This entertaining book contains fascinating and quirky sketches of the capital city, past and present, like pirates executed in St Stephen's Green and Mother Bungy's 'sink of sin' in what is now Temple Bar. Rogues and charlatans, heroes and harlots a-plenty stride through the pages of this book, bringing colourful historical Dublin to life.
Puts the author's life in the context of his childhood and early formative years. This book concentrates on the numerous places his family lived - it also pinpoints the haunts of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus. It is of interest to Joycean pilgrims and students of Irish literature alike.
Conan Kennedy’s Dún Laoghaire is different, both as a book and as a place. As a book it is interactive, with QR links throughout to bring the reader to further info, and as a place it is different because the town is essentially, the writer’s home town…as distinct from all the other home towns he’s lived in around the world.
Genealogical/Local History interest. Based on a petition raised by “workingmen” in the 1890’s, this book tracks the families of those who signed, who they were, and what became of their children and grandchildren. One of whom turned out to be a top man in present day RTÉ!
The original was published 15 years ago. Still in print and popular, it appears in several editions. But times chagnge. And People too. The second Southside is a different book entirely.