L – R – Cllr Maurice Shortall, Seamus Walsh, Michael Conway at the launch of “Coal in the Blood”
“Coal in the Blood” Now Available to Buy Online!
Coal Mining runs deep in the Castlecomer Community, and no better man to tell the story than ex Miner Seamus Walsh. Seamus Walsh is from Castlecomer (formally of the Old-road Moneenroe) which is the heart of the coal mining area of Leinster. His family also worked in the mines, including his Father, brothers PJ & Liam and two of his brothers in law Danny Shallow and John Delaney.
Coal in the blood is a true story from the mines it tells of the hardship the strife strikes and vindication over a long number of years. Seamus wrote about life in the mines in his book “In the Shadow of the Comer Mines” a hugely popular account of lie in the mines and in Castlecomer. We are delighted that Seamus has penned further memoirs in his latest book “Coal in the Blood”.
Both of Seamus’ books are now available to buy online here. Click on the button at the bottom of this post to buy “Coal in the Blood” or “In the Shadow of the Mines”.
Acclaimed Author J.V.A.Robinson has given it a great endorsement.
‘Whereas Seamus Walsh’s previous book was about interesting mining characters in the Castlecomer district, this book not only continues in that vein, but is even more a document, and valuable for being so. Mining historians of the future will have access to a very informative source when it comes to continuing the thread of information that this work has established in so much detail. It provides the kind of stuff that has been lost about countless pits in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and elsewhere. The policy of deliberate ‘forgetting’, of letting the written accounts deteriorate, get lost or simply dumped over the years, is a very efficient way of erasing memories of actions by mine-owners, local councils and governments who do not want – and have never wanted – their behaviour over the generations to be preserved for posterity.
Not only is this book a written memory, it is also a very graphic one, with many photographs of some of the great men who sacrificed themselves, working under terrible conditions to make Britain rich and powerful. Men – and their womenfolk – who laboured and suffered for a cause they received neither gratitude nor credit for; indeed, these wonderful, tough, skilled and courageous men were commonly despised, regarded as low-lifes simply because throughout the greater part of industrial history they had to walk home covered with dirt and dust. Yet they were human beings whose humanity, among other virtues, has never been surpassed.
When the pits were finally closed and their occupants evicted, many families had to move away, many of their breadwinners too old to learn new trades. Some, who were fit enough, became carpenters, grew radishes the size of beetroot, or showed that miners could very often turn their hands to many different crafts and their minds to academic challenges. The author of this book, is one such, who because of his talent was able to choose words to create an alternative future, words coupled with a unique experience of work, workplace and workmate, and we should all – not only the miners – be eternally grateful.’
We are now selling both titles from Seamus Walsh on line. You can purchase “Coal in the Blood” or “In the Shadow of the Mines” by clicking on the link below.
Price for “Coal in the Blood” €12
Price for “In the Shadow of the Mines €20
Post in Ireland is €6
