Recently I have been getting a few messages about Bouldering in Ireland, from people who are looking to get a copy of the 2nd edition (which is out of print) or wondering when the 3rd edition will be out (not soon, is the short answer).

The first edition of the guide was published in 2011, done as a labor of love during the time that suddenly became available after I was made redundant. At that point I never thought that it was going to be the catalyst for a new job as a writer/publisher. In late 2013 the 2nd edition was published, it was only a small update with 32 pages of pretty minor new areas added.

Nowadays I make from living from writing and selling books so there are a number of factors that I need to consider that weren’t relevant previously. An obscure guide like Bouldering in Ireland will never be a bestseller and the effort required to do a major update probably doesn’t make sense from an economic point of view, my time could probably be spent more profitably elsewhere. But profit isn’t the only consideration.

The motivation with the original guide was to present a complete picture of Irish bouldering in as useful a package as possible. This still holds true. And as there have been plenty of new developments in recent years a reprint of the 2nd edition couldn’t really be considered definitive.

So the plan is to do a major update of the guide, but as it isn’t my number 1 priority it’s going to take awhile. There is plenty to do including adding approximately 100 pages of new areas and updating the existing information. I haven’t decided to what extent the established areas will be reworked yet but some will certainly be completely redone. I’m also considering moving from the A5 landscape of previous editions to the larger format of 210x14mm that I have used in most of my other books.

I would ask people to be patient, the digital guide is available on the Vertical Life platform, and if they have any new problems then please submit them via the new problem database or send me an email [email protected].