Since Hugh Weir and his wife Grania founded Ballinakella Press following his rather amateur publishing of Lady Swinfen’s initial book on her knowledge of donkeys in Co. Clare, Hal Price’s short initial 1974 record of his experiences as one of the crew of eight on theTai-Ki Expedition from Hong Kong, and Hugh’s own Hall Craig, Words on an Irish House (1979), this small private company has continued to produce books of Irish historical, topographical, genealogical, biographical and architectural interest. Hugh and Grania, both in their eighties, are happy to tell readers that son Tomás is gradually taking over the business. He hopes for support as he endeavours to improve our production.

OUR NAME

We are still often asked why we use our two names. Ballinakillew is the name of our townland (smallish area indicating the space owned by a landlord or extensive farmer) but we changed the English version slightly when we called our house Ballinakella Lodge. The pronunciation of the last six letters could have indicated that we condoned the violence prevalent at the time; we did not! Incidentally, a major mapper seems to have changed the area to Ballinakella on its maps; thanks Google!  Incidentally, Ballinakella in its original Irish means ‘area of the callows or marshland’ for we are situated by Ireland’s river Shannon on her largest Lough, Derg (red lake).