From Clery's Clock to Wanderly Wagon

Kerrygold butter. The Dublin Spire. The Buntús Cainte booklet. The DeLorean sports car. All of these things are an indisputable part of Irish history, yet never quite made the school curriculum. Damian Corless uses his trademark wit to trawl through our past and capture fleeting moments on the way to modern Ireland. Old reliables like the Angelus Bell, the Aran sweater, the shillelagh and the Jack Charlton mug spring fresh surprises. This is a seriously entertaining ramble through an alternative history of Ireland that you weren't taught at school. Also by this author: Looks Like Rain: 9,000 Years of Irish Weather

Damian Corless, a journalist and a former editor of Magill and In Dublin, currently contributes to the Irish Independent. He has written comedy sketches for BBC TV's classic Big Train and RTE's award-winning Stew. His acclaimed books include You'll Ruin Your Dinner and his most recent book, Looks Like Rain, a lively, humorous look at how weather has done its bit for and against Ireland over the past 9,000 years.