This account of time spent as an apprentice stonecarver is an acclaimed Irish classic. the young Seamus Murphy took the unusual step of apprenticing himself to a master stonecarver to learn the ancient craft of the mason. Stone Mad tells the story of his seven years of growing knowledge, of the challenges and joys of stone - and of the men who worked it. the result is a book of unsurpassing beauty, full of warmth, humor and profound perception.