City people who experimented with the rural lifestyle in the 1970s may still have a much treasured copy of Wild and Free, the book produced by Cyril O Ceirin and his wife, Kit, which became a classic on recipes for the wild harvest but is now out of print.
The latest edition of the journal, New Series: Departures, is a tribute issue to Cyril, a painter, publisher and author who died last year.
The editor of the literary journal, Mr John Doorty, a freelance computer consultant and English language teacher, said Mr O Ceirin became a well-known figure in north Clare after settling in Lisdoonvarna in 1988. He won many prizes for his poetry in Irish and was well known for his translations of the works of An tAthair Peadar O Laoire, including Seadna and Mo Sceal Fein.
The Departures series originated in Shannon, but has followed Mr Doorty to Kilshanny, three miles outside Lisdoonvarna. Mr Doorty said that of all the works, Wild and Free is probably the most fondly remembered, recognising a lifestyle which was satirised by the English comedy, The Good Life.
"The style of the writing is very traditional. It is not the hippie-speak. It is a practical book and it fitted in well with the audience of the time. It is a fabulous little classic book of its kind. I still meet people who talk about it," he said.
He hopes there will be another print run of Wild and Free.
New Series: Departures contains excerpts of O Ceirin's poetry and, for the first time, translations of his work. There are poems dedicated to him by, among others, the late Michael Hartnett, Michael Davitt and Cathal O Searcaigh.
"There is a beautiful essay by Cyril on a novel he was writing set in the Burren. He never got to finish that novel," Mr Doorty added.
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