Past Connection

About the Book

Malachy is a successful and much traveled professional man. He returns to Ireland in middle age and settles in a good job in a provincial town. At a birthday party for his boss, he meets Nora, the mother-in-law of the boss. In conversation, it transpires that Nora spent an eventful summer in Malachy's home town, Castlecarraig, as a young woman.

During that summer, she met and fell in love with a local man. Unfortunately, he was a Seminarian and she was a Protestant. Their relationship caused a scandal in the small town Ireland of the forties. Malachy too has tales to tell of unrequited love in Castlecarraig. The morning after the party, Nora convinces Malachy to travel back to Castlecarraig with her to explore their past connections. On the journey, they tell each other their stories and hold up a mirror to the Ireland of the Celtic Tiger.

About the Author

Sean Lyons was born in County Mayo. He has had a varied career. At different times, he worked as a teacher in Dublin, a librarian in Zambia, a cook in the USA, a civil servant and vacuum cleaner salesman in Australia and a barman in Mayo.

He is a poet and has published several short stories. His work has been featured at Listowel Writer's week, the Bard of Armagh and Strokestown International Poetry Festival. He contributed to the recently published 'From the Heart of Ireland' anthology. An award winning public speaker, he has represented Ireland in debating and travels widely speaking at conferences on issues as diverse as special education and human rights.