The Glow of Christmas: A Tangle of Truths, Chaos, and Christmas Not So Long Ago by Maurice Brosnan Christmas was never simple in rural Ireland. It was noise and silence, quarrels and kindness, mischief and faith — all tangled together under the glow of the season. In these richly told stories, Maurice Brosnan brings to life the characters, chaos, and quiet moments that made up Christmases of another time. You’ll meet the card-players roaring over turkeys and tenners, the postman staggering through porter-fuelled rounds, the fathers clipping heads with one hand while setting the crib with the other, and the mothers holding it all together with Holy Water and hard-won patience. Some tales are comic, others tragic, and many fall somewhere between — just as real life did. From Halloween pranks and Wren Boys’ songs to candlelit prayers and bittersweet partings, this collection captures a world where community mattered, faith lingered, and the smallest gesture could carry great weight. Blending memory and imagination, Brosnan writes with an earthy humour reminiscent of John B. Keane, yet always with his own voice: affectionate, sharp-eyed, and deeply rooted in North Cork’s people and places. The Glow of Christmas is more than a festive book — it’s a portrait of family, neighbourliness, and the unruly, unforgettable spirit of Christmas in Ireland not so long ago.