Manchán Magan: On the zen of slow travel, and keeping his feet on the ground

Manchán Magan opens up to Noel Baker on his refusal to fly, travelling Europe by train, and life after cancer

Manchán Magan in Schull, Co Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Manchán Magan loves the train so much, that the day after we speak he is planning on taking a trip from Dublin to Kerry — purely so he could get some work done.

“I have to focus on a gnarly chapter of a book I am writing,” he says, adding quickly, “and my mum is down there” — as though the sheer peace of trundling down our main rail line wasn’t reason enough.