February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
What is your latest book about?
My latest book — my first — tells of my eight-month, 1,720 mile journey around the rugged and wind-swept coast of Ireland with a donkey and cart. The year, 1979, found Ireland at the cusp of change, just as the European Community was ready to launch a salvo of grants and subsidies into Ireland, which would alter this old land forever.
During my roundabout with Missie — my loveable but often cantankerous beast — I spent 140 nights in different farmhouses, North and South, where I was never asked a penny for lodging. We (Missie and I) traveled an average of eight miles a day, climbing the great heights of Conor and Glengesh Pass, as well as traversing the major cities of Cork, Dublin, Belfast and Derry. The roads in 1979 were both unhurried and enchanting, full of age-old characters who popped up from the hedges, offering this long-haired wayfarer a fine mix of history, lore and tall tales. It was a memorable journey, the hallmark of my years.
What is your writing routine? Are there ideal conditions?
I’ve never had the luxury of having a steady writing routine. When I’ve made progress, however, the bewitching hours seem to fall between 8 to 11 in the morning, and the same hours again at night. As for ideal conditions…I live in a congested neighborhood chock full of lawn mowers, leaf blowers, barking dogs, blaring radios, screaming kids and squaking crows. For me, perfect writing conditions are when heavy wet gales threaten to rip the shingles from my roof. Only then can I write in absolute peace.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Write short stories at first. Don’t get bogged down at the start with a grand opus. Gain momentum and confidence by submitting letters and columns to your local newspaper. Secondly, don’t wait for a muse to arrive. Find an honest friend or a writers’ group with whom you can share your writing.
Name three books that are memorable in terms of your reading pleasure.
“Travels with Charley,” by John Steinbeck, “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkien, and “Blue Highways,” by William Least Heat-Moon. Each of these books fueled my desire to undertake the story of my own journey.
What book are you currently reading?
“The Road to McCarthy,” by Pete McCarthy. I was saddened to hear Pete passed away last October. Somehow I always thought we’d meet at a book fair, where we’d share a pint and a hearty laugh together.
Is there a book you wish you had written?
“The Universe in a Nutshell,” by Stephen Hawking. If I had written that book, I would enter a room where people would gasp at my super-intelligent presence. Now, unfortunately, when I enter a room, I overhear such tongue-and-cheek remarks as: “That’s the jack-ass who walked a donkey around Ireland.” Very unflattering.
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Name a book that you were pleasantly surprised by.
“Shelf Life,” by Suzanne Strempek Shea; a story of a woman who volunteers her time at a local bookstore — Edwards Books, Springfield, Mass. — as she’s recovering from breast cancer. Very touching, insightful and humorous.
If you could meet one author, living or dead, who would it be?
I’d love to have a long lingering lunch with the evangelist St. Matthew.
What book changed your life?
“The Night They Burned the Mountain,” by Dr. Tom Dooley. I read this book while serving at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. The true story of a caring but chronically-ill physician who set up clinics for children in Indochina in the late 1950s. After my tour of duty, I immediately enrolled in nursing school, hoping to make a difference as Dr. Dooley had done. For the past 25 years, I’ve been practicing psychiatric nursing at Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, Mass.
What is your favorite spot in Ireland?
The Burren in County Clare, or Doo Lough outside Louisburg, Co. Mayo. Then, of course, there’s Glencolumbkille…
You’re Irish if…
You feel comfortable when talking to a perfect stranger.