Columba Books

John G. O'Dwyer's Irish walks have become famous through his column in The Irish Times. Now his 50 favorite rambles are gathered here in one pocket-sized volume.

Every Irish mountaintop can be reached by a reasonably fit walker, doing nothing more technical than putting one foot in front of the other. This means the Irish highlands have been accessible to humans since the dawn of history. Small wonder then, that these mountains did not become distant objects of reverence and fear, as they did with the huge and difficult to access summits in other countries. Instead, they became a unifying feature of the landscape and have been purposefully woven into the myths and legends used to bind communities. No matter where you go, the Irish uplands have been loaded with history and legend while being lauded in song and story for through the ages they have been intertwined with the course of Irish history.

Daniel was diagnosed with cancer last summer and began the difficult journey of medical treatment. It was a natural instinct for him to journal his thoughts and feelings during this time as he faced the idea of his own mortality. This resulted in him writing his final book Dancing to my Death, which is an incredibly raw and honest account of Daniel’s struggles to cope with his diagnosis and the idea of meeting his God.