Cliffs Of Insanity: A Winter On Ireland’s Big Waves

by Keith Duggan

Surfing in Ireland was once considered little more than a fringe and slightly lunatic pursuit. The treacherous coastline and ice waters of the Atlantic did not sit comfortably with the stereotype of surfing as the favoured pastime of the bronzed and privileged. But with the discovery in the past few years of the gargantuan Aileen’s wave at the Cliffs of Moher and other heavy waves, the Irish coast has become one of the worst kept secrets in world surfing.

In Cliffs of Insanity, the Irish Times sportswriter Keith Duggan tells the story of a dedicated group of surfers in County Clare whose lives revolve around the pursuit of Ireland’s wildest waves. The book traces the evolution of Fergal Smith, the young Mayo man whose intuition for big waves has earned him a serious reputation and explores the world of Mickey Smith, the roving Cornish man who discovered Aileen’s and whose breathtaking surf photography has caught the Irish landscape in an entirely new and original light.

Bitter cold days, broken bones, busted boards, scars, near drownings and countless hours in the freezing water trying to read the ocean is the price they pay for those few transcendent seconds when they master a wave.

Cliffs of Insanity is about the importance of pursuing what matters in life but it is also about community and friendship, and the passionate pursuit of a way of life that flies in the face of everything championed in Ireland over the last decade.

Come This Way Home

by Liz Lyons

One wet and stormy Irish summer, the three Miller sisters gather at their grand but shabby old family home, Tobar Lodge.

Gina, middle sister and mum to a troubled teenage girl, is doing her best to keep the old country house afloat by playing host to summer visitors who rent converted cottages on the land.

Eldest, Lottie, is home to lick her wounds after her latest romantic adventure has ended in disaster once again.

Rachel, the youngest, has led a more charmed life but this time is coming home accompanied by a family struggling after the collapse of her husband's business.

As family and strangers meet and collide, and a long hidden secret is exposed, they begin to discover that love and life is all about losing, yearning for and ultimately finding a place called home. By the time the holiday season draws to a close, all will realise that complications of past lives simmer just beneath the surface, a rich layer of secrets concealed from the eyes of others but keenly felt in the hearts of those to whom they belong.

Crocodile Tears

by Mark O'Sullivan

In the freezing winter of 2010, with the Irish recession in full flow, property tycoon Dermot Brennan is found dead at his Dublin home. Leading the murder investigation is fifty-six-year-old Detective Inspector Leo Woods, an embittered former UN peacekeeper with a drug habit, a penchant for collecting masks and a face disfigured by Bell’s Palsy. DI Woods meets his match in Detective Sergeant Helen Troy, a bright and ambitious but impetuous young policewoman with a troubled family.

A host of suspects quickly emerge – Brennan’s estranged son; two of the dead man’s former business associates with grudges against him; a young man whose life was ruined after his house, built by Brennan, was flooded; an arrogant sculptor who may or may not have been having an affair with Anna Brennan (and with their neighbour); and an ex-pat American gardener. Together, Woods and Troy weave their way through this tangled web to get to the shocking truth.

Mark O’Sullivan is an exciting new voice in literary crime fiction. Already an acclaimed children’s fiction writer, he has produced in Crocodile Tears an excellent murder mystery, which has the depth of character of Kate Atkinson combined with the plotting and ambiguous moral codes of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse.

Dalo: The Autobiography

by Anthony Daly

Anthony Daly was the most successful captain in the history of Clare hurling, leading the county to two All-Irelands and three Munster titles. Regarded as an inspirational figure by his fellow players, Daly’s innate leadership and character prompted the Clare players, just three years after he had finished his playing career, to pursue him as manager at the age of just 34. During his three years in charge, he took Clare to the cusp of two All-Ireland finals, agonisingly losing the 2005 and 2006 semi-finals to the eventual winners, Cork and Kilkenny.

It was that kind of ambition and drive to succeed which attracted Dublin hurling to Daly. Taking over the county in 2009, he led Dublin, in 2011, to their first National League title in 72 years and, in 2013, their first Leinster title in 52 years, before he retired as manager in September 2014.

Dalo takes us from the early days growing up in Clarecastle through the early part of his career with Clare, the golden years and the extension into management, punctuated with intense and revealing stories from the dressing-room. Interlaced with drama, tragedy, his love of other pursuits, and his immense wit, Anthony Daly’s autobiography offers a compelling insight into a unique personality in modern Irish sport.

Dan Shanahan - If you don't know me, don't judge me: My Autobiography

by Dan Shanahan

Dan Shanahan is a legend in modern hurling, a three-time All Star and winner of 'Player of the Year' in 2007. His time as an inter-county senior hurler coincided with the remarkable revival in Waterford's fortunes, which saw them win the Munster Final four times in the last decade.

In this candid and revealing autobiography, Dan speaks about his love of the game, which grew out of an idyllic childhood in Lismore and his apprenticeship with the Lismore club. He first made his mark as a senior player with Waterford in 1998, under the management of Gerald McCarthy. But it was when Justin McCarthy took over as manager in 2002 that the Waterford team really began to shine, Dan sharing the glory with such outstanding players as Tony Browne, Eoin Kelly, John Mullane and Ken McGrath.

Yet tensions between the players and manager built up in 2007/2008, culminating in a frustrated Dan famously refusing to shake Justin's hand in public. McCarthy resigned and was replaced by Davy Fitzgerald, who led Waterford to the 2008 All-Ireland Final.

Dan's charisma and extraordinary goal-scoring ability earned him a place in Waterford hearts. His goal in extra time in the 2010 Munster Final against Cork proved what a vital player he remained, and was a fitting climax to a great career. He retired from inter-county hurling shortly after.

A tattoo on Dan's arm reads: If you don't know me, don't judge me. It's a testament to Dan's determination to succeed in the face of adversity.