Wasted: Written by Brian O'Connell, 2009 Edition, Publisher: Gill & Macmillan Ltd [Paperback]

by Brian O'Connell

Now sober for almost five years, Brian sees himself out of synch with much of Irish society and finds Ireland an uncomfortable place in which to live. He explores both his and Ireland's fondness for the jar, by hanging out with daytime drinkers in a rural bar, getting the thoughts of boozy teenagers and hearing from those at the frontline of Ireland's drink culture. Not afraid to poke fun at himself, our now sober thirty-something finds time to visit the Guinness Brewery, talk to government, and see how other European countries are coping with their drinking cultures. Along the way he chats with personalities who have had their own issues with alcohol, from ex-hurler John Leahy to comedian Des Bishop and actor Niall Toibin, to compare notes on a society on a seemingly endless bender. It's a tale of ridicule and rehab, of insight and denial, casting a sober eye on contemporary Irish society and its liquid leanings. Think McCarthy's Bar without the bar.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published October 16, 2009

About the author

Brian O’Connell is a former chairman of Shannon Heritage, the State company which operates a network of cultural tourism venues, such as Bunratty Castle, in Counties Limerick and Clare. In that role, and as a member of the Hunt Museums Trust, he had the opportunity to observe the economic and cultural legacy that John Hunt left to the region. He has spent years travelling world-wide researching the life of Hunt and his impact internationally on the art world.


He initiated the publication in 2004 of an oral archive on regional development pioneer, Brendan O’Regan. He is the co-author of ‘In Bello Fortis’, a biography of Tipperary man General Sir William Parker Carrol, published in Spanish by Fundacion Gustavo Bueno, Oviedo, May 2009.

Reviews

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written interesting take of the social side of irish culture.