Irish Navvy: The Diary of an Exile

Pigeonhouse Books is a private Dublin archive of the unusual and the hard-to-find.

Founded by an experienced journalist and history graduate, the company specialises in finding and making available specialist items that may never make the rare-book headlines but are essential to the researcher, scientist, academic, collector, student, layperson and - most importantly - the reader, whatever their interests and wherever they may be in the world.

Pigeonhouse is a colloquial name pointing to the red and white towers of the former Poolbeg Generating Station at the estuary of the River Liffey - an icon of Dublin for those who arrive or leave, and a newfound symbol of arty modernism in Ireland.

The private Pigeonhouse warehouse is located nearby and is home to nearly 10,000 books and countless moving-image, audio and material-culture resources. Here, obscure government reports and local histories are shelved next to a significant international motorsport archive; signed JG Ballard and Flann O'Brien classics share the room with countless legal texts and statute books, a surprising collection of vintage musical and electronic equipment and high-res reproduction materials, and footage on VHS, 8-mm, DVD and hard-drive digital formats.

Visitors are always welcome by appointment at Parliament Street in Dublin 2, the city of Joyce and a UNESCO City of Literature. Please drop us a line in advance: all are very welcome to inspect and collect any item in our catalogue in person.

Any queries? Do keep in touch at pigeonhousebooksdublin@gmail.com.