Nick’s rags to riches tale hits bookshelves
CATTLE TRADER/AUCTIONEER TURNS HAND TO FICTION
WELL-KNOWN Wexford man, Nick Stafford of Castlebridge, is expecting a large turnout next week as he launches his new book ‘ The Road to the Top’. Nick is no stranger to most people around Wexford having worked in the cattle trade and running his own auctioneering company up until his retirement last year. He has now decided to put his free time into writing and is ready to unveil his work to the public for the first time on Sunday at the book’s official launch.
‘ The Road to the Top’ is a work of fiction that tells the story of a young man named Paddy McNally from the West of Ireland, who leaves his family and everything he knows at home to pursue his fortune in England in the 1950s. It’s a ground-up, rags to riches tale of a man determined to make his way in the world. There are certain parallels between the protagonist and the author, as Nick himself is a self-made man. Starting work when he was 19, Nick saved for three years in order to make his way into the cattle business. 25 years later he branched out, setting up his own successful auctioneering company.
The aim of the book is to encourage people who want to make something of themselves, and to provide a positive message for young people. ‘It’s aimed to create encouragement for people who want to be successful in life,’ Nick said. ‘It’s also a wake up call for youngsters to stay away from the high stool, the booze, cigarettes and drugs. They’re all signposts on a road to nowhere. We live in a very competitive world and you will only get back from life what you put into it.’
Nick’s book will be officially launched by Mayor Jim Allen in Castlebridge Hall on Sunday November 18 at 3 p.m. It will be available for purchase on the day and from the Book Centre and Selskar Bookshop in Wexford, Nolan’s Bookshop in New Ross and Flanagan’s in Castlebridge. It is priced at €8.95.