In a fitting tribute to their Father, the family of Seamus Walsh are donating all proceeds from the sale of his acclaimed book “Coal in the Blood” to the Kilkenny Home Care Team.
We highly recommend that you get this limited edition book now before they are gone. “In the Shadow of the Mines” is currently out of print, so make sure you get your copy of this compelling telling of life in the mines.
Seamus was always a generous person and he would be so happy to know that the fruits of his writing continues to do good in our Community.
Coal in the blood is a true story from the mines, it tells of the hardship, the strife, strikes and vindication over a long number of years.
Coal Mining runs deep in the Castlecomer Community, and who better to tell the story than ex Miner Seamus Walsh. Seamus came from a family of coalminers, hence “Coal in the Blood”as his Father, brothers PJ & Liam and two of his brothers in law Danny Shallow and John Delaney all went down below.
This book makes a great gift, or even get a copy for your kids, it could be a great home school project. Seamus was passionate about making sure that future generations would know about the life of miners and the highs and lows of life underground.
Acclaimed Author J.V.A.Robinson has given it a great endorsement below:
‘Whereas Seamus Walsh’s previous book was about interesting mining characters in the Castlecomer district, this book not only continues in that vein, but is even more a document, and valuable for being so. Mining historians of the future will have access to a very informative source when it comes to continuing the thread of information that this work has established in so much detail. It provides the kind of stuff that has been lost about countless pits in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales and elsewhere. The policy of deliberate ‘forgetting’, of letting the written accounts deteriorate, get lost or simply dumped over the years, is a very efficient way of erasing memories of actions by mine-owners, local councils and governments who do not want – and have never wanted – their behaviour over the generations to be preserved for posterity.
Not only is this book a written memory, it is also a very graphic one, with many photographs of some of the great men who sacrificed themselves, working under terrible conditions to make Britain rich and powerful. Men – and their womenfolk – who laboured and suffered for a cause they received neither gratitude nor credit for; indeed, these wonderful, tough, skilled and courageous men were commonly despised, regarded as low-lifes simply because throughout the greater part of industrial history they had to walk home covered with dirt and dust. Yet they were human beings whose humanity, among other virtues, has never been surpassed.
When the pits were finally closed and their occupants evicted, many families had to move away, many of their breadwinners too old to learn new trades. Some, who were fit enough, became carpenters, grew radishes the size of beetroot, or showed that miners could very often turn their hands to many different crafts and their minds to academic challenges. The author of this book, is one such, who because of his talent was able to choose words to create an alternative future, words coupled with a unique experience of work, workplace and workmate, and we should all –not only the miners – be eternally grateful.’
You can buy the book from Castlecomer Discovery Park or Castlecomer Post Office. It is available to buy online at www.discoverypark.ie/booking
€12
(€6 postage in Ireland)
You can also donate directly to Kilkenny Carlow Home Care Team at