Stories from the Deep: Reflections on a Life Exploring Ireland's North Atlantic Waters

by Ken O'Sullivan

Spun from the author's first-hand experience as an underwater cameraman and filmmaker, from memory, natural history and the culture of Ireland's coastal communities, Stories from the Deep is a profound exploration of Ireland's ocean waters through narrative and poetry.

From encounters with its rarest and most striking fauna, like the blue whale and basking shark, to the broader considerations of its impact on language and our shared sense of place, this genre-defying work is an eloquent and urgent tribute to the enduring beauty of our natural heritage and a moving elegy to our magical connection with the sea.

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2019

Reviews

[Tina Callaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book, both in subject and execution. Magical and poetic in places.

[Peter Thew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken O'Sullivan is an underwater cameraman and film maker. Based on the west coast of Ireland, he explores the underwater Atlantic, filming sharks, whales, jellyfish and a variety of other creatures. He writes well explaining the difficulties and dangers of the work as we share in the rewards when he succeeds. The book is beautifully produced with his full colour images interspersed throughout. The final three chapters suddenly head off in a completely different direction. The first is an understandable environmental rant at the damage that man is doing to his world. But the final two chapters of autobiographical memories jar with the early writing and should have been omitted.

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice biography come conservation tale, if not a little disjointed. The end of the book contains a number of reflections on wider Irish society and global warming that seem a little out of place. The author is at his best when documenting the pain of creating vital research at the mercy of a state-funded broadcaster with a small budget, and the effort and strokes of luck that go into this work.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing in this book is beautiful. Ken's descriptions of the seafloor, his love of jellyfish, and the amazing dives with whales and sharks leave us all envious but also feeling that we can see them from his writing. Why not five stars - I felt that it lost a little in the end, it felt a little disjointed

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the unique experiences and struggles. Poor structured though, quite scattered in the way the stories were compiled