Ruth Gilligan

Every year, Úna prepares for her father to leave her. He will wave goodbye early one morning, then disappear with seven other men to traverse the Irish countryside. Together, these men form The Butchers, a group that roams from farm to farm, enacting ancient methods of cattle slaughter. The Butchers' Blessing moves between the events of 19996 and the present, offering a simmering glimpse into the modern tensions that surround these eight fabled men. For Úna, being a Butcher's daughter means a life of tangled ambition and incredible loneliness. For her mother Grá, it's a life of faith and longing, of performing a promise that she may or may not be able to keep. For non-believer Fionn, The Butchers represent a dated and complicated reality, though for his son Davey, they represent an entirely new world--and potentially new love. For photographer Ronan, The Butchers are ideal subjects: representatives of an older, more folkloric Ireland whose survival is now being tested. As he moves through the countryside, Ronan captures this world image by image--a lake, a cottage, and his most striking photo: a single butcher, hung upside-down in a pose of unspeakable violence.

The Butchers' Blessing

Three intertwining voices span the twentieth century to tell the unknown story of the Jews in Ireland. A heartbreaking portrait of what it means to belong, and how storytelling can redeem us all.

Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan

Pretty and popular, Eva Coonan has everything to look forward to--that is until her dad dies suddenly and her whole world falls apart. Just as Eva starts to wonder if she will every feel normal again, Killian--the good-looking rugby winger--catches her eye. But she soon realizes that all is not what it seems and that the only person she can really talk to is Zac, who somehow always seems to know the right thing to say. But cute, scruffy, guitar-mad Zac has his own problems. Not only has he to deal with being "the new guy" at school, but his father is a total bully and he is fast running out of ways to protect his mother. As things heat up, choices have to be made. Eva learns that the right thing to do can often be the hardest--and that true love will always wait.

Forget

'I binged it like a Netflix show... It's stunning' Luke Kennard, author of The Transition ______________________________ A photograph is hung on a gallery wall for the very first time since it was taken two decades before. It shows a slaughter house in rural Ireland, a painting of the Virgin Mary on the wall, a meat hook suspended from the ceiling - and, from its sharp point, the lifeless body of a man hanging by his feet. The story of who he is and how he got there casts back into Irish folklore, of widows cursing the land and of the men who slaughter its cattle by hand. But modern Ireland is distrustful of ancient traditions, and as the BSE crisis in England presents get-rich opportunities in Ireland, few care about The Butchers, the eight men who roam the country, slaughtering the cows of those who still have faith in the old ways. Few care, that is, except for Fionn, the husband of a dying woman who still believes; their son Davey, who has fallen in love with the youngest of the Butchers; Gra, the lonely wife of one of the eight; and her 12-year-old daughter, Una, a girl who will grow up to carry a knife like her father, and who will be the one finally to avenge the man in the photograph.

The Butchers

The exams are finally over, the sun is shining and celebration is in the air. For twins Chloe and Alex the future looks bright, if a bit uncertain. But turbulence is not far from the horizon. It begins when Alex is in a car crash on the way home from a drinking binge with friends. Miraculously he escapes with just cuts and bruises, but the driver's life hangs in the balance. Alex tells himself it's only a matter of time before his friend 'wakes up', but his free and easy ways are put to the ultimate test over the dramatic weeks to follow. For Chloe, insecurities begin chip away at the edges of her 'balanced' world: her relationship with Sam, her drama school chances, her weight. Her friends are worried that she's getting too thin. But thin is not what Chloe sees when she looks in the mirror. A holiday to Ayia Napa with the gang promises to be the escape everyone needs, the ideal bridge between school and ... real life. But as the party rages on, Alex and Chloe realise that there are some things that you can't escape from - as they struggle to find the somewhere at the other side of somewhere in between.

Somewhere in Between

Winner of the Ondaatje Prize for 2021. The first novel truly to capture the story of Ireland during the BSE crisis, shown through the small, deeply intimate stories of four people caught up in its churn.

Gilligan Untitled 2

From the Irish bestselling author of Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan comes a short story about modern love, old-fashioned values and a new-born calf. ____________________________ While the country gears up for a referendum, a man sits waiting with a ring in his pocket... He has known his girlfriend since they were children, though they have become quite different adults. He lives in the city, she works on a farm. She's voting YES, he doesn't know what he's doing; what exactly it is he believes. But he does know that he makes her laugh and that their connection feels natural, most of the time. So surely there's a decent chance she will say YES to him too?

Unnatural

When Alice arrives on campus amidst the ancient splendour of Cambridge University, she thinks she's found her wonderland. Then one night something happens – one inexplicable act ruins everything and she finds herself alone. Alice will not admit defeat; having practically raised her two brothers single-handedly, she is good at being strong. Too good. But Soon her dark secret becomes too much and the cracks begin to show. Her weekly meetings with Flo, the stranger on the bench, become her lifeline. And try as she might to bury the dark truth of that awful night, she begins to realise that some things have to be faced up to. It's time for Alice to look at her broken reflection and start to put the pieces back together...

Ruth Gilligan

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