The Pawnbroker's Reward

'A powerful and gripping piece of writing from a born storyteller.' Joseph O'Connor

'The narrative is just like his singing voice, full of powerful strength and compassion.' Michael Harding

'Lucid, lovingly-written and lyrical.' Professor Christine Kinealy

1846. County Cork.

On the barren outskirts of Macroom, Pádraig and Cáit ua Buachalla face a perilous winter after the comprehensive failure of their blighted crop – the final episode in a whole history threatening to push them over the edge.

From his shop at the centre of town, pawnbroker Cornelius Creed sees the poor in their darkest hour, his premises often being their last stop on the way to the workhouse. Perfectly placed at the juncture between the classes, through Creed we also follow the wider political events that inform local government decisions and their impact on those struggling to survive.

Their stories, and those of many others, weave into a powerful account of the Great Famine's grip on a single Irish town. At once epic and intimate, this meticulously researched, multilayered work from one of Ireland's best-loved singer-songwriters delivers a rich, lyrical debut that resonates powerfully with our own troubled times.