Founded in 1992, A. & A. Farmar publish mainly non-fiction books of Irish interest, including history, traveller, biography, business titles and food and drink. Book-lovers will appreciate our very high editorial, design and production standards, for which we have a well-established reputation. All the books listed here can be ordered directly from us, at a special discount—just click on 'Buy'.
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Empty Promises
Ten years ago Ireland suddenly emerged as a leader in the EU on equality issues. Yet a decade later the budget of the statutory agency promoting equality, the Equality Authority, was suddenly halved and its chief executive officer and six board members resigned in protest. What had happened to the high hopes of 1999? In this book Niall Crowley, the first chief executive of the Equality Authority, tells the story of the conflict that raged all through its life. From the beginning hostile media pundits and vested interests, including the powerful publicans' lobby, went on the attack, and there was growing antipathy too from interests within the public sector which perceived the Authority as a threat. The experiences of some of those who challenged discrimination and those who sought to promote equality within their organisations, are also recounted here. Their stories vividly illustrate the importance of the legislation, and of the existence of a statutory agency to ensure that it is implemented. In a final chapter the author argues that the current reversal should be the stimulus for new endeavour and new creativity. Empty Promises concludes by setting out a programme of renewal for a more equal Ireland. € 14.99 160 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-21-6 Buy |
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On Gardening
Helen Dillon
A new, completely revised and updated edition of Helen Dillon's classic On Gardening, a collection of columns first published in the Sunday Tribune. Praise for the previous edition: 'Here is a book to be read over and over, to keep beside one's bed, to consult throughout the year' Irish Independent 'There are lots of gardening books . . . but my favourite is Helen Dillon On Gardening . . . She writes with wit, profound knowledge and a real verve.' Monty Don 'One of the most knowledgeable, meticulous, and brilliant gardeners in this country' The Irish Times 'My book of the year' Robin Lane Fox, Financial Times About the author Helen Dillon is internationally renowned for her knowledge and skill as a gardener. She is well-known in Ireland from The Garden Show on RTE TV, her regular slot on Lyric FM, and her column in the Sunday Tribune where the pieces in this book first appeared. Her garden in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, which is open to the public during the summer months, attracts visitors from all over the world. Winner of medals from the Royal Horticultural Society and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, she lectures in Britain, the US and New Zealand as well as Ireland. € 12.99 256 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-23-0 Buy |
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The Irish Catullus or One Gentleman from Verona
Gaius Valerius Catullus, who died around 50 BC, remains one of the most popular poets ever to come from Rome. His 116 poems of love, hate and everything in between have survived the rise and fall of civilisations and still retain their power to move the heart and shock the sensibilities. The Irish Catullus: or, One Gentleman from Verona is a project originally conceived by the board of Poetry Ireland as a protest against the closure of the Classics department at Queen's University Belfast, and is now the concern of the Dublin branch of the European Centre for Latin (Centrum Latinitatis Europae). Ireland has a long history of translation and appreciation of the classics; perhaps the best example of this is Imeachta Aeneisa, or the Irish Aeneid -- a version of the Aeneid translated into Old Irish by Solamh O'Droma, which is the earliest known translation of the Aeneid into any language other than Latin. The Irish Catullus includes translations by many Irish authors, including Frank McGuinness, Michael Hartnett, Sarah Rees Brennan and others. € 20 300 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-19-3 Buy |
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Waterford Memories: 150 Years with the Munster Express
Kieran Walsh
The Munster Express has been recording the life and times of Waterford and the surrounding area for 150 years. In this fascinating book the current editor of the newspaper shows us the living detail of Waterford during that time. This is not a dry-as-dust narrative, but a heavily illustrated taste of Waterford life through the years. Enjoy: * evocative pictures of by-gone Waterford * short articles on items of interest from politicians to glass-blowers, from saints to showbands, from pig-markets to First Communion parties * encounter Redmond and the Black and Tans, the hurling heroes of 1948, not to mention the famous JJ Walsh, owner and editor of the Munster Express for nearly 50 years * tough times and happy times on the quays, and in the streets * market scenes from the 1870s to modern Waterford scene € 20 160 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-18-6 Buy |
A&A Farmar's World — Things seen
The film magazine Neon, in an attempt to persuade readers to take out subscriptions had this warning in the March 1998 issue: ‘0.0003 per cent of all murders are committed by newsagents. Why take the risk?’ [Cited in New Scientist, 4 April 1998.] The magazine, a good one by accounts, folded soon after this; there is no evidence of concerted action by newsagents.