Kevin Martin

Hi there, I am a retired lecturer in Irish social and cultural history. I did my Master's degree thesis on the role of the pub in Irish society when I was 22. Two decades later I came back to the subject - one very close to my heart - to write 'Have Ye No Homes To Go To? The History of the Irish Pub, published by The Collins Press, County Cork, Ireland in 2016. Orpen Press in Dublin commissioned me to write a guidebook to Dublin pubs which was published as The Complete Guide to Dublin Pubs in 2018. While visiting pubs all over Ireland to interview people for 'Have Ye No Home To Go To?' I came to see the incredible popularity of country music in Ireland. I always loved American country music but did not know as much about the hybridized version known as 'Country and Irish. by many. Of those first three books I'm probably most proud of it because it broke new ground as there was no previous book of any type on the subject. Having written three books about Irish topics I wanted to expolre a subject which concerned Irish emigrants, specifically to the USA. I did know quite a lot about the Irish Whales, as I coached track andfield in the past, but the process of researching and writing this book has convinced me they should be more widely known. Their story is truly remarkable. If you would like to contact me please mail me at kevinmartin421@gmail.com,