Merrion Press

On the 23rd May 2015 the people of Ireland made history by becoming the first country in the world to introduce marriage equality by popular vote. The joyous scenes from Dublin Castle and across Ireland, as the historic vote was declared, made headlines across the globe. But more than anything else, the May 2015 vote was about changing the ‘Real Lives’ of the largest minority group in Ireland: the LGBT Community.

IN AUTUMN 2021, veteran Irish journalist and broadcaster Charlie Bird publicly announced that he has motor neurone disease. Despite this devastating diagnosis, he knew that he wanted to do something to help others, and so he decided to organise a charity climb of Ireland’s famous Holy Mountain, Croagh Patrick. Little did he know then that he would create a national event and raise almost €3 million for charities close to his heart, Pieta and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

This is the gripping inside story of Ireland’s bankrupt billionaire, Sean Quinn, who went from rags to riches before gambling it all on Anglo-Irish Bank shares, becoming the world’s biggest personal loser of the economic collapse of 2008.

The follow-up to the phenomenally successful and beloved Old Ireland in Colour, winner of Best Irish-Published Book at the 2020 An Post Irish Book Awards.

Thousands are homeless, tens of thousands are languishing on social housing waiting lists, even more are unable to afford to rent or buy. Why is our housing system so dysfunctional? Why can it not meet social and affordable housing needs?

All across Ireland, thousands of people are living in apartments and houses with serious fire safety and structural defects. Some of these have made the news, many more have not. Defects: Living with the Legacy of the Celtic Tiger tells the horrifying story of these people and how they came to be trapped in dangerous homes.