A recent economic miracle, Ireland has now suffered a catastrophic collapse, yet soulfulness and eccentricity still reign. In Ireland Unhinged, Connecticut-born David Monagan explores his adopted country through the eyes of a passionate transplant.

At the core of this chronicle is the story of an American family abroad in formerly impoverished Ireland as the country is seized by a Klondike mentality in which an entire populace seems to throw off old restraints and hunger for new wealth. Then the bubble bursts, and brand-new but empty skyscrapers stand like tombstones in Cork's oncebooming center. What has slain the Celtic Tiger? Monagan probes the devastating collapse of his adopted country and in the process brings to life the fascinating story of the rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger. Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, praised Monagan as the best non-fiction writer about Ireland today. The author re-earns that honor with the delightful memoir, Ireland Unhinged.

About the author

A native of Connecticut and gimlet-eyed journalist, David Monagan moved to Ireland in 2000 and has written widely ever since about his adopted country for leading publications there and throughout the U.S. His acclaimed previous work of travel literature, Jaywalking With the Irish, was published globally by Lonely Planet in 2004 and appears internationally under the National Geographic Traveller logo. His title Journey into the Heart was a tourde- force of reporting about charismatic medical pioneers. Monagan has been a syndicated columnist for Lonely Planet, and a frequent contributor for publications as diverse as Forbes Life and the Irish Examiner. The author, his wife Jamie, and their three children reside in Cork, Ireland. He can be reached at davidmonagan@eirecom.net