Tipperary man and historian based at Queen's University Belfast launches debut book

Cahir Social & Historical Society hosted the launch of local man Maurice Casey’s new book last Friday August 23 in the Great Hall of Cahir Castle.

News of the book launch spread quickly last week and the Society were delighted to see a huge crowd turn up on the night.

With a full house, the local Historian launched his book titled “Hotel Lux” with an introductory speech by John McCarthy who taught him when he was a teacher in Coláiste Dún Iascaigh secondary school and was always on hand to offer advice during the writing of his compelling debut book.

Already receiving fantastic reviews ‘Hotel Lux’ is intimate history of Communisms forgotten radicals revealed through the personal accounts, letters and documents meticulously researched by Maurice who manages successfully to turn those accounts into a compelling story of those who lived and worked through those turbulent times.

Maurice Casey is a historian based at Queen’s University Belfast.

In this book the Cahir historian tells the story of Wexford woman May O’Callaghan who was the head of the English, French and Spanish translation department of the Comintern in Moscow in the 1920’s and sheds light also on the lives of her friends and comrades during this turbulent period.

Through extensive research on the Hotel Lux which housed Communists employed by the Communist International (Comintern) where they all resided, an epic story emerges.

This is a book that everyone will enjoy and written by a Cahir native. You can buy it on all major book sites/stores and locally too. I’m sure this is just the beginning of Maurice’s literary journey and it sure would make a great movie!

Many congratulations to Maurice, his wife Ciara and his family.