"Don't lose your imagination or forget that life is about human happiness."
Those are the words of former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, who attended a launch of his most recent book 'Black Mountain and Other Stories' at the old workhouse in Carrickmacross last night in Co Monaghan.
In his latest collection, one of Ireland's best-known political figures brings stories of politics, family, love and friendship.
Described by writer Timothy O'Grady as a man who "stepped away from his personal life and into history," Gerry Adams told Northern Sound that writing short stories suited his busy lifestyle and that he "enjoyed" the contrast of writing in solitary and being left in a quiet space with his own thoughts.
Gerry also revealed that his love for short stories came from the influence of his 'Granny Adams' who took him to the Falls Road Library as a school boy in the 1950s.
While ‘Black Mountain and Other Stories’ is a collection of fictional tales, based on the lives of men and women from the Belfast Hills and surrounding areas, Gerry says this is a book in which everyone can relate to.
Speaking on his passion for story telling and the impact it can have, Gerry believes story telling can be a great tool to help people "be the best they can be" and to always see the positive side of life and relationships:
