New book by North Cork author celebrates the people, history and nature of the region

A Fermoy man who has, over several decades, helped raise at least half-a-million euro for local charities, has launched a new book collecting four decades of newspaper columns celebrating the people, history and nature of the surrounding area.

It is more than 40 years since Fermoy’s Jim Lysaght first began writing a weekly column, and a new book, A Walk in the Wild, collects some of his best writings.

The book was launched last week in Fermoy Community Centre, and Mr Lysaght’s daughter Sharon spoke about her father’s inspiration as a writer.

He spent a happy childhood in the town, exploring the beauty of the surrounding countryside, and, from an early age, hunting and fishing with his father, she said.

Fishing

As a young man, he played for Fermoy soccer club and, as a lifelong member of Fermoy Rowing Club, he rowed for Munster as a teen.

“Fishing on the Bride, the Blackwater and the Funcheon has been an important part of his life, and he has been involved with the trout anglers for 60 years,” Ms Lysaght said.

Later a member of the local field, film and camera clubs, Mr Lysaght worked as a plumber and began to run his quizzes, raising hundreds of thousands of euro for local charities.

“During his years as a plumber, thanks to long days working in the most remote parts of the countryside, he got to meet many people, sometimes the extreme weather led to invites to take shelter in people’s homes where he listened to their stories,” Ms Lysaght said.

“It was during his lunch breaks as a plumber that he began first writing.”

Articles

Ms Lysaght said that in his writings, her father worked like a naturalist when observing local nature in the woods, fields, rivers, and trees, capturing the essence of flowers, butterflies, birds and fish.

“In one of the book’s articles, he talks about a time when the Blackwater was teeming with salmon and trout,” she said.

“In our world today, affected by so much ecological transformation, it’s very valuable to have writings that depict our nature, people and places from another age.”

Walk in the Wildis available in shops in Fermoy, Conna, Araglin, Castlelyons, Rathcormac and Kilworth.