New Books & Titles | Drowned-Out Voices by GhostÉire | Second in the GhostÉire Investigates series

Drowned-Out Voices by GhostÉire

– Tales from Haunted Ireland this Halloween –

Drowned-Out Voices by GhostÉire
Available to buy online

Drowned-Out Voices by Anthony Kerrigan, Sinead Houlihan and Jenifer Kerrigan is the latest instalment in the GhostÉire Investigates series and continues where the previously published, The Rising of Haunted Ireland from 2016, leaves off.

Collectively, the authors form the paranormal study group, GhostÉire, who together seek spiritual and scientific explanations for the paranormal, the supernatural and similarly unexplained phenomena. Their investigations of possible hauntings take them to many locations, the length and breadth of Ireland.

This volume contains written and audio-visual accounts of just such investigations, conducted at locations that include the castles at Athlone, Blarney and Clonony; a bridewell gaol in Tarbert, Co. Kerry; the Old Fever Market Hospital in Gort, Co. Galway; the former Leamy School in Limerick (which counts the writer, Frank McCourt among its alumni); the Old Cork Waterworks overlooking the River Lee; Blennerville Windmill in Tralee, Co. Kerry; Loop Head Lighthouse in Co. Clare; a Longford visitor centre that commemorates the 1798 Battle of Ballinamuck; Cork's Civic Trust House and Applerock Studios, situated in the heart of Dublin’s infamous 'Monto' district, while investigations of a subterranean nature are recorded at the ancient Rathcroghan/Oweynagat cave complex in Co. Roscommon.

The Story of Sarah Reynolds concerns a sad and somewhat distressing case of a young servant woman who died in 1862 and whose remains lie buried at Killegy Cemetery near Muckross House in Killarney, Co. Kerry. It is based on a paranormal investigation that the group conducted at the grave site in 2012.

Elsewhere, a short story entitled Ouija Believe It? is obviously meant to be taken lightly, concluding as it does with an unexpected but amusing twist.

In their bid to see beyond the veil and to delve into the minds of the Spirits whom they reach out to, they employ a range of techniques, which include midnight séances, Ouija boards, channelling and mediumship, all vividly described in eerie, exciting and absorbing detail.

Drowned-Out Voices by GhostÉire is published under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, in print (both paperback and hardback) and e-book editions, fully illustrated and accompanied by 98 minutes of video footage (DVD and online video formats).

The book comes with a parental advisory that it is suitable for 16-year-olds and older, as it contains strong language and possibly disturbing themes.

Over the years, GhostÉire is a paranormal research team have travelled to various parts of Ireland to investigate plausible hauntings, giving personal insight into the investigations that they have conducted, offering rational thinking towards any strange phenomena that has been observed. Further information about their work is available from their website.

New Books & Titles | The Dawning of the Day by Liam Nevin

The Dawning of the Day by Liam Nevin

– sweeping-epic family drama set against background of a turbulent decade in Irish history –

As Ireland's Decade of Centenaries draws to a close, a recently published historical novel by Liam Nevin recounts that turbulent period in a sweeping epic of interweaving tales concerning three families, their trials and tribulations, their lives and loves.

The Brennans are a working-class family from Dublin's inner city. In 1915, John Brennan enlists in the British Army, where he experiences the horrors of war first hand.

In nearby rural County Kildare (but almost a world away) are the Byrnes, a family of farm labourers who work for Major O'Kelly, a wealthy landowner of Irish Ascendancy descent.

Events that are about to unfold will change everything – forever and for all concerned.

The genesis of this book, Liam Nevin recalls, lies in a story that his mother used to relate to him as a young boy, of a soldier being fatally wounded in a field that they would pass on their Sunday walks. The incident occurred during Ireland's civil war (1922-23) and, it stoked an interest in him that he would often return to.

I never remembered being taught much about that time when I was at school in the sixties. It was probably too painful or too embarrassing for those who lived through it. Most history books went only as far as the Anglo-Irish War, when Ireland had 'won her freedom'. I remember the enmity that existed between neighbours when I was growing up in the fifties and sixties. I struggled to understand why some families were for and others against the Treaty of 1921. My research would lead me to the answer.

The 1913 Lockout, the Great War, the Easter Rising of 1916, the Irish War of Independence and subsequent civil war all come within the scope of this narrative. Faithful attention to historical detail adds to its allure. However, it is the impact of these events on the human level (the individual and interpersonal tales) that offer up a rich seam of storytelling.

A native of County Kildare, Liam Nevin lives in Shepperton, England with his wife Marlene, where he is now retired, having worked for forty-one years at Heathrow Airport. He writes on Irish and local history, in both fictional and non-fictional styles.

The Dawning of the Day by Liam Nevin is published by The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, in print and e-book editions. Previously published works by Liam Nevin include The Tobacco Fields of Meath (2010) and Brightening Over Dillon's (2016), which are also available to buy online.

Hear Liam Nevin speak to Theresa Quinn of Liffey Sound FM about his books and writing activities

Events | SiarScéal Festival 2022 | Hanna Greally Literary Awards

SiarScéal Festival 2022: Dates for Your Diary

– including the Hanna Greally Literary Awards –

SiarScéal Festival 2022 takes place on Saturday, 12 November at Roscommon County Library HQ. Proceedings get underway at 10am and a full programme of events is available from the festival website.

The closing date for the Hanna Greally Literary Awards, which takes place annually, in conjunction with the festival, is Friday, 14 October. There is every enticement to get you entries in. A total prize fund of €600 will be dispensed, including prizes of €200 each for overall winners in the poetry and prose categories plus, €100 each for highly commended entries and a €100 prize for overall winner in a separate Student category.

Entry is free but limited to one per person and may consist of poetry or prose/short story writing styles but should be on the theme of this year's competition, which is Sunlit Mornings, Ebbing Tides. Full details, including terms and conditions and how to enter are available from the SiarScéal website – see Competitions page.

Results will be announced and, prizes presented at the festival in November. Music, recitals, readings from the winning entries, an open-mike session will also feature on the day.

For further information about SiarScéal Festival and the Hanna Greally Literary Awards may be found on the SiarScéal website.

Dates for Your Diary

Hanna Greally Literary Awards

• Closing date for entries is Friday, 14 October 2022 with results to be announced at ...

SiarScéal Festival 2022

• Date: Saturday, 12 November 2022
• Time: starts 10pm
• Venue: Roscommon County Library HQ, Abbey Street, Roscommon (see Google Maps for directions)

New Books & Titles | The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan | Book Launch

 The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan

– Book Launch: Saturday, 8 October at Fr. Flanagan Community Centre, Ballymoe, Co. Galway –

The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan is the author's third collection of poetry and, arguably, his most ambitious date. Whether addressing himself to issues such as pandemics or the war in Ukraine, to more universal themes of redemption and re-birth, battles of the body and the bullying of the mind, Tiernan's observations go straight to the human heart, breaking down the distance of what is right from what is wrong, conveying it all in his unique and inimitable lyrical style.

From the Pen of William Tiernan

Mine is a hard hammering against the wall of flame.
The demon we must come to terms with and tame.

A new day brings a new, raw hunger and thirst.

I must give the world my poem and my word.
Without having to fall on my sword.

The heart can be touched by crying
But, the soul knows not of dying.

It's smiles we give and tears we fall.
We belong to the universal call.

I'm sick and tired of war and dying.
Sick and tired of hunger and homelessness crying.

I'm into me and I'm the whole world's lover
And, I know there are many mysterious things to discover.

The road less travelled is the road best left behind
And, the better one, perhaps, is the one we've yet to find.

Existence is forever so short
But, life at times, too long.

Old fashioned, I might be but, most of the poetry nowadays doesn't turn me on. I like the stuff to rhyme, while this thing of survival gets on my bloody nerves.

William Tiernan is a poet and author who resides in rural Galway, close to the Roscommon border. His writings reflect his personal experiences and convictions as well as strong ties to the community in which he lives, his identification with the place where he grew up. These impressions are particularly reflected in the first two volumes of his poetry: Greetings from Guilka, Ballymoe (2016) and Bluesy Ballymoe (2018). In 2014, he was National Winner in the poetry category at the Hanna Greally International Literary Awards, organised as part of the annual SiarScéal Festival in Co. Roscommon.

The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan is published under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, along with other books by William Tiernan.

Copies will also be on sale at the official launch of the book, to take place on Saturday, 8 October at the Fr Flanagan Community Centre in Ballymoe, Co. Galway, starting at 8pm. The author will be on hand to sign copies.