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Irish Emigrant Book Review, No.56 (March 2000)
If the Shoe
Fits by Jaye Carroll
- The first confusion with this novel arises with a fictitious biography
of the author in the opening pages. This suggests that she is married
with three children whereas Jaye Carroll is the pseudonym for Michael
Carroll, who actually wrote the book. This leads to the further confusion
of having the first person narrative by Susan Perry written by a man,
though it has to be said with a fair amount of success. Although the story
is the usual ’girl meets boys but is not sure which one to settle for’
saga, there is less of a Mills and Boon feel to the story, since it dwells
on the cerebral rather than the physical. The fact that Susan Perry is
abnormally tall for a woman sets her outside the mould of the usual heroines
and, while she is a successful businesswoman, her rather breathless commentary
on life in the office leads us to believe that her success is all a bit
of a “fluke”. In an unusual twist, the author has his heroine answer a
rather dubious advertisement in a Dublin evening newspaper and she proceeds
to enter into a correspondence with the misanthropic “J”. With a number
of men in her life who were or are attracted to Susan, Michael Carroll
manages to maintain the suspense until the last pages and it is only then
that we learn who is to be her final choice. “If the Shoe Fits” features
original characters in Susan and “J” as well as the more familiar office
and shop workers of contemporary Dublin, but what really makes it stand
out is the consistent humour with which the author imbues his characters.
Even those events in the narrative which might be considered unfortunate
or unhappy become less so through the humorous way in which Susan deals
with them. All in all this is an interesting and entertaining first novel.
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Eleanor Countess
of Desmond by Anne Chambers
- Anne Chambers’ gift for exploring and portraying the lives of women
is exemplified in this reissued chronicle of a life lived under almost
constant threat to health, family and fortune. The 16th century Eleanor,
second wife to Garrett Fitzgerald, the ill-fated Earl of Desmond, devoted
her life to his cause and to that of their children, and in so doing endured
extraordinary suffering. Caught between the new Elizabethan age and the
old Gaelic world he represented, the physically frail Earl of Desmond
was constantly harried by both his fellow-Irish and the representatives
of Queen Elizabeth 1, and eventually became the subject of what the author
describes as “surely the greatest manhunt in history”. Fighting to retain
his lands and his title, Fitzgerald and his countess fled to the mountains
of Kerry to evade their captors, on one occasion having to conceal themselves
in an icy river to escape detection. The countess’ fate when her husband
was captured and killed became totally desperate, and the author has given
a graphic description of her attempts to ensure the survival of herself
and her daughters in a hostile Dublin. / However it is the indomitable
spirit of the woman which is to the forefront, exemplified by her constant
journeys to England to petition the court for support, and her striving
to do the best she could for her children, though abandoning her son to
the mercy of the English court at an early age shows political astuteness
rather than maternal concern. At the age of 55 she remarried, to Donogh
O’Connor Sligo, and began another crusade to retain or regain her husband’s
estates. Her physical and mental stamina ensured that she outlived most
of those who had opposed her, and she died in her 90s, having seen that
her daughters had made suitable matches. The unfortunate heir to the Desmond
title, however, died at the age of 30 after a life spent almost exclusively
as a prisoner of the political intrigue that governed his parents’ lives.
The final years of the old Gaelic way of life in Ireland in the 16th century
are perfectly captured in this narrative, and the personal suffering of
those who lived through those years underlines the precariousness of life
at all levels in such a society.
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Speaking Volumes
by Edith Newman Devlin
- Subtitled “A Dublin Childhood”, Ms Newman Devlin’s account of growing
up as that unusual being, a poor Protestant in a pre-World War Two Dublin
heavily influenced by the Catholic Church, reflects her introductory comment,
“...not only that books have given me great pleasure, but that I have
learned almost all I know from them”. Having lost her mother before she
was five years old, Edith, with her brothers and sister, came under the
influence of her Northern father whose Presbyterian background had been
superseded by a distrust of all organised religion. His naval background
dictated the discipline with which he organised the life of his family,
a life that was harsh and without affection. The author took refuge in
literature and applied the lessons learned from authors such as the Brontes,
Jane Austen and E.M. Forster to help her find her own identity. The influence
of feelings on the intellectual life, her father’s belief in the strength
of the will as a means of success, and the position of women in society
both in this country and in England are all dealt with through the use
of extensive quotations from Ms Newman Devlin’s favourite novels. While
most are those with which we are familiar, she also includes Mrs Humphry
Ward’s “Helbeck of Bannisdale”, a book published 100 years ago and one
the author feels is still very relevant today. In this she looks at the
difficulties encountered by those of different religions who wish to marry,
and the strength of morality over self-satisfaction. / The details of
Ms Newman Devlin’s childhood, spent in the gatelodge of St Patrick’s Hospital
for the mentally ill where her father worked, give a fascinating insight
into the problems of being the member of a minority group, of living a
life starved of affection, of feeling inadequate with one’s peers. The
digressions into literature are equally interesting but I feel the two
do not quite fuse into a cohesive whole. The author has beautifully captured
the atmosphere of Dublin in the middle of the last century and I think
“Speaking Volumes” could almost have made two individual books.
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The Young Haymakers
by Tom Murray
- Though similar to other books which feature an Irish childhood, Tom
Murray’s record of his growing up in Offaly before the war stands out
both for its style and for the number of relevant illustrations. The author’s
mother was left a widow with six children under ten, and the story reflects
his position as the oldest boy who had to shoulder many of the family
responsibilities. Using the agricultural cycle as his pattern, Murray
takes us through each task of the farming year, from the threshing in
late September right through to the bringing home of the sheaves of corn
the following September. Detailed descriptions of the work methods and
of the machinery used are supplied, and these are well-complemented by
a profusion of photographs and sketches. The local characters who came
to help the family out on the farm, and for whom the young boys worked
from time to time, are affectionately recalled, as is their grandfather
who lived with them. / It was not all work, however, for the young Murrays,
and we are also given wonderful descriptions of the excitement of Christmas,
the sleigh made from an old piece of corrugated iron, the Easter spending
of the money saved up during the lean days of Lent, the decorating of
the May bush and swimming at the Glosh. But what really sets this book
apart, for me, is the vividness of the language used in describing this
part of Ireland. In recalling a day working at the harvest, the author
tells us, “The broad expanse of the uncut virgin bog which stretched away
in the distance to the foothills of the Slieve Blooms proudly displayed
its massive blanket of purple heather, broken only here and there by the
white unkempt hair-dos of some small patches of bog cotton”. Again, he
tells how “Christmas morning stole into the valley lit by a thousand stars”.
“The Young Haymakers” is a labour of love written by a man with a deep
affection for his own corner of Ireland.
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The Presbyterian
Church in Ireland by Finlay Holmes
- Subtitled “A Popular History”, this book is a reworking and simplifying
of a previous history of Irish Presbyterian by the same author, written
primarily for church members. Now, however, Finlay Holmes has given an
accessible chronicle of the development of the Presbyterian Church in
Ireland from its foundation by immigrants from Scotland in the 17th century
when Jonathan Swift, as incumbent of Kilroot, Co. Antrim, found its members
a greater threat to the Church of Ireland than the Catholics. Indeed Presbyterians
suffered much the same discrimination as did members of the Catholic Church
during the 18th century, and it was in search of civil rights for all
that the United Irishmen came into being at the end of the century. The
total reversal of this aspiration during the 19th century, when the Presbyterians
saw union with Britain as the only option, was a reaction to the mounting
influence of the Catholic Church in the rest of Ireland. The threat of
Home Rule in the early years of the 20th century led to the signing of
the Ulster Covenant in 1912 and the emergence of the Ulster Volunteer
Force. The author is at pains to point out that his church has consistently
condemned the violence of the past 30 years, and concludes with the Mission
Statement arising from the 1992 General Assembly which tells us “what
Irish Presbyterianism is about”.
The Truth about
the Leprechaun by Bob Curran
- While on the one hand confirming that we know very little about either
the origins, the function or the lifestyle of this other-world character,
Bob Curran manages to give us a great deal of detail on all these aspects.
In fact the delving into the origin of belief in leprechauns and associated
figures is quite fascinating and he draws on folk memory as related to
him by old people in a number of different parts of the country, most
notably Co. Antrim. The possibility of a race of small stature who preceded
the Scots to Ireland and lived apart from them is strengthened by stories
of the “grogoch”, a small hirsute creature found in the folklore of both
the North and Scotland. From this point the author leaves fact behind
and enters the realms of fantasy as he defines the appearance, habits,
age and occupations of the diverse population of fairyfolk who seem to
vary from province to province. In its way this is an entertaining book,
but on the whole I found its mix of serious folklore and whimsy a bit
distracting.
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Out and About
in Dublin by Mary Finn
- Though written primarily for children, this guide to our capital city
will be equally helpful to parents wishing to keep their children amused
while in Dublin. It is packed with details of what to see and do, and
is written in a style that manages to educate without becoming tedious.
For example, a description of the coast road from Booterstown to Blackrock
contains the information that it “used to be a favourite carriage drive
for wealthy Dublin families in the eighteenth century and, naturally enough,
it came to be patronised by highwaymen, the real kind, with masks and
pistols”. Much practical information is included, with each destination
having its appropriate bus numbers included, and there is a section entitled
“Joining In” to encourage children to move beyond being mere spectators.
Nor does the author confine herself to the city, as a number of attractions
within two hours of Dublin are also included, making it an invaluable
companion for a family excursion.
Daisy and the
Beastie by Jane Simmons
- This is another story for young children featuring Daisy, the little
duck, as she searches the farmyard for “the beastie”, and the simple story
is beautifully illustrated by the author.
O’Brien Press has also reissued “What Are Friends For?” by Sally Grindley
and Penny Dann, a story for children about the delights of friendship,
and two books in the “Art and Craft Explorer” series, Collection 1 and
Collection 2, by Mary Carroll and Katie Long. These cover such crafts
as quilting, marbling, collage and mobiles.
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Colonial Discipline
by Patrick Carroll-Burke
- Part of the Maynooth Historical Studies series, this book sets out to
examine the penal system in Ireland from the inception of the Irish Convict
System in 1853. Carroll-Burke’s dissertation looks at the different ways
in which criminals in Ireland were dealt with, from the transportation
to the US and, later, Australia, to the investigation into the running
of Irish prisons, carried out in the mid-19th century in the prisons which
comprised the ICS; Mountjoy, Grangegorman, Newgate and Smithfield in Dublin,
the Cork female convict depot, Spike Island, Philipstown and the Camden
and Carlisle forts. Efforts were made in the education and training of
the prisoners and the final part of their sentences would be spent in
what was effectively an open prison, though even after being released
on licence the former prisoners were kept under surveillance for a period
by the local constabulary. The author also looks at other institutions
and compares the methods of education and discipline used in Irish schools
and in the Maynooth seminary with those adopted within the prison system.
The Irish Convict System is claimed by Carroll-Burke as the forerunner
of the system developed in England which later spread throughout the world.
Ireland, the
Inner Island by Kevin Dwyer
- Kevin Dwyer, in this “Journey Through Ireland’s Inland Waterways”, has
compiled a book of photographs, taken from the water and from the air,
of the waterways of Ireland from Wexford to Fermanagh. His work will already
be familiar to those who have seen his previous book, “Ireland - Our Island
Home”, and the quality of his photographic work has been maintained, if
not surpassed, in this latest collection. All the inland waterway systems
are included, The Lee and the Barrow, the Royal and Grand Canals, the
Munster Blackwater and the Shannon-Erne waterway, with a short description
of each. A beautiful book and a pleasure to handle.
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