Waterstones event for Ian Cochrane books

A launch event is to be held at Waterstones bookshop in Ballymena to celebrate the publication of two books by the late Cullybackey author Ian Cochrane.

Cochrane grew up in a remote cottage in Dromona, before moving with his family to Ard-na-Maine in Cullybackey in the mid-1950s. After going blind as a teenager he moved to London in 1959, where he remained until his death in 2004.

He published six critically acclaimed novels in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly inspired by his upbringing in Co. Antrim. His work provides a unique and darkly comic portrayal of rural Ulster life, and has been recognised as a key influence on writers such as Patrick McCabe, author of The Butcher Boy, who describes Cochrane as a “one-off genius.”

Turnpike Books reissued Cochrane’s novel F for Ferg in 2018, and are now reprinting his debut novel A Streak of Madness, alongside a new edition of his short stories, never previously collected in a single volume, under the title The Last Word.

James Greer from Queen’s University, and Philip Taylor, who compiled and edited the short story collection and is currently penning a biography of Cochrane, will be discussing the Cullybackey man’s fascinating life and work in honour of these new publications. The event will take place on Thursday 20 October at 7.00 pm at Waterstones in the Fairhill Shopping Centre, Ballymena. Admission is free, and guests are welcome to turn up on the night, although those wishing to ensure a seat are advised to obtain tickets in advance online via Eventbrite.