‘Wise, elegant and entertaining . . . an insider's guide to the political wildlife in our ravaged little state.’

John Banville, Books of the Year, Irish Independent

‘James Downey's caustic and insightful memoir . . . incorporates a searing social history of 1950s Ireland.’

Diarmaid Ferriter, Books of the Year, The Irish Times

‘Elegant and entertaining . . . always full of insightful opinions . . . stylishly written and devoid of false sentiment.’

Andrew Lynch, The Sunday Business Post

‘Downey has a wonderful sense of how old-time ... Read morejournalism worked and the book is peppered with delightful anecdotes.’

Liam Collins, Sunday Independent

James Downey, one of the great Irish journalists of his time, describes his family history, his childhood in Leitrim, the Bohemian scene in Dublin in the 1950s, and the revolutionary social and economic changes that have occurred in Ireland in the last half-century.

Woven into the story of his life and the national events of his times are the equally dramatic changes in which he participated during his twenty-seven years with the Irish Times.