Search results for ""O'Brien Press""

Solace is that feeling of calm and comfort, that sense of peace that is all around us when we are open to finding it. Writer and photographer Catherine Drea explores the solace to be found in nature and creativity. She reflects on loss, the cycle of life and the healing power of family and community. She muses on the joy of finding a place to call home, the escape that travel brings and the exhilaration of plunging into our waters – all the while embracing the therapeutic power of observing the ordinary and the everyday. With the passing seasons, her camera captures fleeting moments in nature – the light and lie of the land with its precious wildlife: among them sentinel robins, elusive Irish hares and serene swans. Solace is quite simply a balm for the soul. ‘In this beautiful book Catherine Drea explores deeply emotive issues, calms the mind, soothes the soul, and focuses her sensitive lens on the wonders of the natural world.’ Alice Taylor, author of To School through the Fields

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‘There were twenty-five hours in my day then ... any job or challenge that the ocean or the harbour might offer was an option. I undertook them all.’ Des Lavelle was born on Valentia Island in County Kerry in 1934, surrounded by the wild Atlantic waters. Known to the world for his passion for the nearby Skellig Islands, Des has led a fascinating and varied life, but his heart forever draws him back to Valentia. His wide-ranging memoir takes us on an extraordinary journey from an idyllic childhood on Valentia, through a short-lived ‘permanent, pensionable job’ with the Western Union Telegraph Company to a rich and fascinating life where the sea always offered opportunities. When the movie Ryan’s Daughter needed marine advice in 1968, they came to Des. In 1974 a North Sea oil rig sought him out to help with a giant safety net, and a few years later his special skills came to the fore once more as Telecom Éireann laid their cables under the waves. From sea-faring on his beloved 32ft Béal Bocht to pioneering deep-sea diving, running a ferry, campaigning for his beloved island outpost, crewing with the Valentia lifeboat and travelling to far-flung places, Des Lavelle shares his ups and downs on his road to becoming a renowned author and expert on the historical and wildlife riches of Kerry’s intriguing Skellig Islands. Island Boy is the compelling story of a man born and raised in Valentia and of a unique life that he continues to live to the full.

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Alice Taylor brings the reader with her on her 80th birthday year. Alice had a big birthday on the horizon, the village was about to celebrate many milestones, and she had just received the gift of a book focusing her on the art of living well. So she decided to write about her year as it unfolded, to keep a journal of the big events, and record the twists and turns normal life brings to all of us in just one year. But 2018 turned out to be far from normal, with storms, snow blizzards, blistering sun, severe drought and water shortages. She describes the challenges of all these dramatic weather changes. Alice began the year wondering how she would feel about reaching eighty. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was just another milestone on a journey that is still varied and interesting. Here she writes about these feelings, and the many pleasant and challenging events of her eightieth year.

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Do you remember John Giles and Eamon Dunphy when they lit up the pitch, and not just the TV studio? Or Jack's Army beating Italy in Giants Stadium? Or Siapan? Ray McManus and his team at Sportsfile were there, passionately following the boys in green and capturing the essence of this physical, punishing sport and those who play it. With reminiscences from photographers and players alike, this book is a look back over the decades at the legendary players, matches and moments that have contributed to the narrative of our contribution to one of the world's most exciting sports. A must for soccer and sport fans wherever they are.

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Two centuries, two children, one house Beth didn’t want to move to Dublin – she misses her old life and her friends back in London. New home and new school is hard enough, but to make matters worse someone keeps messing up her room … At first, Beth blames her annoying brother, Cormac, but when she discovers a boy called Robbie, from the 1950's, is slipping through time and into her room, then things start to get REALLY weird! The two create havoc together, learn about each other’s worlds and manage to help each other when they’re down. But the 1950s and the present day sometimes seem very far apart … Can their friendship stand the test of time? A mischief-maker from the 1950’s – a shy girl from today and a time-slip adventure like no other

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Number 1 Bestseller Paul Williams is Ireland's No. 1 award-winning crime reporter, famed for exposing the ruthless gangsters behind Irish crime. In Gangland! he investigates who is pulling the strings behind the scenes - the families that form the Irish mafia - and examines the way in which their net has spread across Ireland and beyond. Compelling, chilling and unput-downable, Gangland gives the inside story on a dark and sinister world.

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Set in rural Ireland in the early 1960s, a sequel to The Woman of the House and Across the River, House of Memories concludes the story of two neighbouring farms and their feuding families. Following his brutish father's death, young Danny Conway strives to rescue the family farm from ruin. When all seems hopeless, help comes from the most unexpected quarter. A story of grief and trying to cope with loss, but also of resilience in the face of family tragedy. No one knows the minutiae of country life as Alice Taylor does, and again she displays her unique ability to capture its rhythms and cadences.

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The Hair-Raising Adventures of an Irish Vet. Whether castrating horses in Dublin's inner city or dehorning cattle in the wilds of Wicklow, rescuing mangled cats from mongrels or tending to stoned guard dogs, vet Gillian Hick's sense of humour never deserts her in this engaging account of the challenging situations she encounters in the course of her work as a newly qualified veterinary surgeon. Not only does she have to deal with the animals and their ailments, but she also has to contend with the perils of matchmaking mothers and macho farmers -- not to mention the guys who want to know 'where is the real vet?'

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A book on all aspects of farming in Ireland, including traditional farm animals like cattle, sheep, goats and poultry and more unusual animals like alpacas, wild boar, rhea and fish. A charming and engaging book filled with information, much of it Ireland-specific, presented in a light-hearted and child-friendly text. Original illustrations and photographs are featured throughout in an interactive layout. Featuring mighty muckers, horned heroes, woolly ones, hoofed heckles, feathered friends and happy helpers.

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One man's story of life in The Joy -- compulsive, chilling and frank. A no-holds-barred account of a criminal's time in the notorious Dublin prison, as revealed to journalist Paul Howard. This extraordinary life story tells it all. The desperate lifestyle of a junkie; bullying and savage beatings among the prisoners; ingenious drug-smuggling ploys; the despairing cry for help of a failed suicide attempt. But alongside the pain there is humour -- from the hilarity of World Cup celebrations to the distraction of a beautiful aerobics teacher, from bingeing on altar wine to the shortest-ever "hunger strike". The first ever glimpse of Mountjoy Prison -- from the inside. Illustrated with black & white photographs. With a new introduction by the author.

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Life in New York is exciting for newly settled Sally and her sister Bridget. When the girls discover an old photograph they are determined to find Miss Cameron's lost love, and maybe help their sick friend Betty too. Can everyone's stories have a happy ending?

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We Irish have enriched the English language with a slew of snazzy gems. Did you know we're the ones behind quarks, electrons and vectors, Sudocrem and Wellington boots? No surprise that we invented begrudgery, but croquet and Wunderkindwere us too! So if some yahoo is getting on your nerves, don't box him in the gob hit him with Irishisms galore, and you'll soon put the kibosh on his shaninagans. Y'dig?Written and illustrated by Colin Murphy and Donal O'Dea, the craggy old blokes behind the bestselling Feckin' Collection and Stuff Irish People Love.

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Born to a small fishing community on the Shannon, Patsy Peril grew up with a traditional gandelow boat. Ardnacrusha, the enormous hydro-electric station, threatens the river's wildlife. It is Patsy's mission to save the Shannon's wild salmon.

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Grandad and Lenny are trying to paint the living-room. But Grandad’s paint is very old and it’s gone quite strange. It has stripes and patterns in it….. At first it seems like fun to make pictures with this weird paint. Lenny calls his picture ‘Fang’ because it looks like a creature, and Grandad calls his ‘Mildred’. Lenny and Grandad decide to hang their pictures on the wall and go in search of frames. But when they return the pictures have disappeared. It looks like they’ve been stolen, but then they realise something else has happened.... That’s when things start to go terribly, terribly wrong…

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Uncovering secrets is like undoing braids, one at a timeAbidemi can't wait for summer. She's ready to spend some time learning new hairstyles and see where things go with her friend Jack. But when she meets an intriguing woman from Nigeria, secrets start to unravel

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From Malin Head to Killybegs, from Ardara to Arranmore, join photographer Kate Slevin on a journey around Ireland's most spectacular county.

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Dublin 1920 ‘Above the noise of the crowd, I could hear men shouting. I looked back and saw them – a line of trucks, and men with guns starting to run towards the field. That’s when it happened.’ On a bright day in November, three boys joined the huge crowd heading to a Gaelic football match at Croke Park. Excitement filled the air, but also fear. Important men had been killed in their beds that morning by the IRA. The police were angry. In the middle of a cruel war for Irish independence, people were afraid of what might happen next. But that war wouldn’t come to Croke Park. Would it?

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Winter is coming, and all the geese are flying to their new home in Ireland. But Little Goose gets blown down, down, down by a sudden gust. Can Finn and his mum help her find her way home?

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Which are the biggest and smallest animals? Which are the most dangerous? Why do dogs love people so much? What animals can live in the heat of the desert, or deep below the oceans? Sarah Webb is animal crazy and has put the answers to all these questions and more in Animal Crackers, a book bursting with information about animals of all types! Crammed full of pictures, cartoons and more from Alan Nolan this is the perfect book for children who want to know more about our furry, feathered (and scaly!) friends. With a special section on Irish wildlife, and the 'Irish Animal Detective' activities, children will want to explore their gardens, parks and beaches to seek out all kinds of native animals. Animal Crackers also provides fun facts and engaging activities that kids will love - from how to draw your favourite animals to suggestions on how you can help save the planet!

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Karl and Rosa's family watch in horror as Hitler's troops parade down the streets of their home city -- Vienna. It has become very dangerous to be a Jew in Austria, and after their uncle is sent to Dachau, Karl and Rosa's parents decide to send the children out of the country on a Kindertransport, one of the many ships carrying refugee children away from Nazi danger. Isolated and homesick, Karl ends up in Millisle, a run-down farm in Ards in Northern Ireland, which has become a Jewish refugee centre, while Rosa is fostered by a local family. Hard work on the farm keeps Karl occupied, although he still waits desperately for any news from home. Then he makes friends with locals Peewee and Wee Billy, and also with the girls from neutral Dublin who come to help on the farm, especially Judy. But Northern Ireland is in the war too, with rationing and air-raid warnings, and, in April 1941 the bombs of the Belfast Blitz bring the reality of war right to their doorstep. And for Karl and Rosa and the other refugees there is the constant fear that they may never see their parents again. Based on a true story -- there was a refugee farm at Millisle and among its occupants was a young boy called Karl.

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