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AN INSIGHT INTO AN ICONIC SINGER AND SONGWRITER

‘I promised not to tell, so I wrote it down instead . . .’

Lydia Little tells the story of her extraordinary brother, Fergus O’Farrell, by bringing the reader through an intimate, raw account of his wake and funeral – all the while carrying the secret of how he really died.

Fergus was the charismatic voice of Interference, an iconic band in the Irish music scene in the 1990s. His song “Gold” features in the Oscar-winning  film Once, which stars his close friend Glen Hansard. Breaking Out, an award-winning film telling the story of Fergus’s life, went out on general release in 2021.

Overload is not just a tale of loss and secrecy. It is also a discovery of music and the joy that can be found within grief and giving ourselves permission to allow that joy in.

“A unique perspective on the life and death of Fergus O’Farrell, an original authentic poetic genius. His music will outlive us all.” — Steve Coogan, actor and comedian

 

“Overload tells a story we feel we all know – that of grief and loss – in such detail and complexity that it is always compelling. It is an intimate after-party to which we’re all invited.” — Tara Flynn, actress

 

Oir QR

QR codes are placed throughout the book to allow readers to connect directly to Fergus’s songs.

Steve Redmond

An inspiring story of courage and endurance

Stephen Redmond was the first in the world to complete the Oceans Seven, a series of seven grueling cross-channel swims in different parts of the world, and yet his greatest challenge has been to complete a 44-kilometre swim around the Fastnet Lighthouse off the south coast of Ireland.

In this inspiring book, written in a witty, gently self-mocking style, he tells the story of his previous successes, how the Fastnet challenge began to dominate his life, and how he has overcome the many demons that plague him in order to believe in his own destiny.

This is a tale of great honesty and courage and will be a source of encouragement for anyone facing a major challenge in sport or in life.

He found the life he was looking for
on a West Cork mountainside...

Armed with “self-belief and convictions and music”, Fred Callow left the UK in 1990 to put down roots in rural Ireland in search of a simpler, more authentic way of life. In West Cork, he discovered what he calls his “Family”, a group of like-minded people living in a place called Cool Mountain. 

In Blow-In, Fred tells of his life for over thirty years with this community of “strongly individualistic” and “sometimes eccentric” members, many of them refugees from Thatcher’s Britain. 

Despite initial suspicions stirred up by unscrupulous media commentators, this so-called “hippy” community managed eventually to establish an excellent relationship with local people and became a major contributor to the artistic and musical culture of West Cork.

A Cool Mountain Life

Read Ellie O’Byrne’s interview with Fred on Tripe + Drisheen

Blow

Will Percival win the scariest ghost competition?

‘There was once a ghost named Percival.

 He was no ordinary ghost, much to his dismay. You see, all that Percival wanted in life was to be ordinary. Instead he had small rainbows all over his non-body. All the other ghosts in Afterville were quite ordinary. Not a single dot, spot or stripe.’

This delightful tale with a Halloween theme and a West Cork background has been written and illustrated by Skibbereen-based illustrator Michelle Verfaillie.

It will be launched at the Scarecrow Festival in Leap, West Cork, on October 29.

The author with Percival in Skibbereen
The author with Percival in Skibbereen.
The Scariest Ghost cover
COMING SOON
Thoth

A Magician’s Memoir

Best-selling author Herbie Brennan tells of his life-long fascination with mysticism, sparked at a young age by a discovery in a bookcase in his aunt’s house. That fascination eventually led him, after a successful journalistic career, to publish more than 100 books for children and adults, many of them reflecting his experiences and experiments with magic over the years — including, spiritualism, hypnosis, and astral projection .

THE DEEP END

A poignant memoir by novelist Mary Rose Callaghan of growing up in mid-twentieth century Dublin in a family that had fallen into poverty because of her father’s drinking and mismanagement The story focuses on her relationship with her mother who, despite a descent into mental illness and alcoholism, left her daughter the invaluable advice “to go in the deep end” to mine her memory for the sake of her art.

A Life in Many Acts

“Hands in the earth, head in the air. I think that might describe me. All my life I have mixed gardening and performing, and it is a beautiful mix . . .” Actress Fiona York’s fascinating autobiography recounts her young years in Ireland and Kenya and how her life became dominated dominated by two passions — for acting and for growing things, the latter leading to some extraordinary experiments in self-sufficiency.

A master of humour

‘If you have to read one book about bird-watching, misuse of drugs, and Glasgow Celtic, make sure it’s this one. All others are an illusion, mere tomfoolery on the playing field of life’s suchness.’ — Yogi Zen master Roshi Tzepan. Two novellas  from  master humourist and Celtic fanatic Hugh Bradley — The Kirkintilloch Mammoths and Glasgow Celtic Twitchers’ Society

GET IN TOUCH WITH US

Phone: + 353 (0) 87 148 8990 / +353 (0) 87 2720028
Ballyhillow, Leap, Skibbereen, County Cork, IrelandP81 RK51
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