INDEPENDENT Deputy Marian Harkin will launch a new collection of columns by author and columnist, Jim O’Brien at the Community Hall, Ogonnelloe on Saturday, December 3 at 7pm.
Matters of Great Indifference Volume II is the second collection of O’Brien’s weekly musings taken from the pages of the Farming Independent.
It contains a selection of pieces published between November 2020 and October 2022 and, according to the author, matters of all sorts are covered.
“From the end of the pandemic to the start of a war, from the arrival of a new pup to the departure of a Queen, I have a look at everything and anything,” he said.
The pieces are inspired by the life Jim is living and the context in which he is living it.
“I draw on my childhood in Kildimo, and other places I have lived including Foynes in West Limerick, Rosenallis, Co. Laois and, of course, in Ogonnelloe, Co. Clare, where I now live. These are among the deep wells I draw from,” he said.
While the last collection of columns was very much coloured by Jim’s travels around the country, he has since been ‘confined to barracks’ by Covid-19 and other changed circumstances.
He describes this new volume as more reflective and the product of what he refers to as a “semi-monastic existence”.
But it isn’t all serious, “I find lots to smile and laugh about. The title comes from my grandfather who went to the pub most nights to drink a few pints, play a game of cards and discuss what he called “matters of great indifference”.
“I’m delighted the launch is taking place in Ogonnelloe, my home for the past ten years,” Jim said.
“I’m also deeply grateful to Dominic Taylor and the Limerick Writers Centre for publishing the book, it is good to shop co-operatively and shop local.”
Matters of Great Indifference Volume II is available from www.jimobrien.ie , at O’Mahony’s bookshops in Limerick and Ennis and online at www.omahonys.ie. limerickwriterscentre.com and shops in East Clare.
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.