THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
TALES
OF LOSS AND REBIRTH FROM IRISH NATURE
CONOR W. O’BRIEN
Ireland is a land replete with natural wonders, but we live in an age when our native wildlife is under threat like never before. Centuries of hunting and habitat loss have already wiped out some of our most iconic species, from the once-feared grey wolf to the flightless great auk – Ireland’s very own ‘penguin’.
In The Living and the Dead, acclaimed writer Conor W. O’Brien travels the country to tell the stories of our amazing lost wildlife, from the mighty sturgeon to the minuscule mountain ringlet butterfly. He reveals the tragedies behind their demise and the lessons they impart for today’s conservationists. For across the country, passionate people are fighting to protect endangered species and reintroduce those once lost.
The return of creatures long gone, like the common crane and great spotted woodpecker, are celebrated in these pages. Such comebacks offer a vision of a return to a wilder Ireland, one in which humans and nature thrive in a land where eagles fly again.
PAPERBACK WITH FLAPS
SEPTEMBER 2025
€18.99 / £17.99
9781785375675
224 pages 215 x 135mm
PHOTO SECTION
Conor W. O’Brien is a writer and photographer with a lifelong interest in the natural world. His work has been published in Ireland’s Own, Irish Wildlife magazine and Wings, the official publication of Birdwatch Ireland. Conor’s first book, Ireland Through Birds: Journeys in Search of a Wild Nation, was shortlisted for Best IrishPublished Book at the 2019 An Post Irish Book Awards. His second book, Life in Ireland: A Short History of a Long Time, was published in 2021. Conor is a board member of Birdwatch Ireland.
AN ACCIDENTAL VILLAIN
SIR HUGH TUDOR, CHURCHILL’S ENFORCER IN REVOLUTIONARY IRELAND
LINDEN MacINTYRE
After distinguishing himself on the battlefields of the First World War, Major General Sir Hugh Tudor was called on to serve in a very different kind of conflict – one fought in the Irish streets and countryside against an enemy determined to resist British colonial authority to the death. Soon he was directing a police force waging a merciless campaign, one he was determined to win at all costs, including utilising police death squads and inflicting brutal reprisals against the IRA and local communities.
Tudor left few traces of his time in Ireland. No diary or letters explain his record as commander of the notorious Black and Tans or justify his role in Bloody Sunday, November 21, 1920. And why did a man knighted for his efforts in Ireland leave his family and homeland in 1925, moving across the sea to Newfoundland?
In An Accidental Villain, Linden MacIntyre delivers a fascinating account of how events can bring a man to the point where he acts against his own training, principles and inclination in the service of a cause – and ends up on a long journey towards personal oblivion.
Linden MacIntyre is an award-winning author and journalist. His novels – including The Bishop’s Man, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize – have been national bestsellers in his native Canada. His boyhood memoir, Causeway, won the Edna Staebler and Evelyn Richardson Awards. A celebrated broadcaster, MacIntyre spent 24 years co-hosting The Fifth Estate, earning ten Gemini Awards. He lives in Toronto with his wife, author Carol Off.
360 pages 226 x 153mm
PHOTO SECTION
BEING EMMA
LIVING MY BEST LIFE WITH BUTTERFLY SKIN
EMMA FOGARTY
FOREWORD BY COLIN FARRELL
Born with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare and excruciatingly painful condition that makes her skin as fragile as butterfly wings, Emma Fogarty was not expected to survive infancy. Today, at 41 years of age, she is the oldest living Irish person with the condition, continuing to defy the odds with strength, resilience and remarkable achievements.
However, every accomplishment Emma makes comes with its own set of obstacles. EB is a cruel disease which causes her skin to blister and flake off at the slightest touch. She can no longer walk, and she lost the use of her fingers when they fused together. Her bandages need to be changed every two days, an agonising process which takes hours.
Emma’s daily life is a battle against debilitating pain, yet she embraces every moment with fierce positivity and determination. In 2024, she took part in the Dublin Marathon alongside her close friend Colin Farrell to mark her 40th birthday, raising almost €1 million for DEBRA Ireland.
Emma’s skin may be fragile, but her spirit is unbreakable – shattering every expectation and lighting the way for everyone who dares to dream beyond their circumstances.
SEPTEMBER 2025
€18.99 / £17.99 9781785375682
280 pages 234 x 153mm
PHOTO SECTION
Emma Fogarty lives in Laois and is one of just 300 Irish sufferers of Epidermolysis Bullosa, a painful disease which makes her skin as fragile as a butterfly’s wing. At 41, she is the oldest living Irish person with the condition. This is her first book.
MERRION PRESS
BENEATH IRISH SEAS
THE HIDDEN WONDERS OF IRELAND’S AMAZING MARINE LIFE
NIGEL MOTYER
Beneath the crashing waves around Ireland’s coastline lies a world few have ever seen, teeming with kaleidoscopic colour and untold beauty. Through the lens of internationally acclaimed underwater photographer Nigel Motyer, whose work has graced the pages of National Geographic, this stunning visual journey reveals the vibrancy of Irish waters, alive with astonishing biodiversity and compelling natural drama.
Beneath Irish Seas explores Ireland’s coastal waters and the habitats that make them unique, unveiling the extraordinary marine life that thrives around our shores. From sponges and corals off Rathlin Island to the playful seals of Dublin Bay and the intriguing gatherings of basking sharks off County Clare, this is the first book to comprehensively document Ireland’s underwater wildlife through powerful, vibrant imagery.
Dispelling the idea that marine wonder belongs only to tropical reefs, Beneath Irish Seas vividly demonstrates the extravaganza of life that waits to be discovered just off Irish shores.
Award-winning photographer Nigel Motyer has been diving and photographing Irish seas since the 1980s and has a remarkable portfolio of Irish underwater imagery. His photography has featured in many publications worldwide, including National Geographic.
224 pages 220 x 230mm COLOUR
COLIN DAVIDSON: TWELVE PAINTINGS
MARK CARRUTHERS
Twelve Paintings is an intimate and compelling exploration of the life and work of the renowned Irish artist Colin Davidson. Structured around a series of deeply personal conversations with the broadcaster Mark Carruthers, the book uses twelve key works –from early Belfast street scenes to iconic portraits of figures like Queen Elizabeth II, Seamus Heaney and Edna O’Brien – as gateways into broader reflections on art, memory and place.
Combining memoir and artistic manifesto, Twelve Paintings delves into Davidson’s creative process and the powerful human stories behind his work. Rooted in a long-standing friendship, the conversations accompanying the paintings offer a rare glimpse into the artist’s evolving practice.
Through these wide-ranging dialogues, Davidson reveals not only the technical and emotional depth behind his work but also his personal convictions –about creativity, identity and the role of the artist in bearing witness. With warmth and candour, he invites readers into the world behind the canvas, bridging the gap between private reflection and public expression.
Mark Carruthers is one of Northern Ireland’s best-known broadcasters. He joined BBC Northern Ireland in 1989 and now presents several well-established political programmes on television and radio, including The View, Sunday Politics and Red Lines. He is a passionate advocate of the arts, having served on the board of the Lyric Theatre in Belfast for almost fourteen years, eight of them as chairman. In 2011 he was awarded an OBE for services to the arts in Northern Ireland.
THE DODGER
DJ CAREY AND THE GREAT BETRAYAL
EIMEAR NÍ BHRAONÁIN
There was a time when DJ Carey didn’t need a surname. Kilkenny’s star player for a decade, he had a rare, natural talent that led his county to five All-Ireland titles and won him nine All Stars. But DJ wasn’t just a hero on the pitch – his charm, generosity and readiness to meet young fans made him a national treasure.
Yet at the height of his fame, strange rumours began to follow him. In 2003, shocking claims that DJ was dying of cancer swept the country. Who would spread such a story about one of Ireland’s most beloved sporting legends? And what could possibly be gained from it?
Two decades later, the truth emerged. DJ Carey was arrested and charged with fraud – accused of faking cancer to con money from those who trusted him most. For years, he had been telling the same lie to generous supporters who believed they were funding life-saving treatment in the US.
In this riveting exposé, Eimear Ní Bhraonáin uncovers the extraordinary fall from grace of a national icon, and how he betrayed the fans who once loved him.
OCTOBER 2025
€19.99 / £17.99
9781785374906
304 pages 226 x 153mm
Eimear Ní Bhraonáin is a journalist deeply rooted in her community. She previously worked as midlands and south-east correspondent of the Irish Independent, and in more recent years spent almost a decade working as a local broadcaster with KCLR (Kilkenny Carlow Local Radio). Since leaving her presenting role in May 2023, Eimear has been running her communications firm, Eimear.ie, based in County Carlow.
THE SWEETNESS OF LEMON’S
THE STORY OF IRELAND’S FAVOURITE CONFECTIONER
CORMAC MOORE
‘Pineapple rock, lemon platt, butter scotch. A sugarsticky girl shovelling scoopfuls of creams for a christian brother. Some school treat. Bad for their tummies. Lozenge and comfit manufacturer to His Majesty the King...’
Immortalised by James Joyce in Ulysses, Lemon’s Pure Sweets was a vital part of Dublin’s social fabric for over a century. Armagh native Graham Lemon opened The Confectioner’s Hall on Lower Sackville Street (now O’Connell Street) in 1847, and would soon become one of Dublin’s wealthiest men. As his business prospered, Lemon invested heavily in Dublin property, including most of Little Grafton Street, which was renamed Lemon Street in his honour in 1871 – a name it still bears. Among his tenants were the Gaiety Theatre proprietors and James Connolly.
Looted during the 1916 Easter Rising and forced to cut output due to World War Two shortages, Lemon’s weathered decades of twentieth-century upheaval before EEC free trade dealt the final blow, closing its Drumcondra factory doors for good in 1983. Yet the iconic name lingers – on tins of Season’s Greetings, and in the sweet memories it still evokes among the people of Dublin and Ireland.
Dr Cormac Moore is an historian-in-residence with Dublin City Council and a columnist with The Irish News who also edits its ‘On This Day’ segment. He has published widely on Irish history, including the books The Root of All Evil: The Irish Boundary Commission (2025), Laois: The Irish Revolution, 1912–1923 (2025), and Birth of the Border: The Impact of Partition in Ireland (2019).
€19.99 / £18.99 9781785375828
192 pages 230 x 170mm
COLOUR ILLUSTRATED
COVER TO FOLLOW
FLATS AND COTTAGES
HERBERT SIMMS AND THE HOUSING OF DUBLIN’S WORKING CLASS 1932–1948
EOIN Ó BROIN & MAL McCANN
A city gripped by an ever-worsening housing crisis. An expensive and insecure private rental sector. Rogue landlords running overcrowded and poorly maintained flats. Central and local government struggling to keep up with population growth and ever-rising housing need.
This is not Dublin in 2025 but in 1932, the year Herbert Simms was appointed the capital’s first dedicated housing architect. Over the next sixteen years, he spearheaded one of the most ambitious public housing programmes in the history of the state, delivering 17,000 flats and cottages in the inner city and emerging suburbs. Clearing some of Dublin’s worst tenements, Simms and his team gave modern homes to generations of working-class Dubliners, transforming not only their lives but the fabric of the city.
In this visually striking book, Eoin Ó Broin and Mal McCann utilise prose, urban photography, interviews and portraits to tell the story of Herbert Simms’ work during these tumultuous years and give voice to the history and experiences of today’s residents of his iconic buildings.
Eoin Ó Broin is a Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Mid-West and the party’s spokesperson on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. He is the author of five books, three of which were published by Merrion Press. He is currently working on a biography of Derry republican Mary Nelis.
Mal McCann is from Belfast and has worked as a photographer since 1994. He joined The Irish News in 2007 where he is currently the picture editor. He has won a number of regional and national photographic awards including the Northern Ireland Press Photographer of the Year.
/ £29.99
224 pages 245 x 210mm
S pring - S ummer 2025
RAMBLES IN ÉIRINN
WILLIAM BULFIN
‘A lovely gift to yourself or anyone with an interest in travel and history’ – Irish Independent
In 1902, William Bulfin embarked on a cycling tour of Ireland, his musings along the way offering a fascinating glimpse into early twentieth-century Ireland during a time of significant social change.
Based on a series of articles originally published in nationalist newspapers, Bulfin’s narrative is rich with encounters that reveal the character of the Irish people and their connection to the land. He reflects on sacred historical sites such as Tara and Vinegar Hill, agricultural practices, and the folklore that defines Ireland’s cultural heritage.
As he traverses the countryside, Bulfin’s poignant commentary on the socio-political climate following the Land War emphasises his disdain for colonial rule and his hope for Irish freedom. A staunch nationalist and friend of Arthur Griffith, sadly he would not live to see the goals of Irish nationalism realised.
With its vivid descriptions and evocative storytelling, Rambles in Éirinn serves as both a nostalgic tribute to a changing Ireland and an insightful exploration of its enduring spirit, making it a timeless read for lovers of travel literature and Irish history alike.
HARDBACK
FEBRUARY 2025
€21.99 / £19.99
9781785375408
344 pages 226 x 153mm
William Bulfin was born in Co. Offaly and emigrated to Argentina in 1884 where he worked on a ranch in the Pampas region. In 1902 he wrote Rambles In Éirinn, an account of his travels around Ireland by bicycle on his return to his homeland. Following his death in 1910, his son Eamon was involved in the 1916 Easter Rising and his daughter Catalina married Seán MacBride, a leading Irish republican who was the son of Maud Gonne and Major John MacBride.
THE SORROW AND THE LOSS
THE TRAGIC SHADOW CAST BY THE TROUBLES ON THE LIVES OF WOMEN
MARTIN DILLON
‘The writing is both journalistic and poetic, balancing cold, hard facts with an evocative portrayal of grief, resilience, and the devastating consequences of bloodshed and death.’ – The Irish Post
Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Martin Dillon shines a light on the impact of the Troubles on the lives of women, amplifying voices long silenced by the din of history.
Through raw and compelling testimonies, he explores the overlooked perspectives of mothers, wives and daughters whose lives were brutally affected by the conflict. Among those who share their stories are a survivor of the 1974 Dublin bombings, the wife of a notorious UDA assassin, and the daughter of a murdered judge. Dillon, the first person to expose the IRA policy of disappearing victims, delves into some of those brutal murders, including that of Jean McConville. He also unmasks the shadowy dealings of British intelligence and the impact of collusion on unsolved murders, exposing the layers of deception that have haunted families and communities.
The Sorrow and the Loss is an eye-opening and poignant exploration of this previously unwritten history of the Troubles, challenging readers to confront the harsh realities of a conflict where truth and justice remain elusive.
TRADE PAPERBACK
FEBRUARY 2025
€19.99 / £18.99 9781785375415
288 pages 234 x 153mm
PHOTO SECTION
Martin Dillon worked as a BBC journalist for eighteen years, producing award-winning programmes for television and radio, and has won international acclaim for his unique, investigative books on the Northern Ireland conflict. Conor Cruise O’Brien, renowned historian and scholar, described him as ‘our Virgil to that inferno’
THE BIG FIGHT
WHEN ALI CONQUERED IRELAND
DAVE HANNIGAN
‘A knockout read’ – Irish Examiner
On a balmy July evening in 1972, to the sound of The Dubliners, Muhammad Ali climbed through the ropes to fight Al ‘Blue’ Lewis at Croke Park. The most famous athlete in the world had somehow been inveigled to Ireland by Butty Sugrue, a charismatic entrepreneur who was ridiculed for trying to do the impossible right up to the moment Ali and his entourage touched down at Dublin Airport. And so began a week of the most glorious mayhem, as ‘the Champ’ charmed the Irish people.
Ali could be found jogging along Wicklow lanes, strolling into The Old Stand pub, chatting with street cleaners, and paying an early morning visit to the GPO to receive a history lesson about the Easter Rising. No matter where he fetched up, wonderful chaos ensued. Traffic stopped. Crowds gathered. The greatest show on earth had come to town.
Through interviews with dozens of those Ali met and worked with over the course of those seven unforgettable days, Dave Hannigan has pieced together an enthralling narrative of one of the most unique events in Irish sporting history.
Born in Cork city, Dave Hannigan is a former Irish Young Journalist of the Year. Starting his career at The Sunday Tribune, he now writes a weekly sports column in The Irish Times. Hannigan has written non-fiction books about Winston Churchill, Éamon de Valera, Terence MacSwiney and Brendan Behan. He has also written two other books about Muhammad Ali: Drama in the Bahamas and Fifteen Rounds in the Wilderness.
pages 226 x 153mm
WILD WATERWAYS
CELEBRATION OF LIFE ON AN IRISH RIVER
ROBERT O’LEARY
‘A
gorgeous little book of photographs’ – RTÉ Guide
In our modern, distracted world it is easy to miss the kaleidoscope of life that exists on our doorsteps.
Stretching nearly thirty kilometres from the Wicklow Mountains to the Grand Canal Dock, the River Dodder offers a serene escape into nature in our capital city. In Wild Waterways, Robert O’Leary showcases the river’s rich biodiversity through stunning photography and informative text in Irish and English.
In these pages, you are invited to pause and reconnect with the teeming wildlife that surrounds us – kingfishers diving, otters playing, wagtails busily foraging and emperor dragonflies patrolling the river’s surface for prey.
Showcasing birds, mammals and insects in glorious detail, these dazzling images remind us that you’re never too young, too old or too busy to ‘stand and stare’ and reconnect with the natural world in all its glory.
Robert O’Leary, a Waterford native with a Master’s degree from Trinity College Dublin, has enjoyed a long career in the education sector. He has written and lectured widely on educational issues both in Ireland and internationally. He is an active member of the Offshoot Photography Society, an Associate of the Irish Photographic Federation, and a member of BirdWatch Ireland.
ONE MAN’S IRELAND
MEMOIRS OF DAN MULVIHILL,
MAVERICK REPUBLICAN
OWEN O’SHEA
‘A valuable addition to the books on the 1918 to the 1924 period. It is a concise insight into the mind of the “ordinary soldier”.’ – Irish Examiner
In this unrepentant and revealing memoir, Dan Mulvihill, a leading figure in Irish republicanism recounts his fight for an Irish Republic over several decades and his central involvement in key events throughout the twentieth century.
Dan Mulvihill was at the heart of many of the most iconic and tumultuous events during Ireland’s revolutionary years. He was an IRA volunteer who fought and killed in the name of Ireland, a loyal ally of Éamon de Valera – who he smuggled out of Dublin at the beginning of the Civil War – a vehement opponent of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, a member of Liam Lynch’s staff in the anti-Treaty IRA, a prisoner and hunger striker, a spy and intelligence officer.
In One Man’s Ireland, Mulvihill details his life story from 1916 to the early 1980s, describing the seminal events in the history of the country as well as the many key figures in republicanism in his native Kerry and nationally. A self-styled maverick and committed revolutionary, Dan Mulvihill was a largely forgotten figure in Irish history, until now.
PAPERBACK MARCH 2025
€16.99 / £14.99 9781785375453
256 pages 215 x 135mm
Dr Owen O’Shea is the author of several books on history and politics in his native county of Kerry, including the highly-acclaimed No Middle Path: The Civil War in Kerry (Merrion Press, 2022). O’Shea currently works as Media, Communications and Customer Relations Officer with Kerry County Council. He holds a PhD from the School of History at UCD.
A YEAR IN THE WOODS
MONTALTO THROUGH THE SEASONS
PAUL CLEMENTS
‘Clements is deeply sensitive to the effects of the changing seasons, and aware of the other creatures who share this space – and he renders his experiences in stirring and beautiful prose.’
– The Irish Times
‘The frost has turned intricately created spider webs into thin necklaces slung between branches on shrubs. On the forest floor, leaves are rigid-stiff, while across the grass, the slender and frozen blades have a magical quality.’
Recovering from surgery, Paul Clements, together with his wife, Felicity, spent a year in a remote cottage in the woodlands of Montalto Estate, Co. Down. Through the lens of a curious observer and a budding bird watcher, Clements describes in exquisite detail his discovery of the restorative power of nature.
Fusing history, nature writing and memoir, he celebrates the changing seasons, from harsh winter storms to languid summer evenings. His captivating writing revels in the joy of a life spent outdoors and the small moments of wonder that come from being in surrounded by the natural world.
APRIL 2025 €18.99 / £17.99 9781785375484
240 pages 215 x 135mm PHOTO SECTION
Paul Clements is a literary journalist, author, and public speaker and broadcaster. A former BBC assistant editor, he is a recipient of the Reuter Journalist’s Fellowship Programme, a Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Royal Society of Literature. A contributor to The Irish Times, he writes a regular local history column and Irishman’s Diaries for the newspaper.
DEATH IN DERRY
MARTIN
McGUINNESS AND THE DERRY IRA’S WAR AGAINST THE BRITISH
JONATHAN TRIGG
‘A valuable contribution to the literature of the Troubles period’ – The Irish Times
When civil rights protests in the 1960s gave way to armed struggle, the Provisional IRA in Derry – both city and county – led the fight against the British security forces. In the city Martin McGuinness –a young butcher’s assistant from the Bogside – quickly rose through the ranks, launching a bombing campaign that reduced the city centre to rubble. In tandem, the IRA’s active service units fought the British Army in the streets and alleys of the Bogside, Creggan, Shantallow and the Waterside. Out in the townlands, a new generation from the county’s traditional republican families waged an equally ruthless war against their neighbours in the RUC and UDR. The Derry Brigade’s success would help propel McGuinness to the very top of the IRA’s Army Council.
By the early 1980s the Derry Brigade appeared untouchable. However, in reality, Special Branch and British Intelligence had infiltrated it from top to bottom and almost destroyed the brigade. By the mid-1990s its war was all but over, its ranks decimated by death and incarceration. This is the story of that war told by those from all sides who survived it.
A graduate of Bristol University and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Jonathan Trigg served as an infantry officer in the Royal Anglian Regiment, completing tours in Northern Ireland and Bosnia, as well as the Gulf. He is the author of over a dozen books of military history, including Death in the Fields: The IRA and East Tyrone (Merrion Press, 2023).
PAPERBACK
APRIL 2025
€18.99 / £17.99
9781785375477
304 pages 215 x 135mm
PHOTO SECTION
THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL
THE IRISH BOUNDARY COMMISSION
CORMAC MOORE
‘Crisp and insightful’ – The Irish Times
Described by Ulster Unionist leader James Craig as the ‘root of all evil’, the Boundary Commission that convened in 1924 was a symbol of hope for nationalist Ireland and fear for unionist Northern Ireland. Offered to Sinn Féin plenipotentiaries to help push the 1921 AngloIrish Treaty over the line, it was believed the Commission would transfer large tracts of the six counties back to the newly established Free State.
However, delayed by the Civil War and Unionist non-cooperation, and hampered from the start by the vague and ambiguous wording of the clause in the Treaty, by the Irish government’s naivety, by the intransigence of unionists, and by the duplicity of successive British governments, it ultimately bolstered the unionist cause, leaving the border unchanged. Swathes of Northern nationalists were abandoned to their fate, their trust in both British and Free State governments irrevocably damaged.
One hundred years on, Cormac Moore illuminates the fascinating and infuriating story behind the Boundary Commission’s momentous failure, which would have long-lasting, catastrophic consequences for the entirety of the island of Ireland.
TRADE PAPERBACK
MAY 2025
€22.99 / £19.99 9781788551779
312 pages 226 x 153mm
PHOTO SECTION
Dr Cormac Moore is an historian-in-residence with Dublin City Council and a columnist with The Irish News who also edits its ‘On This Day’ segment. He has published widely on Irish history, including the books Laois: The Irish Revolution, 1912–1923 (2025), and Birth of the Border: The Impact of Partition in Ireland (2019).
LOST GAELS
REMEMBERING THE MEMBERS OF THE GAA
KILLED DURING THE CONFLICT IN IRELAND
PEADAR THOMPSON
‘Groundbreaking’ – The Irish News
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. NEW IN PAPERBACK
MAY 2025 €24.99 / £19.99 9781785375583
368 pages 230 x 170mm
COLOUR ILLUSTRATED
Peadar Thompson is a lifelong Gael from West Belfast, Ireland. 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.
CATASTROPHE: NAKBA II
FINTAN DRURY
‘An essential book’ – Irish Examiner
‘Persuasive’ – The Irish Times
The Nakba or ‘Catastrophe’ occurred between 1947 and 1949 and saw 15,000 Palestinians massacred and more than 700,000 expelled from their homeland by Israel. Today, we’re witnessing a second Nakba –one being played out in front of our eyes.
In Catastrophe: Nakba II, Fintan Drury offers an unflinching exploration of Israel’s genocidal campaign. Through extensive research, he argues that the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 was the inevitable result of almost eight decades of violent oppression of indigenous Palestinians. In his view Israel’s response was totally disproportionate and without the active sponsorship of the U.S. and other major Western powers could not have happened.
Provocative, eye-opening and unapologetically direct, Catastrophe: Nakba II is a call to understand the unique suffering of the Palestinian people.
2025 €18.99 / £16.99 9781785375590
320 pages 215 x 135mm
Fintan Drury was a journalist with RTÉ in the 1980s. Before co-anchoring Morning Ireland for its first three years, he was a correspondent in Northern Ireland and reported from Britain, Europe, Africa and the USA. In 1985 he volunteered in the then largest refugee camp in the world, in Darfur, with GOAL. In 2016 he volunteered in a refugee camp in Athens, which led to a fifteen-part series in The Irish Times on the diary of a Syrian refugee. Fintan now lives and works in Dublin; he is chair of SARI (Sport Against Racism Ireland).
KINCORA: BRITAIN’S SHAME
MOUNTBATTEN, MI5, THE BELFAST BOYS’ HOME
SEX ABUSE SCANDAL AND THE BRITISH COVER-UP
CHRIS MOORE
‘Real-deal investigative journalism … a fantastic read’ – Nicola Tallant, Crime World podcast
For over four decades the story of the evil that occurred at the Kincora Boys’ Home in East Belfast in the 1970s and the shocking attempts by MI5 to cover it up have haunted our political and social terrain. Award-winning former BBC journalist Chris Moore has been working on the story since it first emerged in 1980, and has uncovered a horrific catalogue of failed opportunities to put an end to the sadistic activities of the men who were running the home, in particular those of prominent Orangeman and MI5 source William McGrath.
What has emerged over the course of Moore’s investigation is that not only were the boys in Kincora systematically sexually abused, but that some were forced into a countrywide paedophile ring, whose members included Lord Louis Mountbatten. Moore also exposes MI5’s attempts to cover up what actually happened and that the organisation knew as early as the 1970s that the boys in Kincora were being abused.
Kincora: Britain’s Shame is a shocking exposé of how the British state failed to protect some of its most vulnerable members.
TRADE PAPERBACK
MAY 2025
€19.99 / £17.99
9781785375545
272 pages 226 x 153mm
PHOTO SECTION
Chris Moore is an award-winning journalist and the author of six books. He became a local reporter in Northern Ireland in 1968 before joining BBC Northern Ireland in 1979. In 1982 he cut his investigative teeth on Kincora, a scandal which still permeates his work.
PURE GOLD
MEMORABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH REMARKABLE PEOPLE
EAMON CARR
‘A hugely entertaining read’ – Irish Independent
In the late 1980s Horslips lyricist and drummer Eamon Carr began his journalistic career by conducting interviews with an eclectic mix of famous people. Told in Carr’s immediate, entertaining style, Pure Gold is a portal to a time before practised TV chat show performances and the churn of social media sound bites, providing honest and sometimes introspective insights into the private lives of global stars and national treasures, such as Jack Charlton, Eartha Kitt, Shane MacGowan and Malcolm McLaren.
A natural raconteur, Carr soon discovered that people were eager to share their stories with him, from J.P. Donleavy’s accounts of his mercurial friendship with Brendan Behan to Brenda Fricker’s memories of delivering her acceptance speech when she became the first Irish woman ever to win an Oscar.
Almost cinematic in his descriptions, Carr’s conversations with this cast of luminaries are searingly honest, irreverent and profound, highlighting the humanity that unites us all. Pure Gold is a treasure trove of interviews that will remain with the reader long after the book is closed.
Writer, musician and art historian Eamon Carr is a widely published commentator on culture, arts and sport. A member of Horslips, he co-wrote and recorded a series of innovative best-selling albums. His published work includes The Origami Crow, Deirdre Unforgiven, Foundation Song and Showbusiness with Blood. His dramas include DUSK and CúChulainn Awakes.
UNBROKEN
SECRETS, LIES AND ENDURING LOVE
MARY ATTENBOROUGH & MICHAEL GALLAGHER
‘Riveting’ – The Irish Times
‘Our outside door came crashing in. Deafening thumps, steel banging on steel and shrill, piercing whistles filled the hallway. Faraway voices called out in the dark: “Armed police.” Others, coming nearer, shouted orders: “Get down on the floor.”’
On 28 October 1996 Glaswegian Michael Gallagher is arrested in an armed dawn raid on the London flat he shares with long-time partner, Mary Attenborough. Accused of playing a role in the IRA mortar attack on Heathrow Airport in March 1994, Michael proclaims his innocence. Mary meanwhile throws herself into the battle to free him and highlight what she sees as just another example of British ‘justice’ getting it wrong.
Told in the alternating voices of the two authors, the dramatic story unfolds with Michael struggling against the harsh conditions of incarceration, while Mary focuses on organising his legal defence, battling to stay positive in the face of soul-destroying setbacks and emotional hardships.
Yet behind it all lies a secret that could tear the couple apart. How can their love survive?
Mary Attenborough is a mathematician, software engineer, former lecturer and author of two third-level engineering mathematics textbooks.
Michael Gallagher, a Glasgow-born former civil servant and day-at-a-time recovering alcoholic, enjoys walking, singing and playing freestyle football. The couple now live in north-west Donegal and, since 2000, have jointly run a web development business.
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