In Wicklow and West Kerry

Step onto the rolling roads of County Wicklow and hear the voices of its wandering folk. Through a series of lively sketches the author paints the daily realities of the region’s vagrants—people who drift between villages, workhouses, and fairgrounds, living off the generosity of passers‑by while retaining a rugged independence. The narrative balances hard‑won observations about poverty and health with vivid, almost lyrical descriptions of the landscape that frames their journeys.

Among the portraits is a centenarian tramp whose memories stretch from the famine years to distant seas, and whose tales of secret languages and restless love bring humor and pathos in equal measure. Interwoven with these personal stories are local superstitions about witchery, fairies, and the mysterious powers attributed to western wanderers. Listeners will find a textured glimpse of a disappearing way of life, told with empathy and a touch of the poet’s eye for detail.