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Irish Emigrant Book Review, No.71 (Jun 2001)
SINGLE OBSESSION
by Des Eakin
- This is Des Eakin’s second novel and once again a mix of violence, murder,
drugs, sex and corruption in high places has resulted in a thriller which,
after a somewhat slow start, gradually gathers pace as the action moves
between Ireland, the US and Denmark. Magazine editor Hunter becomes embroiled
in an elaborate plot to save the reputation of a senior politician, a
plot so convoluted that Hunter is never sure whether the criminals or
the police are his real enemy. A childhood trauma has had a devastating
effect on Joseph Valentia, leader of the second biggest political party
in the country. The result is a warped character who will stop at nothing
to preserve his facade as the champion of Catholic morality, a facade
Hunter and his ex-lover Emma are determined to pierce. Deserted by his
erstwhile employer, Simon Addison, and cleaned out financially by his
estranged wife, Hunter sets out on a quest for the proof needed to convict
Valentia of a series of murders, a quest which puts not only his own life
in danger, but also those helping him, including Emma and their small
son. A hit-man with a grudge against the investigative journalist, a conspiracy
to discredit Emma in her job as director of a psychiatric clinic, a mysterious
woman who first breaks the story to the press and a young woman living
in a New Age commune in Copenhagen all have their parts to play in this
intricately-plotted narrative. And through it all Hunter’s emotional life
is taking a parallel and slightly less complex path, moving from one relationship
to rediscover an earlier one. As with all good thrillers the final chapters
reveal not only the truth behind the main theme, they also tie up the
loose ends of betrayal, both in the workplace and in the bedroom, and
after a catalogue of physical, mental and emotional violence the author
contrives an ending which is pure romance.
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YEATS IS DEAD
- ed. Joseph O’Connor
- If you bear in mind the maxim that a camel is a horse designed by a
committee, it will give you some idea of the eccentric shape taken by
this book, which has been written by a total of fifteen different Irish
authors. The opening chapter is by Roddy Doyle and he sets the scene for
murder and intrigue involving the gardai and a recluse living in the Dublin
mountains. Each of the other writers then takes up the baton to continue
the narrative, introducing murder upon murder, romantic love and ministerial
lust, a missing manuscript and a secret formula. With such a variety of
contributors it is little wonder that we meet an eclectic range of characters
as the narrative progresses, some sinister, some comic and some downright
weird. Notable among these is Marian Keyes’ creation, Mickey McManus,
the ginger-haired Irishman who yearns to be black, who feels that “everything
in his miserable, inadequate life would be somehow okay if he were big
and shiny and graceful and ebony”. In his chapter, writer and comedian
Owen O’Neill allows Mickey to realise his ambition with a visit to a theatrical
supplies shop, but by the time Pauline McLynn gets her hands on Mickey,
in Chapter 11, not only does he revert to being a Caucasian, he also falls
instantly in love with the son of the man murdered in Chapter One. One
of the more arresting scenes is that described by McLynn and taken up
by playwright Charlie O’Neill in the following chapter. Here we are taken
to a municipal dump where two of the characters are searching for part
of the missing manuscript. A surreal air surrounds the scene of vermin
and malodorous filth presided over by dump supervisor Dusty Conmee, who
can pinpoint the location of a bag of rubbish given its provenance and
the identity of the garbage collector. While “Yeats is Dead” is no great
work of literature, it is fun, and what comes across very strongly is
that the contributors found it great fun to write. The other writers involved
include Conor McPherson, Gene Kerrigan, Gina Moxley, Anthony Cronin, Hugo
Hamilton, Joseph O’Connor, Tom Humphries, Donal O’Kelly and Gerard Stembridge,
and at least IR1 from the sale of each book will be paid to Amnesty International.
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A WILD PEOPLE
by Hugh Leonard
- In an introductory paragraph Hugh Leonard asserts that, while one character
in his novel is “mischievously” based on the film director John Ford,
all the others are entirely fictitious. Having read “A Wild People” I
believe that there is more mischievousness within its pages than the author
admits. I am not too familiar with the Dublin social and artistic scene,
though in the reading of this book I began to wish I was, but even I could
recognise some of the characters as thinly-veiled portraits of actual
people. A non-driving Kerry poet by the name of Batt Kenirons with round
smiling face and multiple chins, and a journalist called Fintan O’Doul,
“who specialized in nearly everything”, are easily recognizable, despite
the author’s disclaimer, and I suspect most of the other characters are
just as familiar to a large section of the capital’s population. However
this is not a criticism, in fact it gives an extra layer of interest to
the somewhat frenetic but always interesting tale of four couples, of
infidelity and betrayal, of theatre and film and the nature of relationships.
TJ Quill, known to his discomfort as Thady, begins an affair with the
wife of one of his friends, the unpredictable Josie Hand who leads him
a wild dance before they drift apart. At the same time TJ is becoming
involved in the film world and in particular with Mrs O’Fearna, the widow
of famed Irish film director Sean O’Fearna, and life seems to be opening
up for him. His ambition to write a film script is almost realized but
fails at the last moment, though his wife, Greta, ensures that all is
not lost. The humour in “A Wild People” is vintage Leonard, and other
threads reflect his interests and the circumstances of his life. Adoption
and the mystery surrounding his mother’s origins, the setting in his own
south Co. Dublin, and his extensive knowledge of the cinema all feature
in the narrative; the latter, indeed, becomes just a touch tedious when
the author draws parallels between characters and situations with films
from days gone by, often quoting year and director as well as the name
of the film and its leading actors. This apart the book is hugely entertaining,
written as it is in Hugh Leonard’s inimitable style, and it will not be,
I trust, the playwright’s only foray into the world of the novel.
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THE IRISH FAMINE,
A DOCUMENTARY by Colm Toibin and Diarmaid Ferriter
- This examination of the Famine comprises an essay by writer Colm Toibin
which is complemented by a selection of quotations and extracts from documents
contributed by historian Diarmaid Ferriter. Colm Toibin’s essay looks
at the way in which the Famine has been dealt with by historians over
the intervening 150 years and highlights the contrast between the wealth
of information about the administration of famine relief with the relative
lack of information about the people most affected, those who had to resort
to government relief. He discusses the ways in which disparate writers
and historians have treated the subject, citing such as John Mitchel who
unequivocally placed the blame on England, while the English writer Thomas
Carlyle described the Irish as “the sorest evil this country has to strive
with”. There was a belief among politicians that the Famine was a God-given
opportunity to solve the Irish question. Charles Trevelyan, Assistant
Secretary to the Treasury, asserted that “Supreme Wisdom has educed permanent
good out of transient evil”, and this was used to justify inaction on
the part of the government. In the same vein Lord Lansdowne’s agent, W.S.
Trench, expressed the hope that “the emigration will=85give us room to
become civilized”. The author considers a number of books on the subject
of the Famine and is quick to commend two comparatively recent publications,
“Oceans of Consolation” by David Fitzpatrick and Robert James Scally’s
“The End of Hidden Ireland”. In the second part of the book we turn to
the actual documents produced during the Famine years which include instructions
on how best to cook diseased potatoes, a letter from Friar Theobald Matthew
to Charles Trevelyan condemning the practice of labourers being paid their
wages in public houses, and a report from a member of a relief committee
on the conditions in his area of Co. Roscommon. Sets of statistics give
an idea of the number of deaths each year of the Famine, its effect on
crime figures, and the numbers who emigrated over a seventy-year period
from 1851 to 1921. One of the most interesting sections is that giving
extracts from interviews carried out for the Folklore Commission in the
1930s and 1940s, and one in particular seems to offer a reason for the
perceived national amnesia in relation to the Famine. In Cathal Poirtear’s
“Famine Echoes”, Ned Buckley of County Cork relates how more prosperous
farmers would buy up their neighbours’ farms by paying the rent arrears
to the landlord. He concludes with the statement, “Several people would
be glad if the Famine times were altogether forgotten so that the cruel
doings of their forbears would not be again renewed and talked about by
neighbours”. The two sections of the book present us with a variety of
responses to the hungry years of the mid-19th century and provide a thought-provoking
overview of the reaction of both historian and layperson over the intervening
years.
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HOPKINS ON SKELLIG
MICHAEL by Paddy Bushe
- In the title poem Paddy Bushe records the thoughts of Gerard Manley
Hopkins during a sojourn in the monastic settlement off the Kerry coast,
using language reminiscent of Hopkins’ own. He describes the poet as “.....this
bare brute, air-bruised, wind-weary and wounded” as he records his spiritual
journey on the rock and uses the symbolism of a calm day to underline
the calm achieved by Hopkins after a stormy night, both literally and
metaphorically. Many of Bushe’s poems focus on his father, to whom this
collection is dedicated, taking us through his final illness to “The Final
Note” when his: “............ breathing diminished Like a note held vibrating
to the point Where the music heard is the music remembered In a huge expectant
silence.” In this collection Bushe observes the natural world and records
in vibrant language the differing aspects of his native Munster.
ANNIE MOORE,
NEW YORK CITY GIRL by Eithne Loughrey
- Annie Moore, the subject of two previous books by Eithne Loughrey, has
now returned to New York and carves out a life for herself, first working
in a large department store and later taking up a teaching post. Her involvement
with a home for abandoned children, run by an old friend, gives the young
reader an insight into the underside of American life at the turn of the
century, while at the same time touching upon politics and the war against
Spain over its occupation of Cuba, a war in which Annie’s fiance is wounded
and her friend Carl loses his life. The sense of adventure inherent in
all three books is not confined to the younger members of the family,
and in “New York City Girl” Annie’s parents give the lead in moving to
Arizona to start a new life, a move followed by Annie and her new husband
Mike. Interestingly Ms Loughrey provides an Epilogue in which she gives
the little detail available of the life of the real Annie after she landed
in New York in 1892.
DISCOVER WATERFORD
by Eamonn McEneaney
- These two volumes in O’Brien Press’ City Guides series are each divided
into two sections, the first a short history of the city which takes as
its starting point the earliest written records pertaining to Waterford
and Galway. This is followed by a guide to the city which is devoted to
the principal buildings of interest. Thus we have details of the Claddagh,
Lynch’s Castle, the Cathedral and the Spanish Arch in Galway, while Eamonn
McEneaney focuses on Reginald’s Tower, the Bishop’s Palace, the French
Church and, in both cities, a restored granary. Set between the two sections
are a number of colour photographs of landmarks in each city, while black
and white photographs, maps and sketches enliven the text in each volume.
The text itself is divided into easily digestible sub-sections, making
it readily accessible to the first-time visitor.
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HERITAGE OF
IRELAND by Peter Zoller
- Also assured of an appeal to the visitor are these two pictorial collections
depicting two different aspects of Ireland, the landscape and the manmade
and geological structures with which it is embellished. Kerry-based photographer
Michael Diggin’s work ranges from a close-up view of flowers growing between
the rocks of the Burren in Co. Clare to an aerial photograph of Lough
Kee in Co. Roscommon, covering the thirty-two counties of Ireland in all
its moods. Peter Zoller, meanwhile, a German photographer now also living
in Kerry, takes the reader on a tour of the four provinces, beginning
with a stunning view of the library in Trinity College and including the
Botanic Gardens in Belfast, Shandon Church in Cork and the 1798 memorial
in Ballinamuck, Co. Longford. Each example of the photographers’ work
is accompanied by minimal text, allowing the visual impact to supersede
the written word in conveying the attractions of the country.
THE DUBLIN METROPOLITAN
POLICE by Jim Erlihy
- Complementing his earlier work on the Royal Irish Constabulary and the
Dublin Metropolitan Police, Jim Herlihy has compiled an alphabetical list
of all members of the latter force, both officers and men, from the year
of its foundation in 1836 to its amalgamation with the Garda Siochana
in 1925. In each case the registration number is included, as are the
year of birth and the place of origin of each member of the force, while
those killed in action have their dates of death recorded. For anyone
who is researching an ancestor believed to be a member of the police force
this bound volume will prove invaluable, and Jim Herlihy has given further
assistance with a list of addresses which will be of use in such a search.
NORTHERN LIGHTS
ed. Seamas O Cathain
- To commemorate his seventieth birthday, colleagues, former students
and friends of folklorist Bo Almqvist have compiled a series of essays
on Celtic and Nordic folklore themes. The former Professor of Irish Folklore
at University College Dublin has spent a lifetime of research in Ireland,
Scotland and Iceland as well as his native Sweden and the other Scandinavian
countries, and the contributors to his volume have reflected this interest.
Gearoid Mac Eoin chooses to discuss the original name given to the Viking
settlement in Limerick, while Anne O’Dowd’s contribution on objects made
from straw and rushes includes illustrations of examples found in counties
Mayo, Sligo and Longford. Folklore traditions in Iceland are discussed
by Terry Gunnell, and Bairbre Ni Fhloinn examines the Swedish influence
which led to Sean O Suilleabhain collecting much of the material for his
“A Handbook of Irish Folklore” through the postal system. Where the essays
are written in Irish or Swedish a summary is given in English, as is the
case with Daithi O hOgain’s “Aithint agus Ainmniu sna Rannscealta”, and
the Foreword is provided by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne-Almqvist and Seamas O Cathain,
both of whom contribute to the body of the work.
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TANS, TERROR
AND TROUBLES by T. Ryle Dwyer
- T. Ryle Dwyer’s book sets out to contradict the statement by General
Eoin O’Duffy in 1933, that “Kerry’s entire record in the Black and Tan
struggle consisted in shooting an unfortunate soldier the day of the Truce”.
The author attributes the somewhat tarnished reputation of his county
between the years 1913 and 1923 to a reluctance to discuss the various
stages of the conflict on the part of those most involved, whether due
to trauma or a desire to move on. However the chronological list of events
with which the author opens the book, the attacks, killings and reprisals,
give the lie to O’Duffy’s statement. While it has been accepted that de
Valera was the last commandant to surrender in the 1916 Rising, this honour
in truth goes to a Kerryman, Thomas Ashe, who later died on hunger strike
while in prison. Another claim made by the Kingdom is that the first military
engagement of the War of Independence took place, not at Soloheadbeg in
Co. Tipperary, but in Gortatlea when the barracks was attacked in April
1918. A seemingly never-ending series of attacks and reprisals ensued,
with casualties on both sides, though it has to be said that the account
of the attack on the RIC barracks in Scartaglin presents a wonderful Keystone
Cops-type picture. Having succeeded in setting the building alight, the
IRA activists hurled grenades at the beleaguered members of the garrison.
Unfortunately for their plans one of the grenades punctured a water tank
at one corner of the roof and the resultant flow of water effectively
doused the fire. The better known events which took place in Kerry during
this period, including the arrival of Sir Roger Casement and the atrocity
at Ballyseedy, are given prominence and there can be little doubt that
the people of Kerry were active in the country’s fight for independence,
though it is also true that some of the worst atrocities of the Civil
War took place within the county.
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TO HELL OR
BARBADOS by Sean O’Callaghan
- Despite the title of Sean O’Callaghan’s book, the contents cover much
more than one Caribbean island, chronicling as he does the transportation
of Irish men, women and children to a number of different islands and
also to the tobacco fields of Virginia. The author traces in a lucid fashion
the beginnings of Cromwell’s ’solution’ to the Irish problem, which saw
both indentured servants and virtual slaves carried to Barbados under
atrocious circumstances which pre-dated the Coffin ships of the Famine
by some two hundred years. It is noted that the Irish were used not only
as an unpaid and expendable labour force, but were later offered their
freedom when it became necessary to populate recent colonial acquisitions
such as Jamaica and Montserrat. Perhaps the most poignant legacy of this
mass transportation movement is the group of Jamaicans known as Redlegs,
a mixed race section of the population held in disrespect by everyone
else and with a reputation for drunkenness and arrogance. Indeed the author,
who died as his book was going to press, closes the final chapter with
a plea that the Irish people will come together to ease the plight of
these descendants of a beleaguered race.
7 STEPS TO
A HAPPIER FAMILY by Kevin Flanagan & Brian Mooney
- This seven-step guide to family happiness looks at how the family has
evolved over the centuries and at what is perceived to be the perfect
family situation, which no more exists than does the perfect marriage.
The authors, both with experience in counselling and therapy, throw light
on our expectations and on the way in which we can improve our own family
situations, emphasising the truism that we can only change ourselves,
never other people. The seven steps incorporate health in mind, body and
spirit as well as an ability to balance work, home life and recreation,
and questionnaires are included to enable the reader to assess his or
her own status in relation to these essentials.
IRISH THEATRE
HANDBOOK ed. Loughlin Deegan
- This second edition of the guide to the drama and dance scene in the
island of Ireland contains more than one thousand entries divided into
a number of categories which list separately theatre companies which are
fully subsidised and those which either enjoy partial subsidy or none.
Street theatre companies and festivals have their own sections, while
the list of venues gives dimensions of performance space and programming
policy as well as the usual contact details. The section on contacts and
support organisations, both national and international, will prove particularly
helpful as will the list of services which range from acting agencies
to wig-makers.
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BEST IRISH
WALKS ed. Joss Lynam
- In this third edition the editor points out that some changes may have
occurred, particularly in relation to access since farmers became increasingly
wary over the years with regard to possible claims for injury, though
the legislation covering recreational users has alleviated this problem
somewhat. However he still stresses the need to respect the farmland and
the animals, to control dogs and to refrain from leaving litter behind.
The greater part of the book is, of course, made up of detailed guides
to mainly circular walks, with accompanying map and giving information
on the most favourable route to take, any hazards to be avoided as well
as floraand fauna of interest encountered on the way. A glossary of Irish
place names will prove particularly useful for any walkers unfamiliar
with the language.
WOMEN IN GALWAY
JAIL by Geraldine Curtin
- Every now and then a book comes along which at first glance seems to
take an unusual topic, but then one wonders why it has never been done
before. “The Women of Galway Jail” is one such book. Geraldine Curtin,
who has an MA in History and Local Studies from the University of Limerick
and is currently working in NUI Galway, is the author of this fascinating
book which describes the different crimes for which women were sentenced
in the late 19th century. Most were alcohol-related, with many women purposely
committing crimes with the intention of being thrown in prison where they
were more likely to be better fed than if they had to fend for themselves.
Age was no discriminator when it came to serving time, with the youngest
inmate being nine and the oldest ninety-four. The nine-year-old was sentenced
to three months for “larceny of money”, while the ninety-four-year-old
was released early due to ill health. The book examines the causes and
effects of female criminal activity in Galway towards the end of the 19th
century, with photographs and the personal stories of some of the inmates
giving it a human dimension.
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