Launch of extraordinary book by Mayo author Fiacre Ryan

The extraordinary debut collection of writing by Castlebar author, Fiacre Ryan, entitled 'Speechless, Reflections from my Voiceless World,' will be launched at the Castle Book Shop at 7 p.m. on Thursday - and everybody is welcome to attend.

"Here now I tell my story, showing my understanding, reaching out, being respected, so people can listen to my turmoiled world. My thoughts unfurled on each page of my life story."

Fiacre Ryan’s story to this point is compelling.

He was the first non-verbal autistic student to sit the Irish Leaving Cert, achieving honours marks in Maths, English and History.

Until the age of 13, Fiacre had no means of communicating with his family or the outside world.

His family believed his non-verbal autism had effectively locked him out of an ability to engage, and their perception was that he was incapable of ‘learning’ beyond any basic form of communication.

Through the introduction of the ‘rapid prompting method’ (RPM), a tool designed to help autistic children communicate,

Fiacre has subverted all prior perceived limitations of somebody with non-verbal autism.

In the process he has unleashed his inner writer to devastatingly beautiful effect through his extraordinary and unique way of combining words and ideas in prose and poetry.

His writing is astonishing, independent from his autism.

His poems address his daily experiences, while his commentary showcases his thoughts on the non-autistic world, on how those with autism are treated and his own personal ambitions and dreams for the future.

With the publication of this book, Fiacre has become the first Irish-published author who has non-verbal autism.

He lives Castlebar with his family, who have been a constant source of strength and determination.

Fiacre, who was presented with a Mayo People of the Year Award at the weekend, is a student of ATU Mayo in Castlebar where he studies History and Geography.

Understand the Different

Teenager sees how I am,

Sees yet each teenage want,

Taught to spell some reasons with his sayings,

With his telling of each story to use codes

And to reach the world.

He reasons and tells sad tales of history,

When people were persecuted and

exterminated,

And he reckons that some still try to silence the

ones who are different.

Talk is our utmost difference,

And we are silenced when we spell what others

do not want to know.