To Mam and Dad for keeping the faith.
Óran for being all any father could ask for in a son.
Sophie for love and friendship.
Damien, Sinead and Aoife for putting up with me during the ‘lost’ years.
John ‘Granda’ O’Connell and Peg O’Donnell for paving the family way.
Mannix Berry for opening the door all those years back.
Fergal Tobin for his belief from the outset, constant encouragement and professionalism.
John Leahy for a huge amount of time and support. Fellow salesman Aidan Mulcahy, Brian Carey, Faith O’Grady for her valuable advice and support, Gordon Deegan, Nick Kennedy for the poetic eye, Therese Tierney for calling up, Ray Scannell for friendship and an appreciation of fine cake, Shane Hegarty for swapping notes, Miriam Donohoe for all her support, Shane Malone for encouragement and solid advice, Rachel Andrews for notes, Fintan O’Toole, Caroline Walsh, Barry O’Keeffe, Conor Goodman, Carmel Daly, Hugh Linehan, and all at the Irish Times for guidance, advice and an income, John and Christina Kelly, Eoin Ó Cathain, Theresa and Caroline Cavanagh, Rosaleen Quinlan, Richard Fitzpatrick, Fawn Allen for sharing some of the journey, Dr Chris Luke, Tony McCarthy and all at Forefront, Tom Donnelly, Ryan Tubridy and all at the ‘Tubridy Show’, Colm Moore and 96 FM, Cianna Campbell, Joe and Grace Carey, Eileen Sweeney, the Fahy family, Neil Pearson, Mary Bohan, Denis O’Connell, Ciara Dwyer, Thomas Power, Fiona Kearney, Fergal and all at The Cornerhouse Bar in Cork, John Kennedy, Liam Heylin, Danny Maher, Pat Keogh and family, Joe and Mary O’Connell and family, Jim O’Dowd and family, the Hehir family, Christy McNamara, Ann Sweeney, Una and Diarmuid Clarke, Madeline Johnston, Sara Keating, Steve, Trevor, Shay Howe, Eoin Vaughan, Professor Joe Barry, Colette Sheridan, Dr Stanton Peele, Ronan Farren, Barry O’Sullivan, Gerry Collison for taking a punt on me, Cilla Kotey, Dr Bhamjee, Dr Alex Michel and Niamh, Geraldine Hartnett and all at the Aislinn Centre, Frances Black, Robbie Breen, Deirdre Rennison Kunz, Nicki Howard, Neil Ryan, Esther Kallen, Mark Nixon, Teresa Daly, Mary Coughlan, Declan Doherty, Mike Darcy, Eibhlin Roche and the Guinness Archives, Eoin Fahy, Will O’Connell, Cork City Library, Knud Hedeager Nielsen, Gerard and Marie and family, Jean Doyle, John Egan, Dr Brian Girvin, Dr Mary Tilki, John Doocey, Donal Ó Drisceoil, Lorraine O’Connell, The Shannon Bar, Danish Tourist Board, Greg Canty, Deirdre Waldron, Doreen O’Mahony and all at Fuzion PR, Martina Carroll, Niall Toibin, Des Bishop, Cathal Murray, Ger and Jemma, Paddy O’Gorman, Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Paul Bugler, Judy Murphy, Pauline Scanlon, Donogh Hennessy, Michael McSweeney, Tabor Lodge, Knight of Glin, Mark O’Halloran, Nuala O’Faolain, Ursula Earley, Paul Durcan, John Creedon, Jimmy MacCarthy, Edel O’Connell, Fred, Sinead Harrington, Brendan and Lucy Fitzgerald, Jack L, Marian Egan, Tim Vaughan, Joe Dermody, Emma Forrester, Ger Fitzgibbon, Vic Merriman, Fr Micheál Mac Gréil, Professor John A. Murphy, the Irish Pioneer Movement, Seamus Heaney and all the staff at the Kingsley Hotel.
The author and publishers thank the following for permission to reproduce copyright material:
Jimmy Crowley for a verse from ‘A Sorrowful Lamentation on the recent Price Increases on Ales, Wines and Spirits’, from ‘The Boys of Fairhill’ by Jimmy Crowley and Stokers Lodge, CRO 001 on Freestate Records, freestaterecords@gmail.com.
Jimmy MacCarthy for two verses from ‘Missing You’.