'This is not a story of me, but of me and mine, of my place and theirs, of places north, south, east and west in Ireland, but particularly of home life in Dingle and holidays in Galway, and of the times and traditions that left an indelible mark on a growing boy.'

Set against the backdrop of major events in Irish history and the smaller local happenings of fair days, football matches and the first teenage dance, the book is shot through with the unique feel and flavour of an Irish upbringing.

'a hymn to the simple pleasures of growing up in small-town Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s. The tenor is upbeat and positive and it is a joy to read, chronicling as it does the intricate web of loyalties to family and parish that bound a community together.Populated by lively characters who would not be out of place in a Dickens novel. This book bursts with vitality and lovingly records the lives of the common people of Corca Dhuibhne at fairs and markets, wakes and weddings, bonfire nights and Wren days. In writing it, Joe O'Toole has done us all a service.'

'A wonderful collection of childhood and teenage memories ... Joe's very own Fiche Blian ag Fás.'

'A well-written and delightful read.'

'It is a beautifully told story of a happy childhood ... a brilliant account.'

'This fascinating book, once opened, is difficult to close.'

'peopled with earthy, larger-than-life characters from Joe's childhood and personal histories that a sometimes tragic, sometimes comic, but always interesting.'

'A well-written and delightful read.'

'O'Toole writes with a little imagination and more than a little humour. Never veers from the frank and honest route it sets out on and that makes it something of a gem.'

'a hymn to the simple pleasures of growing up in small-town Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s. The tenor is upbeat and positive and it is a joy to read, chronicling as it does the intricate web of loyalties to family and parish that bound a community together. Populated by lively characters who would not be out of place in a Dickens novel. This book bursts with vitality and lovingly records the lives of the common people of Corca Dhuibhne at fairs and markets, wakes and weddings, bonfire nights and Wren days. In writing it, Joe O'Toole has done us all a service.'

'It is a beautifully told story of a happy childhood ... a brilliant account.'