Mayo Books Press Authors
Ultan Cowley
– McAlpine’s Men - Irish Stories from the Sites
Born to actor parents in Dublin (1946). Emigrated to serve as a Boy Entrant in the RAF in 1961. Entered Essex University as a Mature Student in 1972, aged twenty-six, to study Comparative US & European History & Literature (self-financed via part-time landscape gardening). M.Sc. in Strategic Studies, UCW Aberystwyth, followed.
Began researching the history of Irish male migrant labour in British construction in 1993/4. This five year project documented for the first time the true role of the Irish navvy in the symbiotic histories of Irish labour migration and British civil engineering. “The Men Who Built Britain” was published in 2001 (launched by Michael D. Higgins)
Its narrative blend of scholarship with personal anecdote and reminiscence dramatically infuses factual data with the life force of individual experience. Central to telling this story was long and varied life experience and an ability to empathise with individuals outside the mainstream. Also important were people skills, insight, and a capacity to entertain an audience.
”McAlpine's Men: Irish Stories from the sites” subsequently published 2010.
“Gold in the Streets: The Rise of the Irish in British Construction” is due to be released in April 2023