A SOUTHSIDE author is donating the proceeds from a new book about the precious years he spent with his deceased wife to a musical fund dedicated to her memory.
In March of this year Andy Halpin (67), from Raheen in Tallaght, published
‘From Bray To Eternity – A Memoir of a Life Shared’, which is a memoir of the 44 years he spent with his beloved wife Annette, who passed away in April 2009.
Annette, who was a keen composer and musician, worked as a community worker for South Dublin County Council before she died.
With the help of the council, Andy set up a bursary fund in 2010 to assist promising young musicians to further their careers. Several bands and musicians have since benefitted from the fund. All proceeds from the book will be donated to the Annette Halpin Memorial Music Award.
Andy, who said he and his wife were
“kindred spirits
?, explained that initially he had no intention of writing the book and just started recording the details of his marriage as a means of therapy in an attempt to cope with the painful loss of his wife.
“I wrote the book to try and bring her back basically,
? he said.
“We were married for over 40 years. We met in 1965 when she was 18. We were together from that day until she passed away.
“I was finding it hard being alone. I didn’t sit down one day and say to myself that I would write a book. I was just trying to reminisce and between one thing and another there was a lot of material there and I thought maybe there was a book in it.
?
Andy believes his wife somehow helped him to write the book by indirectly prompting him to deal with different aspects of their lives together in the work.
“I was sitting here one day and was trying to write about when we moved to Tallaght first in 1973.I was trying to get a handle on what it was like but I couldn’t.
“Then the phone rang and it was a friend of Annette’s. I never mentioned the fact that I was doing any writing but Anne asked could she see me to have chat.
“We were sitting in the front room having a cup of tea when out of the blue Anne said
‘I still use that piece Annette wrote years ago about when you first moved to Tallaght and I use that all the time in my classes’.
“I went to the book case to see if I had a copy and lo and behold I found the piece. It was as if Annette had said
‘will you ever tell that fool what he was looking for’.
?
Andy found it difficult to find a publishing company but after several rejections he eventually managed to self-publish it in conjunction with a company called Original Writing.
From Bray to Eternity is available at Jackie’s Florists in the Square Shopping Centre, Tallaght and at the Valley Newsagents in Fortunestown.
It can also be purchased by sending a cheque made out to Andy Halpin, to 10 Raheen Green, Tallaght.
The price of the book is
?¬20 plus
?¬2.50 if ordering by post and all proceeds go to the Annette Halpin Memorial Music Award fund. Andy can be contacted at andyandannette@hotmail .com