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Chronicling good news


in Ballymun Irrepressible Ballymun- based freelance journalist Seamus Kelly is basking in the critical acclaim for his new book, “It’s Written in Concrete”, the story of his own paper, Ballymun Concrete News. Seamus describes himself as someone with


little formal education and is delighted to have been invited to give a lecture on his book and the philosophy behind Ballymum Concrete News at Trinity College Dublin. In establishing the newspaper, Seamus saw as his mission the promotion of positive news coverage of Ballymun, a sprawling centre which had received far too much negative publicity over its undoubted social problems. Seamus focussed exclusively on positive


stories in the area from 1998 to 2006 and saw himself as an ambassador of good news. In the book he recalls producing the newspaper in his


apartment on a decrepit computer and a printer long past its sell-by date. Ballymun Concrete News went from a single-page newsletter to an eight-page tabloid, and according to the owner/editor/reporter reached an estimated 100,000 readers. It was an amazing feat of endurance. He advocates “boots on the ground” or what John Horgan has called fresh air journalism, and Kelly could never be accused of being removed from his community.


In the book Seamus places emphasis on


“uplifting stories” as providing a roadmap for the future of newspapers. It’s a controversial thesis and while Seamus Kelly is no Pollyanna, many journalists will find his thesis simplistic. If journalism’s function is to hold power to account, that does mean breaking the consensus and at times upsetting those in authority. By definition all the news that is fit to print will include bad news. Seamus is justifiably proud of the paper and


of the book and continues to use social media to promote his philosophy of an “alternative” approach to news. “It’s Written in Concrete” is available in Axis Ballymun, SuperValu on Main Street, Eason’s in Omni Park and Clare Hall and Kenny’s in Galway. SD


Phil Mac Giolla Bháin introduces ‘The Squad’ in his first novel


Journalist, author, and blogger Phil Mac Giolla Bháin has taken on a new challenge: “The Squad”, a political thriller, is Phil’s fifth book and his first novel. “The Squad” (Frontline Noir, 2018) was launched this June at the Dublin Writers’ Conference. “The Squad” connects Ireland’s post-conflict


landscape with the global war on terror, as two ageing, former members of the IRA join forces to track down an ISIS gang operating in Ireland. In their race against time they call on the assistance of a retired Special Branch officer as well as two newcomers to Ireland, a medical doctor from Morocco and a young ex- paratrooper from Poland. It's a story set largely in Dublin with a


broader reach, as the team find themselves untangling an international plot that involves a CIA operation and shady government officials on both sides of the Atlantic.


Phil Mac Giolla Bháin


Phil, a member of the Derry and North West


branch, is also a member of the NUJ’s Health and Safety Committee and New Media Industrial Council, as well as chairperson of the Irish Writers Union. He had sketched out the story back in 2006, writing what he thought would be a treatment for a screenplay, and found an interested director who likened Phil’s story to an Irish “Bourne Identity”. But following delays in securing financing, Phil shelved the work. He returned to the story a couple of years ago - it took him a solid year to get a finished manuscript to his editor. “It’s entirely an invention,” he said. The


adventures continue: Phil has already begun to write the second book in the series. “The Squad” is available at Waterstones, on


Amazon and Kindle, and through the publishers, Frontline Noir, online at http:// frontlinenoir.com.


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