The West Cork Literary Festival, centred on the town of Bantry, is one of those wonderful but rare weeks in which one can focus completely on books, on either their reading or their writing. Featuring readings and talks from established authors and poets, Q and A sessions with literary agents and editors, and even nightly open-mic events in which one can showcase one’s own talents, the West Cork Literary Festival has become an annual highlight in the Irish literary calendar. This year’s Festival was just as enjoyable, interesting and informative as I had hoped. The first talk I attended was aptly entitled “An Evening with S. J. Watson”, the author of the hit thriller novel Before I Go To Sleep. Watson read from his latest book, Second Life, before discussing writing techniques, the publishing process and the fascinating impact of the internet on humanity in what was quite an intriguing hour and a half. The next talk I attended was rather different, and proves that everybody will always be able to find something that appeals to them at the West Cork Literary Festival. Nuala O’Connor, previously known as Nuala Ní Chonchúir, read in the Bantry Library from her new historical fiction novel Miss Emily, which deals with the relationship between the real-life poet Emily Dickinson and her fictional Irish maid. Most of the talk related to history, which was of particular interest to me as it is my favourite subject, but towards the end the discussion became more general, and Nuala O’Connor, like S. J. Watson, gave insights into the world of writing and publishing. That evening saw David Nicholls, whose latest work, Us, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, give an entertaining and inspirational talk to almost 270 people in the Windward...

Seán Byers’ book caught my eye in Eason in Cork City. It was quite appropriate that a book dealing with the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland would be selling in one of the city’s main bookshops as not too long ago, 2 Maoist bookstores were burned down in the city for selling seditious literature. This ossification within Irish society’s view of Communism further illustrates the challenges the book’s subject and his party faced. Murray was born in the Glens of Antrim, into a rural Catholic background. Joining Sinn Féin in 1917, Murray would have a life-long dalliance with Irish republicanism, with a tenure in the IRA spanning the War for Independence and the Civil War. Embracing James Connolly’s maxim “The cause of labour is the cause of Ireland, the cause of Ireland is the cause of labour”, Murray joined the Communist Party of Great Britain while in London in 1924. For recognition of his talents, he was selected to attend the International Lenin School for intense study. The resulting “Bolshevisation” would lead to Murray’s life-long affinity with the Soviet Union. Murray and his newly-found Revolutionary Workers Party (later Groups) faced severe problems in Ireland. The Catholic Church was in firm control of the state and society. It had no tolerance for atheist Communism. Murray and his comrades faced heckling, abuse, intimidation and violence. Its paper was refused publication in several instances. Murray himself was stabbed at a demonstration. In 1933, Murray formed the new Communist Party of Ireland. In March 1933, Connolly House, its headquarters, was besieged and burned down, Murray and others narrowly avoiding serious injury or worse. The Comintern had a tight reign on the CPs of Europe, Ireland included, and expected them to obey their diktats on...