Irish Emigrant Book Review, No.70 (May 2001)

John Callanan SJ
Sean Connors
Dudley Levistone Cooney
Dee Cunningham
Elgy Gillespie
Morgan Llywelyn
Donall MacAmhlaigh
Steve MacDonagh
Annie McCartney
Thomas Dillon Renshaw
Noel P. Wilkins
Paul Williams

A LIFE OF HER OWN by Dee Cunningham
- The subject of priestly celibacy seems to have become a popular theme and Dee Cunningham deals with the topic in this, her second novel. Cathy Carmody has left her Cork childhood home to work in Dublin after her mother remarries. She has experienced a number of difficulties in personal relationships over the years, but these are nothing to what is ahead of her, a necessity to choose between two brothers. The younger of the two, Jack, is available but a known womaniser while Stephen is sympathetic and caring, but unfortunately for Cathy a practising Catholic priest. In examining her reaction to Stephen she is forced to face up to events in her childhood and youth which she has tried to suppress, including the death of her father and betrayal by a lifelong friend. An earlier brush with a seminarian has left her wary of any involvement with Stephen, but circumstances dictate differently and she finds herself inexorably drawn into an intense relationship. The choices made by both Cathy and Stephen are influenced by others whose lives touch theirs, Cathy’s friend and flatmate, the ambitious journalist Liz, and Stephen’s fellow priest Brendan Hennessy, who has made his own decision about his future. The two nuns working in his parish, Eileen and Dolores, provide point and counterpoint to his anguish and eventually he and Cathy find their own way to a decision, a way which leaves the door open for both of them. Dee Cunningham’s novel is both believable and entertaining, delving as it does into some of today’s moral and ethical questions, and into the conflict between tradition and liberalism which is to be encountered in our 21st century society.

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SELECTED SHORT STORIES by Donall MacAmhlaigh
- This collection of the writings of Donall MacAmhlaigh originally appeared in the Irish Democrat newspaper during the 1980s and is a combination of short story and reflection on the Irish experience in Britain. MacAmhlaigh was born in Galway, and indeed a commemorative plaque was recently erected at the school he attended in the city. He secured his first job in Kilkenny, where his father had been posted as a member of the armed forces, and himself served for a time in the Irish Army, but most of his working life was spent in Britain. After a spell as a hospital orderly, he joined the army of labourers in post-war Britain and many of the pieces gathered together here reflect on the conditions under which men were willing to work for the sake of a secure job. MacAmhlaigh introduces us to quintessentially English characters such as Tom Gooding who exemplified for him the working man whose pleasure comes from the simple things of life, for whom “daily familiar things never grew stale”. He was a man “completely at one with his life and surroundings” and the author acknowledges that he and the likes of Tom Gooding had much more in common than he did with fellow-Irishmen such as Tony O’Reilly. We also hear something of MacAmhlaigh’s early life in Kilkenny, of his first job in a mill and his first attempt at writing a novel. But the main emphasis is nevertheless on his years in Britain, on the Englishman’s view of the Irish worker and the collective xenophobia of the English which is in such stark contrast to the individual tolerance shown to the outsider in the 1950s. His visits home thirty years later reveal that times are hard once again, the dole queues are lengthening and the emigration levels of the 1950s are being matched if not passed. There are only three chapters which can legitimately be designated short stories, “The Crack”, “Kit’s Story” and “Sweeney”, with the latter two dealing with commonplaces of the Irish in Britain, the young unmarried girl who comes over to have her baby, and the alcoholic dreaming of returning to his home town. “The Crack” is the most interesting of the three, dealing as it does with the sense of betrayal felt by a group of Irishmen when one of their number abandons the jigs and reels in the public bar for the more romantic strains of the lounge piano. The final chapter, entitled Donall Peadar MacAmlhlaigh, is written in Irish, the language in which the author wrote many of his books, and is a short biography. But each chapter of this intriguing look at the place of the Irish labourer in Britain contains information about the author’s life, so that an inability to read Irish is not as much of a drawback as it might seem.

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1921 by Morgan Llywelyn
- This second volume in Morgan Llywelyn’s trilogy on recent Irish history, “The Irish Century”, takes up the story in 1917 with the main characters from the previous work, but this time it is Henry Mooney rather than Ned Halloran who plays the major part in recording the continuing violence in Ireland. In giving Mooney the occupation of reporter, the author has facilitated the relaying of historical fact, using the device of interviews with some of the major political players of the period as well as direct quotations from the character Mooney’s own writings for a number of publications both at home and overseas. The story has cleverly woven fictional and historical characters into a narrative which throws some light on the confusing details of the post-Rising period in Ireland until the election of Eamon de Valera in Clare in 1923. As a reporter Henry Mooney tries desperately to provide a balanced account of events and in doing so wins the trust of politicians and soldiers who will find themselves on different sides in the Civil War. We are led through the arrivalof the Black and Tans and the War of Independence, and the emerging of de Valera and Michael Collins as leaders in the quest for an Irish Republic. Ms Llywelyn is particularly strong in her description of the events leading up to the signing of the Treaty in London and the political manoeuvring practised by Lloyd George and his associates in forcing Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins into putting their signatures to a document which they knew to be flawed. Michael Collins is treated with significantly more sympathy than is de Valera, and if the book were to be seen as a contest between the Big Fellow and the Long Fellow, the former would win out, though the author is at pains to point out both good and bad points in each man’s character. The strength of “1921” lies in its bringing to life a range of characters who have been merely names in history books for most of us - Mulcahy, Fitzgerald, Griffith and O’Malley, Barry, Traynor and McKelvey come alive within its pages. At the same time we are kept informed of events outside Ireland by newspaper headlines at the beginnings of some chapters telling us, for example, of Egypt’s claim to independence, or of Hitler’s rally at Nuremberg in 1923. In parallel with the unfolding story of Ireland’s fight for independence is Henry Mooney’s own story, of his duty visits to his family in Limerick, his secret love for his friend’s wife and his romance with a woman who appears to be socially beyond his reach. The theme of brother against brother is echoed in his deteriorating relationship with his friend, Ned, a rift which sees no immediate solution, but the story ends on a positive note for Henry as he looks forward to a more settled and contented period in his life. I must confess, however, that this parallel story interested me less than the events of 1921 and at times I found it a distraction from what proved to be, despite a number of small inaccuracies, a wonderfully accessible account of a turbulent period in our history.

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EVIL EMPIRE by Paul Williams
- The title of journalist Paul Williams’ account of John Gilligan and his gang perfectly encapsulates the overriding impression given by the narrative - of pure evil at large in Dublin. Noted for his deep knowledge of the subject, the author has here brought both his journalistic and his narrative skills to bear in chronicling a period when criminals ruled in Dublin, when the gardai were all but powerless to combat their activities and when fear was the chief weapon used by such as John Gilligan to retain control over an ever-growing empire. There was a distinct lack of groups of special expertise within the gardai at the time of an upsurge of violent crime following the outbreak of the troubles in the North, and the realization by Dublin criminals of the easy money to be made in drug-dealing. This produced a breathtaking level of arrogance in criminals such as John Gilligan and Martin Cahill, both of whom were expert at manipulating the system so that the length of time they spent in custody bore no relation to the sentences their crimes should have carried. Into this scenario came journalists such as Paul Williams and Veronica Guerin, and it was the latter’s murder that led to the setting up of tighter controls and, in particular, the Criminal Assets Bureau and the Witness Protection Programme, which eventually led to the collapse of the Gilligan empire. Dubliner John Gilligan was one of a number of criminals who had grown up in the new estates on what were then the outskirts of Dublin, but there was a ruthlessness to Gilligan, matched certainly by Martin Cahill, that produced a climate of fear among fellow-criminals and public servants with whom he came into contact. The road that led to his eventually organizing the shooting of Veronica Guerin is meticulously recorded by the author and makes for impelling reading. The sheer volume of the money made on drug deals is astounding, as is the apparent facility with which the money was laundered, putting Gilligan outside the reach of the law. The painstaking investigative work carried out to bring all the members of his gang to justice, the mounting tension and excitement as all the pieces fell into place, are perfectly portrayed by the author, who has also supplied detailed accounts of the trials which eventually brought Gilligan, Meehan and their colleagues to some kind of justice. There was one jarring note in the narrative, however, and this was the author’s occasional misuse of words, surprising in a man for whom words are his stock in trade. The killing of Veronica Guerin brought home to all the people of this country, but particularly to gardai and investigative journalists, just how vulnerable they are, and there is little doubt that this book was inspired to a great degree by a desire to pay tribute to the dogged courage of Guerin in her pursuit of Gilligan and Traynor. And Williams ends on a cautionary note, that there are other ’Gilligans’ building up their empires and we cannot be complacent in our fight against crime.

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SQUIRES, SPALPEENS AND SPATS by Noel P. Wilkins
- The sub-heading to Professor Wilkins’ book, “Oysters and Oystering in Galway Bay”, was not particularly appealing to one who has little interest in fishing and even less stomach for the oyster, but what a revelation this book is. Covering every possible aspect of the oyster tradition in south Galway and north Clare, the author treats us to chapters ranging from the anatomy of the oyster to the history of those who have dredged for the shellfish and the effects of the area on the literary and theatrical traditions of Ireland. On the one hand we are given statistics of the millions of oysters removed from beds in the 19th century, and the devastation this caused to the industry, while the subsequent chapter will give a highly entertaining account of members of the St George family or the various occupants of the ’great’ houses dotted around the bay. One chapter is devoted to describing with affection the virtues of the various pubs associated with the oyster; Burkes of Clarenbridge, Morans of the Weir and Linehans in New Quay are three mentioned. Complemented by maps, photographs and line drawings, Professor Wilkins’ “Squires, Spalpeens and Spats” has firmly placed the oyster in its geographical and historical context.

DESIRE LINES by Annie McCartney
- In her first novel playwright Annie McCartney has also taken the theme of priestly celibacy, this time setting the scene in her native Belfast. As in Dee Cunningham’s book the heroine is haunted by a broken relationship, though this time of more recent vintage, and finds herself attracted to the local curate. Actor Clare Murphy has returned to Belfast from London after the break-up of a long-term relationship and attempts to rebuild her life in the context of her family and childhood friends. In this she is partially successful but that very success leads to further complications with a much younger man, Robert, who views their relationship very differently from herself. And all the time that Clare is dwelling on Robert and Tim, the man she had left in London, she is avoiding accepting her growing feelings for Lorcan O’Carroll, the local curate whom she has met through her involvement with a local amateur drama group. The gradual development of their relationship is played out against a backdrop of jealousy, her father’s illness and her own need to accept that she and Tim have no future. The story is told with both compassion and humour, and the descriptions of amateur dramatic in-fighting, and the North Down garden party are particularly well-executed.

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DINGLE IN PICTURES - Steve MacDonagh
- Publisher Steve MacDonagh is the author of a number of books about the Dingle Peninsula and this latest edition is notable for the quality of the photographs of all aspects of the area. Accessibility to the text is achieved with commentary and captions in English, Irish, French and German, and in addition each page incorporates a small map of the peninsula indicating the position of the feature mentioned. As well as scenic locations, we are also shown photographs of archaeological monuments and local events such as the Blessing of the Boats and the Wrenboys’ parade.

NEW HIBERNIA REVIEW ed. Thomas Dillon Renshaw
- This fifth edition of the quarterly review, which comes from the Center for Irish Studies at University of St Thomas in Minnesota, comprises a number of essays, each of which deals with an aspect of Ireland. “Filiocht Nua: New Poetry” features the work of John Montague while Professor Michael Molino examines the role of the industrial school system in Irish literature. In line with its policy of promoting an interest in the Irish language, this issue includes an examination of the place of Irish over the last two hundred years and its chances of survival, in which Professor A.J. Hughes calls for the establishment of a “Gaelic Academy” in Ireland. With topics ranging from the symbolic importance of coarse earthenware, to the visit of abolitionist Frederick Douglass to Ireland in the 1845, the New Hibernia Review is required reading for those with an interest in Irish Studies.

YOU SAY POTATO! by Elgy Gillespie
- This is another book about the ubiquitous potato, but Elgy Gillespie does not confine herself to Irish recipes, or even home grown varieties of potato. The different entries reflect the author’s peripatetic career, from Ireland and Europe to Bolivia to San Francisco so we have traditional boxty which, she tells us, is much the same as the latkes served up in Chicago by Minny Goodkin. Peruvian and Indonesian recipes jostle for attention with ideas from Malta and Greece, and Ms Gillespie caters for all tastes and abilities, with sections on microwaving potatoes and producing perfect mashed potatoes to what she describes as “Partying Potatoes” which include Lithuanian Varenikis and Boulanee Kuchaloo from Afghanistan. To add to the flavour the author has interspersed her recipes with apposite quotations and interesting facts about what she calls “this most forgiving of veggies”.

THE METHODISTS IN IRELAND by Dudley Levistone Cooney
- President of the Irish branch of the Wesley Historical Society since 1997, Dudley Levistone Cooney has undertaken a study of the Methodist church in this country since its formation in Dublin in 1745, two years before John Wesley made the first of twenty-one visits to this country. Though the number of Methodists in Ireland has never exceeded 60,000 their contribution in such fields as education, preaching the Gospel and relieving distress has been considerable and this is fully documented by the author. He focuses on the role of Irish Methodists in spreading the religion overseas, in the time-honoured missionary role of this country, and has succeeded in producing a volume which will enlighten both Methodist and non-Methodist alike.

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FINDING FIRE with TONY DE MELLO by John Callanan SJ
- Fr John Callanan, a follower of spiritual guide and retreat director Tony de Mello, has here collected together a series of subjects for meditation based on the methods used by the Indian Jesuit priest. Firmly believing that preparation is paramount when leading prayer and meditation workshops, Fr Callanan has devoted the first section to advice on choosing a suitable occasion, and tips on how to relax and allow oneself to be open to the Holy Spirit. He then sets out a series of meditations, based on the teachings of Tony de Mello, which encompass all aspects of our spiritual life.

MAPPING IRELAND by Sean Connors
- Thirty-two county maps, based on the 300-year-old maps drawn up by William Petty, have been reproduced here with accompanying text giving notable facts about each county, which will be of special interest to those of Irish descent living abroad. The meaning of each county name is given, some straightforward such as Kilkenny, the Church of St Cainnech, while for others more than one derivation is given. Meath is said to be a translation of the Irish word ’mi’, the middle place, while D.P.W.Joyce asserted that the name came from ’meidhe’, translated as ’neck’ and signifying the four pieces of land taken from other provinces in its establishment. The baronies of each county are then listed, followed by the names most commonly found in that particular county, and for ease of identification the author supplies an index of these names.

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