Books published by Clachan Publishing

Life and nature often create compositions in a minor key. Upheavals and traumatic events offer dissonance, which eventually resolve in some harmony. This collection reflects some of those minor chords and dissonance but is also threaded through with a slender strand of hope. Each event allows for resolution to more melodic notes. Even nature has a dying before resurrection and in the process can offer beauty and promise. The upheaval of lives in 'Executive Orders' leads eventually to the creation of some order, even in a repressive situation. Other poems mirror responses we have to negative situations, often moving through the varied stages of grief to arrive at some resolution. Nature moves through life stages - birth, full bloom, aging and death only to be resurrected as the seasons roll around in harmony. This collection of poems attempts to express these journeys as well as movement towards harmony.

This isn't just a book of poems. This isn't even an apology. This is years of a young life. This is an impassioned heart, ready and willing to be exposed. This is the end of the worst kinds of pain. This is a dedication to holding on and letting go. This is a thank you and an 'I love you' all in one... One Man's Poison gives readers an insight into the troubles of physical and mental health, the 'laws' of attraction and falling in love, stretched highways leading to unknown places, and lessons both in and out of school. What begins as a pejorative disregard for living eventually blossoms into a sweet-smelling rose named gratitude. Are you ready to read with heart? Are you ready to bear your soul? Take a gamble and buy the book. You might just discover, there is something more to your life than just surviving.

In this story we hear echoing voices from a forgotten past. In the late 1500s in the dying light of Gaelic Ireland, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, led the northern chieftains in a last brave struggle for faith and fatherland; to rid Ireland of an encroaching English influence, and to retain her ancient Celtic way of life. At the time of the Tyrone Rebellion the northern part of Ireland, together with the Western Isles and Highlands of Scotland were the last remnants of a 2,000 year old Celtic culture. The western isles furnished a cadre of elite mercenary warriors who fought for these northern chieftains. This book is a ramble through Irish history, and closely follows actual historical events. It is interspersed with chapters relating to more modern times that serve to link Ireland's past to Ireland's present, and that will acquaint the reader with how those events of the sixteenth century have had such an impact on modern day Northern Ireland.

The legacy of Oliver Cromwell is still haunts the Irish imagination. His alleged directive to the Catholic Irish to get "to Hell or Connaught", and the policy that drove it, permanently altered the ownership of Irish soil.The Parliamentary forces' civil war against Charles I were enmeshed in a ruthless campaign against popery and the Catholic perpetrators of the assault on the Protestant colonists of 1641. The legacy of sectarianism has marred Irish politics to this day. Prendergast's research reveals his keen eye for evidence. His dismissal of the colonists' claims about the nature of the uprising of 1641 and his attitudes to race are contested, but he was a man of his times. More significantly his prejudices did not blind him and he lets his sources speak for themselves, while his analytical mind identifies the underlying economic motivation and forces behind the apparently civilising religious mission driving the settlement.

Prophetically, in the 1820s, Dutton responded to the question, 'What would become of Ireland's dense population without potatoes" by declaring he was more interested in what was to become of a pupulation so reliant on them? His survey resulted in a description of the agricultural conditions and practices of Galway in the early Nineteenth Century, interspersed with robustly argued suggestions for scientifically based improvements; pillorying those he considered obstructionist and indolent. Dutton also followed the annalists of Gaelic Ireland and complements his work with detailed chronologies of the leading officials of Galway town and its governance, as well as of the senior churchmen of the area. All this adds to the appeal of this book for anyone interested in the social and agricultural history of pre-famine Ireland, and particularly those with local and family connections with County Galway.This edtion uses a modern format, spellings and punctuation, with updated index and notes.

If you take this book with you as you travel around Donegal and the Glens of Antrim you will find that you journey not only over land, but also over time. More than just about anywhere else, the landscapes of Ireland evoke the past. Viewing Donegal and the Antrim Glens through the lens of history enhances and gives resonance to every valley, mountain and ancient building. Stephen Gwynn, who spent his childhood in Donegal and later became a prominent member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, travelled these counties on a bicycle, enabling him to take a close-up view of the townlands, rivers, lakes and historic sites he visited. His loving interest in the history of these places brings his accounts to life, revealing as they do, the hidden stories and associations behind the evocative exterior of the land.

This is a collection of poems celebrating Ireland, especially North Antrim. Maire has grown up with a love and regard for its history, its legends, literature and poetry. All have been embedded in the marrow of her bones and this is reflected in a deep love for the country she grew up in. And it is of these places and its people that she mainly writes. Especially Ballycastle and its environs. The people, the landscapes and, in particular, the sea always have been and still are the sources of her inspiration. Among these, Murlough Bay remains the place of her dreams and fondest memories. Many of her poems are imbued with a deep and original reflectiveness which seems to emerge from the landscape that inspired them.

This is the story of how the Great Irish Famine tore apart one branch of the Halloran family as it faced starvation in the parish of Aghamore in Mayo. Part of the family was forced to emigrate and set up a new life in Birstall in industrial England amidst the mills and mines of Yorkshire. The other stayed behind in Aghamore, struggling in poverty and hunger to possess the land. The family most closely associated with them were the Stensons. There were also families of Frains, Brennans, Feenys, Giraughtys, Henrys, Higginses, Kilkennys, Kellys, Linskeys, McCues, McNamaras, Swifts, Prendergasts and Waldrons who fled with them. In a way this is the story of all of them.This is the story of both communities and the strong bonds that existed between them. We have tried to place these people in their times and build up a picture of where they lived and how they worked, exploring the political and social events which impinged upon their lives.

Michael's work opens a window to the spirit, to the depth of what it is to be Irish in the 21st century. His words show pedigree and provenance, a consciousness of roots and what he has inherited from our tradition, a continuance of legacy for which the Irish people are famed.Barry Kerr - musician, artist, singer & songwriter.

This is an epic Irish fantasy adventure set along the magical North Antrim Coast. It tells the tale of the fairies of Nut Hollow, an idyllic spot at the foot of the field where the river runs. They have lived happily these many years with only the occasional worry but all of a sudden worry knocks loudly upon their doors. Nefairious, the fairy gone bad is back, and he's in no mood for handshakes or cups of tea. He plans to claim Nut Hollow as his own and release his dastardly father, Neroh from captivity in the Fairy Thorn. Into this fairy war are thrown two little human girls, who are down at the foot of the field looking for an adventure. Little did they know that an adventure was looking for them!Of course, Katie and Dara befriend the fairies and swear to help them. But will it be enough what with the fussy old salmon, Saroist, the short tempered seal, Rachary, the evil crow Préak and a host of other animals and fairies thrown together in this battle for survival and journey of a lifetime?

Stephen Glynn travelled through Donegal and Co. Antrim on a bicycle. This is an account of that part of his trip from Derry to the Giant's Causeway and through the Glens of Antrim. The account is over one hundred years old now but the ancient Ireland he wrote of had left impressions on the land which are still discernible today. His interest in the history of the people and places he visited allows us to get a glimpse of the hidden stories and associations behind the evocative exterior of the land before they vanish into the mists of time.Read Stephen Gwynne's account as you travel the highways and byways of the Antrim coast and they will resonate with echoes from the past and be infused with new associations and meanings.

Researching the topic for Pat Nolan was a labour of love as it involved chatting with men who fished on those iconic vessels of another era. Previously, in 'Sea Change' Pat had written on the BIM 50-footer and its impact on coastal Ireland of the 1950s and '60s. The story of the BIM 56-footers naturally followed on from this. The book contains details on each boat, and recollections of individuals who owned and/or fished on them. Part I is based on comments, observations, experiences and memories relevant to the 56-footers. Part II is made up of individually traced histories of all thirty-nine BIM 56-footers built.Part III is made up of interesting lifetime maritime experiences of men Pat met on the way.

The great folk song of 'The Ould Lammas Fair of Ballycastle O' is a celebration of one of the oldest and most popular fairs in Ireland. It still has the power to draw visitors from far and wide and is a not-to-be-missed event for the locals. It is full of history. For older folks, it is a time to remember 'the scene that haunt' the memories. For the younger folk, it is an occasion to tune into the excitement of a by-gone times. - When else would one enjoy the unsophisticated taste of dulse and yellow-man except, of course, when - like in the song - on the pouting lips of a Mary-Anne. But the ancient reach of the Lammas Fair goes much further. Its origins are immersed in pre-history, in times long before the message of St Patrick was heard in Ireland, when gods of light and fertility were celebrated. This booklet, an updated publication of the original written in the 1966, retraces much of what is known and some of what can only be guessed at about the origin and development of this truly traditional event.

In this invaluable resource for both local and family historians, Becker, a renown nineteenth century journalist, journeys through Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Cork, and Kerry, during 1880, reporting the Land War. We hear of the places he visited and the people he met, including Captain Boycott. Members of the landed gentry and military are depicted as struggling to cope with the ostracism of the local populations of Westport, Castlebar, Ballinrobe, Connemara, Ennis, and Gortatlee, Tralee, Killarney and Valencia. The locals are depicted as lively, courteous and impenetrable as they close ranks against a system, which is driving them from the land. His analysis is often sympathetic to the hungry, unkempt native Irish, but ultimately he retires within the boycotted boundaries of the country houses of the besieged Irish gentry. Clachan editors have edited it carefully, updating certain disused symbols, spelling and punctuation. We have also provided an index and scholarly footnotes.

This classic and well-loved history of Sligo was first published in 1889. Its author, the Rev. Archdeacon Terrence O'Rorke, was born and bred in Sligo, This important history is, of course, a product of his times and situation, however, it remains a work of fascination for anyone with connections to Sligo's past and its people, and - because of the importance of the events played out in that county - an important reference for anyone interested in the history of Ireland.