Formby author launches third book in 'An Irish Lad' series and is doing a talk at Formby Lib

Formby author, David R McCabe, author of the ‘An Irish Lad’ series will be talking about his books at Formby Library on Tuesday 12th September at 2pm and introducing his latest novel ‘Brendan Ashore’. There will be a book signing at the celebrated book shop Write Blend, South Road, Crosby at two o’clock on Saturday 9th September.

Although the three books in the series are classed as fiction, there are many instances of David’s adventurous life included and are written in a relaxed and humorous style. David, who has lived in Formby for the past forty years, was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1940.

The three books describe the life of an Irish lad, Brendan Harris. Brendan was brought up in a village outside Dunlaoghaire Co Dublin. An ambitious young man he went to a fee paying school. State schools for Protestants were hard to come by in Ireland at this time and Brendan’s parents were hard pressed to find the fees. David’s first book titled ‘Pinkeens to Diddies’ covers Brendan’s life as a child in Ireland and his many humorous incidents growing up. Pinkeens, of course, are sticklebacks small pink bellied fish, caught in ditches and Diddies are those magnetic parts of the female a young man notices. Attaining the age of sixteen Brendan went to sea as an apprentice deck officer on British tanker ships and traversed the world delivering oils from Cape Town to Philadelphia, from the extreme heat of the Persian Gulf to the ice-laden skies of the Arctic Ocean.One time his tanker ship, loaded with petrol ran aground off the west African coast and in another occasion, in the East Indies, whilst at anchor off a small port called Balikpapan found his ship was one of the targets for a rogue B-26 Invader Bomber. Fortunately its bombing run was unsuccessful.

Upon returning home to sit his officer exams he was involved in a road accident in Dublin and was hospitalised with head and leg injuries and took some twelve months to recover. With his sea going career now ended he ‘took the boat’ as was said at the time, to Liverpool and found lodgings with a lonely landlady in Bootle. This was now the early sixties and Brendan went dancing in Reeces Ballroom, moved lodgings, met the love of his life and bought a house in Formby. With a surprising turn of events he started a new career and a new life.

Written in David’s relaxed, and humorous style the three books in the ‘An Irish Lad’ series offers an insight into the nineteen forties to the sixties in Ireland and the north of England –as seen through the eyes of and Irish lad. Now in his seventies, David lives in Formby with his partner Joan. Happily retired he and Joan spend much of their time fly fishing and working on his next book.

Further information on David’s life and books will be seen on his web site www.anirishlad.co.uk Copies, of books, can be bought from Amazon and Write Blend.