The Personals

Some people do Sudoku, others watch Netflix. Brian reads the classified ads, both online and what remains in print. This book shows how classified ads can help unlock a door into Irish society, both past and present, and allow unique access into the lives of ordinary people with sometimes extraordinary stories. Why is a woman in Bantry selling high-tech eavesdropping equipment? What kind of person pays for a prayer to be published in a newspaper? Did someone really sell a pet monkey in the Evening Echo? These classified ads are not just a few commercial lines of text in print or online publications - they are a treasure trove of stories, of human experience, of nostalgia, of love, loss, loneliness, isolation and redemption.