BALLYDEHOB-born author, Michael Barry, who was shortlisted for the third consecutive year in the An Post Irish Book Awards, will be giving a reading in Skibbereen in January.
Michael Barry's new book was shortlisted for the An Post Book of the Year Award.
In 2022, Michael Barry was listed among the Best Irish-Published Book Of The Year for The Irish Civil War in Colour, and it went on to become the history bestseller that year.
In 2023, his book A Nation is Born was listed in the same category, as was this year’s offering 1588, The Spanish Armada and the 24 Ships Lost on Ireland’s Shores.
As the author of more than 20 books, Michael is constantly listed in the Irish bestsellers list, and he is currently working on a book that has been commissioned by Gill Books.
Now resident in Rathgar in Dublin, Michael has been away from Ballydehob since 1962 – the year his father died.
His father, Michael, and his mother, Mary née Hamilton from Goleen, ran the shop, pub, and petrol pump on the Main Street of the village.
The original building was burned in a fire, only to be rebuilt and repurposed as a wholefood store. Today, that building bears a plaque which acknowledges the fact that his grandfather, John Barry, was an agent who sold several tickets for the ill-fated Titanic voyage, through thankfully the ticket holders all survived.
Michael told The Southern Star that he doesn’t get to return to Ballydehob as much as he’d like. He reminisces that he left the area just as more bohemian people started to arrive.
‘A lot of artists moved in, potters too, and they helped to shape the community and make it the thriving hub it is today,’ he said.
Michael does manage to retain some links with Ballydehob. He is, for example, an admirer of the Roaring Water Journal, and has given talks in recent times about the former railway in Skibbereen and Schull, as well as Ballydehob’s famous 12-arch bridge.
The author will, in fact, be in Skibbereen on January 14th after receiving a kind invitation from the Skibbereen Historical Society to give a talk on his latest book concerning the Spanish
Armada.
Michael said it is interesting to note that the ships that crashed on the Irish shore – from Valentia all the way up to Donegal – never came near Cork, but the odd thing is that much of their navigational documentation referred to Cape Clear.
The book dispels many myths such as the belief that the English fleet destroyed the Spanish Armada. In reality, he said, two-thirds of the fleet returned to Spain.
The book also clarifies that 24 armada ships were wrecked in Ireland, and not two or three, as was generally thought.
‘I was able to use new research in Spain on the history of the armada, which allowed me to bring new information into the public domain,’ said Michael.
Michael, in a moment of whimsy, noted that in good West Cork tradition his dad was called Michael, his son is called Michael, and his grandson is called Michael too.
In another aside, he said he was pleased to have had the opportunity of meeting Skibbereen man Lt Col Cathal Keohane, the former commandant of Irish forces in the Lebanon, whom his son served under.
