Tralee native and Killarney resident Richard Gordon has released a new memoir audiobook detailing his personal journey through profound loss and the subsequent search for a new beginning.

The audiobook explores a five-year period during which Richard lost his father, older brother, and mother.

The narrative begins during his teenage years while sitting his Leaving Cert at Brookfield College and follows the impact of these bereavements on his life as a young man.

Richard describes the story as an attempt to outrun the past through his work as a chef and years of backpacking across the globe.

His travels took him from Sarajevo and Laos to London and Australia, but the weight of his grief remained a constant companion.

A turning point arrived at the age of 27 while living in London, eventually leading to a solo cycling journey across Europe and a return to Ireland to rebuild his life.

Rather than a standard reading, the audiobook is narrated by Richard in a spoken, immersive style intended to mirror the experience of a one-man show or a traditional seanachaí.

“I wanted the story to be experienced like a play in your ears,” Richard said. “It is a true story about losing your family, losing yourself, and rebuilding a life from the ashes.”

The audiobook is now available to listeners via his Substack at richardgordonwrites.substack.com.

Killarney’s nature and wildlife will take centre stage from Friday, May 15, to Sunday, May 24, as the town celebrates National Biodiversity Week.

The annual 10-day event offers a variety of free activities funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

These events provide opportunities for the public to connect with nature and learn from local experts and groups working to protect natural heritage.

This year, Killarney National Park has once again registered for the Natura 2000 BioBlitz.

This is a friendly competition between European nature sites, reserves, and national parks to see which location can record the highest number of species during the week.

In last year’s event, Killarney performed strongly, placing 8th out of 86 competing sites with 647 individual species recorded.

The Killarney National Park Education Centre is calling on the public to help identify and record as many species as possible this month.

To take part, volunteers can download the Obsidentify app and use it to scan plants and wildlife within the park boundaries between May 15 and May 24.

All scans made during this period will count toward Killarney’s total in the EU-wide competition.

Organisers hope that local involvement will help the park climb even higher in the European rankings while highlighting the diversity of the local ecosystem.