This article extract is taken from the 12 July 2008 edition of Evening Herald.

Ronan Smith’s Lord of the Rams (Trafford, €14.50) is a warm story of rural Ireland in the 1980s, a decade that is now being referred to with gusto in the media.

It’s not as depressing as it sounds today, and Smith’s tightly written memoir will charm the naysayers into reconsidering their view of the decade that fashion neglected and youth turned their backs on as they hit the airports. The group of characters would be familiar to anyone who lived in those times, and while much of it is for the boys, it is a diverting and entertaining read. The price tag is cheekily optimistic, but fortune favours the brave and Smith has courage in abundance.

Article by Tom Galvin

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