Synopsis:
After more than twenty years covering the Irish American rock beat for the Irish Voice and IrishCentral.com, Mike Farragher approached his editor with the idea of publishing some of the funny stories he has told over the years to his friends at the bar. “I travel with some very funny people, so there is always this intense pressure to come up with something over-the top in the storytelling department,” Farragher says. “Since Irish are gifted storytellers, I always thought I had an unfair genetic advantage---for a change!”
Farragher devoted half of the page in his column to these stories, which appeared within the wildly popular “The Narrowback’s Corner.” His pieces quickly became favorites of regular readers, taking the writer by surprise.
“I thought I was the only one who had a mother who would get me out of bed on a Sunday morning by screeching, ‘I’m sure the Lord Jesus Christ didn't want to get up the day he died for your sins,’ but I was wrong,” he says. “I got e-mails, Facebook posts, and letters to the editor by the dozens from Irish-Americans in my age bracket telling me that I was writing about their lives as well. I was unprepared for the reaction and deeply grateful for the many people who encouraged me along the way.”
The This Is Your Brain on Shamrocks books have produced 2 short plays that made their debut off-Broadway at the Manhattan Repertory Theater. A compendium of best stories from these books are available as an audiobook.
Audiobook information:
Check out samples on Soundcloud
Order Audiobook:
For Amazon:
ITunes
About the Author
After reviewing music for 20 years in premier Irish American media outlets, Mike Farragher decided to turn a critical eye on himself. The "This Is Your Brain on Shamrocks" series is a collection of humorous yet heartfelt essays and short stories about growing up Irish, Catholic, and guilty in the swamps of Jersey. Originally from Jersey City in the Irish county of Hudson, Mike now lives in Spring Lake Heights, NJ with his wife and 2 daughters.
Watch the author discuss "This Is Your Brain on Shamrocks" here: