Head Rambles

By Liam Moroney

The internet is for young people, but nobody told Grandad!

Grandad is Ireland’s most cantankerous auld fella. His problem is that he’s getting old, increasingly grumpy, and even little things are driving him mad.

To get things off his chest, Grandad started to write posts on his blog, head rambles.com, and in this book he offers readers some of the best and funniest of those daily messages.

What makes Head Rambles such an entertaining read is its wit and honesty. The random stories and rants of Grandad, aka Richard O’Connor, are a thoroughly amusing look at the Ireland of today, through the eyes of a man too advanced in years and too short in patience to find a polite way of expressing them. O’Connor’s blog has gained impressive popularity, and host of dedicated followers the world over, even gaining him nominations for the Irish Blog Awards. He speaks in a comfortable and conversational tone, injecting a wit that can only be gained from years of living in rural Ireland.

O’Connor’s stories are not an attempt to preach about the large issues, but instead an amusing social commentary on the idiosyncrasies of everyday life in Ireland.

Expressing his annoyance at the urbanisation of his country village:

‘If you want to build here, build something that is keeping with the area. If you ant a housing estate, then live nearer the city. If you want a five-bedroom house, then build it where there are other five-bedroom houses. You will feel more at home there. After all, the people who live in the city sometimes want to go for a drive in the country. At this rate the are going to end up in Connemara before the find it.’

Dealing with visitors to the countryside asking for directions:

‘The village was packed with people looking for directions. As you probably know, I get my revenge by sending them all up to the bogs where they can get totally lost.

Yesterday though, I was nearly caught out. I was stopped by a bloke driving a souped-up Golf that had purple lights underneath and made a noise like a Boeing 747 on full take-off power. I hate them. But this bloke actually wanted to know the way to the bogs! I had to think quickly.

“Carry on this road,” says I, “and take the fourth turn to the right. You can’t miss it. It has and old ruined cottage on the corner.”

He thanked me and roared off like he was contesting the Round Ireland Rally.

The road that I directed him to is a nice little road. It is quite straight for a bit and then there is a slight bend. Immediately past that bend the road ends suddenly at the top of a 200-foot cliff into a quarry. There’s no warning. You’ve seen Thelma and Louise? Like that!

I wonder if he stopped in time?’

Head rambles is a delightful read which makes you stop and laugh at the small things that make Irish life unique. The random order of stories and topics makes the book feel how it was meant to; like a witty, grumpy old man venting his frustrations about everyday life to the world. You can almost see him sitting at the laptop with a cup of tea and his pipe. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Liam Moroney, editor of The Irish Book Review

Head Rambles is available on Amazon.com

About Head Rambles

Author: O'Connor, Richard