New Titles 2024

MERRION PRESS

ABANDONED IRELAND 2

REBECCA BROWNLIE

In Abandoned Ireland 2, photographer Rebecca Brownlie travels further off the beaten path to explore and showcase Ireland’s forgotten buildings before nature or the demolition man claims them forever.

Through her evocative photography, we cross the threshold of deserted mansions, cottages, convents and hotels, mills and shopping centres, wandering through once-lively rooms that have now fallen silent, where only mementos of the past stand sentinel. Amid the decay, tables are elaborately set for tea, coats hang by the door and well-thumbed books lay poised and open, as if their owner will be back at any moment.

From a castle where King James II stayed before the Battle of the Boyne to a manor house whose occupants mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night, the arresting and poignant photography on every page is a love letter to Ireland’s buildings abandoned to time.

Rebecca Brownlie grew up in a small rural village in County Down. When she was just twelve years old, she won her ﬁrst camera on a TV game show and a lifelong passion began. She has since appeared on several local television shows showcasing some of Ireland’s lost buildings. Her ﬁrst book, Abandoned Ireland, was published in 2022 by Merrion Press.

TIMELESS COLOURS: WATERFORD

IAN HANNIGAN

Timeless Colours: Waterford celebrates the rich history of the Déise and its people through the meticulous colourisation of over 100 stunning images.

From architectural gems like the Dromana Gate to the tranquil beauty of the River Suir, each iconic image captures the unique essence of Waterford. Setting out to bring his native county’s history to life, Ian Hannigan has combined artiﬁcial intelligence technology with historical research to infuse the past with new energy.

Step back in time to the streets of Waterford in a bygone era, with the imposing Reginald’s Tower standing watch over the hustle and bustle of the quays. From the striking oldest known photo of a survivor of The Great Hunger to Countess Markievicz’s visit to Waterford, the images in this book are of great local and national signiﬁcance.

Covering the period 1840–1960, Timeless Colours: Waterford offers a vivid and evocative glimpse into the daily lives of Waterford’s people during a time of profound transformation.

Ian Hannigan is a Waterford native who now lives in Berlin. He works as a designer and entrepreneur, having started two technology companies, one in Ireland and one in Germany. Ian started Timeless Colours in 2020 out of a combined passion for cutting-edge technology, design and a fascination with historical photographs. You can follow Ian’s latest work on X, Facebook and Instagram at @timelesscolours.

THE WHISPERING LAND

MYTHS, LEGENDS AND LORE FROM THE WILD ATLANTIC WAY

CARSTEN KRIEGER

‘A unique mix of captivating images and myth, legends and lore from the rugged coastline’ - Irish Daily Star

Ireland is a land of stories and storytellers, and its untamed Atlantic seaboard is steeped in ancient folklore and fascinating history. A wealth of folk tales, passed down through the generations, survives from the counties of the Wild Atlantic Way, stretching from Kinsale in Cork to the stunning Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal.

Renowned photographer Carsten Krieger has traversed this landscape, absorbing the echoes of the past and unearthing the ancient myths and legends, along with the unique geology, history and heritage on which they are based. From the ‘Old Hag’ of the Beara Peninsula to chilling stories of devils and saints in Sligo and Donegal, the author illuminates this beguiling collection of folklore with over 100 exquisite photographs to create a captivating new perspective on Ireland’s west coast. This fascinating collection is a must-have for tourists and natives alike.

Carsten Krieger is a photographer, author and environmentalist based in County Clare. He has published numerous books on Ireland’s landscape, natural history and heritage. When not working on a new book, he spends his time as an editor for the Crossbill Guides Foundation and as a project manager for AstonECO.

16 AUG

The Irish Independent editorialises that the failure of a London conference called to consider German war reparations ‘has left European finances in a hopeless tangle’.

s 22 AUG

Michael Collins, Commander-in-Chief of the National Army, is shot dead in an ambush at Béal na mBláth, Co. Cork, in the evening. Richard Mulcahy will succeed him as Commander-in-Chief.

24 AUG

It is reported that the cost of living in Ireland has increased for the wageearning classes by 85.2% since July 1914. This is one of the headline findings of a report submitted by the Department of Economic Affairs to the Provisional Government.

30 AUG

William T. Cosgrave is appointed Chairman of the Provisional Government, succeeding Michael Collins.

The relative strength of the different parties’ performances is perhaps best illustrated by looking at how they fared in contested seats – 37 seats were not subject to competition. There were 48 pro-Treaty candidates, of which 41 were returned and 7 were defeated. In contrast, of the 41 antiTreaty candidates, only 19 were elected. Labour fielded 18 candidates of which only one failed to secure election. This is a remarkable performance and justifies the party’s decision to ignore calls to stand aside as it had done in the previous Dáil elections. The Farmers’ Party’s 7 seats were won despite only fielding 12 candidates.

The new Dáil session is scheduled to open on 1 July.

Four Courts Shelled by Free State Troops as Dublin Erupts in Worst Violence Since 1916

29 June – The centre of Dublin city has descended into violence – the fiercest since Easter Week 1916 – after Free State troops launched an attack on positions held by anti-Treaty forces.

w Smoke billowing over Dublin rooftops following an explosion at the Four Courts.

r A drawing lamenting the death of Cathal Brugha during the fighting in Dublin in July 1922.

Poster for Labour candidate William O’Brien.

REVOLUTIONARY TIMES

IRELAND 1913–1923: THE FORGING OF A NATION

MIKE CRONIN & MARK DUNCAN

Ireland during the period 1913–1923 was a nation in constant ﬂux.

Spanning a pivotal era marked by the Dublin Lockout, the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the birth of the Irish Free State, and illustrated throughout with fascinating images, Revolutionary Times captures the full complexity of this transformative decade through contemporary-style reportage, timelines of key events and insightful essays.

Emanating from the acclaimed RTÉ project Century Ireland, and distilling its essence into a captivating print form, Revolutionary Times is meticulously researched yet accessibly written and beautifully presented. Alongside the political upheaval, the book also delves into the everyday realities of Irish life during this volatile chapter – from sports and fashion to housing debates and extreme weather.

Offering a rich, nuanced portrait of a nation on the brink of a new dawn, this is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the tumultuous forces that shaped modern Ireland.

Professor Mike Cronin has been the Academic Director of Boston College Ireland since 2005. Educated at the University of Kent and Oxford University, he has published widely on various aspects of Irish history, and is a renowned scholar in the area of sport.

Previously a Director of the GAA Oral History Project at Boston College, Mark Duncan is also a founder of InQuest Research Group. The author of several books, he frequently contributes to Irish TV, radio programmes and national newspapers.

SHOOTING CROWS

MASS MURDER, STATE COLLUSION AND PRESS FREEDOM

TREVOR BIRNEY

Everyone knows where they were when Ray Houghton outfoxed the Italian goalkeeper in the 1994 World Cup finals. Every television in the country was tuned in to the match, and The Heights Bar in Loughinisland, Co. Down was no exception. But two miles down the road, three men with no interest in Ireland’s footballing progress were planning a deadly massacre. Shortly after half-time they burst through the door of the bar and opened fire, spraying bullets indiscriminately. As they fled the scene, six innocent men lay dead or dying.

In 2017 journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey produced a groundbreaking documentary, No Stone Unturned, about Loughinisland and allegations of collusion between the RUC and the loyalist terrorists behind the attack. However, it was Birney and McCaffrey, not the perpetrators of violence, who then found themselves the target of PSNI anger.

Shooting Crows tells a shocking story of collusion and betrayal, and of a State still willing to corrupt justice and persecute the innocent to hide the sins of its past.

Trevor Birney is an Emmy-nominated film producer, director and journalist. In 2017 he produced the groundbreaking documentary No Stone Unturned about the 1994 Loughinisland massacre. His first book, Quinn, (Merrion Press) was longlisted for Eason Book of the Year in 2022. His latest project, the 2024 film Kneecap, won the NEXT Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival. MERRION PRESS

LOST GAELS

FAMILY TESTIMONIES OF MEMBERS OF THE GAA

KILLED DURING THE CONFLICT IN IRELAND

PEADAR THOMPSON

‘After the massacre, the GAA became even more important to us as a real sense of identity. It’s difﬁcult to explain but we could cling to it in a sense, and say this is ours, this is us.’

– Clare Rogan, wife of Adrian Rogan, killed by the UVF in the 1994 Loughinisland massacre

The GAA has long been at the heart of Irish life, nurturing our culture and communities and fostering powerful social bonds.

However, as sectarian conﬂict intensiﬁed in the North, the GAA became the object of animosity and surveillance by loyalist paramilitaries and Crown forces. Clubhouses and pitches were occupied by British forces, fans were security checked and harrassed on their way to and from games, and over 150 members were killed.

Lost Gaels is the ﬁrst comprehensive account of the devastating impact of the Troubles on the GAA, providing a platform for bereaved family and friends to pay homage to their lost loved ones. Capturing the deep connection between the GAA and the everyday lives of Irish people, this is a poignant and powerful tribute to the lives of lost Gaels.

Peadar Thompson is a lifelong Gael and fluent gaeilgeoir from West Belfast. Strongly motivated by his own family’s campaigning for truth and justice, Peadar has read law at both Newcastle University and Leiden University, and has worked in the fields of human rights, law and victim advocacy, including at Relatives for Justice. Peadar is named after his paternal uncle, Peter, who was killed on 13 January 1990 by undercover British Army Intelligence Officers.

STRONGER

WHAT DIDN’T KILL ME, MADE ME

In 2016, against all odds, Nicola Hanney survived a terminal cancer diagnosis and decided to live life to the full. When she matched with Garda Paul Moody on a dating app, she thought her dreams had come true, but instead was plunged into a new nightmare: a four-year campaign of violence and coercive control at his hands.

NICOLA HANNEY

Despite being told she would never conceive due to the toll cancer had taken on her, Nicola became pregnant to Moody. Trapped in an unrelenting cycle of abuse, the baby she had always wanted gave Nicola newfound hope for the future. Then, midway through her pregnancy, she found a lump in her breast.

In Stronger, Nicola charts her extraordinary journey through unimaginable abuse and recurring illness. Revealing the insidious nature of coercive control, she recounts how Moody manipulated her and threatened her loved ones to keep her compliant.

Throughout it all, Nicola’s resilience never wavered. She proved herself stronger than the disease that threatened to take her life. Stronger than the man who tried to crush her spirit. Stronger than the bad hand she was dealt. This is her story.

ISBN 9781785375293

Nicola Hanney is a first-time author from Dublin. In 2023 she gave up her anonymity to participate in RTÉ documentary Taking Back Control, describing the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of disgraced Garda Paul Moody while pregnant and fighting cancer. By sharing her story, Nicola hopes to empower victims and shed light on the early signs of abuse.

NO PEACE UNTIL HE’S DEAD

MY STORY OF CHILD ABUSE AT THE HANDS OF DAVY TWEED AND MY JOURNEY TO RECOVERY

AMANDA BROWN

‘Superbly told’ – The Irish Times

In this candid memoir, Amanda Brown chronicles the unimaginable sexual abuse she suffered from the age of eight at the hands of her stepfather, Davy Tweed.

A lauded rugby player for both Ulster and Ireland, a DUP councillor and prominent Orangeman, Tweed maintained the veneer of upstanding citizen through his political and sporting life, yet the story at home was very different. No Peace Until He’s Dead is a raw and unﬂinching account of Amanda’s childhood years, which were marred by both the domestic abuse suffered by her mother at Davy’s hands and Amanda’s own appalling trauma, as well as her ﬁght for justice against her abuser.

This transformative memoir was born of Amanda’s courageous pursuit of recovery, and her unwavering determination to ﬁnd her voice and advocate for other survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. No Peace Until He’s Dead forces us to confront a subject so often obscured by fear and shame, and also serves as a testament that those who have suffered can overcome their past and ﬁnd happiness.

Amanda Brown was born in Belfast and grew up in Ballymoney. She was thrust into the public eye when she took the stand to give evidence against her stepfather Davy Tweed, former Ireland and Ulster rugby player, and her brave testimony went a long way to securing his conviction on a litany of serious sex abuse charges. She has since engaged with the Department of Justice and the Victims of Crime Commission as part of her work advocating for other survivors of sexual abuse.

THE HAMILTON NOTES

GEORGE HAMILTON

The incomparable George Hamilton returns with a superb offering of anecdotes spanning his ﬁve decades on our airwaves and our screens, always at the heart of Irish culture.

Picking up where his ﬁrst book, The Nation Holds Its Breath, left off, George continues to illuminate the path that took him from the Cregagh Road in Belfast to the most extraordinary locations across the world. Whether going behind the scenes of his beloved Lyric FM show or reliving the dramatic events of the 100-metre ﬁnal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the reader will be captivated once more by George’s storytelling as he expertly weaves tales and paints the most evocative pictures.

Sport, music and travel are intertwined throughout – George’s love for all three evident on every page. His writing style is consistently surprising; the reader is never quite certain where George is taking them, but few will be able to resist being caught up in the stories and going along for the ride.

The Hamilton Notes is a delightful manifestation of the old adage: ‘It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.’ And there could be no ﬁner raconteur to guide the reader along the way.

George Hamilton has worked in broadcasting for five decades. Best known as the chief football commentator for RTÉ, he covers a wide variety of high-profile sporting events for the national broadcaster, including the Olympic Games. Since 2002, he has presented The Hamilton Scores, a twice-weekly classical music show on Lyric FM. His first memoir, The Nation Holds Its Breath, was published by Merrion Press in 2021 and was shortlisted for an An Post Irish Book Award that year.

WELL, HOLY GOD

MY LIFE AS AN IRISH, CATHOLIC, AGNOSTIC CORRESPONDENT

PATSY MCGARRY

As the Religious Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times from 1997, Patsy McGarry reported on some of the most troubling scandals to have rocked both Catholic and Protestant Churches in the last few decades. In Well, Holy God, he looks back not only on his time in journalism, recalling some of the most distressing stories he has had to cover, but also his own history with Catholicism and of a faith lost when the stark realities of being part of that Church became apparent to him.

This book covers the gamut of his career, from the horrors of the various clerical child sex abuse cases to the tragedies of the Mother and Baby Homes and the Magdalene laundries. Patsy recalls his interviews with the notorious Bishop Eamonn Casey - the disgraced cleric was given the beneﬁt of the doubt in life, but whose suspect behaviour continues to come to light in death - and travelling to the US to meet his son, Peter. There are also lighter anecdotes, including the perils of travelling with a pope and a look at the good that those with a true calling can do.

Well, Holy God is a memoir brimming with personality, charting the highs and lows of a truly fascinating career.

Patsy McGarry was born in County Roscommon. Following a spell in teaching and then radio in Dublin, he became the theatre critic for The Irish Press. In 1992 he won a national media award for political coverage in the Sunday Independent on the fall of Charles Haughey. In 1993 he began working for The Irish Times and in 1997 became Religious Affairs Correspondent. He has published a number of books, including First Citizen: Mary McAleese and the Irish Presidency.

304 pages 226 x 153mm

FROM HOLYWOOD TO HOLLYWOOD

MY LIFE AS AN INTERNATIONAL LIBEL LAWYER TO THE RICH AND FAMOUS

PAUL TWEED

Described as ‘the most powerful man in Hollywood’, Paul Tweed has been consulted by Britney Spears, Ashton Kutcher, Sylvester Stallone, Justin Timberlake, Liam Neeson, Harrison Ford, Sinéad O’Connor, Sarah Ferguson and many more global personalities often leading to explosive and headline-grabbing cases.

In this engrossing book, internationally renowned libel lawyer Paul Tweed lays bare the reality of representing the world’s biggest names. During his four-decade career, he has successfully represented scores of A-list celebrities, members of the British Royal Family and numerous global entrepreneurs, with many media giants being forced to withdraw stories, issue apologies or make substantial payouts.

From ﬁghting for the beleaguered Britney Spears, to advising Prince Andrew against his controversial Newsnight interview, Tweed has seen it all. Here, he thrusts the reader into the centre of some of the most incendiary, high-proﬁle defamation lawsuits of his career.

From Holywood to Hollywood is a riveting glimpse behind the scenes of a high-octane career navigating huge egos and high stakes to protect the reputations of the most visible and sometimes most vulnerable stars on earth.

Paul Tweed is an internationally recognised expert in the ﬁeld of media law and reputation management. Having been described as ‘the most powerful man in Hollywood’, Paul has represented governments, corporations and A-List celebrities. MERRION PRESS

CARL FRAMPTON

MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY

CARL

FRAMPTON WITH PAUL D. GIBSON WITH A FOREWORD BY PATRICK KIELTY

‘A page-turner’ – The Irish News

Belfast’s Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton MBE is no ordinary boxer. One of only three ﬁghters from the British Isles to be named the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, he has headlined sellout world championship bouts on both sides of the Atlantic, winning multiple world titles in the process. His dedicated army of fans have traversed the globe to be ringside throughout it all.

But Frampton’s popularity far exceeds the traditional adulation for a sporting icon; he is regarded as a symbol of hope and unity by both sides of the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland.

In this captivating autobiography, Frampton reveals the most personal aspects of being a fighter, and recounts for the first time his highprofile, acrimonious split with Barry McGuigan in devastating and revealing detail. Frampton speaks openly and passionately, not only about boxing, but about his country, how far it has come and the problems it faces. This is a uniquely intimate account of a true modern-day sporting great and a local hero like no other.

Carl Frampton MBE is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 2009 to 2021. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBA featherweight title from 2016 to 2017.

Paul D. Gibson is an award-winning author and journalist. His work includes the ghost-written autobiography of UFC star and pundit Dan Hardy and a biography of Irish ﬁghter Eamonn Magee, which won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

EYEWITNESS TO WAR AND PEACE

EAMONN MALLIE

‘Fascinating, hugely readable and frequently revelatory’ – The Irish News

Acclaimed journalist Eamonn Mallie takes us on an extraordinary journey through his four-decade career in this fascinating new memoir. From the frontlines of the Troubles to the corridors of power, Mallie’s fearless reporting and unrelenting pursuit of the truth have made him a legendary ﬁgure in Irish journalism.

Having gained unparalleled access to key players, Mallie shares his reflections on his groundbreaking interviews with John Hume, Gerry Adams, Margaret Thatcher, Ian Paisley, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and a host of other influential figures involved in the peace process.

From adrenaline-fuelled moments on the ground to frank conversations with political heavyweights, Eyewitness to War and Peace is a captivating read that sheds new light on the challenges and triumphs of navigating the world of journalism in a divided society. An unﬂinching testament to the power of investigative reporting and the enduring pursuit of peace, this is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Northern Ireland’s troubled past and its hopeful future.

Eamonn Mallie, a multi-award-winning journalist, is one of Ireland’s most respected and well-known media personalities. Working as a reporter and political correspondent out of Belfast for over three decades, he covered every aspect of Northern Ireland’s Troubles, interviewing ﬁgures including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, John Major, Tony Blair, Mother Theresa, Bertie Ahern and Charles J. Haughey.

PEACE COMES DROPPING SLOW

MY LIFE IN THE TROUBLES

DENIS BRADLEY

‘A masterly and deeply moving account of a formative era in Ireland’ - The Irish Times

In March 1993 Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly held a covert meeting with a British Intelligence agent codenamed ‘Fred’, one that would be a vital step on the road to peace in Northern Ireland. This crucial encounter was arranged by a secret ‘backchannel’ made up of three determined men, one of whom was Denis Bradley.

Born and raised in Buncrana, Bradley joined the priesthood and was assigned to Derry city. Arriving in 1970, he became an eyewitness to the violence of the Troubles – in particular the horrors of Bloody Sunday, at which he was present. Fervent in the belief that only dialogue would bring peace, he became part of the backchannel that for almost thirty years provided a secret link between the IRA and the British government.

This compelling memoir tells the story of his crucial work with the backchannel, his tireless efforts to combat addiction and homelessness in his adopted community and the challenges of his role in the new Policing Board. Once played out in the shadows, Denis Bradley’s pivotal part in Northern Ireland’s peace process is ﬁnally illuminated.

Denis Bradley was born in Buncrana, County Donegal. He is a former priest, who has also worked as a counsellor and set up shelters for the homeless and treatment centres for alcohol and drug addiction. He was the ﬁrst vice chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board and as a member of the so-called ‘backchannel’, was instrumental in helping bring about the Good Friday Agreement.

DIRTY LINEN

THE TROUBLES IN MY HOME PLACE

MARTIN DOYLE

‘This is an important, humane book, stunning in its sweep and power. It will prove to be a classic.’ – The Irish Times

‘Among the most moving works on the conﬂict.’

– The Observer

‘A powerful elegy, suffused with pity, humanity and authenticity, and a deep sense of place and time.’

– Sunday Independent

Martin Doyle, Books Editor of The Irish Times, offers a personal, intimate history of the Troubles seen through the microcosm of a single rural parish, his own, part of both the Linen Triangle – heartland of the North’s deﬁning industry – and the Murder Triangle – the Badlands devastated by paramilitary violence. He lifts the veil of silence drawn over the horrors of the past, recording in heart-rending detail the terrible toll the conﬂict took – more than twenty violent deaths in a few square miles – and the long tail of trauma it has left behind.

Neighbours and classmates who lost loved ones in the conﬂict, survivors maimed in bomb attacks and victims of sectarianism, both Catholic and Protestant, entrust Doyle with their stories. Writing with a literary sensibility, he skilfully shows how the once dominant local linen industry serves as a metaphor for communal division but also for the solidarity that transcended the sectarian divide. To those who might ask why you would want to reopen old wounds, the answer might be that some wounds have never been allowed to heal.

Martin Doyle is the Books Editor of The Irish Times. A former Editor of the Irish Post, he has worked in journalism for over three decades and is a regular contributor to the media and arts programming.

FUGITIVE: THE MICHAEL LYNN STORY

THE TRUE STORY OF THE EPIC HUNT TO BRING ONE OF IRELAND’S MOST NOTORIOUS FUGITIVES TO JUSTICE

MICHAEL O’FARRELL

‘Pacy, sharp, comprehensively detailed and exemplary’ – Irish Examiner

FUGITIVE: The Michael Lynn Story is a fast-paced and thrilling journey into the mind of a reluctant fugitive brought down by his own insatiable greed. This is investigative journalism at its most compelling, placing the reader at the heart of the global manhunt for fugitive Irish lawyer Michael Lynn, and the trials that saw him ﬁnally brought to justice.

Facing accusations of massive fraud in 2007, Lynn secretly boards a ﬂight at Dublin Airport and vanishes. With him goes all trace of the millions he secured from Irish banks and clients. A month later, dogged investigative journalist Michael O’Farrell is on his tail, tasked with tracking Lynn down.

From the Algarve to the Black Sea and beyond, O’Farrell pursues his prey until he finally corners Lynn, who agrees to speak to him. However, Lynn continues to avoid the Irish authorities, even spending five years in a hellish Brazilian prison fighting extradition. Now, sixteen years after he first went on the run, he is finally being brought to justice.

This is a truly extraordinary tale of tension-filled encounters involving shadowy fixers, violent Mafia villains, international law organisations, suited, corporate crooks, and the man who thought he could outsmart them all, Michael Lynn.

Michael O’Farrell works as the Investigations Editor for The Irish Mail on Sunday. In November 2023 he was named Campaigning Journalist of the Year for his work with whistleblowers at the Irish Journalism Awards. Michael lives in rural Ireland with his wife and four children.

WALLED IN BY HATE

KEVIN O’HIGGINS, HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

ARTHUR MATHEWS

‘An even-handed, intelligent appraisal of the life and legacy of Kevin O’Higgins’ - The Sunday Business Post

In July 1927, at just thirty-ﬁve years old, Kevin O’Higgins was assassinated on his way to Mass. A reviled ﬁgure for anti-Treaty republicans, O’Higgins became a target of particular venom for his vocal support of the Free State government’s execution policy during the Civil War, which saw seventy-seven IRA men executed, including the best man at his wedding, Rory O’Connor.

In Walled in By Hate, Arthur Mathews examines not just the life and death of O’Higgins, focussing on that most acrimonious time in his life, but also those of his contemporaries, such as O’Connor and Erskine Childers, who shaped the course of events around him. Unusually, he also delves deep into O’Higgins’s relationships with the women around him and chronicles the reactions of the men who killed him, subjects that, until now, have remained largely unexplored.

One of the most compelling characters to have emerged from the conﬂict, someone still the target of vitriol today, the tragic story of Kevin O’Higgins encapsulates the bitter divisions of a time in Irish history that continue to echo in today’s Ireland.

Arthur Mathews was born in Meath in 1959. With Graham Linehan he co-created and wrote Father Ted and Big Train. He has also written for The Fast Show, Harry Enﬁeld and Chums and Brass Eye. He co-wrote the stage musical I, Keano and the feature ﬁlm Wide Open Spaces. With Matt Berry he co-wrote the television shows Toast of London and Toast of Tinseltown.

HUNTED: THE KEVIN BARRY ARTT STORY

HIS WRONGFUL CONVICTION FOR MURDER, DARING ESCAPE FROM THE MAZE PRISON AND LONG FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

DAN LAWTON

‘Unsettling yet compulsive’

- The Sunday Business Post

On Sunday, 26 November 1978, two IRA gunmen kicked in the front door at 8 Evelyn Gardens in Belfast, the home of Maze prison ofﬁcial Albert Miles. They executed Miles in front of his family and vanished into the night.

In 1983 twenty-four-year-old Catholic taxi driver Kevin Barry Artt was convicted and sentenced to life for Miles’ murder, falsely named by an IRA member-turned-jailhouse-informant. On his way to the Maze in handcuffs, Artt resolutely professed his innocence.

Six weeks into his life sentence, he escaped in one of the most daring and notorious prison breaks in history, ﬂeeing to California and going underground. The epic legal saga that followed spanned one ocean, two court systems and nearly three decades, as Artt was relentlessly pursued by the British government, aided by the US Department of State and the FBI.

Dan Lawton discovered the vital piece of evidence that caused the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal to throw out Artt’s murder case in 2020, and in Hunted, he has forensically chronicled Kevin Barry Artt’s surreal story of survival and redemption.

Dan Lawton is a writer and lawyer based in California. His short fiction and columns have appeared in The Recorder, Los Angeles Daily Journal, The Pensive Quill, The Daily Transcript and Sheepshead Review. Hunted is his first work of narrative non-fiction.

THE ENCHANTED BAY

TALES AND LEGENDS FROM ERNIE O’MALLEY’S IRISH FOLKLORE COLLECTION

CORMAC K.H. O’MALLEY & PATRICK J. MAHONEY

It is a little-known fact that Ernie O’Malley, renowned for his role in Ireland’s revolutionary struggle, was also a passionate collector of Irish folklore.

Centred on O’Malley’s native Clew Bay and its environs and transcribed by his son Cormac, The Enchanted Bay is a rich tapestry of tales that showcases the enduring power of the oral tradition in Ireland. From the entertaining exploits of the Gobán Saor, mythical master builder, to the Clare Island man who married a selkie, this collection offers a glimpse into the heart of Irish storytelling.

A testament to O’Malley’s multifaceted legacy, several of the stories in this compilation were gathered while he travelled Ireland as an IRA organiser. The insights he gained through folklore collecting would later inform his ambitious project of recording testimonies from former comrades, solidifying his place as a pivotal ﬁgure in the preservation of Irish history and culture.

The tales in these pages maintain the unique voices of local communities, conjuring an arcane, fascinating world that is slipping further from memory.

Cormac K.H. O’Malley was born in Ireland and moved to the USA in 1957. He studied law at Columbia and enjoyed a successful thirty-year legal career. In retirement, he has pursued research on Irish history and the legacy of his parents, Ernie O’Malley and Helen Hooker O’Malley.

Patrick J. Mahoney is an award-winning historian and writer. He is currently a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Galway. A former Fulbright scholar, his publications include Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier (2021).

HARDBACK

OCTOBER 2024

€22.99/ £19.99 9781785375286 256 pages

DUBLIN IN SKETCHES AND STORIES

NEW EDITION

RÓISÍN CURÉ

‘Beautiful sketches bring Dublin to life in stunning new book’ – Dublin Live

Róisín Curé sketches what she sees, wherever she is, from the mundane to the magniﬁcent and everything in between. With her ears and eyes open, she immerses herself in the urban scene and creates a snippet of the world around her in words and pictures, with nothing more hi-tech than a fountain pen and a small box of watercolours.

The bustling, busy city of Dublin is captured here in all its grit and glory, through its buildings and people, as well as conversations with its inhabitants. You won’t ﬁnd these stories in any guidebook, as they ebbed and ﬂowed like the ink and paint used to create this very intimate portrait of a city and its people.

With more than 125 exquisite artworks, Dublin in Sketches and Stories is a joyous snapshot of the beating heart of the Fair City.

Róisín Curé has drawn all her life and this is her third book on urban sketching. She currently teaches the mindful and colourful practice of urban sketching to students through workshops all over the world, and online; the latter is always live, in keeping with the spirit of urban sketching, which is about living life in the now. She is based in Co. Galway.

GAZETTEER OF IRISH STAINED GLASS

REVISED NEW EDITION

DAVID CARON (ed.)

‘The deﬁnitive study on Irish stained glass’ – Irish Arts Review

Some thirty years since its ﬁrst publication, David Caron returns with an updated, redesigned and greatly expanded edition of the Gazetteer of Irish Stained Glass, the deﬁnitive guide to Irish stained glass from 1900 to the present day.

This is a practical and comprehensive guide, for glass aﬁcionados and those new to the art form, that lists all of Ireland’s signiﬁcant stained glass works county by county, as well as the most noteworthy pieces abroad by Irish artists. Beautifully illustrated with vibrant new photography, the Gazetteer of Irish Stained Glass is bursting with colour and brimming with information about our most famous stained glass artists, those who deserve to be better known, and the best contemporary artists working in the medium today.

With over 2,500 entries, two essays, and biographical notes on major artists, this is the key reference book for both academics and all who wish to learn more about Ireland’s celebrated stained glass and where it can be found.

David Caron was born in Dublin and studied Visual Communication at the National College of Art and Design, to which department he returned in due course as lecturer and was subsequently appointed Head of Department. He was one of the three original compilers of the ﬁrst edition of the Gazetteer of Irish Stained Glass in 1988. David has written articles on various aspects of Irish stained glass over the years, mostly for the Irish Arts Review

THE BENEDICTINE NUNS & KYLEMORE ABBEY

A HISTORY

DEIRDRE RAFTERY & CATHERINE KILBRIDE

‘This beautifully illustrated book is a well-deserved tribute to a group of extraordinary women’

– Doctrine & Life

For one hundred years, Kylemore Abbey has been home to the Irish Benedictine nuns, whose monastery in Flanders was destroyed during the First World War. Known in continental Europe as the Irish Dames of Ypres, the community was founded in 1665 and provided education to the daughters of elite Irish Catholics during the penal era. On arriving in Connemara in 1920, the Benedictines established a monastery and opened a boarding school.

This book provides the ﬁrst fully illustrated account of the Irish Benedictines and their monastery at Kylemore. It also charts the fascinating history of the castle, built by Mitchell Henry and later home to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in the nineteenth century. The twentieth century saw the Benedictines develop the gardens, restore the Gothic Chapel and open the castle to the public.

Meticulously researched with material from the Kylemore archives, this book provides a compelling account of a unique part of Irish history.

Deirdre Raftery is Professor of the History of Education at University College Dublin, and an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has thirteen book publications, including Nano Nagle: The Life and the Legacy (Irish Academic Press, 2018).

Catherine KilBride was Principal of Pembroke School (Miss Meredith’s) and lecturer in Education Management at University College Dublin. She is now an editor, translator and writer. This is her fourth book.

JAILBREAK

GREAT IRISH REPUBLICAN ESCAPES 1865–1983

JAMES DURNEY

The IRA’s spectacular 1983 breakout from the Maze Prison was the biggest jailbreak in UK penal history. It was the culmination of a long and valiant tradition of escape bids by Irish republican prisoners, who saw it as their moral duty to escape, attempting to do so in increasingly daring and audacious ways.

Spanning the period 1865–1983, this collection features escapes on land, air and sea, including bomb blasts, tunnel escapes, mass breakouts and helicopter airlifts. Jailbreak is a fascinating chronicle, with each chapter featuring a history-altering jailbreak, such as Éamon de Valera’s cunning rescue from Lincoln Jail in 1919, the ‘Greatest Escape’ of 112 anti-Treaty prisoners from Newbridge Barracks in 1922 and the epic helicopter airlift of IRA leaders from Mountjoy Prison in 1973.

In this hugely entertaining book, James Durney deftly records twenty-three action-packed factual accounts of daring rescues, incredible escape bids and jailbreaks that raised the morale of nationalist Ireland and deﬁed the might of empires and governments.

James Durney is an award-winning author of over twenty books on Irish national and local history. He works at Kildare County Archives and Local Studies.

GHOSTS OF A FAMILY

IRELAND’S MOST INFAMOUS UNSOLVED MURDER, THE OUTBREAK OF THE CIVIL WAR AND THE ORIGINS OF THE MODERN TROUBLES

EDWARD BURKE

At 1.20 a.m. on 24 March 1922, ﬁve men, four dressed in British police uniforms, broke into the North Belfast house of Owen McMahon, a well-known Catholic publican. They fatally shot McMahon, four of his sons and Eddie McKinney, an employee of the family. Nobody was ever charged for these ruthless and cold-blooded murders.

In retaliation for these and other Belfast murders, the IRA assassinated the former head of the British Army, Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson, and a subsequent British ultimatum to the Irish government sparked the ﬁrst salvos of the Irish Civil War days later. The reluctance of the unionist Belfast government to pursue loyalist killers drove the rift between Northern Ireland’s two main communities even deeper, laying the foundations for the Troubles at the end of the twentieth century.

Over 100 years later, Edward Burke has expertly uncovered the identity of the McMahons’ likely murderer. This is a riveting cold-case investigation that invokes the smoke-ﬁlled streets of Belfast during the cataclysmic violence of 1920–22, and explores how the ramiﬁcations of the McMahon killings are still being felt to this day.

Dr Edward Burke is a historian at University College Dublin, specialising in the study of political violence, insurgencies and paramilitarism. His previous books are An Army of Tribes: British Army Cohesion, Deviancy and Murder in Northern Ireland (Liverpool, 2018) and Ulster’s Lost Counties: Loyalism and Paramilitarism since 1920 (Cambridge, 2024).

SO ONCE WAS I

FORGOTTEN TALES FROM GLASNEVIN CEMETERY

WARREN FARRELL

‘Thought-provoking’ - The Irish Farmer’s Journal

‘Remember now as you go by, as you are now so once was I, and as I am now so you shall be, so prepare for death and follow me.’

Every grave has a story to tell. Glasnevin Cemetery is the ﬁnal resting place of over one million souls, with some of the most famous names in Irish history resting side by side with those buried in anonymity.

From unmarked plots to striking monuments, Glasnevin is a microcosm of Irish society over the last two centuries. Warren Farrell, having immersed himself in the cemetery’s history as a tour guide for the past seven years, sets out to celebrate the lesser-known ﬁgures and their contributions to the Irish State.

So Once Was I has a story for everyone, representing all threads of Irish society’s rich tapestry. Embark on an intruiging tour through our national necropolis in these pages, and become acquainted with the famous and forgotten who once walked the streets of Dublin.

Warren Farrell, from Inchicore, Dublin, is a ﬁrst-time author with a passion for social history. A Maynooth University graduate in politics and history, he furthered his education with a Masters in Secondary School Education. A coordinator for Trinity Access Programmes at Trinity College, he works with students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them achieve their college aspirations. Since January 2016, Warren has also worked as a tour guide in Glasnevin Cemetery.

SPIKE ISLAND

THE REBELS, RESIDENTS AND CRAFTY CRIMINALS OF IRELAND’S HISTORIC ISLAND

JOHN CROTTY

‘A more important guide to Spike Island is unlikely ever to be written’ - The Irish Catholic

Spike Island is the most extraordinary historical location on the island of Ireland. A monastic outpost in the Celtic Sea, a fortress built to defend an Empire, a prison established to intern a nation – the island’s remarkable 1300-year history encapsulates the Irish story better than anywhere else.

In Spike Island the vast history of the island is told from 9000 BC right up to 2004, when the last jail on the island closed. Featuring the voices of prisoners past and island dwellers, and with tales of religious fervour, frequent rebellion, social endeavour and a nation’s unextinguishable yearning for freedom, this long-awaited book reveals the fascinating stories of the captivating characters who lived on the island, served on the island, visited the island or were sentenced to its shores.

After 206 years off-limits to the public, Spike Island’s secrets are ﬁnally divulged.

John Crotty hails from County Waterford and spent eleven years living in the UK, where he graduated from Swansea University. He travelled the world from his UK base, visiting over sixty countries. On his return, he managed Spike Island as CEO for six years, leading the island to win prestigious international travel and tourism awards. Under John’s stewardship, the island launched the ﬁrst Spike Island Literary Festival. John has been featured in multiple publications and TV shows sharing the island’s story. This is his ﬁrst book.

THE DISAPPEARED

FORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN IRELAND 1798–1998

PÁDRAIG ÓG Ó RUAIRC

‘Brilliantly researched and highly unsettling’ – The Sunday Business Post

The spectre of ‘the Disappeared’, those abducted, secretly executed and their bodies buried in remote locations, has overshadowed the debate around the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland for the last two decades. Yet what most people don’t realise is that ‘forced disappearances’ have been part of violent political conﬂicts in Ireland for over 200 years.

This groundbreaking book, the ﬁrst of its kind, looks at the history of this practice in Ireland and identiﬁes all known victims over the last century, from the North King Street Massacre in 1916 right up to 2003. Ó Ruairc upends popular perception of the ‘Good Old IRA’, proving that this organisation was particularly ruthless in ‘disappearing’ victims, much more so than their successors in the Provisional IRA or the British forces in Ireland. The author also reveals how his research has helped locate several bodies of those long missing, one of which has already been recovered and given a proper burial.

Behind each disappearance there is the story of a life cut short and a family left searching for answers. Ó Ruairc deftly incorporates this human element, preserving the memory of those who were disappeared on both sides of the conﬂict.

Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc is originally from County Clare and has a BA in Archaeology and a PhD in History. He has spent over a decade researching ‘the Disappeared’ and in 2018 his research led to the recovery of the remains of Private George Chalmers, a British soldier who had been secretly executed by the IRA in 1921. This is his seventh book.

384 pages 234 x 153mm

33 B&W PHOTOS

THE IRISH REPUBLICAN BROTHERHOOD 1914–1924

JOHN O’BEIRNE RANELAGH

‘A landmark publication’ - The Sunday Business Post

‘A determined effort to stamp out this dangerous body, versed as it has always been in murder and intrigue, might have cost many lives but would have freed Ireland from a terror whence no good thing can come …’

This description of the Irish Republican Brotherhood by the head of the Irish post ofﬁce after the 1916 Rising encapsulates the importance of an organisation without which there would have been no Rising, no IRA and no War of Independence. Yet its legacy remained obscured by the intense secrecy under which it operated, until now.

In The Irish Republican Brotherhood 1914–1924, John O’Beirne Ranelagh lifts the veil on the fascinating story of the IRB during the most critical phase of its campaign for Irish independence. With a father who was a member of the IRB and took part in the Easter Rising, War of Independence and the Civil War as an anti-Treaty ofﬁcer, he had unique access to those who populated its ranks, many of whom refused to be interviewed by anyone else.

An enthralling exploration of secret societies, political manoeuvres and personal sacriﬁces, this is the hitherto unpublished chapter in modern Irish history.

John O’Beirne Ranelagh is a member of the Wicklow Byrnes family and read Modern History at Oxford. His father was in the IRB and IRA. John has interviewed 105 participants of the 1914–24 period. He is the author of several books, including Thatcher’s People He established a regular weekly programme, Irish Angle, on Channel 4, and brought the Gay Byrne Show to British television.

IRISH DOCTORS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

P.J. CASEY, K.T. CULLEN & J.P. DUIGNAN

‘An important piece of medical history’- Irish Medical Times

This highly anticipated sequel charts the contributions of Irish doctors in the Second World War, a conﬂict that demonstrated to the world that the pace of military warfare had changed forever.

Advancements in medical care during the interwar years made ﬁeld medicine almost unrecognisable compared to 1918, but this was tempered by the vast innovations in the machines of war. From the Maginot Line to the Far East, Irish doctors risked their lives in a terrifying new landscape.

Read accounts from Aidan MacCarthy, a Japanese POW present when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, and heartrending reports from Irish doctors arriving in liberated concentration camps. With a meticulously compiled Roll of Honour commemorating Irish doctors who served, this book is a powerful tribute to their humanity and indomitable spirit.

Patrick Casey is a founding member of the Medal Society of Ireland. He is a lifelong military medal collector with a keen interest in the proﬁles of those awarded military honours.

Kevin Cullen is a retired geologist and past president of the Institute of Geologists of Ireland. He compiled and self-published the First World War Roll of Honour for County Monaghan, his native county, in 2010.

Joe Duignan is a retired surgeon and former council member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He has lectured on the nature and treatment of wounds and diseases of past military campaigns from the Crimea to the Second World War,.

2023 BESTSELLERS

IRISH ACADEMIC PRESS • MERRION PRESS

www.iap.ie /IAPbooks /IrishAcademicPress

www.merrionpress.ie

/MerrionPress

/MerrionPress /merrion_press

Tuckmill House, 10 George’s Street

Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland

T: +353 45 432 497

E: info@iap.ie | info@merrionpress.ie

This catalogue contains a selection of our most recent titles across a range of subjects. Prices are correct at time of printing, but are subject to change. Please visit our website for a full listing of all our books in print. Ebooks – EPUB and Kindle editions – are available for many of our titles. Audiobooks are also available for selected titles. Our online ordering service is secure and easy to use.

Distribution

Ireland, UK & Rest of World:

Gill Distribution

Park West

Dublin 12

T: +353 1 500 9555

E: sales@gill.ie

Trade Sales Enquiries

Ireland:

Brookside Publishing Services

T: +353 86 225 2380

E: michael.darcy@brookside.ie

Rights Enquiries

Conor Graham

Publisher

T: +353 86 387 0991

E: conor.graham@iap.ie

North America: Independent Publishers Group (IPG) 814 N. Franklin Street Chicago, IL 60610

T: +1 312 337 0747

E: orders@ipgbook.com

Great Britain: JB Sales Ltd

T: +44 7976 834808

E: jbbltd@blueyonder.co.uk

Publicity Enquiries

Peter O’Connell Media

T: + 353 87 681 4499

E: peter@peteroconnellmedia.com