Manuscript Publisher

John Toland, the Irish-born rationalist philosopher, lived between 1670 and 1722. Starting in Ireland, his travels and his journeys took him to Britain and continental Europe. A centenaries web project, dedicated to his life and work, has been created to serve as a free online resource and repository of knowledge pertaining to his writings, the times in which he lived and the intellectual current that he, along with others, spearheaded and represented.

"The lyrics from which this book is named after, I feel are fitting. They encapsulate joy and freedom: something I have struggled and fought for, for a long time and feel I have achieved through poetry and spoken word. I have found my voice and freedom through this beautiful art form that has ultimately changed my life."

The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan is the author's third collection of poetry and, arguably, his most ambitious date. Whether addressing himself to issues such as pandemics or the war in Ukraine, to more universal themes of redemption and re-birth, battles of the body and the bullying of the mind, Tiernan's observations go straight to the human heart, breaking down the distance of what is right from what is wrong, conveying it all in his unique and inimitable lyrical style.