Longford writer's 'love letter' to livestock gets UK publisher

Longford writer John Connell is set to score another literary hit as his latest tome has been picked up by a UK publisher.
Allen & Unwin UK has acquired the world rights for 'Twelve Sheep: Life Lessons from a Lambing Season', John’s "love letter" to livestock.

The author is famed for his critical and commercial bestseller 'The Cow Book' from 2018 which was a memoir of his return to his family's farm in Longford after many years in Australia and Canada.

He also wrote The Running Book about his love of running, which delved into the rich colonial history of Longford. Both books struck a chord with Irish and international audiences as John eloquently wrote about rural Irish life in the 21st century.

His latest offering was acquired by Clare Drysdale, group associate publisher of Atlantic Books, who picked up the world rights in all languages from Marianne Gunn O’Connor. The book will be published in B-format hardback and e-book on 4th April 2024, with an audiobook sublicense to W F Howes.
A press release on the book says: “For John Connell, the lambing season on his County Longford farm begins in the autumn. In the sheep shed, he surveys the dozen females in his care and contemplates the work ahead as the season slowly turns to winter, then spring. Like the flock that he shepherds, Twelve Sheep is both simple and profound, a meditation on the rituals of farming life and a primer on the lessons that nature can teach us.

“As spring returns and the sheep and their lambs are released into the fields, skipping with joy, John recalls the words of Henry David Thoreau, reminding us to ’live in each season as it passes’.”
As well as writing John is also a film producer, investigative journalist and, of course, a farmer. The Cow Book was awarded Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in 2018.

Speaking on his latest release John said: “It’s a real dream come true after a number of years working on this book. As a farmer and a writer, I can’t wait to share my new work with the world.”
Speaking on her involvement Clare Drysdale, said: “John Connell’s The Cow Book was a sensation for Granta in 2018, winning awards and supergluing itself to the Irish Times top 10 for months.

“We feel fortunate to be working with John on his love letter to another cherished form of livestock. This is a book which will enlighten and inspire all who read it.”