John Joe McGinley has completed his third book Famine, Murder and Eviction

Author, blogger and podcaster John Joe McGinley has completed his third book Famine, Murder and Eviction which charts the most important historical events in his home parish of Gaoth Dobhair which have impacted the rest of the world. 

Based in Glassagh, Gaoth Dobhair, John Joe McGinley is a writer of historical nonfiction specialising in unearthing stories of interest that have been overlooked. 

In 2021, he launched his first book Irish Wise Guys, which looked at the lives of seventeen notorious Irish American Gangsters. In May 2022, he launched his second book The Irish in Power, which is the story of some of America’s most flamboyant and influential Irish American politicians.

His latest work Famine, Murder and Eviction, is self-published by Glassagh Publishing.

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He said: "Famine, Murder and Eviction charts the most important historical events and folklore that have shaped not only my  home parish of Gweedore, but which have had ramifications across the world. In 1,500 years, it has seen pirates, pagans, patriots and even a priest charged with murder. The parish has seen events that have been pivotal to Irish history but also to the story of America, the United Kingdom and Australia. Stories that have shocked the world, shook the political establishment, and led to social and political change."

He is the father of 4 boys, 2 of whom are on the autism spectrum, and runs a website called autismdad.ie to raise autism awareness and acceptance.

Over the years, through his website, wildatlanticgweedore.com, John Joe has been blogging about the landscape and history of Gaoth Dobhair and his book collates all the stories has amassed.

"It looks at people such as Father McFadden the fighting priest of Gweedore, the infamous landlord Black Jack Adair and highlights events such as the Battle of Tory Island and tragedies such as the sinking of HMS Wasp and the Wiggans Patch Massacre, a particularly gruesome event when Gweedore emigrants where murdered in Pennsylvania by vigilantes during the bloody war between the mine owners and the Molly Maguires. The site of the murders is now classified as one of the most haunted places in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

"This was also the catalyst for the departure from America of the patriot Patrick O’Donnell’s and his eventual journey to South Africa where he was arrested for the murder of John Carey. I wanted to explore the history and folklore of a parish which whilst isolated has had such a massive impact on Irish and world history. My book Famine, Murder and Eviction also looks at the electrification of Gweedore and the end of the Donegal Railway. This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in Irish history as the tales highlight events that have impacted far beyond Gweedore."

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You can buy a copy of Famine, Murder and Eviction and all John Joes books from www.glassaghpublishing.ie and buythebook.ie A kindle version is available from Amazon. Anyone wishing to stock Famine, Murder and Eviction can contact John Joe at info@glassaghpublishing.ie or call 0831818437.