One fine September morning 96 years ago, a small boy strolled across a bridge over a river leading into a small town in rural Ireland. Suddenly, all hell broke loose around him as he was caught in the middle of one of the very first cross-fires between the IRA and the British army. That boy was my father-in-law, Paddy Ryan. His life was fascinating but typical of his generation, who experienced civil war, emigration, the great depression, and then world war two. His story inspired me so much that I blended it with other true stories into a novel that celebrates the lives of the children of Irish Independence and Anglo-Irish connections.

The book has been described as ‘a masterpiece’ by Professor Alan Carr (University College, Dublin) and the public reviews average 4.5 out of 5. As a way of helping hard-pressed libraries and of celebrating various anniversaries the Kindle version of this book will be available free each and every Sunday in September this year at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QQTHBCY

One fine September morning 95 years ago, a small boy strolled across a bridge over the River Blackwater leading into the town of Fermoy, County Cork. Suddenly, all hell broke loose around him as he was caught in the middle of one of the very first cross-fires between the Irish Volunteers and the British army. That boy was my father-in-law, Paddy Ryan. The story of his life inspired me so much that that I blended it with other true stories to create a novel that celebrates the lives of that generation. From a psychologist’s perspective, it’s a study of childhood trauma and resilience in several characters as they move through the life span during troubled times. It makes a great holiday read for psychologists who enjoy reading fiction with a psychological emphasis and a background of living history.

One fine September morning 96 years ago, a small boy strolled across a bridge over a river leading into a town in rural Ireland. Suddenly, all hell broke loose around him as he was caught in the middle of one of the very first cross-fires between the Irish Volunteers and the British army. A few years earlier, while hiding under a table in his uncle’s pub, he had also observed Michael Collins (or rather his boots) during a secret meeting. Collins was, in all probability, recruiting for the Easter rising.

That boy was my father-in-law, Paddy Ryan. As a family therapist and Fellow of the British Psychological Society, I knew that all of us have secrets, and some of us have secret lives. Paddy certainly had both in a life both fascinating and typical of his generation, who experienced the war of independence, the great depression and world war two. I blended his story with other true stories into a novel that celebrates the lives of the children of Irish independence.

The ebook is available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QQTHBCY

The book has been described as ‘a masterpiece’ by Professor Alan Carr (University College, Dublin). The average public review score is 4.5 out of 5.