in NI. I found it eye opening to read about the perspective of a young woman growing up in peacetime but still experiencing the effects of the troubles. She had great insight and wrote with passion about important subjects. It is so dreadful that she was murdered at only 29 years of age. I imagine she reflected the feelings of many people when she wrote 'I don't want a United Ireland or a stronger Union. I just want a better life'.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of investigative work by a remarkable journalist. My personal favourite is the piece on CET, but McKee’s heart is in Northern Ireland. There’s a short section near the end of ‘Found’, where McKee wonders about whether she might be next, after a young journalist is murdered in Mexico. She dismisses the thought, but still wonders what it would be like to get shot at. That bit really got me.

[Siobhan higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Lyra. A loss that our family and friends will never get over, she is a friend to all that she met, the stories and her hard hitting questions she asked and fought hard to get the truth. We can keep her memory alive in keeping to ask those difficult questions.

Her story needs to be heard, her a snapshot of her life has been immortalised in film called Lyra channel 4 Saturday 15th April 2023 this is close to her 4 year anniversary

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. lyra mckee is an absolute and complete force of a writer. her eagerness to write about a variety of topics is so inspiring. from sports-related brain injuries, to northern irish politics, to assassinations of journalists across the globe, to LGBTQ+ rights, mckee is unafraid to share important stories with her audiences. i cannot believe such a talent has been lost, this posthumous work is a true testament to her talent and impact.

4.5/5 stars

[Stephen McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember watching this girls funeral on TV when the priest called out our politicians for their pathetic posturing. It was a moment I will never forget. Sadly the political class quickly did.
Lyra's writings are important in that they shine lights on society in places that prefer the dark.
The fact that her writing is still developing in this book shows her talent and also what we lost.
Mostly though she comes across as someone it would been nice to talk to

[Shannon McKiverigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think everyone should read at least one piece from this book. It discusses so many different topics from life in Northern Ireland and mental health issues further afield.

If you only choose one, let it the TED talk transcript ‘How uncomfortable conversations can save lives’. It’s incredible, sensitive and thought provoking.

[Clover 🥀🦇 Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t cried like how I did reading this book as much as I have over any other book I have read.
Lyra McKee was the voice of a generation I may not live in Derry but I have Irish family who like her have been affected by the troubles.
Lyra became a victim of exactly what she was trying raise awareness of and fight against.
Her death was sinfully poetic and cruel, gone but never forgotten.

[Aoife · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful legacy to a beautiful person whose primary goal in life was to help others. It’s harrowing to read how conscious she was of her own mortality as an investigative journalist. She was an incredible writer; I’m so sad and angry that we lost her voice.

[Starrymouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and powerful across a range of topics. Strong themes of conflict and LGBT throughout. Very thought provoking, intelligent and beautifully written. My eyes and heart have been opened to the ongoing tragedy of the civil war in Northern Ireland.

[Gillian Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of some of Lyra’s writings. An emotional journey of life after the cease fire, and her personal journey. What a wonderful woman. So brave and so caring. I was sad when I got to the end. I would like to read more of her writings.

[Debs Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of writing by Lyra McKee serves to cement her journalistic talent, integrity and stellar reputation as well as how much we all lost out as a result of her murder in 2019.

[Sio · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read from a very talented young journalist who was killed in the prime of her life.

[Gawain_the_Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in Northern Irish politics this book gives a variety of different articles to read and consider. I found them thought provoking and highly accessible - worth a read

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

An emotional read. We lost this girl too early. It is eye opening about how things really are in Northern Ireland. We treat the troubles as a thing of the past. It appears their legacy drags on.

[Leonora McNabb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little repetitive if you have seen the channel 4 documentary, but still worth a read.

A brilliant writer who was lost too young.

[Campbell Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad to read this after the futile killing of such a warm hearted talent. Such optimising and compassion in her story. I would have loved to have met Lyra.

[Hana - booksonthebedside on tiktok · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful book that should never have to have been published.

RIP to a dazzling journalist.

[Anwen Hayward · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ‘memorial anthology’ was published almost a year after Lyra McKee was killed, comprising some of her earlier published work. McKee was a journalist who wrote largely on LGBTQ+ issues and the effects of the Troubles on the ‘ceasefire babies’: those who, like her, grew up in the shadow of them, coming of age after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that officially ended the conflict between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Her work often focused on the generational effects of trauma, and growing up in a society shaped by conflict, where hundreds of people’s deaths and disappearances went unresolved, and where peace always felt like a fragile thing, something that could falter at any moment. Knowing that she lost her life during a rupture in this tentative equilibrium makes the impact of her work feel even more profound.

(Full review on The Global Women's Library.)