Age 14
An Irish Boy Soldier
Geert Spillebeen
Translated by Terese Edelstein.

Twelve-year-old Patrick Condon wants to escape his impoverished life in Waterford. He gives the army the name, John, and age, seventeen, of his older brother, and is enlisted. When World War 1 breaks out in 1914, the battle seems far away. A few weeks before his 14th birthday, in May 1915, Patrick dies in the Battle of Ypres. This is the true story of a young boy craving adventure and glory, and the tragic way he achieved both.

978-1-84889-056-5

Children 9–14
PB
200 pp
210 x 148 mm
€6.99/£5.99
NOT YET PUBLISHED: Due in September 2010

Geert has his own website and for those of you who don't fancy practicing their Dutch, there are a few pages in English! Click here for more information.

Now Available

Cork’s St Patrick’s Street
A History
Antóin O'Callaghan.

The story of St Patrick’s Street is in many ways the story of Cork. It is Cork’s main street and the heart of the city. The newly refurbished street opened in 2004, retaining the natural curve of the one-time river channel. This history takes us from its beginning in the 1780s to the present day. Who created and named the street? Why was it named after the national rather than local saint? How has it evolved? This is where Cork people assemble, in celebration or in sorrow, in religious processions and parades. Copiously illustrated with maps, plans and photographs, both new and old, and packed with interesting snippets of information, this is for all with an interest in Cork City.

978-1-84889-057-2

Irish Interest
HB
200 pp
247 x 189 mm
€29.99/£26.99
NOT YET PUBLISHED: Due in September 2010

Now Available

Hugh O’Flaherty
His Wartime Adventures
Alison Walsh .

Hugh O’Flaherty, a cheerful Kerryman who loved sport, was in Rome in 1939 when the Second World War broke out. Unable to watch from the safe haven of the Vatican as people were arrested and sometimes killed, he set up an escape organisation for Allied POWs, Jews and others who needed help. The Gestapo chief, Kappler, had ordered Hugh be captured or killed, yet Hugh regularly donned disguises and ventured out in to the city. It was a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse between the Nazis and Hugh’s network of helpers, which included priests and nuns, communists, a Swiss count, British soldiers and the singer Delia Murphy. By the time the Allies freed the city, he had helped over 6,500 people. Written especially for children, this is based on the best-selling biography, The Vatican Pimpernel by Brian Fleming.

978-1-84889-058-9

Children’s Non-fiction
PB
230 pp
210 x 148 mm
€6.99/£5.99
NOT YET PUBLISHED: Due in September 2010

Following the publication in 2008 of Brian Fleming's The Vatican Pimpernel, the Hugh O'Flaherty Memorial Society was set up to spread the word about this brave Kerryman. The Society hosts a memorial weekend in November each year. Click here for more information.

Now Available

Privilege & Poverty
The Life and Times of Irish Painter and Naturalist Alexander Williams RHA (1846-1930)
Gordon T. Ledbetter.

Alexander Williams was the first artist to open the West of Ireland to a broad audience. His life was extraordinarily wide-ranging. A landscape painter, he was also an apprentice hatter, a taxidermist and a professional singer. Illustrated with a wide selection of his work, this biography illuminates the diversity of his life and times with material found nowhere else.

978-1-84889-034-3

Biography/Irish Art
HB
440 pp
246 x 174 mm
€40.00/£35.99
NOT YET PUBLISHED: Due in August 2010

Gordon has set up a website to whet your appetite for all things Williams! Click here for more information.

Now Available

The Ship of Seven Murders
A True Story of Madness & Murder
Alannah Hopkin
with Kathy Bunney.

In 1828, the Mary Russell sailed into Cork Harbour from the West Indies. Seven crewmen lay in the main salon, brutally murdered by the captain. The trial was a sensation as survivors revealed a tale of danger and delusion. But what really happened? This bizarre tragedy and the dramatic court case are unravelled in this gripping account.

978-1-84889-036-7

Irish True Crime
PB
240 pp
198 x 128 mm
€12.99/£11.99
August 2010

Alannah Hopkin’s previous book was Eating Scenery – West Cork, the people & the place, which was also published by The Collins Press. Click here for more information.

Now Available