Nollaig Shona Duit

Coming February 2016

by Billy Sheahan, from Sheila Connolly's County Cork Mysteries

It’s Billy Sheahan talkin’ wit’ yeh again, here at Sullivan’s in Leap. Maura Donovan, who runs the place now—and a fine job she’s makin’ of it—has been telling me about the American holiday Thanksgiving, which we don’t have over here in Ireland. Not that we Irish don’t have a few days we celebrate, and there’s to be a big do fer the hundredth anniversary of the Easter Uprising, which was in 1916, if you don’t know it, and was the first step toward our freedom from England. But that was just a bit before my time.

Maura tells me that Christmastime where she came from starts the day after this Thankgiving, and the beginning is the mad rush to the stores to start buying gifts, as soon as the turkey is cold. But I’d be the last man to tell yeh that we Irish don’t enjoy decoratin’ our towns and our store windows for Christmas, and that starts in November. The Christmas Bazaar at the local church comes round the first weekend in December, and one year the raffle prize was a truckload of cut wood. Laugh if you want, but there’s plenty of folk who keep a fire burning as soon as it turns cold, and it’s not just because it’s pretty to look at.

Temple Bar in Dublin

I see the decorations in Dublin on the telly, and they do it up right there—banners across the streets, with lights, and all the shop windows are overflowing with fancy packages. Maura was kind enough to give me a lift to Skibbereen, down the road, and it’s much the same there, if a bit smaller. It’s a treat to see!

And even our little village of Leap has its tree out with colored lights on it. Might as well enjoy the season as long as we can!

Hope yer holidays are happy ones, whichever yeh fancy!


 You can pre-order A Turn for the Bad from Amazon and Barnes and Noble now!

And in honor of the season, Sheila Connolly is giving away a lovely pair of Belleek mugs (made in Ireland! And if you don't need them, they'd make a great gift.) and a copy of A Turn for the Bad, as soon as it's available. Just leave a comment here and she will draw from the entries. And since it's such a crazy week, you have until next Monday to leave a comment for the drawing.