This author writes under the pseudonym of journalist Paul Howard. His works are characterized by a distinctive style and a deep insight into the human psyche. He explores complex relationships and moral dilemmas that shape our lives. Readers appreciate his ability to draw them into the story and provoke thought.
Facing a midlife crisis, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly grapples with turning 40, unemployment, and impending divorce. His life spirals as his mother declines in a nursing home, his father’s actions threaten national security, and family drama unfolds with a potentially illegitimate child. Amidst chaos, including the co-ed transformation of Castlerock College, Ross remains optimistic, recalling Father Fehily's wisdom about endings leading to new beginnings. This final installment promises humor and insight into the complexities of life and family.
Few thinkers have provoked such violently opposing reactions as Edmund Burke. A giant of eighteenth-century political and intellectual life, Burke has been praised as a prophet who spied the terror latent in revolutionary or democratic ideologies, and condemned as defender of social hierarchy and outmoded political institutions. Ross Carroll tempers these judgments by situating Burke’s arguments in relation to the political controversies of his day. Burke’s writings must be understood as rhetorically brilliant exercises in political persuasion aimed less at defending abstract truths than at warning his contemporaries about the corrosive forces – ideological, social, and political – that threatened their society. Drawing on Burke’s enormous corpus, Carroll presents a nuanced portrait of Burke as, above all, a diagnostician of political misrule, whether domestic, foreign, or imperial. Burke’s lasting value, Carroll argues, derives less from the content of his specific positions than from the difficult questions he forces us to ask of ourselves. This engaging and illuminating account of Burke’s work is a vital reference for students and scholars of history, philosophy, and political thought.
The Number 1 Bestseller! "Ross is a national institution" - Irish Times * * * 'The name's O'Carroll-Kelly. Ross O'Carroll-Kelly.' As the great James Bond said, 'History isn't kind to men who play God.' How right the dude ended up being. My secret double-life was finally catching up with me. Sorcha wanted a divorce. I was facing jail time for taking my orse out in a pub in Cork. And there was a very good chance that my sister-in-law's surrogate baby was actually mine? One by one, all of the goys turned their backs on me. Then came an unexpected plot twist. From beyond the grave, Fr Fehily - the M and the Q to our Leinster Schools Senior Cup-winning team - sent us all on one final mission . . . To walk the Camino - or die trying! It's, like, double oh fock! * * * "One of the funniest writers in the country" - RTÉ Radio One "Laugh-out-loud funny" - Anton Savage, Newstalk "A legendary anti-hero" - Business Post
This book argues for the existence of deep, often unexamined, interconnections
between genre and race by tracing how surveillance migrates from the
literature of slavery to crime, gothic, and detective fiction, not only
through the traditional concept of surveillance (top-down), but also the...
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When a shameless rugby legend and a distinguished grey lady get together sparks are bound to fly. And when that legend is South Dublin's favourite socialite, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, and the grey lady is the Irish Times, the result is, well, legendary. From locked-in in Donnybrook to locked-down in Killiney, Ross and the old gal have been through a lot. Now, you can enjoy the very best of his efforts to keep her entertained . . . - His adventures with the Mount Anville Moms WhatsApp group - His daughter Honor's infamous production of South Side Story - His father's court battles with Denis O'Brien - His wife Sorcha's efforts to force her banana bread on the neighbours - His son Ronan's attempt to make it as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter From the sheer joy of taking his feral triplets to their first Ireland v. England match, to the sheer misery of Kielys pub (his spiritual home) closing down, to the pants-shitting tension of taking Honor to Electric Picnic - they're all here! And this new edition includes all new material from 2021 - lest we forget! As the Grey Lady herself would no doubt say- 'That was some ride, Ross!'
THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER Ireland, Ireland - no longer standing Dáil ... Leinster House had been burned to the ground. All that was left was a smouldering ruin and the blackened remains of an Irish flag. The old man was trying to pin the blame on Brussels, but I knew the actual truth? Unfortunately, Sorcha was too angry with me for having sex with our daughter's Irish teacher to listen. But I had, like, other irons in the - pordon the pun - fire. I'd just become Head Coach of the Ireland rugby team - albeit, women. The country might well have been focked. But very soon, we had everyone believing in fairy tales again. And it all happened once upon a time in . . . Donnybrook _______ 'Ross is a national institution' Irish Times 'In a league of his own' Business Post
Ridicule is a prevalent aspect of modern politics, often used to demean opponents and sway public opinion. However, it can also erode the foundations of political discourse, turning debate into hostility and silence. In contemporary discussions, some commentators express concern that ridicule is replacing more sincere forms of political engagement. Theorists of deliberative democracy argue that ridicule can be uncivil, trivializing, or morally questionable. Conversely, others believe that a politically vibrant society will naturally include ridicule as a tool against authoritarian figures who struggle to endure it. This book provides historical context by examining the role of ridicule in eighteenth-century Britain, a time when its place in politics was intensely debated. The 1690s saw a surge in political and religious satire following the easing of censorship and the deregulation of printing, particularly around the Toleration Act. Critics warned that excessive ridicule could harm character, undermine religion, and incite civil discord. Yet, defenders like the Third Earl of Shaftesbury viewed ridicule as a crucial means to challenge the arrogance of fanatics and zealous clerics, who posed threats to toleration. The author explores Shaftesbury's influence and how his followers and critics navigated the responsible use of ridicule in political and religious debates.
A love affair born in rural Ireland! Two mismatched lovers, locked in a relationship that will change both of them ... forever!From the day I was born, I was brought up to believe that Gaelic games were invented for people too stupid to understand the laws of rugby. Little did I know that one day I would become a legend of Kerry football.But then my life has taken a lot of unexpected twists and turns.My old man is, like, the Taoiseach of the country. My wife is an actual Minister in his Government. And my suddenly teenage daughter is heading for the Jailtacht - and her very first rugby boyfriend.And then there's Marianne ...Of course, I was too busy becoming a Gaelic football stor to realise that my family - like the entire country - was being pushed towards a cliff edge. And I was the only man capable of saving Ireland's democracy.Which is just like, 'Fooooooock!''Ross is a national institution' Irish Times'When the literary history of the 21st century is written, it will record that a cartoon rugger bugger stole the hearts of the Irish people' Sunday Times
'One of the funniest writers in the land ... Schmidt Happens will be lapped up by fans' Irish Independent I've had some pretty bad New Year's Eves in my life. But this one was officially... The! Worst! Ever! My wife had just given birth to a baby that wasn't mine. My son had just walked out on his bride-to-be on the eve of their wedding. And my old dear was making threats of revenge against me for allowing her to choke on the olive from her breakfast Martini. Throw into the mix three infant sons who were banned from every public park and children's play centre in the city; a father who was working with dodgy Russian business interests to put himself in the Taoiseach's office; and a daughter who was about to do something truly shocking - even by her standards. But then, one day, totally out of the blue, I received a very unexpected phone call... And let's just say that Schmidt got real. 'Ross is a national institution, and his adventures continue to chart the foibles and fortunes of modern-day Dublin with wicked humour and sharp observation' Irish Times 'Hilarious' Woman's Way
THE NO.1 BESTSELLER!'Riotously funny ... Surrender to laugh out loud humour yet again' Irish Examiner'If I've learned one thing,' the late, great Father Fehily used to say, 'it's that life, families and rugby balls don't always behave the way you want them to!'Looking at my life, I'd have to say, the dude wasn't wrong.My old man had been caught rigging a General Election. My old dear was about to become a seventy-year-old mother of six. And Honor was walking around in a yellow rain mac, telling everyone that the end of the world was coming.It was enough to drive a man to the brink.The only simple thing in my life was my new job as the Head Coach of Presentation College Bray - which is saying something given that I had to try to turn a collection of jokers, chokers and forty-a-day smokers into a team capable of winning the school's first Leinster Schools Senior Cup in nearly ninety years.And while Father Fehily would have been spinning in his grave, I soon found myself falling in love - with the town I loathed so well.Praise for the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly ' Ross is a national institution ... wicked humour and sharp observation ' Irish Times' One of the funniest writers in the land ' Irish Independent' Extraordinarily accurate and outstandingly funny ' Sunday Business Post
I was a rugby player with a great future behind me. A 35-year-old father-of-five with an expanding waistline, who was trying to survive the bloody battlefield we call life. My son was locked in a violent turf war with a rival Love/Hate tour operator, my daughter was in love with a boy who looked like Justin Bieber, and my old dear was about to walk up the aisle with a 92-year-old billionaire who thought it was still 1936.I was, like, staring down the barrel of middle age with the contentment of knowing that I was the greatest Irish rugby player who no one in Ireland had ever actually heard of. Until a chance conversation with an old Jesuit missionary made me realize that it wasn't enough.I was guided, as if by GPS, to a muddy field in - let's be honest - Ballybrack. And there I finally discovered my destiny - to keep a struggling Seapoint team in Division 2B of the All Ireland League.Or die trying.'Hides a heart of darkness beneath the layers of craic and great gas and great story-telling and human warmth. Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is Ireland!' Irish Times'A cracking and hilariously witty read' Irish Independent'Book after book, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly delivers the goods ... Howard is in a league of his own' Sunday Business Post
My friend, Fionn, was being held hostage in, I don't know, Unganga Nanga, and the Government was refusing to send in a team of marines to extract him. Pack of focking cauliflower worriers ... I wouldn't have minded being bound and gagged in a basement - just for some peace and quiet. My wife was up the spout again. My daughter had grown into a mix between Suri Cruise and a Chucky doll. And one or two other chickens - well, birds - were coming home to roost. Suddenly, I realized what I had to do - go and get Fionn back. Except what I didn't realize was that Unganga Nanga was no country for old tens.
The century is not yet a teenager, yet everything is shrouded in gloom . . . People are tightening their belts, rationing and making do. Across Europe, there is uncertainty, with the possibility of, like, serious conflict hanging in the air. Yet, amidst the splendour of Honalee - a mock-something-or-other mansion in Killiney that we recently inherited - life goes on. The world is changing quickly - especially for me. As I stare down the barrel of middle age, I've decided that it's time to possibly do right by Sorcha and put our marriage back together. But I have even bigger challenges to face. My son has hitched his future to a family of commoners, my old dear is involved in a love affair that threatens disgrace for the family, and my daughter has turned into the worst little madam you can imagine. Oh, yeah, and I'm about to become a grandfather at 31. As Sorcha embraces her new life of afternoon teas on fine bone china plates and Downton Abbey theme porties, I'm suddenly wrestling with duty, loyalty and the thousands of women out there who still desire the pleasure of my company. Praise for Ross O'Carroll-Kelly: 'Unremittingly funny.' RTÉ Guide 'To borrow a great critic's phrase about the rugby player Paul O'Connell: if you are what you eat then Paul Howard must have been eating a focking legend. (The great critic was Ross O'Carroll-Kelly.).' Irish Times 'Will leave your cheeks hurting from laughing' Irish Farmers.' Monthly
Sportsman. Lover. Bon vivant. Cad. Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is many things to many people. But ten years after he lifted the Leinster Schools Senior Cup, Ireland's most beloved rogue remains one of its most misunderstood figures. His accomplishments on the rugby field - and in the bedroom - remain the stuff of legend, but the truth about him remains hidden by the accretion of myth. Now, for the first time, the lid is lifted on the enigma that is South Dublin's most eligible married man. In more than a hundred interviews with his family and friends - those who've loved him, hated him and slept with him - the first ever composite portrait of the Celtic Tiger's most famous cub emerges. From the mother who didn't want him to the father who wanted him too much, from the friends who shared his misadventures to the women who shared his bed - or, failing that, a back alley or bus shelter - this searingly honest biography fills in all the blanks in the life of the self-styled Cock of Foxrock.
That risk assessor ex of Sorcha's turned out to be right - it really was the end of the world as we knew it ...See, I thought the porty was going to last forever. I certainly didn't believe the current economic blahdy blah was going to affect people like me. But as I watched the shutters fall, one by one, on all my old haunts - Renards, Mint, Guess Meanswear - I was forced to question all the truths that I once held as sacred.Sorcha's boutique was bleeding me dry, the Deportment of Social Welfare had stuck two yahoos in the penthouse next door, while Oisinn - his business empire in ruins - hadn't been seen since he porked his cor at Dublin Airport and took off for who knows where.'Isn't it wonderful?' the old man went. 'Times like these, they bring out the best in people like us.'But just when I thought the recession couldn't get any worse, an unexpected twist in the tale threatened to take away the most precious thing in the world to me.
The incomparable, irredeemable Ross O'Carroll-Kelly gives the ultimate low-down on the centre of the universe, South Dublin - a land of untold beauty and wealth, which boasts more yacht clubs per head of population than Monte Carlo, where girls talk like Californians, where rugby is the number one religion and where it's possible to buy a Cappuccino - at Champs Elysee's prices. The Ross Guide to South Dublin contains all you need to know about this extraordinary region, where it'll be soon be too expensive for anyone to live.
Ross O'Carroll-Kelly's father, Charles, finally gets sent down for tax evasion and corruption, leaving Ross and his mother in a spot of bother. It looks like the rugby legend is about to get his comeuppance as his perfect life finally unravels. Is this the end of cocktail hour?
The follow-up to 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress', 'Should Have Got Off at Sydney Parade' finds Ross O'Carroll-Kelly dealing with the trials of parenthood.
