Musician near Brackley turns his hand to writing and releases his debut novel 'with the rhythm of an Argentine Tango’

Musician Kevin O’Regan has turned his hand to writing and released his debut novel.

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A musician near Brackley has turned his hand to writing and released his debut novel.

Kevin O’Regan, of Evenley, has written songs for years but said: “Since the age of ten I have wanted to write books and I’ve put it off too long. I am so pleased that I’ve finally got round to it.”

His book, The Dresden Tango, tells the story of a disastrous migration of poor Irish people to Argentina in 1889 on board the ship, The City of Dresden.

So what gave him the idea? “I was writing a song and wanted to give it an Irish connection but the rhythm was an Argentine Tango," he said.

Kevin O’Regan's book, The Dresden Tango, tells the story of a disastrous migration of poor Irish people to Argentina in 1889 on board the ship, The City of Dresden.

"I researched the link and was astonished to find that Argentina has the largest Irish diaspora of any non-English speaking country. I then came across this story and immediately saw the relevance to today in the plight of migrants and the abuse of women.”

Kevin acknowledges that it will not be everyone’s cup of tea but readers of an earlier draft found it compelling and were drawn into the lives of the two main characters, Rose and Patrick.

“It’s not a thriller nor a whodunnit – I’ve just finished one of those – but it offers emotional intensity that will produce some tears,” added Kevin.

The book, published by Core Books, is initially available as an e-book, paperback or hard cover exclusively through Amazon and a small number of bookshops. Search ‘The Dresden Tango by Kevin O’Regan’ on Amazon – or click on this link