Sandy Kelly: In My Own Words
Sandy Kelly: In My Own Words

Author: Sandy Kelly

Publisher: The O'Brien Press Ltd

Published: 2023-10-09

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1788494695

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Born in Sligo into a family of travelling entertainers, Sandy Kelly has become one of the top musical performers in Ireland. Sandy was co-opted into the family variety show from an early age. As a teenager she sang on the social club circuit in the UK, playing an ever more prominent role. When she returned to Ireland, she developed initially as a pop performer before following her instincts and concentrating on a music career. Her landmark 1989 recording of the Patsy Cline hit 'Crazy' led her to perform on stages all over the world, including the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and the lead role in Patsy – The Musical in London's West End. But the music industry can be a tough place. Sandy has dealt with prejudice and financial pressures. Alongside the glamour of show business, she has experienced the heartaches of divorce, family illness and death, and faced the challenges of raising a daughter with special needs. Sandy has stood strong at the heart of Ireland's music scene for over four decades. Here, for the first time, she recounts the highs – and lows – of a lifetime in music, in her own words.

A Short History of the Troubles
A Short History of the Troubles

Author: Brian Feeney

Publisher: The O'Brien Press

Published: 2014-04-28

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 1847176585

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From the first symptoms of serious unrest - the Divis Street riots of 1964 - to the tortuous political manoeuvrings culminating in the 2003 Assembly elections, the book traces the reality of life in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. It details the motivation behind the IRA 'armed struggle', the Civil Rights movement, the murder campaigns of various loyalist terror groups, the major incidents of violence and the response of the British security forces and the justice system. It describes what it was like to live with bombs, army searches in the dead of night, death threats to politicians, activists and others. A detailed account of the political and personal toll of the Northern Ireland conflict.

Torn Apart
Torn Apart

Author: Ken Wharton

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2019-02-26

Total Pages: 495

ISBN-13: 0750991119

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In the early twentieth century there was a war brewing on Britain's doorstep. Northern Ireland was filled with discrimination and suspicion, a sense of foreboding that would soon erupt into full-blown rioting. As the fiftieth anniversary of the Troubles approaches, Ken Wharton takes a thorough look at the start of the Troubles, the precursors and the explosion of violence in 1969 that would last until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. In all, the Troubles cost 50,000 casualties and nearly 2,000 civilians' lives across Northern Ireland, the Republic and England. Utterly condemnatory of the paramilitaries, Wharton pulls no punches in his assessment of the situation then and seeks to dismiss apologists today. His sympathy lies first with those tasked with keeping order in the province, but also with the innocent civilians caught up in thirty years of bloodshed. Torn Apart is an in-depth look at the start of the Troubles, looking at the seminal moments and Northern Ireland today using the powerful testimony of those who were there at the time.

Living the Dream
Living the Dream

Author: Daniel O'Donnell

Publisher: The O'Brien Press Ltd

Published: 2017-10-16

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 184717986X

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In Ireland, Daniel O'Donnell is more than just a singing star: he has reached the status of 'national treasure'. It has been a long journey for the boy from Kincasslagh, County Donegal, and in Living the Dream he tells his story with his customary sense of humour and down-to-earth charm. Much has happened in Daniel O'Donnell's life since his first autobiography, Follow Your Dream, and in this new book he reflects on the range of experiences and emotions that accompanied his wife Majella's battle with cancer; the death of his beloved mother, Julia; his part in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing TV show; and his B&B Road Trip adventures with Majella. And he delves into the relentless touring and recording that took him to the brink of burnout and forced him to reassess his priorities. Daniel O'Donnell is an international phenomenon – 'a real star'. His fans will love this latest instalment of his extraordinary life story.

A Happy Type of Sadness:
A Happy Type of Sadness:

Author: Kevin Martin

Publisher: Mercier Press Ltd

Published: 2018-07-06

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1781175837

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Country music fandom is at an all-time high in Ireland; social dancing has never been as popular. New artists, bands and venues proliferate; it seems each week 'Ireland's latest country sensation' is brought to the public's attention through the ever-widening media outlets populated by the genre. This book provides a comprehensive history of the genre looking at the artists and their music and seeking to contextualise the genre within the wider context of Irish culture. It demonstrates the significant role Ireland has played in the history and development of American country music and how, as an old classic country song says, the circle has remained unbroken. It also analyses the associated media, dance and social cultures. Irish country music is now a significant industry on a continuous upward curve. It earns a lot of money for a lot of people. It deserves a work of record. This book is the first of its kind. It is written in an easy to understand language to appeal to the widest possible demographic. It is also written from a neutral point of view but in a way that appeals to the fans of country and Irish music. Artists covered include Big Tom, Daniel O'Donnell, Nathan Carter, Philomena Begley, Susan McCann and Robert Mizell. The author is an established writer with extensive media experience including RTÉ Radio 1, TV3, Irish Independent, The Irish Times, New York Times, The Irish Post and a plethora of local and regional radio stations.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Cat
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Cat

Author: Amy Newmark

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2023-02-14

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 161159099X

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Some of the simplest, yet most powerful lessons we learn are often taught by the least likely of our family members - our cats! We can learn something from them every day if we just open our minds and our hearts to the valuable lessons they are trying to teach. What do we learn from our cats? Everything. Our cats make us better people. If we rescued them, they rescue us back. If we’re sad, they comfort us. If we need to have more fun, they show us how. They are our therapists, our role models, and our best friends. You’ll laugh a lot, tear up at times, and nod your head in recognition as you read these tales about the wonderful experience of sharing life with a cat. Lessons from our cats come in many forms, from the hilarious to the heroic. You’ll enjoy a wide variety of entertaining stories in these ten chapters: • Learning to Love the Cat • Small But Mighty • You Just Have to Laugh • Lost and Found • Meant to Be • Miracles Happen • Perks & Quirks • My Very Good, Very Bad Cat • Natural Therapists • Opening Hearts And your purchase of this book will help support the important work of American Humane, creating a better life for cats everywhere. Chicken Soup for the Soul books are 100% made in the USA and each book includes stories from as diverse a group of writers as possible. Chicken Soup for the Soul solicits and publishes stories from the LGBTQ community and from people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and religions.

Sorry for Your Trouble
Sorry for Your Trouble

Author: Ann Marie Hourihane

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2021-10-07

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1844885259

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The Irish do death differently. Funeral attendance is a solemn duty - but it can also be a big day out, requiring sophisticated crowd control, creative parking solutions and a high-end sound system. Despite having the same basic end-of-life infrastructure as other Western countries, Irish culture handles death with a unique blend of dignified ritual and warm sociability. In Sorry for Your Trouble, Ann Marie Hourihane holds up a mirror to the Irish way of death: the funny bits, the sad bits, and the hard-to-explain bits that tell us so much about who we are. She follows the last weeks of a woman's life in hospice; she witnesses an embalming; she attends inquests; she talks to people working to prevent suicide; she follows the team of specialists working to locate the remains of people 'disappeared' by the IRA; and she visits some of Ireland's most contested graves. She also explores the strange and sometimes surprising histories of Irish death practices, from the traditional wake and ritual lamentations to the busy commerce between anatomists and bodysnatchers. And she goes to funerals, of ordinary and extraordinary people all over the country - including that of her own father. 'I had joined a club,' she writes, 'the club of people who have lost someone very close to them.' And then, with her family, she sets about planning a funeral in the middle of a pandemic. Sorry for Your Trouble sheds fresh, wise and witty light on a key pillar of Irish culture: a vast but strangely underexplored subject. Rich, sparkling and eye-opening, it is one of the best books ever written about Irish life. ___________________________ 'A beautiful, insightful reflection on a very, very peculiar country's approach to the oddest experience of them all' RYAN TUBRIDY 'Hugely moving and illuminating. All of life, somehow, is here' TANYA SWEENEY, IRISH INDEPENDENT 'Moving, comforting and funny' BUSINESS POST

The Wonderful
The Wonderful

Author: Saskia Sarginson

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2019-12-10

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 1250083508

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A sweeping and turbulent drama about the anxieties of postwar Britain, where one strong and inspirational young woman looks to find her place, no matter the cost. Sometimes, the truth lies in fiction It’s hard to be an American girl in 1957. Especially when your dad’s job means you have to move four thousand miles from home. Especially if you’d rather play baseball than wear a dress. Especially if you see your mom fraying a little more from anxiety each day. And especially if being five minutes older means you have to protect your fragile twin brother. Still, Hedy Delaney loves her family, and she’s trying to make the best of her new life on a U.S. airbase in England. After all, her dad’s a war hero, her mother’s a beauty, and her brother’s a brainiac who writes moving stories about space travel. Then one tragic day, the unforeseen occurs and all three are ripped away, leaving Hedy alone with countless questions. What really happened on the airbase? What went on behind military closed doors? What were the secrets that could never be told? And how could any of it have led to her family’s destruction? In her search for the truth, Hedy turns to a story her brother began months before he died. Deciding to finish what her brother started, Hedy begins to piece together what happened to her family. But whether she’s ready for what she’ll discover is another matter entirely. A sweeping and turbulent family drama, The Wonderful asks whether writing fiction can uncover fact, and if it’s ever better to let the truth remain hidden. Sometimes, it’s safer not to finish what you’ve started.

The New Strategic Selling
The New Strategic Selling

Author: Robert B. Miller

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Published: 2008-11-16

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 0446548782

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The Book that Sparked A Selling Revolution In 1985 one book changed sales and marketing forever. Rejecting manipulative tactics and emphasizing "process," Strategic Selling presented the idea of selling as a joint venture and introduced the decade's most influential concept, Win-Win. The response to Win-Win was immediate. And it helped turn the small company that created Strategic Selling, Miller Heiman, into a global leader in sales development with the most prestigious client list and sought-after workshops in the industry. Now Strategic Selling has been updated and revised for a new century of sales success. The New Strategic Selling This new edition of the business classic confronts the rapidly evolving world of business-to-business sales with new real-world examples, new strategies for confronting competition, and a special section featuring the most commonly asked questions from the Miller Heiman workshops. Learn: * How to identify the four real decision makers in every corporate labyrinth * How to prevent sabotage by an internal deal-killer * How to make a senior executive eager to see you * How to avoid closing business that you'll later regret * How to manage a territory to provide steady, not "boom and bust," revenue * How to avoid the single most common error when dealing with the competition.