SUPPORT WAW – BUY A BOOK!
WAW festival committee member David Brennan is presented with the proceeds of The Chronicles of Máistir James Ronane by author Anthony Lynott in Castle Bookshop, Market St, Castlebar, on 26 September 2022.
Author donates all proceeds from his book to the Wild Atlantic Words literary festival
Clogher resident Tony Lynott has generously donated all of the proceeds from the sale of his book to the Wild Atlantic Words literary festival.
Tony said, “Since moving to Ireland almost ten years ago, I embarked on a love relationship with many of Ireland’s 19th century writers. Their prose was powerful, they wrote tenderly about their country, and were blessed with a sublime insight into the human condition. They were truly an inspiration for my own writings. I have made the decision that the proceeds of my book would go into WAW’s coffers to support their future growth in furthering the writings of emerging authors. I am told it is a good read, but I will leave that to your good judgement!”
Anyone who would like to support the annual festival by buying a book can still purchase a copy of The Chronicles of Máistir James Ronane (€24.99) in Castle Bookshop, Castlebar or online at MayoBooks.ie.
Author Tony Lynott moved to Ireland 10 years ago
About Tony and his book
Tony’s novel, The Chronicles of Máistir James Ronane, is a wide canvas where he represents the life of a western Irish community in the nineteenth century. Through the figure of Máistir James Ronane, a retired hedge-school master, the author tells the story of Aengus and Mary Burke and their family, as they work their farm, raise their children, and deal with life’s challenges. Their world as upright tenant farmers in the Mayo townland of Rosserk is set against the backdrop of wider society, with the pressures and challenges Ireland faced, especially the Great Famine of the 1840s.
Born in upstate New York, Tony grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. Following his college studies, he served a two-year stint in the United States Army, including a tour during the Vietnam conflict with the 34th Engineer Battalion. After his discharge, he embarked on a lengthy career in the commercial banking sector. After a number of visits to Ireland with his son, and with the onset of retirement, he moved to Mayo, the birthplace of his grandfather; this facilitated his attainment of Irish citizenship. And it was here, while taking up Irish Heritage Studies at GMIT, that he began a sustained commitment to writing.