'There's great power in talking, but there's greater power in laughing. Even the best doctor in the world would be hard pushed to find a treatment with better medicinal properties than a good laugh. This is why you can't beat the wit of real-life Irish stories and why I have filled this book with various incidents that occurred throughout my family's lives - some humorous, some poignant, some heartbreaking - but each one of them is the God's honest truth. I hope the stories in this book will entertain you and distract you from your troubles for a bit.' Michael Healy-Rae The biggest regret of Michael Healy-Rae's life was a time he didn't talk when somebody needed him the most. After that, he vowed to never stop talking, listening and trying to really hear what people were saying. In his first book, which is neither political nor a memoir, Michael celebrates the power of talk to forge real human connections and sustain us. In a collection of true stories that are sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant and sometimes heartbreaking, he follows in the tradition of the great Kerry storytellers with a collection that truly captures the heartbeat of rural Ireland.

In his first book, Time to Talk, Michael Healy-Rae established himself as part of the great tradition of Kerry storytellers with his chronicles of life in rural Ireland. Now, in his second book, his superior storytelling skills come to the fore once again as he shares more stories of what he's witnessed and heard in the heart of the country. From his Kerry childhood to musings on rural Ireland today, A Listening Ear brings readers back to the countryside and characters that we have grown to love. With his quick wit and remarkable observations, Michael is a consummate chronicler of country life and the charm of local heroes.