Secondhand Irish Biography Books

Obsessed with the burden of being an only son of an only son, John Joyce himself fathered 17 children with his long-suffering wife (despite many affairs and many engagements, he...

Jesuit, soldier, academic, trade unionist, social radical, lifelong Irish Language promoter, friend of the Travellers, National Chaplain of Pax Christi, advocate for the revival of the Western Rail Corridor from...

'Writers live as the work dictates, a solitary, sometimes deeply frustrating life, with moments of secret joy when the sentence hits the note, gets the meaning exactly as required.'For over...

After more than three years of suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch died in January 1999. Early that month she was taken to a home for...

I have always believed that if we choose the right dream and pursue it determinedly enough, it will come true. It is not a question of if but of when....

When he retired in 2018 Pat Marry had been instrumental in solving dozens of serious crimes, including many murders.But as a newly qualified garda in 1985, Marry had no idea...

'Derry Girls meets David Sedaris' Elske Rahill 'The writing is full of energy and originality' Irish Times Growing up on the Falls Road in 1990s Belfast, Alix O'Neill has seen...

Ballybunion to the River Kwai is the remarkable story of Don Kennedy's harrowing experience as an Irish prisoner of war under the Japanese from 1942-45. Vividly narrated by Don's son...

In October 1952 The Leader , a political and cultural magazine published an unsigned 'Profile' of the poet, Patrick Kavanagh which he considered offensive. He sued The Leader (and its...

His work has long been recognised for its innovation and his reputation for clashes with the so-called gardening 'establishment' are famous. He has won many accolades including Silver Gilt at...

This volume brings together John Bayley's books dedicated to the memory of his wife, Iris Murdoch. Bayley's account of his long and loving marriage to the great novelist Iris takes...

The unheard voice of Sean Lemass - 22 hours of lost interviews reveal the private thoughts of Ireland's most transformative taoiseachLemass never left any papers or an autobiography. Instead, he...