A fitting tribute to John B. Keane, for decades Ireland's favorite storyteller, this winning short story collection typifies the late author's folkloric imagination and storytelling arts. These are congenial tales, too, as this literary legend views the foibles and fallibilities of Irish country folk with abundant compassion as well as a shrewd, sometimes sardonic eye. Add to that Keane's glorious sense of fun and roguery that will make readers relish all the more how and why, in "Fred Rimble," Jim Conlon kills the best friend he ever had. Or how Willie Ramley determines that his future wife will be "Guaranteed Pure." Or how, to tragic as well as comic effect, a gasp, garlic, and gossip undo Denny Bruder in "The Hanging." In all, Keane uncovers the folly in the romantic pangs, exalted aspirations, misguided mischief, and everyday shortcomings of the characters in the village of his storyteller's mind-and beyond the folly finds their humanity.

Life is harsh in close-knit community of Dirrabeg, a community on the Dingle Peninsula facing extinction in the mid-1950's. Many of the young have left for England or America, where there are opportunities and chances for secure lives. Those remaining behind love their land and their independence but fear for the future as the bogs get thin, the yields are poor, and the children have little hope of success. 'We never died a winter yet.' A wickedly funny and insightful novel from the author of Sive, The Field, The Year of the Hiker, and many other classic works. In the Kerry village of Dirrabeg in the 1950s, the annual wren dance is a moment of light within the dark winter, especially for bodhrán player Donal Hallapy, whose skills are in high demand. But this paganism, and the singing, dancing and drinking that take place, are anathema to Canon Tett, who resolves to crush the old customs. Donal Hallapy, devoted father of a large family, is a bodhran player. He is always in great demand whenever the once-a-year wrendances take place, a day long festival on St Stephen's Day, which can be traced back to pagan times. This paganism, the secret nature of the celebrations, the singing, dancing and drinking that takes place, and the fact that the church has no control over them has made them anathema to "the clan of the round collar," in the person of Canon Tett, an ultraconservative and downright sadistic priest determined to bring the free spirits of Dirrabeg to bay by ending the fun of the wrendances. Wickedly funny and full of insight into age-old conflicts and a lifestyle long passed into memory.

These are the ways the world ends. Thirty-four new and selected doomsday scenarios. From the personal to the global, the hilarious to the political, the experimental to the scary-as-hell, each of the writers in this enthralling, provocative new collection has looked into the future and found it missing. Canonical literary figures, contemporary masters, and a few rising stars have joined together across boundaries of place and time to celebrate the inexhaustible vitality and variety of the short story by writing their own endings to the story of the world. Obliteration never hurt so good.--Back cover.

A collection of over fifty stories that captures the excitement, romance, and playful mischief associated with Christmastime in County Kerry, Ireland.

This collection of interviews with exceptional women from the Emerald Isle “will make you laugh, and cry, and think, and love” (Mary Higgins Clark, international bestselling mystery author). Open the door to the legends of successful, inspirational women with one common thread—a heartwarming connection to Ireland. Each story, in its own unique way, is about pursuing a dream and making a difference. Whether it’s one by the great mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark, playwright Marianne McDonald, or the authors themselves, each illuminates how these wise women have made a difference in their own corner of the world. “What a wonderful book, again illustrating that the Irish have it all, both the tragedy that shaped their thoughts and the joy and wit to see the rainbow after every rainfall. This book is the most precious pot of gold you could ever find.”—Marianne McDonald, PhD, MRIA “Wise Irish Women embraces the essence of the Fearless Women books, illuminating women who shine in their lives and make a difference in spite of their challenges and fears.”—Mary Ann Halpin, internationally acclaimed author and photographer of the Fearless Women books

Full of fantastical places like Kumdown Upwardz, Gadzooks and Urgburg-under-Ug, eccentric kings and queens, lessons in kindness, peace and even royal thriftiness, wrapped up in more than a smattering of nonsense, The Dribblesome Teapots brings together ten modern fairy tales to be enjoyed by generation after generation of young readers. Including original illustrations by Fritz Wegner, this is a charming classic of the future.

There are more shades to John B. Keane's humour than there are colours in the rainbow. Compassion, shrewdness and a glorious sense of fun and roguery are evident in this collection, which brings together all John B's short stories. Included are gems such as A Hanging and Guaranteed Pure.

In this volume are hundreds of short pieces which represent the distillation of the experience of a funny, witty, wise and passionate observer of the bright tapestry of Irish life. All human life is here, and Keane tells its story in an astonishing procession of remarkable characters and in rare humorous glimpses of his own career. This is a collection to prize.

A stunning, evocative novel set in Ireland and Canada, Away traces a family’s complex and layered past. The narrative unfolds with shimmering clarity, and takes us from the harsh northern Irish coast in the 1840s to the quarantine stations at Grosse Isle and the barely hospitable land of the Canadian Shield; from the flourishing town of Port Hope to the flooded streets of Montreal; from Ottawa at the time of Confederation to a large-windowed house at the edge of a Great Lake during the present day. Graceful and moving, Away unites the personal and the political as it explores the most private, often darkest corners of our emotions where the things that root us to ourselves endure. Powerful, intricate, lyrical, Away is an unforgettable novel.