Irish memoir ‘A Sheepdog Named Oscar’ hits New York Times bestseller list

Dara Waldron’s memoir A Sheepdog Named Oscar has reached number four on the New York Times bestseller list, remaining there for five weeks.

The book, which recounts Waldron’s rescue of an abandoned border collie from a shed in Kilkishen, East Clare, was first published in the United States in August 2025 by the independent Dopplehouse Press, California.

Selected as Barnes & Noble’s September non‑fiction Book of the Month from its 650 stores, the title sold 4,000 copies in its first week, far exceeding the publisher’s initial estimate of 500‑1,000 copies.

In November 2025 Waldron toured the US to promote the memoir, highlighting the regenerative landscape of East Clare. The book’s success triggered a four‑way auction for UK and Ireland rights, with Simon & Schuster UK set to publish in May 2026. North American audiobook rights were secured by Spiegel & Grau, with the audiobook narrated by Michael Vallely released in October 2025.

Waldron, a film scholar and lecturer who has curated for Cork Film Festival and lectured internationally, will discuss the book’s strong Clare connections at a reading in the Abbey Court Hotel, Kilkishen, on Sunday, 11 October at 5 pm, with music by Hothouse Flowers and RTE Radio One broadcaster Fiachna O’Braonáin.

Source: Clare Champion. Photo: Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz / Pexels.