Irish Community & Culture
Irish Times best-selling Irish author Ruairí McKiernan is joining our Director of Culture, Gary Dunne, for an afternoon chat as part of the Winter Wellbeing season.
McKiernan will be coming live from his home near the Cliffs of Moher, chatting about his new book, ‘Hitching for Hope – A Journey into the Heart and Soul of Ireland’, which is described as “part personal travel pilgrimage, and part political quest that captures the power of human resilience”.
The book is a reflection on a hitchhiking listening tour that McKiernan undertook around Ireland during the country’s previous recession, while he was contemplating the prospect of emigration. The book is also a memoir reflecting on his 20 years’ as a trailblazing social leader, including the 7 years he spent as one of the President of Ireland’s appointees to the Council of State, the Irish President’s advisory body.
Hitching for Hope is very much a timely celebration of the values of community spirit, kindness, and collective action in today’s world. It landed a number 1 spot in the Irish Times bestseller charts and has received widespread praise from readers and reviewers alike.
American folk legend Peggy Seeger has described it as ”Irish to its core and international in its search for optimism and communal involvement” and says it’s “an easy and uplifting read.”
Other well-known figures have praised the book including musician Amanda Palmer, folk singer Christy Moore, authors Patricia Scanlan and Chuck Collins, and environmentalists Bill McKibben and Joanna Macy.
