Skelligs Calling

Reviews / Votes

'Kirby revels, like few authors do today, in the sheer wonder of Creation. Poet, painter, storyteller, folklorist and fisherman emerge and merge in this glowing book.' - Gabriel Rosenstock 'Michael Kirby is a special man whose perception of life has been well honed in a special place - Ballinskelligs. The man itself evokes mystery, and Michael has spent more than ninety years looking at and learning about this magical spot on the tip of the Iveragh Peninsula... His ability to draw a perfect picture with a few words transports the reader to the headlands; you can almost find yourself leaning into the wind as the monks did centuries ago.' - Bill Cullen, Ireland on Sunday. 'Kirby claims he was born with the sea in his blood. That may well be, but he was also born with words already formed in his head. He writes charmingly with colour, fun, and a flair few others have ever bettered... That a man of such an age could summon up the energy and motivation to write with such committed endeavour, care and beauty is a magnificent triumph of giving us everything he has to offer... Michael Kirby claims he once heard a razorbill singing in Irish, and who am I to argue? For, make no mistake, this is a book set apart, a classic of its kind by a man set apart in a charmingly set apart way.' - Tom Widger, Sunday Tribume