Rathkeale has struggled with an image problem for years. It has been stereotyped, Sigmatised and lampooned yet the Deelside town and countryside may count as one of the most representative and resonant settings in the whole of Ireland. It is rich beyond any stereotyping, it is layered beyond any stigmatising. Moreover, it has come to
captivate the author, while at the same time revealing to him the unrivalled richness of this one small corner of Ireland. Sean O'Faolain once set the context. Now comes the book!