Before the 1970s flipped the switch to colour, Irish children ere raised in a world of black, white and an awful lot of grey. But kids, being kids, found endless ways to have fun. Do you remember Dáithí Lacha, Radio Caroline and holidays in Butlin's Mosney? Then this is the book for you! Damian Corless takes us on a tongue-in-cheek trip down memory lane to the age of Let's Draw With Bláithín, instant mashed potato and 'Yellow Submarine'. Set against a backdrop of the space race and the min...

Whether your taste was for fiddlestix or Flavour Ravers, Trigger bars or Two and Twos, Marathons or macaroons, Peggy's Legs or Push Pops, Liquorice Allsorts or Little Devils, You'll Ruin Your Dinner has something for you.From the heyday of Cleeve's toffee to the birth of the Tayto Cheese & Onion crisp, it transports us back to the days when sweet shop windows across the country boasted tempting confectionery displays, when summer was heralded with a visit from the ice-cream...

Kerrygold butter. The Dublin Spire. The Buntús Cainte booklet. The DeLorean sports car. All of these things are an indisputable part of Irish history, yet never quite made the school curriculum. Damian Corless uses his trademark wit to trawl through our past and capture fleeting moments on the way to modern Ireland. Old reliables like the Angelus Bell, the Aran sweater, the shillelagh and the Jack Charlton mug spring fresh surprises. This is a seriously entertaining ramble through an alter...

The name the Romans gave to Ireland was Hibernia, which means 'Land of Winter', and cold feet may have been a factor in their decision to leave the Irish to their own devices. The weather is our main topic of conversation and has done its bit in shaping our character. This lively overview shines a light on incidents when the weather – generally bad – changed the course of Ireland's history. Along the way it takes in those years – and there were quite a few – when the sun really didn't shin...