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Book Launch | Only When I’m Dancing by Wayne Power … by Wayne Power

Front cover of Only When I'm Dancing Can I Feel This Free by Wayne Power

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Only When I’m Dancing Can I Feel This Free

– Wayne Power’s forthcoming collection of poetry –

St Patrick’s Gateway Centre is the place to be if you happen to find yourself in Waterford tomorrow, Thursday 26 October, when Waterford Writers Weekend gets underway. The venue will see the launch of author, poet and spoken-word artist, Wayne Power’s latest volume of poetry, Only When I’m Dancing Can I Feel This Free.

In this, his third publishing outing, Wayne Power is truly an author who is well into his groove at this stage in his career. With more than a nod and a wink to the Queen of Pop (and a debt of gratitude, perhaps), Wayne says of his latest offering:

“The lyrics from which this book is named after, I feel are fitting. They encapsulate joy and freedom: something I have struggled and fought for, for a long time and feel I have achieved through poetry and spoken word. I have found my voice and freedom through this beautiful art form that has ultimately changed my life.”

Wayne Power is a writer who “speaks for and to a lot of his generation” in the words of playwright, Jim Nolan. His third collection is, arguably, the strongest to date, which is no mean feat, coming on the back of Everyone’s a Star after Midnight, published in 2020 and Neon Hearts and the Angry Mob that followed in 2022), both of which were well received by audiences and critics alike.

Only When I’m Dancing Can I Feel This Free by Wayne Power is published under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher. It will be formally launched by Tony Kelly, whose film The Hurler is currently showing in Irish cinemas. The launch takes place on Thursday, 26 October at St Patrick’s Gateway Centre, Waterford City starting 7pm.

Copies of the book can also be ordered online, along with previous volumes of poetry by Wayne Power.

Wayne Power is a writer, poet and spoken-word artist based in Waterford City. His work has come to prominence in recent years, both locally and nationally, through his performance art, three collections of poetry and some plays that he has written.

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On This Day: Portraits of the Past by Michael Whelton is Published in 2018

Front cover of Portraits of the Past by Michael Whelton

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Portraits of the Past by Michael Whelton

– a collection of bittersweet tales told with honesty, candour and great humour –

“She caressed the faded ribbon and thought of returning it to the secret drawer. Realising that this would only perpetuate the dream, she tenderly dropped it. The love knot burned, closing an unfulfilled chapter in her life.”

– from the story Kismet, published as part of Portraits of the Past, a collection of short stories and flash fiction by Michael Whelton (2018)

Life, death and all things in between, including the decisions that we make or have thrust upon us, and how we face the consequences; how we allow those consequences to shape our destinies. These are among the poignant moments and personal epiphanies skilfully captured in a carefully blended collection of bittersweet tales, told with honesty, candour, plenty of humour and never a dull moment, though the characters in these stories often seem to dwell in a certain twilight.

Written with keen observation and rare insight, these are moments that are meant to be captured, revealing as they do, the intensity of living in this world and the understanding of what it means to be alive within it.

The city of Cork, where the author was born and spent most of his life, is very much in the background but also to the fore in his writing. Much like what Joyce did for Dublin, the author does for his own native city, with his naturalistic depictions that allow time to stand still for just long enough to afford the reader a glimpse inside

Michael Whelton (born 1938) sadly passed away in 2020. At the time of his passing, he was a retired medical doctor who had also devoted a significant part of his life to arts, literary and other pursuits. He travelled extensively, having lived and worked in Ireland, Britain and the USA. He was also a devoted family man and is fondly remembered by all who knew him.

Published on this day in 2018 Portraits of the Past by Michael Whelton is a collection of short stories and flash fiction, published in Ireland under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, in print and e-book editions.

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On This Day: Through the Pages of History by Michael Whelton is published in 2019

Front cover of the book, Through the Pages of History: an art, music and medical miscellany by Michael Whelton

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Through the Pages of History by Michael Whelton

– an art, music and medical miscellany –

Was Mozart really buried in a pauper’s grave? What role did yellow fever play in the construction of the Panama Canal? How did the painter, Renoir cope with rheumatoid arthritis in his old age? Has history been overly harsh towards King Herod?

These are just some questions (from among a very broad range of subject matter) that are looked at from historical and medical perspectives in an engaging collection of essays by the late Michael Whelton (1938-2020). Through the Pages of History: an art, music and medical miscellany was published on this day in 2019.

In examining the lives of historical figures and landmarks in human history, scientific achievement, artistic excellence and so on, the author brings to bear his own knowledge, as a retired medical doctor, to ably demonstrates how all too often, truth is stranger than fiction.

Mozart, Renoir, Kings John and Richard III of England, Herod the Great of Biblical fame are just a few of the names that crop up in this engrossing read. Charles Darwin, Ignaz Semmelweis, Marie Curie, Alexander Fleming, Rosalind Franklin are also among the figures who get more than a mention. A firm grasp of facts is exhibited but always with a good eye for the story, as the author casts his trained medical eye over matters and phenomenon such as diseases and epidemics, medieval witch hunts, tattooing, embalming, ‘humane’ judicial killings.

Written in a lively style and a manner that will intrigue but also satisfy inquisitive minds, this is book that will appeal to the general reader as much as those with specialist knowledge. It is also a book that the reader will not find easy to put down, once started on a journey that trawls through medical annals, to probe popular misconceptions or shed new light on the personalities and events that have shaped history.

Michael Whelton was born in Cork in 1938. He passed away on 16 November 2020. Sadly missed by family, friends and all who knew him, he left the world a legacy in the form of his published writings, such as those contained in this volume and in Portraits of the Past (2018), a collection of short stories and flash fiction that often read like Joycean narratives, mostly set in the author’s native Cork during the post-World War II period. He was also a talented painter and engaged actively in many spheres of life, leaving his mark and making an impression on all who knew or encountered him. At the time of his death, he had just completed a volume of memoir.

Through the Pages of History: an art, music and medical miscellany by Michael Whelton is published under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, in print and e-book editions.

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On This Day: Melodies at Eventide by Rex Lee is published in 2016

Front cover of Melodies at Eventide by Rex Lee

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Melodies at Eventide by Rex Lee

– a story of overcoming disability and independent living –

Melodies at Eventide by Rex Lee was published on this day in 2016. The book was formally unveiled at a well-attended book launch held at Kells Library, in the author’s home town of Kells, Co. Meath. Family and friends of the author, from all walks of his varied and interesting life, came out to show support.

Rex Lee’s story is one of somebody who overcame disability, never allowing it to limit his outlook or narrow his horizons. Motivated and guided by a philosophy of mental and physical compensation, he seized every opportunity that was offered to lead an active, fulfilling and independent life.

His story is contained within Ireland’s story, as a country striving to assert itself on the world stage, overcoming barriers and obstacles that history had put in the way. His account spans much of period since the Second World War – or The Emergency, as it is sometimes referred to in Ireland. Through his own involvement and activism, he both witnessed and played a part in the making and shaping of the Irish society that has been handed down to us today.

Melodies at Eventide by Rex Lee is published under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, in print and e-book editions.

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Halloween Literary Offerings

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Halloween, Hauntings, Ghosts, Vampires and Other Literary Fare

The festival that is Halloween has become so pervasive and ubiquitous to the extent that its origins have been somewhat obscured. The traditions associated with it, however, are rooted in the ancient Gaelic harvest festival of Samhain, giving it pre-Christian and pagan origins. It transitioned into the Christian milieu as All Hallow’s Eve (the day that precedes All Saints’ Day in the Christian liturgy). Irish and Scottish migrants, most likely, carried the traditions with them to the New World until, by the 20th century, it gained a worldwide following, aided no doubt by the growth of new media with vaster, more global reach – including literature but also in the form of cinema, TV, etc.

Bram Stoker and the Irishness of Dracula

Dressing up in costumes that invoke legendary characters – such as Count Dracula, for example – is just one part of the Halloween fare. Much like Halloween itself, however, the lore that surrounds the figure of Dracula has gained a life of its own – one that has come to surpass its origins which, in fact, have nothing to do with Halloween at all although, they are Irish.

Author, Dennis McIntyre in his book, Bram Stoker and the Irishness of Dracula brings it all back home as far as the world’s most enduring, much imitated but never emulated vampire story is concerned.

Once in a while, a book comes along that is definitive in its subject matter – this is one such book

Bram Stoker and the Irishness of Dracula by Dennis McIntyre is published under the imprint of The Shara Press and is available to buy online.

From the Pen of Susan R. Murphy

Susan R. Murphy reckons that she has been “addicted to horror” since an early age. “While other children played with the Ken and Barbie dolls, I played Vampires with mine!”

Over the years, her interest in horror, science fiction and mythology grew. One day, in 1993, she sat down and wrote a series of short stories on these subjects. The Immortals: Thrills, Chills, Tales of the Macabre is a collection of “truly terrifying tales”, containing a blend of ancient Greek mythology, American Gothic horror, UFO abductions, Halloween scares and campfire tales. In much the same vein is The Ghost in My House, a short story on a haunted house theme.

These and other books by Susan R. Murphy are available to buy online, in print and e-book editions.

Stories on Irish Mythological Themes

The Battle for Coman’s Wood by Mario Corrigan is a fast-paced, action-packed adventure story, told on the back of Irish mythological themes that will leave you gasping!

An American family have come to Ireland in time for Halloween, for the ancient Festival of Samhain. Their journey becomes a quest to thwart the evil plans of Queen Medbh and The Morrigan, as terrible, evil creatures issue forth from beneath the earth. Our brave heroes must face the might of these supernatural forces, in an epic showdown in Coman’s Wood in County Roscommon (the name, Roscommon deriving from the Irish Ros Comáin, meaning ‘Saint Coman’s wood’).

The Battle for Coman’s Wood by Mario Corrigan (with illustrations by David Butler) is suitable for all ages. It is published under the imprint of Do Fish Wear Pyjamas Publications and is available to buy online, in print and e-book editions.

The GhostÉire Investigates Series

Finally, for those who like to ‘keep it real’ where horror and ghostly hauntings are concerned, the GhostÉire Investigates series attempts to do just that.

GhostÉire are an Irish-based group of paranormal researchers, whose quest to find spiritual and scientific explanations for the paranormal, the supernatural and similarly unexplained phenomena take them to many locations, the length and breadth of Ireland. In their reports on their investigations into possible hauntings, they offer personal insight and suggest rational thinking towards any strange phenomena that has been observed.

These investigations have been recorded and documented in two volumes to date, comprising written and audio-visual accounts. The Rising of Haunted Ireland, published in 2016, has been followed by the publication, earlier this year, of Drowned-Out Voices, which takes up where the previous volume leaves off (an investigation into Ireland’s famous Blarney Castle).

Both The Rising of Haunted Ireland and Drowned-Out Voices by GhostÉire are published under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, in print (both paperback and hardback) and e-book editions, fully illustrated and accompanied with video footage (DVD and online video formats).

Parental Advisory: The books in the GhostÉire Investigates series are suitable for age 16 and over only. They contain strong language and possibly disturbing themes.

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Book Launch: The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan

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The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan

– the author’s third collection of poetry to be launched on Saturday, 8 October

The Father Flanagan Community Centre in Ballymoe, Co. Galway is the venue for the launch, this Saturday, of local author, William Tiernan’s third collection of poetry, The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life, arguably his most ambitious to date.

Whether addressing himself to issues such as pandemics or the war in Ukraine, to more universal themes of redemption and rebirth, battles of the body and the bullying of the mind, Tiernan’s observations go straight to the human heart, breaking down the distance between what is right from what is wrong, conveying it all in his unique and inimitable lyrical style.

William Tiernan is a poet and author who resides in rural Galway, close to the Roscommon border. His writings reflect his personal experiences and convictions as well as strong ties to the community in which he lives, his identification with the place where he grew up. These impressions are particularly reflected in his first two volumes of his poetry: Greetings from Guilka, Ballymoe (2016) and Bluesy Ballymoe (2018). In 2014, he was National Winner in the poetry category at the Hanna Greally International Literary Awards, organised as part of the annual SiarScéal Festival in Co. Roscommon.

The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life by William Tiernan is published under the imprint of The Manuscript Publisher and available to buy online, along with other books by the author. Signed copies will also be on sale at the book’s launch, to take place on Saturday, 8 October at the Father Flanagan Community Centre, Ballymoe, Co. Galway starting 8pm.

Important Announcement

The launch, due to take place today (Saturday, 8 October) of William Tiernan’s book, The Joys of a Second Rattle at Life, has had to be postponed due to a bereavement. A new date, not too far into the future, will be set however, with details posted here as soon as we have them to hand.