Irish journalist James Mahon publishes book about his time in north Georgia area
Former local news reporter James Mahon published his first book about his life as an international journalist, which chronicles his journey all the way from Ireland to the Chattanooga, Tenn., and north Georgia area.
Mahon, a 26-yearold Irishman, worked as a reporter and anchor for WDEF Channel 12 for three years before returning to Ireland last fall.
While in Chattanooga, Mahon had a popular segment titled “Through Irish Eyes,” in which he’d learn about southern places and customs for the first time.
His new book now garners that same title, and tells his story of traveling to America and getting acquainted with the south while bringing the community its daily news.
“The book came about while I was working in Chattanooga and north Georgia,” Mahon said. “People asked me about my view of the world I was now living in, and how I had gotten from my world into theirs.”
Mahon said the book sort of just happened as a result of the work he was doing.
“I didn’t act on it for the first two years of my time in Chattanooga, but the stories became more and more captivating,” he said. “America became more and more divided with gun violence, black lives matter protests, confederate flag ceremonies…. I was an outsider looking in, and the living within it was changing rapidly in front of me. I felt I had to write down some of my experiences or I would forget them.”
Mahon says he began the book in March of 2015, and then more events occurred that furthered the stories.
“I began writing it, and then more and more bizarre and terrifying experiences happened in our region….the caged disabled children in Chatsworth, Ga., the domestic terrorist attacks in Chattanooga in June 2016,” Mahon said. “The book took on a life of it’s own.”
It’s a little different now for Mahon, who can tell his personal feeling about some of those events.
“On TV I had to be impartial and balanced and never share my views, but in the book I’ve relived these moments and shared how I really felt,” he said. “My visa expired in September of 2015, and I was waiting for a renewal that kept being stalled and denied and eventually I had to leave.”
Mahon says he went through a little bit of uncertainty while he was trying to sort out the visa issues, which presented him with more opportunity to write.
“The time staying in Red Bank with no job, no driver’s license, and no future….I wrote most of the book quietly on my own with a small dog named “Winston” for company,” he said. “The book was mostly written by the time I had to leave the U.S in late 2015. I came home and finished it up and met with publishers.”
After the editing phase during the winter months of 2015 and into the spring of 2016, Mahon says the book was finally ready for print, at which time he struck a deal with Book Hub Publishing.
“It’s being ordered around the world from India to Canada to Soddy Daisy, Tenn., and everywhere in between….I never thought this was possible.”
After returning to Ireland, Mahon eventually landed a job as a journalism professor/lecturer in Scotland.
Although he’s happy in his new career, Mahon says there are some things about the Chattanooga area that he misses.
“I miss places staying open 24/7,” he said. "It’s quieter here in Scotland and Ireland. It’s more relaxed and businesses close early and on weekends. I miss the drive-thru culture also, cars with cup holders, and food you can get anywhere. I also liked the playground and park areas in Ringgold. It was always so welcoming. I miss local theatre and things there too, and the food of course."
Now that he’s gone, Mahon says he’s thankful for the people he met along the way, and the work he did here.
“Most of all, I miss people,” he said. "I have moved five times across four countries in the last five years…. people make a place matter.”