You could say that Frank McNally is a travel writer – he writes while the world travels by! For almost twenty years, Frank’s name has occupied the byline of the ever-present and perennially entertaining 'Irishman’s (or woman’s) Diary' (now called 'An Irish Diary' online) column in the Irish Times. Now, from the same desk, the man who has consistently held his finger on the pulse of a nation, turns his attention inwards and gathers his thoughts into a profound narrative of great depth. Picking up on a variety of personal themes which have featured in his column in part or in whole over the years, the book is at once a cohesive reflection on Frank’s upbringing in Monaghan, his early career as a civil servant and his eventual foray into journalism, but also covers significant events which have shaped him and the Ireland which he has chronicled with such consistently brilliant perception and wit.