'For those of us around from the beginning, this collection jolts like jump-leads to the complacent heart. For the many who were not, dive into these columns from an Ireland of not so long ago. It's an eye-opener.'
MIRIAM LORD

FOR FOUR DECADES, Justine McCarthy's fearless journalism and commentary has challenged stereotypes and held power to account as she, in her own words, 'grew up alongside my country'.

The book opens with an extended piece of new writing in which Justine describes her formative years and entering the male-dominated Irish newspaper culture in the 1980s, a time when a woman getting too many bylines could, and did, lead to a National Union of Journalists bar.

From Mary Robinson making history as Ireland's first female president to a present-day RTE in crisis, over thirty years of stories are collected here. In her long career, Justine broke child sexual abuse scandals and reported from the frontline of the Northern Ireland Troubles; she covered the major reforming referenda, documented political turmoil and charted the role of Ireland on the world stage. She followed the times the country let down its people, through its ailing health system, its legal system, the domination of the church, and its treatment of women.

An Eye on Ireland maps a transformative era in Irish life towards a more progressive and just society, and one woman's extraordinary career at the forefront of change.

A riveting collection of new writing and selected journalism that brings together the best of Justine McCarthy's work over several decades, charting the journey of a nation growing up

About the Author
Justine McCarthy is an award-winning journalist, with over a dozen awards to her name, and writes a weekly Irish Times column. She has been an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Limerick. She is the author of two books: Mary McAleese: The Outsider (1999), an unauthorised biography of the former President of Ireland published by Blackwater Press, and Deep Deception (2009) about the sexual abuse of young swimmers by their coaches published by O'Brien Press.

Reviews
Beginning with two articles on the election of Mary Robinson as president in 1990, the collection compellingly covers the three decades of social revolution that followed * Irish Times *
The range of [Justine McCarthy's] output is remarkable, including colour pieces, news analysis, investigative stories and opinion columns * Sunday Business Post *



Book Information
ISBN 9781399729161
Author Justine McCarthy
Format Hardback
Page Count 448
Imprint Hachette Books Ireland
Publisher Hachette Books Ireland
Weight(grams) 683g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 162mm * 44mm