Manchán Magan was a writer, traveller and television presenter. He grew up in Donnybrook, Dublin 4 and was the great-grandnephew of Mícheál Seosamh Ó Rathaille (aka: The O’Rahilly) He has made over 30 travel documentaries focusing on issues of world culture and globalization, 12 of them packaged under the Global Nomad series with his brother Ruán Magan. He presented No Béarla, a documentary series about traveling around Ireland speaking only Irish. He wrote a travel column for the Irish Times and his show The Big Adventure, on RTÉ Radio One explored adventure holidays. He has written two books in Irish, ‘Baba-ji agus TnaG’ (Coiscéim 2005) and ‘Manchán ar Seachrán’ (Coiscéím 1998), and his English travel books include ‘Angels & Rabies: a journey through the Americas’ (Brandon, 2006), ‘Manchán’s Travels: a journey through India’ (Brandon, 2007) and ‘Truck Fever: a journey through Africa’ (Brandon, 2008).
Books in order of publication (In English and Gaelic):
Manchán ar Seachrán. Coiscéim. 1998.
Baba-ji agus TnaG, Seachrán san India. Coiscéim. 2005.
Angels and Rabies: A journey through the Americas. Brandon Books / Mount Eagle Publications Ltd. 2006.
Manchán’s Travels: A Journey Through India. Brandon Books / Mount Eagle Publications Ltd. 2007.
Bí i nGrá. Coiscéim. 2008.
Truck Fever: A Journey Through Africa. Brandon Books / Mount Eagle Publications Ltd. 2008.
Oddballs: A Novel of Affections. Brandon Books / Mount Eagle Publications Ltd. 2010.
Thirty Two Words for Field. Gill Books. 2020.
Sea Tamagotchi. Redfox Press. 2020.
Tree dogs, banshee fingers and other Irish words for nature. Gill Children’s. 2021.
Dána Gránna: Nasty Words for People. Redfox Press. 2022.
Listen To The Land Speak. Gill Books. 2022.
Wolf Men And Water Hounds. Gill Children’. 2023.
Focail na mBan: Women’s Words. Mayo Books Press. 2023.
Irish Words For Nature. Gill Children’s. 2024.
Brehons and Brahmins: Resonances between Irish and Indian cultures. Mayo Books Press. 2024.
Ireland in Iceland: Gaelic Remnants in a Nordic Land. Mayo Books Press. 2025.
Ninety-Nine Words For Rain (And One For Sun). Gill Books. 2025.
Oak Lawn Library Friends 