Famed Irish author Kevin O’Hara joins BATW for a special zoom event, August 21st at 5 p.m. In 1979, Kevin O’Hara set out to tour 1,800 miles of his native Ireland with little more than a cart hauled by a donkey named Missie, hoping to arrive back at his grandmother’s village on Christmas Eve. He was reeling from the struggles of his service in Vietnam; Ireland was reeling from an oil crisis, a four-month postal strike and major flare-up of the Troubles. Together, the pair drank many a pint, had many a close shave and saw, with melancholic clarity, “the curtain fall on Old Ireland.” The adventure even attracted the attention of the BBC.
Nearly forty years later, Kevin O’Hara is a master storyteller, recipient of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Award and frequent guest of honor at Irish heritage celebrations around the nation. Last of the Donkey Pilgrims was recently rated one of the top 200 by Nomadic Notes. He’s also written A Lucky Irish Lad about his boyhood in Massachusetts as well as a regular column in the Berkshire Eagle.
Join us for an evening of tales, conversation and Irish trivia on August 21st, 5PM, with two lucky trivia participants winning a signed copy of either a Lucky Irish Lad or Last of the Donkey Pilgrims. Guinness and whiskey optional but encouraged, begorrah! Invitation by email only.