From Bards To Blackguards - Limerick And The Art Of Storytelling Signed

From Bards to Blackguards – Limerick and the Art of Storytelling (Signed Copy) (2001) by Gerard Hannan. Treaty Stone Publishing. ISBN: 1902071026. Condition: Good. Signed by the author.

Every town believes it has the finest stories. Some have legends of kings, saints and heroic victories. Others have colourful tales about the chap who accidentally drove his tractor into the river after the annual fair. Limerick, being Limerick, has sensibly decided that both kinds deserve equal respect.

From Bards to Blackguards is Gerard Hannan’s affectionate journey through the rich storytelling tradition of one of Ireland’s most fascinating cities. Published in 2001, it celebrates a place where history, folklore, gossip, music, literature and sheer, unapologetic blarney have cheerfully coexisted for centuries. If you have ever suspected that the Irish possess an uncanny ability to turn even the most ordinary incident into a compelling tale, this book quietly confirms your suspicions.

The title says it all. We move effortlessly from poets to rogues, scholars to scoundrels, respectable citizens to characters whose respectability was perhaps a little more... negotiable. After all, history would be dreadfully dull if it consisted entirely of well-behaved people making sensible decisions. Fortunately, Limerick has never suffered from such a shortage of personality.

Gerard Hannan writes with obvious affection for his city, understanding that the best local histories are never merely collections of dates and names. They are built from voices. Every street seems to possess a memory, every pub a legend, every family another version of events that is just convincing enough to be true—or at least true enough after the second pint.

That, perhaps, is the secret of Irish storytelling. Facts are important, certainly, but they are rarely permitted to stand in the way of a really good story. Somewhere between documented history and enthusiastic embellishment lies a wonderfully fertile landscape where larger-than-life characters flourish and every generation quietly improves the tales handed down by the last.

This is also one of those books that invites dipping rather than dutiful reading. You may intend to browse for ten minutes before bed, only to discover yourself an hour later immersed in anecdotes about forgotten personalities, curious traditions and episodes of local history that somehow never found their way into the average school curriculum. It is impossible not to admire a culture that treats storytelling not as an occasional pastime but as something approaching a civic responsibility.

As a signed copy, this example carries an extra layer of charm. In an age when authors often communicate through social media posts and livestreams, there remains something quietly satisfying about an actual signature on the title page. It serves as a small but tangible reminder that the person who wrote these words once held this very book in their hands before sending it out into the world.

This copy remains in good condition, making it an excellent acquisition for collectors of Irish history, folklore and literature, or for anyone who enjoys books that celebrate people as much as places. Whether your connection to Limerick is lifelong, ancestral or simply aspirational, you’ll find plenty here to entertain, inform and perhaps inspire a visit—though be warned that you’ll probably leave convinced every local has a better story than you do.

From Crappy Old Books—because every town has its history, but only a fortunate few have the confidence to celebrate their poets and their rogues in the very same volume. And if, after reading this, you find yourself embellishing your own anecdotes ever so slightly, don’t worry. You’re merely honouring a fine storytelling tradition.

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