Kirjahaku

Christmas – a time for peace, joy and Mammies. While others are focusing on Santa/Santy, the school nativity play, the office party and its wild cousin the Twelve Pubs, panicked present shopping and the delicate diplomacy of in-law visiting, the Irish Mammy is mobilized in her war-room – ready for the campaign. Electric blankets have been set to maximum power; cards have been despatched; the turkey has been ordered; the decorations have been retrieved from the Place Where The Decorations Go and the fifth Big Shop (to get breadcrumbs) has been completed. There are homecomings from near and far, new arrivals, drama, bustle, tears and laughter, and Mammy at the heart of it all, directing operations. There’s bound to be something she’s forgotten – but luckily, just like a certain someone, she’s made a list.

Warm, charming and laugh-out-loud funnyâ?¦ Ann Devine, Ready For Her Close-Up is a little ray of sunshine, sure to delight' Irish IndependentMeet Ann Devine, a riddle, wrapped up in a fleece, inside a Skoda Octavia.

'Reliably hilarious and charming' Sunday IndependentJust once, Ann Devine would like life to be straightforward. But there's just too much drama knocking about for that to happen.Ann's family is proving a handful at the moment. Her mother moves in after having a fall, her sister Ger is off 'finding herself' in India leaving Ann to look after her teenage, wide a-woke, niece Freya. Her daughter Jennifer is dealing with a love triangle that involves her mother-in-law-to-be. It's all far from simple.Now Rory, her youngest, has set his sights on a future as a local TD and it's all Ann can do not to box him up and post him off to the backend of wherever is furthest away from his local 'mentor', politician, and all-round chancer Patsy Duggan. Just to save him from himself. Of course, that's not even an option because now the post office is closing down. The locals are up in arms, but what do the powers-that-be care about rural Ireland? Without really meaning to be, Ann finds herself in the thick of things - and things are getting dodgier by the minute. She only wanted to save the village, but sometimes even saviours need saving from themselves.'A very funny second adventure' Irish Times'Ann Devine is one of our most endearing literary figures' Irish Independent'Just as hilarious and heart-warming as his first' Irish Examiner'Provides a much need lift to the spirits' Sunday Times'Hugely entertaining' Pat Kenny, Newstalk'May be what every Irish person looking for home comforts needs in their life during a pandemic' Hot Press

Just once, Ann Devine would like life to be straightforward. But there’s just too much drama knocking about for that to happen.Ann’s family is proving a handful at the moment. Her mother moves in after having a fall, her sister Ger is off ‘finding herself’ in India leaving Ann to look after her teenage, wide a-woke, niece Freya. Her daughter Jennifer is dealing with a love triangle that involves her mother-in-law-to-be. It’s all far from simple.Now Rory, her youngest, has set his sights on a future as a local TD and it’s all Ann can do not to box him up and post him off to the backend of wherever is furthest away from his local ‘mentor’, politician, and all-round chancer Patsy Duggan. Just to save him from himself. Of course, that’s not even an option because now the post office is closing down. The locals are up in arms, but what do the powers-that-be care about rural Ireland? Without really meaning to be, Ann finds herself in the thick of things – and things are getting dodgier by the minute. She only wanted to save the village, but sometimes even saviours need saving from themselves.

Gallivanting With Words is a playful romp through the words, phrases and quirks that reflect the very soul of Ireland. From the Shakespearean roots of ‘We’ll have the tay’ to the devilish curses of old Ireland, ‘May the devil make a ladder of your spine’, this is a joyful exploration of the language that makes us, well, us. Take a tour around the country, from Cork to Connemara, tracing the words and expressions that set each place apart. Revel in the genius of the GAA sideline slagging, the poetry of a sneaky shift and the unapologetic charm of a well-placed curse. Warm, witty and brimming with Irish identity, this is a love letter to the way we speak and the stories our words carry.