Tarquin Blake

Author of Abandoned Mansions of Ireland

Architectural explorer, photographer and historian, Tarquin Blake is the author of the website www.AbandonedIreland.com. He has extensively explored the architectural relics of Ireland and his passion is unravelling and documenting the mysteries of lost heritage. He lives in County Cork.

Geert Spillebeen

Author of Age 14

Geert Spillebeen lives in Belgium and is a journalist. His first book, Kipling’s Choice, was a 2006 ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Terese Edelstein

Translator of Age 14

Terese Edelstein lived in Holland for many years. She now teaches in Michigan, where she lives with her husband. She translated Geert Spillebeen’s previous book, Kipling’s Choice.

Pat Whelan

Author of An Irish Butcher Shop

Pat Whelan is manager of James Whelan Butchers, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. Awards won include the coveted FBD Retail Award, Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 and a rare Rick Stein Food Hero title. Pat’s passion for best practice in land management, animal husbandry and customer service ensures quality, customer loyalty, and success in business. Whelan’s is Ireland’s first web meat retailer and thousands of households enjoy being supplied by Tipperary’s finest butcher.

Mary Laheen

Author of Drystone Walls of the Aran Islands

Mary Laheen teaches Architectural Design at UCD, where she graduated in 1981. She practiced architecture in New York and San Francisco and set up her own practice in Dublin in 1995. Associated with the Aran Islands for many years, she designed the Irish language school, Coláiste Ó Direáin, in the early 1990s. Other interests include Zen practice and the Spanish language and culture.

Kevin Dwyer

Author of Dwyer's Ireland: A View From Above

Kevin Dwyer specialises in aerial photography. He also compiled Ireland – Our Island Home (1997) and Ireland – The Inner Island (2000) a journey though Ireland’s inland waterways. A member of the Irish Cruising Club, Kevin has achieved much recognition for his contribution to appreciation of the Irish coastline and countryside.

Anne Kearney

Compiler of Remember When: Pictures from the Irish Examiner Archive

Anne Kearney, librarian at the Irish Examiner, compiled this collection of images.

Maurice Walsh

Author of G2: In Defence of Ireland

Maurice Walsh served forty years in the Irish Army until his retirement as Colonel in 1998. During his career he served throughout the Army, the Military College and Defence Force Head-quarters. His service included duty with UN forces in the Congo, Cyprus, South Lebanon, and lastly with the EC Monitoring Mission in the Balkans. A qualified intelligence officer, he guardedly researched this book, bearing in mind the Official Secrets Act. He was conferred with a PhD in 2008 at University College Cork.

Mike Cronin, Mark Durcan and Paul Rouse

Authors of The GAA: A People's History

Mike Cronin, academic director of Boston College – Ireland, has written widely on Ireland’s history. His books include The Blueshirts and Irish Politics (1997), Sport and Nationalism in Ireland (1999), and Irish History for Dummies (2006). He contributes to radio and television on Irish and sporting history. Mark Duncan is a Research Consultant and Exhibition Co-ordinator. Central in establishing the GAA Museum at Croke Park and a regular current-affairs researcher with RTÉ, he has worked on research projects in Ireland for public and corporate bodies. Paul Rouse, formerly of Prime Time in RTÉ, has written extensively on the history of Irish sport and the GAA. He teaches history at UCD. All are directors of the GAA Oral History Project based at Boston College - Ireland.

Michael Smith

Author of Great Endeavour: Ireland's Antarctic Explorers

An Unsung Hero

Tom Crean: Ice Man

Shackleton:The Boss

Captain Francis Crozier

Tom Crean - An Illustrated Life

Michael Smith is a bestselling author and an authority on polar history. He has written seven books, contributes to many publications, TV and radio documentaries and lectures extensively. He began writing books after a career as a journalist in newspapers such as the Guardian, the Observer and Evening Standard.