'Illicit sex is bad for the heart. I do not say so personally but it is now widely believed in continental medical circles that sex without a license will put paid to the beating of the most consistent ticker. It was also accepted in a limited way by certain of the religious who, fair play to them, insisted for starters that it was bad for marriage first and for a number of other things afterwards...'

A collection of hilarious essays Unlawful Sex and Other Testy Matters deals with all aspects of life in rural Ireland including 'Things that happen in Bed', 'Breaking Wind', 'Young Love', and 'Skillet Pots'.

John B. Keane was born in Listowel in 1928. Having worked in a variety of jobs in Ireland and England, he married and settled down to run a pub in his native town. Now he is recognised as a major Irish writer, who has written many successful plays and books including, Sive, Sharon's Grave, The Field, The Man from Clare, Big Maggie, The Year of the Hiker, Many Young Men of Twenty, Moll, The Change in Mame Fadden, Values, The Crazy Wall, Self Portrait, Letters of a Successful T.D., Letters of an Irish Parish Priest, Letters of a Love-Hungry Farmer, Letters of a Matchmaker, Letters of a Civic Guard, Letters of a Country Postman, Is the Holy Ghost Really a Kerryman? and other items of interest, Death Be Not Proud, The Gentle Art of Matchmaking and other important things, Strong Tea.