A Nation Once Again - Paul Howard
Paul Howard
£15.99
- Pages · 400 pages
- Publication Date · 27/08/2026
- Genre · Fiction: special features
Collect in store
Pick it up free from the shop in Oxford's Covered Market, usually quicker than the post.
Delivery
Standard tracked £1.99, free on orders over £20. Express tracked £2.99.
Book Lovers' Happy Hour
Three cocktails matched to your taste, three books chosen for you, an hour and a half at the bar. £60 per person.
Book a place →
The hilarious new satire from the bestselling author of the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series`Funny, smart. seriously thought-provoking' Joseph O
'Connor
'Hilarious, bang-on, even slightly disturbing - everything I love about Paul Howard's writing.' Roddy Doyle`I absolutely LOVED A Nation Once Again. It was such a huge pleasure to read, I laughed out loud so many times. Paul Howard is a literal genius.' Marian Keyes---There's only one idea more foolish than dividing Ireland - and that's trying to put it back together again. Meet Fiach O'Bric: career diplomat, recent widower, and a man looking forward to a peaceful retirement. But just when he thinks he's out, he is strong-armed into taking over a shadowy top-secret department tasked with preparing for a United Ireland - a job so surreal it makes his last posting, in Beijing, seem like a Buddhist retreat. Running the Department with Responsibility for Making Arrangements for the Unification of Ireland, an outfit quietly failing since 1958, Fiach finds himself managing a team of oddballs, timeservers, and a die-hard nationalist from Dundalk. And he spends his days refereeing rows about everything everyone has failed to agree for about 800 years, as well as absurd new suggestions - like conjuring a capital city that nobody actually wants. In Westmeath. Nothing is too crazy to be proposed, nor too sensible to be rejected. Fiach can feel the hand of history upon his shoulder. He suspects it may soon throttle him. Yet, against his better judgement - and all available evidence - a dangerous thought takes hold. What if he could be the one to do what Tone, Pearse and centuries of Irish martyrs failed to do: make Ireland one, and somehow not die in the process. Dream on, Fiach. ---'Funny, smart and provocative, the scariest thing about this novel is that it might be based on fact.' John Boyne`Best thing he's ever done - I am in awe' R�is�n Ingle
'Riotously funny with a cast of characters I was sad to leave.' Sarah Breen `I LOVED IT! It is funny, sharp, super-smart and thoughtful.' Emily Hourican`It was well worth dividing Ireland in the first place for this brilliant book.' Declan Lynch
'Expertly mines the North's sectarian granite to produce a masterpiece of fact and hilarity. I almost passed out.' Joe Brolly
'Connor
'Hilarious, bang-on, even slightly disturbing - everything I love about Paul Howard's writing.' Roddy Doyle`I absolutely LOVED A Nation Once Again. It was such a huge pleasure to read, I laughed out loud so many times. Paul Howard is a literal genius.' Marian Keyes---There's only one idea more foolish than dividing Ireland - and that's trying to put it back together again. Meet Fiach O'Bric: career diplomat, recent widower, and a man looking forward to a peaceful retirement. But just when he thinks he's out, he is strong-armed into taking over a shadowy top-secret department tasked with preparing for a United Ireland - a job so surreal it makes his last posting, in Beijing, seem like a Buddhist retreat. Running the Department with Responsibility for Making Arrangements for the Unification of Ireland, an outfit quietly failing since 1958, Fiach finds himself managing a team of oddballs, timeservers, and a die-hard nationalist from Dundalk. And he spends his days refereeing rows about everything everyone has failed to agree for about 800 years, as well as absurd new suggestions - like conjuring a capital city that nobody actually wants. In Westmeath. Nothing is too crazy to be proposed, nor too sensible to be rejected. Fiach can feel the hand of history upon his shoulder. He suspects it may soon throttle him. Yet, against his better judgement - and all available evidence - a dangerous thought takes hold. What if he could be the one to do what Tone, Pearse and centuries of Irish martyrs failed to do: make Ireland one, and somehow not die in the process. Dream on, Fiach. ---'Funny, smart and provocative, the scariest thing about this novel is that it might be based on fact.' John Boyne`Best thing he's ever done - I am in awe' R�is�n Ingle
'Riotously funny with a cast of characters I was sad to leave.' Sarah Breen `I LOVED IT! It is funny, sharp, super-smart and thoughtful.' Emily Hourican`It was well worth dividing Ireland in the first place for this brilliant book.' Declan Lynch
'Expertly mines the North's sectarian granite to produce a masterpiece of fact and hilarity. I almost passed out.' Joe Brolly
Only at Gulp Fiction
Book Lovers' Happy Hour
An hour and a half at the bar, with three cocktails matched to your taste and three books chosen for you. Tell us what you like when you book, and we'll have them waiting when you arrive.
- 1½ hours
- £60 per person
- 3 cocktails, 3 books
Up to four of you can come — book a place each and choose the same time slot, then tell us who you're with. For larger groups, email gulpfictionbooks@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.
Collect in store
Order online and pick it up from the shop. It's free, and usually quicker than the post.
Find us
Units 28–29, Covered Market, Oxford OX1 3DU. Mon–Wed 10–5, Thu–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–4.
Book a table
The bar is open late Thursday to Saturday. Reserve a table for a drink among the books.