Clay

This book looks at the people of Meath during the turmoil of the revolutionary era. As politics, war and revolution intruded on daily life, some embraced the chance for change, risking life and livelihood for their chosen cause; others resisted the tide. But for most the responsibilities of work and family, getting the children out to school and worrying about money, were more pressing concerns.

Between 2016 and his retirement in 2022, Assistant Garda Commissioner John O’Driscoll was the public face of Garda operations targeting organised crime. This put him at the centre of a long-running quest to bring down the Kinahan drug cartel, culminating in US sanctions being imposed – an unprecedented development spearheaded by O’Driscoll. But the Kinahans were just some of the many notorious drug dealers and criminals O’Driscoll successfully brought to book.

For over sixty years, Alice Taylor has lived in the village of Innishannon. But her childhood was spent on a farm in north Cork, near the Kerry border, and her memories of that homeplace are vivid. Here, she recalls the people and places from those days with her trademark warmth and wit.