There’s been increasing reports concerning the state of Ireland’s deteriorating healthcare systems over the last few years but, in some respects, we should be glad for what we’ve got. We have, for example, mostly avoided hiring the likes of Dr Slop (an inept character from Tristram Shandy who spends most of the book trying to… Read more »
There’s a lot of fantasy out there when it comes to women warriors, particularly where it relates back to those in the Irish or Celtic realm. To be fair, the subject is hardly a new one. Since the development of literature itself, writers and readers have been enamoured by tales of fighting women (particularly Herodotus… Read more »
Every time I come back from Ireland it’s a ‘Battle of the Books’ in terms of permitted baggage weight on international flights. I suppose the only good thing is that its something of a natural restriction to excess reading. This is a selection of the books I carried in my bag (but not all) last… Read more »
We did some exploring around Na hÁrainneacha (the Aran Islands) for a few days this month, carrying out research on a number of the prehistoric fortresses and hoping to get a few photos that we could work into future covers for the Fionn mac Cumhaill series. Most people tend to associate the islands with the… Read more »
The attached photo will be the cover shot for Irish Imbas Books’ exciting new range of romantic and erotic novels under the brand “Love on The Aran Islands”. Titles include: First Touch at Killronan (Cill rónáin) Fast Times at the Dark Fort Fierce Goings On at Dún Aonghasa Forty Shades of Bungolwa Hot Sweats in Innisheer… Read more »
ENTERING THE IRISH OTHERWORLD I went to explore one of the more famous entrances to the Irish Otherworld yesterday. A fascinating experience I’ll be using at some stage in one of my books. Expect a post on this in the newsletter.
Broody days in the Galway Gaeltacht under skies like a mottled bruise. I’m travelling around Ireland at the moment, catching up with old friends and family and doing a lot of research. Some of my travels took me up through the Galway Gaeltacht – a place I haven’t been in a long time. I couldn’t… Read more »
Earlier this year I entered a competition (initiated by author Mark Lawrence – of ‘Prince of Thorns’ fame) called the ‘Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog Off 2016’. This basically sees three hundred self-published and small-publisher fantasy books assessed by ten different speculative fantasy book review bloggers and … (well, yes. A bit difficult to explain and I… Read more »
It’s always the little things that get you. Wandering in from the yard back in Cork yesterday, this cluster of wooden sentinels triggered a twinge of emotion as I recalled playing hurling myself as a kid. I was never a particularly gifted player but there really is no sport like it in the world (in… Read more »
In September 2015, we initiated our inaugural Celtic Mythology Short Story Competition. At the time, the plan was to publish a compilation that included the best of the submitted stories but also some explanatory commentary (in terms of the mythology/folklore aspects covered in the stories). This was, we figured, an effective means, not only of… Read more »
It gives us immense pleasure to announce the launch of the 2016 IRISH IMBAS CELTIC MYTHOLOGY SHORT STORY COMPETITION . Submissions will be accepted for this competition from 1 September 2016 to 10 December 2016. This is the second year that we’re holding this competition and we’re coming into it a little wiser, a little… Read more »
Yes, its that time of year again when we give some indication of where things are at on the (cough, cough) ‘production line’. Fionn: the Adversary (Fionn mac Cumhaill Series: Book 4): It’s been something of a frustrating month with this book. Although I’ve been working quietly on the various scenes, given its burgeoning length… Read more »
It’s been something of a hectic June here in Wellington this year but I did manage to fit in an interview with Capital Irish Radio (based here in the city). Capital Irish Radio are a volunteer-run group who produce a weekly, 28 minute programme for Irish people (I occasionally present a show – about 2/3… Read more »
Like many other Western countries, poets, politicians and artists in Ireland also fell into the trap of trying to personify their nation, that is, trying to characterise the concept of the country as a person, usually a beautiful young woman. Such personifications are mostly restricted to the western world and were most popular in the… Read more »
In May 2014, I was champing at the bit to start a new creative writing project. Feeling somewhat tired and shagged out from publishing Beara Dark Legends (that particular epic took about two years out of my life) however, I was keen to try something different, but different in a way that let me use… Read more »
I recently came across this cartoon which quietly tickled my fantasy. In itself, the caricature is quite amusing but the cartoon also effectively captures the immense societal change in in Ireland from pre-history (as in ‘before records were kept’) to the early medieval period. The Cúchulainn and Fionn mac Cumhaill tales all predate the introduction… Read more »
This is kinda embarrassing so I’m not going to dwell on it. Three months ago, in preparation for a sales event on St Paddy’s Day, I ordered a box of hard copy books from Createspace (over 50). During the online order process though, I must have been tired because I inadvertently selected ‘Niger’ instead of… Read more »
In ancient Ireland there were patches of grass called ‘Hungry Grass’ that leapt off the ground to swallow you whole, digest you down and spit you out like a … Actually, er … No, wait .. Hang on. Oh, yeah! Hungry Grass was actually a patch of grass that was completely indistinguishable from other… Read more »
