Mizen and Courtmac inspired writer's first book

A COURTMACSHERRY-based writer will launch his non-fiction book this month.

The book – ‘Summer In The City State’, by Eamonn Sheehy – takes a stirring trip through the little-known Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, on through the reinforced European border fences, and into the Rif cities of Northern Morocco. 

Originally from Kerry, Eamonn moved to West Cork 18 months ago and the book was written in his Courtmacsherry home. 

He describes the location as ‘an idyllic place along the Wild Atlantic Way’. 

‘Living around this warm and friendly part of West Cork is very rewarding, as well as offering its own litany of travel gems nearby,’ he says.

The real impetus to actually get working on the book came from Schull,’ he says. ‘I got Pat McCarthy and Richard Hawkes’ book ‘Northside Of The Mizen’ from Pat himself in Schull a few years back, and it was a huge influence on me. It is a powerful work that describes life on the Mizen Peninsula in the mid 1900s.’

He says he has moved from writing feature and news articles into the ‘slow journalism’ style.

‘Summer In The City State’ is his first book. ‘I worked on a variety of projects over the years, writing for Belgium’s ‘Redhorse Reporters’ documentary collective in Lebanon during a visit there. I also wrote for Kosovo 2.0 magazine and YourMiddleEast.com covering arts and international affairs, and on the documentary film ‘Human’ by the  French director Yann Arthus Bertrand, which was launched in the United Nations HQ last September. So it has been natural progression from social journalism into book form.’ 

Publishing his first book was ‘a steep learning curve’, and it is in digital eBook formats, as well as in paperback format through Amazon.com and at Eamonn’s own website at www.migratetothefringe.com. 

He told The Southern Star: ‘I still have to work more on local distribution, which is hard to grapple with. But it will, hopefully, bring the reader closer to this fascinating region between North Africa and Southern Europe.’