Leitrim man releases new novel 'Too big for his roots'

Proud Leitrim man John Mc Loughlin is delighted to set his latest novel mainly in his native county. The Dromahair-born author's earlier books,  ‘Is it four o'clock yet?’ and ’ You, me and Destiny’  were well received by readers, and the fact that this new book is set in the local area is likely to add to its appeal.

The same accessible writing style and the interplay between comedy and tragedy makes for fascinating reading. The novel features many conflicts, but the romantic entanglements prove the most interesting.
 Set in the 1940s, ‘Too Big For His Roots’  traces the fortunes of the restless and self-centred Robert O'Connor, a young man who craves more excitement and adventure than his humble homeplace of Dromahair can offer. 

The novel opens with O'Connor returning home after being at war for two and a half years. The former soldier was not expecting cheering crowds to greet him on his return to Dromahair, which was just as well considering his tarnished reputation in the area.
That did not bother him. If anything, he revelled in the notoriety, and was confident that his faithful girlfriend would have waited for him. He had also hoped his parents had forgiven him for disgracing them and would be on the platform to greet him.
However, he soon discovered that time waits for no man, not even Robert O'Connor. 

Although set in an era of great change globally, the story is focused on the lives and loves of ordinary Leitrim people of the time who did their best to live life and love it despite the challenging time.
These characters emerge as a colourful and light-hearted bunch with an accepting and relaxed approach to life.
They made their own entertainment and tried their best to find a fulfilling path through life and a special someone to share their lives with.

John, who spent many years teaching in Summerhill College, Sligo, talks of how older family and neighbour often stressed how happy people were back then despite their deprivation.
'Nowadays, it seems almost incredible that people could live their entire lives within a fifteen-mile radius of their homes, knowing little of the country beyond that. However, everyone was in the same boat and that made acceptance that bit easier.
‘Too Big For His Roots’ charts what happened when one such individual got an inkling of what life had to offer elsewhere and desired to grab some of what was on offer'.

The novel is available from Mulvey's House of Gifts, Carrick-on-Shannon, as well as Eason and Liber in O'Connell Street, Sligo.
  It is also available on Amazon in both paperback and digital versions.