I was originally introduced to the writings of Dervla Murphy by Cork writer Ethel Crowley. Ethel was an avid admirer of Dervla’s work and over the years they developed a close personal friendship. Following the passing of Dervla Murphy in May 2022, the world lost a cherished person, an extraordinary character, one best known for…
‘A fearless portrait of a society on the brink as a mother faces a terrible choice, from an internationally award-winning author‘– Prophet Song [ About Prophet Song ] On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her step. Two officers from Ireland’s…
‘Was it possible there’d been a house in this place? He thought of the old folksong ‘The May Morning Dew’ and the line about the singer’s childhood home being but a stone on a stone. Here there wasn’t even a stone on a stone, just mud, grass and bitter wind.’– The Desire Line [ About…
‘Meet Jamie and his community on the west coast of Ireland, in the most uplifting and tender book of the year‘– How to Build a Boat [ About How to Build a Boat ] Jamie O’Neill loves the colour red. He also loves tall trees, patterns, rain that comes with wind, the curvature of many…
‘An exploration of grief and recovery’– This is My Sea [ About This is My Sea ] Over the course of seven difficult years Miriam Mulcahy lost her mother, father and sister, each grief threatening to drown her. But instead of going under she discovered the lessons of the sea, letting the water teach her…
‘Carmel had been alone all her life. The baby knew this. They looked at each other, and all of time was there. The baby knew how vast her mother’s loneliness had been.‘– The Wren, The Wren [ About The Wren, The Wren ] Nell – funny, brave and so much loved – is a young…
‘We’re fifteen and it’s the summer of our lives so Kinlough is gathering itself up into the moment with us – the whole town’s pure responsive to our energies‘– KALA [ About KALA ] In the seaside town of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast, three old friends are thrown together for the first time in…
Random Acts of Optimism by Alison Wells publishes in September with independent Galway publishers, Wordsonthestreet. Random Acts of Optimism is Alison Wells’ debut short story collection and will be launched on 20th September at 6.30pm, Lexicon Library, Dun Laoghaire. An eclectic mix of stories, Random Acts of Optimism has already received rave reviews from Billy…
Today I am delighted to welcome Sheila Turner Johnston, author of Maker of Footprints, a book described as ‘one of those rare books that touch the soul – a story of irrevocable change, tragedy and indestructible love.’ Sheila has written a brief introduction and is sharing an extract with us all today, so I do…
[ About It Could Never Happen Here ] Small town. Huge scandal. Beverley Franklin will do whatever it takes to protect her local school’s reputation. So when a scandal involving her own daughter threatens to derail the annual school musical’s appearance on national television, Beverley goes into overdrive. But in her efforts to protect her…