Gill Books – förlag

A tragic death, a murder trial and a 170-year-old mystery – but what really happened?Shortly after Maria Kirwan died in a lonely inlet on Ireland''s Eye, it was decided that she had drowned accidentally during a day spent with her husband on the picturesque island. This inquest verdict appeared to conclude the melancholy events that consumed the fishing village of Howth, Co Dublin, in September 1852.But not long afterwards, suspicion fell upon Maria''s husband, William Burke Kirwan, as whispers of unspeakable cruelty, an evil character and a secret life rattled through the streets of Dublin. Investigations led to William's arrest and trial for murder.The story swelled into one of the most bitterly divisive chapters in the dark annals of Irish criminal history. Yet questions remain: Does the evidence stand up? What role did the heavy hand of Victorian moral outrage play? Was William really guilty of murder, or did the ever-present ''moral facts'' fill in gaps where hard proof was absent?Now, this compelling modern analysis revisits the key evidence, asking sober questions about the facts, half-facts and fantasies buried within the yellowed pages of the Ireland''s Eye case files.

The Inside Story of Ireland's Pandemic: Every Decision, Every Player, Every Text, Every LeakIreland's lockdowns were among the harshest and longest in Europe. As the state was battered by waves of disease time and again, unparalleled pressures and untold tensions emerged as the country went to war with Covid, and policymakers and politicians did battle with each other.How were the key decisions made? Who held all the power?Boasting unrivalled access to the key decision-makers and drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews and thousands of pages of documents, including confidential and unpublished material, Pandemonium reveals the moves, the power-plays and the – at times jaw-dropping – tactics of a government with the health of a nation in its hands.'If a movie is ever made of how Ireland responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pandemonium may well provide the script … You will feel as if you were in the room when key conversations happened and decisions were made.' Professor Luke O'Neill'Illuminates the corners of institutions usually able to operate in the dark' Fintan O'Toole'A page-turner … an exceptional insight' Matt Cooper'Unflinching and unrelenting' Dearbhail McDonald

Growing up in Waterford, Tom McGrath never noticed the odd gaps in the stories of his parents'' lives before he was born; it was only many years after they died that he uncovered the unspoken truths, which did so much to explain the people they had been.Here he tells the incredible true story of his father''s conscription into the British Army, his escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in Poland, his daring journey across Europe and subsequent recapture – and the devastating news that awaited him in England. Tom''s research also led him to discover that his mother also carried a heartbreaking secret.In writing this book Tom not only recreated his father''s nail-biting escape but also embarked on a journey of his own to reconnect with previously unknown family members in order to piece together an extraordinarily rare tale that encompasses memoir, family history, and the parallel stories, which were almost lost for ever, of his parents'' lives of desperate hardship.

Richie Hogan is one of the all-time greats of hurling, winner of seven All-Ireland senior hurling medals and multiple individual awards. His epic career brought him both immense joy and incredible heartache.This success did not come about by accident: Richie’s complete focus on hurling success meant every decision he made revolved around hurling, from education to career to lifestyle choices. He grew up with Kilkenny hurling in his blood and from a very young age worked towards goals rather than dreams. Hyper-focused and determined, there wasn’t a day in his life where he didn’t think about what he needed to do to get to the highest level of the sport he loved and what he needed to do to stay up there.Now, in Whatever it Takes, Richie tells the story of his dazzling career, from his obsession with maintaining high standards in the Kilkenny team, to the stand-out moments on the pitch and the challenges he encountered along the way that threatened to derail everything. This frank and forthright account takes us inside one of the greatest hurling teams of all time as never before.