A fresh look at the lives of Irish missionaries

Wednesday August 10th 2011

The cover of the book 'A road less travelled.'

A new book telling tales of Irish missionaries the world over is to be published in September.

‘A road less travelled: Tales of the Irish missionaries’ is edited by brothers Aiden and Brendan Clerkin and is being published by Four Courts Press. A short summary of the contents can be read here.

The book includes a foreword by Irish President Mary McAleese, as well as special contributions from – amongst others – Church of Ireland primate Archbishop Alan Harper, Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady, and the heads of several prominent Irish NGOs.

Royalties from the book are being donated to the Mukuru Arts and Crafts Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

Aiden Clerkin describes the book as a miscellany of stories by men and women from all parts of Ireland, who ventured to unusual places around the globe and often lived out the rest of the lives through extraordinary times and experiences.

He said: “It conveys the life of each person in their adopted home, through a telling in their own words of their favourite or most memorable anecdote, and the lessons learned from their unique experiences. “

Aiden continued: “The suggestion given to our contributors was to think of the type of story they talk about over dinner with their family and friends. They have put these stories onto paper to great effect – the result is a collection of short, entertaining, personal, informal yet informed anecdotes.

“The collection might appeal to people interested in travelling or living in foreign countries, or to people who are conscious of issues in the developing world. It will also be of interest to anyone with an interest in this unique – and now largely forgotten – aspect of Irish social history. The personal accounts are engaging, informative, and thought-provoking.”

A road less travelled is being officially launched in Dublin on Wednesday, September 7. It should be available from Easons, Veritas, and other good bookshops from the first week or so of September, and is also available for purchase directly from the publishers. Here you can download a special pre-publication offer which Four Courts are making available during August.

The Church of Ireland Diocese of Connor

A fresh look at the lives of Irish missionaries

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