Leaning on Gates by Seamus O'Rourke

In the sequel to Seamus O’Rourke’s popular first memoir, Standing in Gaps, this innocent Leitrim lad finally flees the nest, briefly sampling life in New York, Dublin and London – before inevitably returning to his beloved, duller than dishwater existence at home – a life which now includes alcohol, Doctor Hook and some low-budget romance.

But man does not live on romance alone and Seamus needs to get to the bottom of his general uselessness, spurred on as always by his ever-the-realist father, who prophesised his mediocrity from an early age. Seamus continues to underachieve whilst struggling to interpret his auld lad’s advice and watered-down compliments – ’You weren’t as bad as I often saw ya’, ’They must be badly stuck, if they asked you’, and the classic ’What kind of an eejit are ya?’ – all while capturing the innocence and the absurdity of rural life in 1980s and 1990s Ireland.

As always, O’Rourke finds diamond-tipped-needles in bales of really bad hay, providing more laughter and stories of mayhem for fans.

‘A gifted actor, writer and storyteller produces a memoir that is simply – gifted’ Joe Duffy