Interview with Irish Trivia Writer Robert Sullivan

Everything You Wanted to Know About Ireland, and Then Some!

Author Robert Sullivan is crazy about Irish culture, and seeks to share his passion with everyone. From his blog to his new book The Great Little Book of Fun Things You Probably Don't Know About Ireland!, Robert spends his time learning and teaching all about his ancestral homeland. He sent me a copy to review on my blog, then very kindly took a great deal of time to answer some questions about Irish culture and his book.

What is your background?

I grew up in the New York area in a family that was a mix of German-Americans and Irish-Americans. Lots of fireworks! I think I got interested in Irish culture at an early age because of my Irish grandfather. He came over to the U.S. just before World War I, and was a truly unique individual. He didn't fit the typical stereotype of an Irish immigrant - didn't drink much at all, for example - but he had this wonderful sense of humor. When my grandfather was 95 he was still more fun to be with than just about anybody else. He was a modestly educated guy who worked his whole life with his hands, but who had an intelligence and a sneaky wisdom about him that I still look to for inspiration, even though he's been gone for many years now. (FYI he was from Kerry.)

He stimulated an interest in me about where he came from, which is ironic because he never had the slightest desire to return to Ireland. He saw it as a totally impoverished place no one would ever want to visit, which I suppose it was when he left (his wife, my grandmother, held exactly the same view).