my story

Life is what happens when you’re making other plans!

Halfway through my life I found myself working as an accountant in Amsterdam - not a bad life, but not the life I had expected to live.

So in 2003 I left the canals and the calculator, and moved to the edge of a forest in the beautiful Glen of Imaal in County Wicklow. In 2005 I opened a bookshop in the market town of Blessington, adding a coffees hop a few years later. The Blessington Bookstore became the heart and soul of our town, full of chat and laughter, books and cakes, a place to feel at home.

Until the 2020 global pandemic closed our doors. 

During those happy and busy years some of the best times were meeting with local authors who had written fascinating books, full of the stories of where we came from. Our local history section attracted visitors from near and wide, delighted to find such a wealth of information. We welcomed visitors from all over the world and loved hearing their stories of their Irish roots.

Necessity being the mother of invention I decided that if our customers could not come to Ireland to find our books, why not send the books off into the world to find our customers? And so Irish Local History Books and The Bedroom Bookshop came into being.

My new mission is to be a matchmaker between those authors writing passionately about places they love, and readers who have yet to discover and enjoy their books. Working from The Bedroom Bookshop, looking out at the forest and mountains, I’ll package up books and send them off all over the world, bringing a little bit of Ireland with them.

Money back guarantee​

If you are not happy with your book feel free to return it within 28 days for a full refund.

Shipping worldwide

We ship all over the world - cost based on weight of books and destination

Real time tracking

Books are sent with An Post the Irish postal service - tracking details available