A Nation Once Again

The brilliant No 1 bestselling author Paul Howard returns with an audacious novel about the vexed National Question

Can 26 + 6 ever be made to = 1?

Meet Fiach O’Bric: career diplomat, recent widower, and a man looking forward to a peaceful retirement. But just when he thinks he’s out, he is persuaded to take over a top-secret department tasked with preparing for a United Ireland — the ultimate impossible job.

Running a civil service department staffed with oddballs, timesavers and a die-hard nationalist from Dundalk, Fiach finds himself refereeing endless arguments about flags, anthems, guns for gardaí,
the location of the new parliament — and don’t even mention the national anthem.

Fiach can feel the hand of history on his shoulder. He suspects it may soon throttle him. Yet, against his better judgement — and all available evidence — a dangerous thought takes hold. What if he could be the one to do what Padraig Pearse, Wolfe Tone and centuries of Irish martyrs failed to do: make Ireland one, and somehow not die in the process.

Dream on, Fiach.

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‘Our nation’s greatest satirist’ Irish Times

‘One of the funniest writers in the country’ RTÉ Radio 1