Liam Lawton is widely known for his spiritual and inspirational music, which has touched the lives of many thousands of people across the world.
In The Hope Prayer, he has created a beautiful book of over forty new prayers - each one expressed in his distinctive and illuminating voice. Including selected song lyrics, this book will take the reader on a comforting journey of the soul, across all kinds of terrain.
Here are prayers of friendship, love, death, healing, illness, calm, inspiration, marriage, Christmas, providence, remembering, working, celebrating life - all brought together through the theme of hope.
Kate thinks she's ready to settle down with boyfriend Brian, though their relationship is far from perfect. But then a tempting job offer from charming family friend Will gives her other ideas ...After a series of hopeless relationships, Kate O'Neill is ready to settle down, so when her New Age Shaman boyfriend Brian finally asks her to marry him, she accepts. Even though her clannish, close-knit family disapprove of him, Kate knows that deep down Brian loves her.
But Kate's eccentric actress mother, Grace, is determined to prevent Kate from making the biggest mistake of her life. She hatches a plot to scupper the engagement, enlisting the help of the whole family, even roping in Will Sargent, manager of mega cool rock-band Walking Wounded, and unrequited love of Kate's life, in the hope that he can provide a change of direction for Kate's affections.
Reluctantly enlisted, Will offers Kate a job cooking for Walking Wounded, while they are holed up in Tuscany working on their new album.
As temperatures in the kitchen begin to heat up, will Kate realise her feelings for Will are stronger than ever, or does Grace's plan backfire and send Kate straight back to Brian?
Whether your taste was for fiddlestix or Flavour Ravers, Trigger bars or Two and Twos, Marathons or macaroons, Peggy's Legs or Push Pops, Liquorice Allsorts or Little Devils, You'll Ruin Your Dinner has something for you.
From the heyday of Cleeve's toffee to the birth of the Tayto Cheese & Onion crisp, it transports us back to the days when sweet shop windows across the country boasted tempting confectionery displays, when summer was heralded with a visit from the ice-cream cart, and when Grafton Street was the sweet shop capital of Ireland.
And then there was the golden age of Irish-made sweets, when the entire nation downed tools to listen to Fry-Cadbury's soap The Kennedys of Castleross and Gay Byrne cut his teeth on The Urney Programme.
The next three decades brought enduring favourites along with fleeting fads, but the craving for a sugar-rush remained steadfast for generations of Irish kids to come. These mouth-watering memories are captured here across the decades in an assortment that will keep you dipping back in for more - and it won't ruin your dinner.
Here the many sides to addiction are explored in stories which, though often raw and at times heart-breaking, are bound together by their courage, honesty, hope and resolve. Each one recognises the power of openness in emerging from the dark shadow cast by addiction. In looking to a brighter day, they assert the loudly and clearly that, even when we feel at our most isolated, we are never alone. Help is at hand. With contributions from well-known public figures who have struggled with addiction, including Paul McGrath, Ben Dunne, singer Mary Coughlan and Oisin McConville, the accounts are interspersed with the thoughtful reflections of addiction therapist Frances Black on many themes of recovery. You Are Not Alone is a book that will give hope and practical advice to the hundreds of thousands of Irish people out there whose lives have been affected by addiction.
In Flesh and Blood, Sunday World Investigations Editor, Nicola Tallant looks at the rising phenomenon of murder-suicide in Ireland, at events which, while shocking in the extreme, happen in tight-knit communities, behind the closed doors of apparently loving homes. She takes us inside these houses of horror and pieces together what happened in seventeen prominent cases, including the horrific murder of four-year-old Deirdre Crowley, whose abductor father shot her dead so that her mother would never see her again; the case of Caitlin Innes, murdered after her Communion Day; the tragic McElhill children, torched to death by their own father; and the case of mother Sharon Grace who, in a state of extreme desperation, drove off a pier with her children in the car. It examines what warning signs, if any, were there before loving fathers and mothers turned killer in their own homes, and looks at the roles of the HSE, the Gardai and families and friends in the build up to these tragic events. Is it too easy to whitewash these crimes as those of the mentally ill? Or can jealousy tip the scales in an otherwise balanced mind? Are there common factors that link these cases? And what steps can be taken to ensure that warning signs are heeded in the future before tragedy strikes again?
We are where we are has become one of the great truisms of the current crisis facing the country. But how did we get here and can an inspection of the roots of our modern failings - of government, state agencies and church - help us to pave a way forward?
Scandal Nation argues the case as it analyses twelve key events since the foundation of the Irish state that shaped us as a nation. It examines the culture within which these events occurred, how they unfolded and their impact on what followed.
Since she rose to international fame in 1985 with her seminal Irish jazz album Tired and Emotional, Mary Coughlan's battles with addiction, the problems in her personal life and career have been well documented. But until now she has never spoken of the traumatic events in her childhood that led to a life of rebellion, running away, and reliance on drugs and alcohol.
In this funny, moving and typically outspoken memoir, Ireland's best-loved jazz singer pulls no punches in getting to the heart of what made Mary so contrary.Detailing her battles with the bottle, her suicide attempts and her confinement in psychiatric hospitals, Mary tells of how, after hitting rock-bottom, she pulled herself out of the dregs of a vodka bottle to confront the foundations of her problems head-on.
As she tells her story - with a ribald, running commentary on the highs and lows of celebrity culture - we get to experience an alternative evolution of Ireland in the '70s and '80s, populated with hippies, rock stars and movie moguls, and one wild Irish girl determined to live a life less ordinary.
When Desmond Doyle finds his girlfriend dead in the bath, having cut her wrists, he is devastated. But there are inconsistencies with how suicide wounds would be inflicted and he quickly comes under suspicion and is arrested for murder. Though soon released, Detective Inspector Harry Kneebone is convinced of Doyle's involvement.
As they await the coroner's verdict, Doyle attempts some semblance of normality by returning to his job as curator for a new restaurant that will display original art. When he meets up with artist Gina Harding, he is deeply disturbed by paintings she has been strangely compelled to create in recent days. He recognises in them the likeness of his girlfriend's death scene. Can they shed light on Daphne's death, or is it all a bizarre coincidence?
As Doyle's grip on what is real and unreal becomes increasingly uncertain, a chain of events unfold that lead him to doubt his own sanity. Falling Slowly is a compelling and fast-paced psychological drama that questions the nature of perception and experience, as one man struggles to uncover a dark truth.
Death and violence are all Pavel Sunic has ever known. Only one person matters to him, his sister Ana. When she pays the ultimate price to secure his release from a Bosnian prison, he vows to avenge her death. The bloody path he creates leads to Dublin. QuicK Investigations is suffering. With his partner Sarah Kenny still missing, John Quigley struggles to keep the business afloat. When Rose Butler approaches him to investigate the death of her daughter Alison, John takes the case even though the evidence points to suicide.Yet why did the promising doctor and mother of two choose to die alone in a shabby hotel room? What was her relationship with Ivan Colbert, a disgraced surgeon? And just how dangerous is the dead woman's husband?Torn between his case and his personal life, John is stretched beyond capacity. And the arrival of Pavel Sunic threatens to bring the whole pack of cards crashing down.Blood Money: first do no harm, second, run for cover.
It's just days after the Folkapalooza concert and having saved the world, Twenty Major is looking forward to some R&R but little does he know that his murky past is about to catch up with him ...
Notorious Dublin gangster Tony Furriskey is calling in his marker. Years ago he helped Twenty and Jimmy the Bollix out of a hole and the time has come for them to repay the favour ... or end up swimming with the Dublin Bay prawns.
Tony's youngest daughter, is about to marry a man he thoroughly disproves of and it's down to Twenty and Jimmy to make sure the wedding doesn't happen. They must follow the young man and his pals to Barcelona where the stag weekend is taking place, infiltrate the stag party and make sure, one way or another, that the wedding doesn't happen.
But will Twenty's Barcelona past catch up with him? Which one of the group
finds true love at last? And can they put down the cheap mojitos long
enough stop the wedding?
In the city of Gaudi and Picasso, Twenty, Jimmy, Stinking Pete and Dirty Dave are more gaudy and pickarse-o as they try and enjoy the Mediterranean sun while getting the job done.
The voices of Jane's mum and dad ring in her ears. These days, they never stop fighting. She squeezes her eyes shut and wishes she could do the same with her ears. She resorts to the only thing she knows to help her cope. When her best friend Leah questions her about the criss-cross marks on her arms, Jane blames the cat. And when Leah tells her that true best friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other, Jane knows that's only talk. Everyone has secrets, even Leah. She never mentions her brother Jack, sometimes it's as if he never even existed. And yet, his absence is so palpable you can almost touch it.Alison, Jack's mum, escapes into her dreams, where she becomes reunited with her dead son. It is less than a year since he was killed in a tragic road accident, for which she blames herself, and the pain still feels like an open wound in her chest. She struggles to hold herself together for the sake of her family, but the strain is telling, and when she and Jane's dad Dermot meet, it feels briefly that they are kindred spirits. But darker conclusions lie in wait.The Cut of Love explores two journeys of the heart, one of an adolescent girl, the other of a middle-aged woman. As their paths interweave, a remarkable story unfolds - at once modern and timeless -that is bitingly real, deeply tender and utterly unforgettable.
In March 2008, Bertie Ahern announced his resignation as Taoiseach, prompted by ongoing evidence in a planning inquiry that uncovered he had received large sums of money when minister for finance. Yet, even in defeat, he remained the most popular politician of his generation, one for whom the defining 'Teflon Taoiseach' tag had not entirely slid away.
However, what made Bertie Ahern unique was not his enormous popularity or the revelations about his personal finances, but his dependence on a power base largely separate to Fianna Fail: 'the Drumcondra Mafia', a largely unknown, fiercely loyal, close-knit group of friends. When Ahern was Taoiseach the centre of power was arguably as much in St Luke's, the legendary constituency office bought by the Drumcondra Mafia, as in Government Buildings.
Bertie Ahern and the Drumcondra Mafia takes the reader inside the organisation and examines how they not only established the most efficient electoral machine in the country but put 'their man' in the most senior political office in the state. It also details how, in his rise to power, Ahern acquired substantial sums of money while propagating the image of a man with no interest in money.
Finally, it tracks his descent with the investigation into his finances, a descent punctuated by one final victory, in the 2007 general election. This is the story not just of Bertie Ahern but of the men and women who travelled with him on his extraordinary journey.
Whether revealed as something to be glimpsed, grasped, sought after or savoured, here a host of Irish people express what happiness means to them, in diverse and often deeply personal ways. Not all are well-known, but each one has done something fulfilling and lasting in their lives. The pieces in Sonas: Celtic Thoughts on Happiness reflect the philosophies, motivations and spiritual paths that can help us to keep an optimistic eye to the future, even in troubled times. A book to bring a smile to your face. Contributors include Bertie Ahern, Derval O Rourke, Michael Flatley, Peter McVerry, Patricia Casey, Alice Taylor, Vincent Browne, Fintan O Toole, Patricia Scanlan, Sebastian Barry, Seamus Heaney, Francis Brennan, David Norris, John O Shea, Sr Stanislaus.
Fr Michael Flaherty returned to the Island to hide from the world, knowing that those he loves are in danger just because he is alive.But try as he might, he can't escape his past - and, soon, a phone call in the night makes him realise that he has to face his enemy one final time to rid himself of the evil that threatens everything - and everyone - he holds dear.He finds himself in the middle of Jerusalem and in the middle of a fight for the greatest resource the city has - water. As the leaders of the Christians, the Muslims and the Jews argue over which of them owns the vast underground lake beneath the city, those at ground level are involved in a much more simple argument - who should live and who should die?As Michael struggles with his own salvation will he know who to trust and who to destroy?
Every parent's fear is not to be there for their child, to answer their questions, to give them advice and guide them through life.
When Jordan Ferguson was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of thirty-four and told he had only months to live, a psychologist advised him to write a letter to his nine year old son Sebastian for when he wasn't there - a letter with words and advice to help him when he was growing up. But Jordan wanted to leave a lasting legacy for his son. He decided to gather together words of wisdom and advice from a host of Irish people who have succeeded and excelled in life. The result is Dear Sebastian, a collection of letters to a young boy from writers, politicians, artists, clergy, sports stars, musicians and business people with their poignant, honest and inspirational thoughts on living life in the best way possible. The letters in Dear Sebastian deal with the pain of loss but above all they speak of hope, of the optimism of life, and the enduring power of love.Jordan passed away quickly and without having had the chance to write his own letter to Sebastian. In his final days, he asked his mother to complete the book. She gave him her word that she would do this. Jordan died on 27 June 2008.Dear Sebastian is a father's remarkable legacy of love to his son.Contributors include: Gay Byrne, Ronan O'Gara, Shay Given, Derek Davis, Christy Moore, Pat Kenny, JP McManus, Gloria Hunniford, John Magnier, Daniel O'Donnell, Sr Stan, Brian Cowen TD, Pauline Bewick, Patrick Kielty, Nicky Byrne and many others.
A missing lottery ticket throws a once closeknit community into chaos, and leads everyone to wonder: how well can you ever know your neighbours?St Enda's Terrace, nestled in the heart of Dublin city, is like any other closeknit community - there's the newly-weds planning on having a baby; the single mother raising her children on her own; the upwardly mobile couple who bought in the height of the boom, and the long-timers to whom everyone goes for advice.
But behind every closed door, there are secrets. And when the street syndicate wins the national lottery, but the ticket is nowhere to be found, these neighbours are about to discover just how much has been kept hidden...
As friendships and relationships are put to the test in the search for the missing ticket, the residents of St Enda's learn that, while good times might come and go, good friends are forever.
'We will never achieve true happiness if we continue to search for it outside the very source of love, which we know is God himself.'In Calm the Soul: A Book of Simple Wisdom and Prayer, The Poor Clares, an enclosed order of nuns based in Nuns' Island, Galway, draw on the fruit of their monastic lives and suggest simple practices to help nourish our souls and find a sense of calm in today's world.With practical advice in preparing for prayer, The Poor Clares look at ways we can slowly build up the amount of time spent in prayer and meditation in our daily lives, to achieve a sense of peace and well-being. They combine reflections on familiar prayers, such as the Our Father and Hail Mary, with meditations on Scripture, and prayers for specific needs such as depression, self-esteem and sickness.An inspiring book of simple spirituality which offers faith and hope to anyone seeking solace in today's world.
Angry Baby Katie Woods has a clear message for today's politicians: 'We (the generation of tomorrow) are not going to take this mess lying down.'
Founder of the ground-breaking political party 'Babies for Change', in this no-holds-barred account of her short but extraordinary life to date, Katie pulls no punches as she shares her vision for a better future.
It includes her anti-austerity manifesto - Ignore the Troika! Special prisons for bankers! Rejuvenation through pram lane construction! - an account of her friendship with her 'guru' Fintan O'Toole ('what would Fintan do?'), life on the campaign trail, and the inside story of her often tempestuous relationship with nanny/campaign manager Siobhan Devlin.
Visionary, raconteur, voice of Ireland's disenfranchised, young Angry Baby tells it like it is as she declares 'Ireland is open for business.'
In her hilarious debut, Maeve Higgins smashes the brittle veneer on the creme brulée of life and hands around spoons, so we can all taste the delicious absurdity that lies beneath. She then promises to stop making terrible food analogies about everything.
From terrifying hen nights, malevolent dolphins and angry bakers, to runaway cats, a stalker who won't commit and the curse of over-politeness, Maeve writes with warmth and wit about what it's like to be a regular human girl.
We Have a Good Time...Don't We? introduces a strikingly original voice that celebrates the truth of what we really feel about ourselves through these hilarious and perceptive snapshots of life.
It's March in Ireland - the flat season is about the start and Irish Times racing correspondent, Brian O'Connor has decided to boldly go where no racing correspondent has gone before. He puts his money where is mouth is and attempts to turn Euro 5,000 into Euro 50,000. But can he actually do it ...
In Add A Zero, we join him on his quest as we're taken through the highs and the lows of the world of Irish racing, where we meet with leading personalities, trainers and jockeys such as Aidan O'Brien, Dermot Weld, Michael Kinane, John Magnier and many others.
From drunken dinner parties to famous racecourses like the Curragh and Galway, the tips keep on coming - with mixed results! - in a book for racing buffs and novices alike.
As the season progress so does the book, but will Brian show that there's no such thing as a poor bookie? Or will his horse romp home? A betting man might ask 'what are the odds?'
Every year, a close-knit group of friends spend two sun-filled weeks in a Spanish villa. For Derek and Sharonne, Conor and Maeve, Rory and Trish, and Liam, it's the perfect way to end the summer and escape their high-pressured lives in Dublin. No children, no responsibilities, and no distractions. This year, however, the group befriends Agneta and Anna Maria, two women holidaying in a neighbouring villa, and a series of events is set in motion that will shake the group to its very core.As the holiday comes to an end and the friends arrive home in Dublin, life appears to go back to normal. But the deceptions that began in Spain refuse to be buried and infidelities and secrets come to the surfaceAs facades crumble, each of the friends discover who they can trust and who, ultimately, will betray them. But will they learn to live with the consequences of their actions?
Addled mother-of-three finds her identity buried under layers of clutter in her unkempt home. Dealing with the unrelenting demands of children, the ever-growing pile of laundry, dishes and post, she finds herself having to admit she's no longer able to cope. Enter her very own 'listening angel' - a supposed good Samaritan from the local charity set up to give support to 'Mums' under pressure. So why can't she get a word in edgeways? And why is her husband's mood suddenly so elevated - when a certain angel is hovering nearby? Thus unfolds a dark and hilarious journey into the wilds of suburbia, where unforgettable characters dwell and the unexpected is never far away. Told through diary-style musings, Notes for the Next Time explores the murky depths beneath the smooth surface of life in a hilarious, surprising and genuinely moving read. And what looks to be the final nail in the coffin of our mum-on-the-edge's ebbing sanity may actually provide the much-needed catalyst for change.
John Carthy was an average guy, a hard-working young man devoted to his mother and sister, who also happened to suffer from depression - in common with one in four Irish people today. But in April 2001, in the grip of a bi-polar episode, John was shot dead by gardai after emerging from his home in Abbeylara after a 25-hour stand-off. It was a shooting that could have been avoided. What had begun as a private family happening in a small Irish town had quickly turned into a national media event, with journalists given more access to the scene than ultimately even his own sister was allowed. In the wake of his death Marie Carthy fought relentlessly for an independent inquiry into her brother's shooting, withstanding personal humiliation and attempts to discredit her along the way. Six years on she and her mother Rose found themselves vindicated by the findings of the Barr Tribunal. Yet nothing can ever bring John back. My Brother John is a tribute to a beloved brother and son. From their carefree childhood as inseparable siblings to the untimely death of their father when they were teenagers, it describes the onset of John's depression and how he learned to cope with his illness. It also tells the family's story in the grim aftermath of his death, and how their pledge for justice in his name kept them fighting throughout the darkest of days.
