Tea and Talk

Relax with Alice, sit and chat over a cup of tea, as she invites you into her life.

See an old press overflowing with the linen collection of two generations, the oil lamps and clocks inherited and collected over many years, and the books of people who once lived here. Alice tells you of the sad loss of her beautiful dogs Kate and Lolly, friends of the heart, and takes you around her village to meet her neighbours, join a meitheal to plant trees, and visit the fairy doors in the nearby wood.

But Alice's home and community are not a perfect place: hear about the split in the local GAA club, blocked off rights of way, the donations of the local canine population on the footpaths! Visit a restored famine graveyard and hear about the landlords who once owned this village and the landmarks they left on the landscape and the people. This is life in a small Irish village in 2016, one hundred years after the Rising.

This Bestselling book is coming in paperback edition.



Alice Taylor lives in the village of Innishannon in County Cork, in a house attached to the local supermarket and post office. To School Through the Fields was published in May 1988. It was an immediate success, launching Alice on a series of signing sessions, talks and readings the length and breadth of the country, becoming the biggest selling book ever published in Ireland.



one of this country's best-loved authors … I got great satisfaction from reading your book because you make perfect sense and you write in such a beautiful way … a fantastic read … this book is all about village life and rural life and it also highlights the importance of neighbours and community and volunteerism and parish … it's a great read and it's that time of year when we're thinking: imagine the Christmas stocking is all ready, and it's a must as far as I'm concerned … the people of this wonderful country of ours could identify with her every word



a fascinating read



one to warm the heart this winter



one of the country's most accomplished storytellers



a surefire hit with older members of the family



not alone is the writing beautiful … most fantastic pictures



One of the lovely things is that you invite readers in the book into your garden and into your house … such a positive message about what life can be like in rural Ireland … beautiful … gorgeous photographs



a delight



like all her previous books, it's a truly beautiful read that left me feeling warm and fuzzy … of all the villages, if I could pick a village to live in, it's Innishannon … I loved it from cover to cover … it made me smile