A Nation Once Again

The brilliant No 1 bestselling author Paul Howard returns with an audacious novel about the vexed National Question Can 26 + 6 ever be made to = 1? Meet Fiach O'Bric: career diplomat, recent widower, and a man looking forward to a peaceful retirement. But just when he thinks he's out, he is persuaded to take over a top-secret department tasked with preparing for a United Ireland - the ultimate impossible job. Running a civil service department staffed with oddballs, timesavers and a die-hard nationalist from Dundalk, Fiach finds himself refereeing endless arguments about flags, anthems, guns for gardai, the location of the new parliament - and don't even mention the national anthem. Fiach can feel the hand of history on his shoulder. He suspects it may soon throttle him. Yet, against his better judgement - and all available evidence - a dangerous thought takes hold. What if he could be the one to do what Padraig Pearse, Wolfe Tone and centuries of Irish martyrs failed to do: make Ireland one, and somehow not die in the process. Dream on, Fiach.