You picked up this book because lunch is where good intentions go to die. At 11:50 a.m. you have 10 minutes, $8 in your pocket, and a choice between a $14 salad that leaves you hungry at 3 p.m. and a vending machine fix that costs $3 and steals your afternoon. A typical takeout lunch costs $12 to $20, which is $60 to $100 per week and $3,000 to $5,000 per year, and the mediocre sandwich still delivers only 12 grams of protein.This book is not a chef memoir that requires 40 ingredie...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2025The real story behind Dunnes Stores, the most quintessentially Irish shop of all, and the family drama behind itThis is the story of the extraordinary family behind one of Ireland's most famous businesses, Dunnes Stores, over three generations and covering nearly 80 years of retailing but going back as far as the 19th century.With drama worthy of the popular TV drama Succession, a re...

Through centuries of oppression, we were tenants in our own land. Today, despite our independence and new-found affluence, we are in the midst of a crisis. The question of who owns Ireland is once again taking on a sense of urgency. Is the land of Ireland still for the people of Ireland? In a deep and far-reaching investigation, journalist, broadcaster and No. 1 bestselling author Matt Cooper examines the power wielded by those who control the land where we live, work and play. Who are the...

I am a maximalist … I want more of everything.'Tony O'Reilly strode into the twenty-first century an Irishman apart. Strikingly good-looking, athletically gifted, irresistibly charismatic and phenomenally wealthy, he had everything any man could want. For many, he was a hero, the living embodiment of Irish potential; for others, he was an arrogant and overbearing presence at the heart of power. Without doubt, he was the most powerful unelected Irishman of the past 50 years.His philosophy w...

Over the past thirty years the bus and coach scene across South West England and Wales has seen continual change, from the minibus era to the low-floor revolution. A vast array of vehicle types have been operated, with inter-company transfers by the larger groups of particular interest as well as those vehicles acquired ‘second-hand’.While many of the smaller operators have come and gone, a good number still provide vital transport links, often filling gaps left by the larger compa...

The principal bus operator on the Isle of Wight is Southern Vectis, the name a nod to the Romans who once inhabited the island. In more recent times, from the reign of Queen Victoria, the popularity of the island increased – as has the provision for transport. Dr Beeching’s axe saw the once extensive rail network on the island reduced to just 9 miles of mainline track after 1966. This remains the same today with Island Line serving eight stations between Ryde Pier and Shanklin. This presen...

During the 1990s and 2000s the bus and coach scene across the Midlands evolved at a much greater rate than that of the preceding decades. From 1986 the subsidiaries of the National Bus Company were privatised along with several municipally owned companies across the region, the largest of which was the bus operations of West Midlands PTE. Independent companies came to try their hand by setting up new routes or networks and were joined by some established coach operators wishing to exploit ...

Following the deregulation of the bus industry in 1986, the transport scene in Northampton didn’t alter as drastically as in some other UK towns and cities. There was, however, a series of gradual changes as the ‘green’ buses of Northamptonshire gradually disappeared.With the cavernous Greyfriars bus station featuring throughout, this collection of previously unpublished photographs explores this interesting period between deregulation and the modern bus scene.

The operations of Aldershot & District and Thames Valley Omnibus Company were merged in 1972 to become Alder Valley under National Bus Company ownership. In the run-up to privatisation the two halves were split again; the Berks Bucks Bus Company was the official name of Alder Valley North, which was formed in 1986 and traded as the Bee Line. The book covers the geographic area of this operator but is not a specific history of the company. Starting in Berkshire’s county town of Reading and ...

Heralded as one of the best examples in the bus and coach industry of deregulation working in almost textbook fashion, Oxford has enjoyed an excellent and dynamic transport system. This historic city, famed for its university colleges and ‘dreaming spires’, had City of Oxford Motor Services (COMS) as its established bus operator. Under National Bus Company ownership the operations of South Midland were added and the name was changed to Oxford South Midland. Separated prior to privatisation...

The story of the elite who led Ireland from bust to boom ... and back to bust againHaving money and not having it; making it and losing it; using it and misusing it; giving it and taking it ... this is the story of Ireland during the boom, described in jaw-dropping detail in Who Really Runs Ireland?Leading journalist Matt Cooper identifies the most influential people in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger era, describes how they interacted with each ot...

The transport scene in Northampton was dominated for many decades by Corporation-owned Northampton Transport. In August 1993 privatisation took place and the largely standardised fleet of red and cream buses began to change. By the end of the 1990s, the merging of GRT and Badgerline Groups had created Firstbus. The main focus of this book is the last twenty years of Firstbus, looking at their expansion, consolidation and contraction, with Northampton Depot eventually closed in September 20...