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Irish Emigrant Book Review, No.81 (Apr 2002)
Miracle Woman
by Marita Conlon-McKenna
- The reader has to approach this novel with an open mind on the subject
of healing by the laying-on of hands but, having made the decision to
accept the premise that such healing is both possible and provable, then
the story of Martha can be read with interest and enjoyment. Martha, living
in Boston with her husband Mike and their three children, first becomes
aware of her gift when she, apparently miraculously, saves the life of
a traffic accident victim by touching him and willing him to live. The
fact that this incident is witnessed by her daughter, a number of paramedics
and some bystanders begins a way of life for Martha which will bring about
total change to her marriage and her relationship with her children. News
of her apparent gift soon spreads and the calls upon her time become more
and more demanding, until eventually her women friends rally round to
put the whole process on a more professional footing. It is at this point,
however, when she is attracting large numbers of people seeking healing
all over the US, that her new life begins to affect the life of homemaker
and mother she has enjoyed up to now. Added to the stress of this situation,
her association with Cass and Josh, two young people whom she is unable
to help and whose parents finally blame her for the deaths of their children,
pushes Martha towards a radical change of lifestyle. The book is well-written
and fast-paced, and the gradual alienation of Martha’s husband, Mike,
is convincingly drawn, though there is an underlying irony in the timing
of the change of direction in Martha’s life which, had it taken place
sooner, might have won Mike over to her altered persona. This irony, however,
loses its force in a scene which mirrors her first experience of healing,
when she accepts that she cannot escape from the gift that her mother
Frances believes has been handed down from her Irish forbears. Before
undertaking this work the author listened to many people from England,
Ireland and the US who were healers or who had experienced healing, a
fact which contributes to the authenticity of the narrative and will perhaps
make the sceptic just a little less certain in his or her scepticism.
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Never Make A
Promise You Can’t Break by Gene Kerrigan
- This guide will delight those who have a less than admiring view of
most politicians, irritate a number of our TDs and Senators and generally
give an irreverent view of the democratic process in Ireland. Subtitled
“How to succeed in Irish Politics”, the book sets out in four sections
the path to a seat in the Dail, pointing out the pitfalls to be encountered
and the moves essential to the process. Kerrigan begins by asserting that
politics is a business which requires skills “not needed in any other
human pursuit”. These include, apparently, the ability to switch on an
ingratiating smile at the drop of a hat. The author draws an interesting
line between the run-of-the-mill politicians whose entire political life
is devoted to retaining their seats, and those with ambitions for the
State car for whom a working knowledge of the economy is as essential
as learning that the word “recession” is never to be uttered. The usefulness
of the university debate is cited in developing a talent “for being able
to come down passionately on either side of any argument”, and a level
of expertise in “interpreting” opinion polls is also apparently a requisite
for advancement up the political ladder. Another necessary adjunct to
political success is the consultant, though Kerrigan prefers to call this
group Professional Cute Hoors, who are not only dedicated to making their
clients look good, they also take the blame for any dubious decisions
taken by the politicians. No guide to Irish politics would be complete
without a section on tribunals and brown envelopes, and this subject is
comprehensively covered in chapters with the unambiguous titles of “How
to Accept a Bribe” and “How to Give Evidence at a Tribunal”. The latter
includes an intriguing paragraph on wiggle-words such as “at this time”
and “not to my certain knowledge”, phrases which can be misleading without
constituting perjury. Finally the guide looks at how politicians will
look back on their political lives and here the author sets out to balance
his jaundiced view of the political scene with a statement of what should
constitute political success. Though written with tongue in cheek, “Never
Make a Promise you can’t Break” is, I suspect, much nearer the truth than
many of our politicians would like to admit.
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The Voyage Of
The Catalpa by Peter F. Stevens
- Already given an airing in Thomas Kenealy’s “The Great Shame”, the story
of the escape from an Australian prison of six Fenians is brought further
to life in this interesting mix of fact and fiction. The sheer audacity
of the rescue, the determination of the convicts and the risks taken by
all concerned are testament to the terrible conditions endured by those
transported to Australia. A number of the characters stand out for their
extraordinary commitment to justice, none more so than the captain of
the Catalpa, George Anthony, who had no direct connection with Ireland
but was inspired by John Devoy and his own idealism, together with a desire
to leave his shore-based job and return to sea for one last voyage. Also
instrumental in initiating the rescue of the convicts was John Boyle O’Reilly,
who had himself been interned in the same prison and who had escaped by
sea to the US a few years earlier. The Catalpa itself was bought with
funds raised by Clan na Gael after a search for a suitable vessel in the
whaling ports of New England. Meanwhile the six men who were the subject
of the escape, Robert Cranston, Thomas Darragh, Michael Harrington, Thomas
Hassett, Martin Hogan and James Wilson, were near to despair. They were
viewed with particular loathing by their captors since they had been enlisted
men in the Crown Forces and their taking of the Fenian oath was therefore
compounded in the eyes of the British, who looked on them as traitors.
Through extensive research, to which the bibliography bears witness, Peter
Stevens has succeeded in conveying the terrible conditions with which
the men were faced both on board the Hougoumont on the way to Fremantle
and in The Establishment, the name given to Fremantle’s high security
prison. The pivotal part played in their eventual escape to America by
both Father Patrick McCabe and John J. Breslin is also highlighted. These
two men, with Thomas Desmond, orchestrated the land-based arrangements
for releasing the six men and did so at considerable risk to their own
lives. The final dash to the Catalpa, waiting twelve miles offshore in
international waters, and some near encounters with a British warship,
give a dramatic quality to the project and we can almost feel the relief
of the Fenians when they are at last headed for the US. The escape of
the Fremantle Six is an extraordinary story well told and would seem an
obvious choice for transfer to the big screen.
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Mother To A
Stranger by Leland Bardwell
- What might have been a predictable and romanticised story of a man reunited
with his birth mother has become, in Leland Bardwell’s hands, a journey
into self doubt, into the fragility of relationships and our reactions
to adversity. With no preamble we are plunged straight in to the situation
in which Charles, a thirty-year-old Englishman, has traced his birth mother
and wants to meet her. Nan McDonald, an internationally renowned pianist,
has settled in the north west of Ireland with her archaeologist husband
Jim, who looks after their home while she is on tour. They have a deep
understanding of each other and their lives, childless by choice, are
carefully balanced. Into this steady and contented milieu comes the threat
of a child born to a teenage Nan, a child about whom Jim has been told
nothing. From this situation the author has woven a story of anger and
betrayal, of apathy and withdrawal, a descent into depression and the
unlikely bonding of the three protagonists, and all of this against a
background of continuing life in the Irish countryside. Nan and Jim have
each devised a means of escape from an intolerable situation brought on
by the arrival of Charles, and Ms Bardwell examines with rare insight
their attempts to adapt their relationship to accommodate the intruder.
It is a dance involving all three, with roles being reversed and revalued.
Feelings of guilt and of blame have to be overcome and a new way fashioned
for their lives together to develop. “Mother to a Stranger” examines the
dark side of the mother and child reunion, the overwhelmingly difficult
adjustments that must be made, and the author has convincingly portrayed
the feelings of betrayal and rejection experienced by all three of her
characters. This is a forceful and thought-provoking view of what must
always be a daunting situation.
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Irish Willow
by Chris Arthur
- This second volume of essays by Chris Arthur sets out to explore the
links, the interconnectedness of the fragments that make up our daily
lives and the lives of all those who have gone before us. The Irish willow
of the title refers both to the willow plant which the author’s mother
set out to gather on the day before he was born, and his own childhood
collection of pieces of china, the most precious being those bearing the
willow pattern. These fragments come to represent the different pieces
of our lives and the lives of all those who have preceded our own existence,
as well as the fundamental fragmentation of the author’s native Antrim.
In examining this fragmentation, in following his uncle Cyril “who could
start from anything and work it into context, weave the tapestry, see
the links”, Arthur endeavours to make some sense of the world as he finds
it. This he achieves by questioning those things we generally take for
granted. In the essay “Train Sounds”, in which he recalls the distinctive
sounds associated with the station just five minutes from the house in
which he grew up, the author wonders “What happens to noises when they
stop?”. In pondering this imponderable he wonders also whether keening
or laughter, reason or extremism would predominate if we could hear the
entire canon of Ireland’s voice since speech began. The attachment to
family and the need to remain connected with their memory is a theme taken
up more than once in this collection and there are two essays in particular
which struck a chord with this reader. The account of Uncle Cyril, already
mentioned, is a striking reminder to all of us never to take people at
face value, while in “Transplantations” Arthur reveals a continuity achieved
through the cherishing of growing things. Describing plants as being “like
windbreaks planted along the ridges of possibility”, which have “shielded
us from some outcomes, shepherded us towards others”, he recalls that
his own garden has a birch tree from seeds bequeathed through four generations,
giving him a direct link to his great-grandparents. The author’s acute
observation and philosophical curiosity have combined to produce a series
of essays that will take the reader beyond the familiar to question more
deeply his or her own reaction to and understanding of the way in which
we live out our lives. In doing so he is faithfully following the talent
he recognised in his Uncle Cyril, in moving from one fragment of time
or place to a wider vision, to indulge his fascination with “the way in
which things intersect, coincide, collide, how one thing leads to another”.
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From Behind
A Closed Door by Brian Barton
- The aftermath of the 1916 Rising comes alive in Brian Barton’s treatment
of papers released three years ago which give details of the courts martial
which led to the death sentence being passed on fifteen of those who had
taken part in the rebellion. After a concise and informative account of
the events leading up to the Rising, and a pen portrait of General John
Maxwell, charged with restoring order and bringing those responsible to
justice, Barton introduces Padraig Pearse. A biography with emphasis on
his part in the Rising is followed by a transcript of the actual court
martial which led to his execution, and the story of each of the rebel
leaders is treated in a similar fashion. Attention is paid also to the
two who escaped execution, de Valera on the grounds of his possible American
citizenship and the fact that he wasn’t initially seen by the military
authorities as a sufficiently important figure, and Countess Markievicz
“solely and only on account of her sex”. Enhancing the vibrancy of the
text are the excellent photographs of people, places and documents relating
to the period immediately after the Rising, including extracts from a
memo sent by Sir John Maxwell to the British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith.
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Why Not Me?
by Pamalla Stockho
- Nurse Practitioner Pamalla Stockho found herself on the receiving end
of treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer and in “Why Not
Me?” she tells how she coped with the illness in the context of her family
and her work. Along the way she developed an interest in all things Irish
and this fact permeates the narrative. For anyone going through a similar
experience this book will provide a wealth of useful information on the
physiology of breast cancer and of the various types of treatment. The
way in which it is presented, often as part of a conversation, is a little
bit contrived but it does, nonetheless, achieve the desired effect of
giving an understanding of the disease. This is above all, however, a
personal testament and Ms Stockho tells of her husband and three children,
of the many friends she has made through frequent moves as a Navy wife,
and the support she received from all of those close to her. The narrative
is remarkably upbeat, given the subject matter, and this is the result
of a conscious effort on the part of the author in tackling such a serious
subject. In fact the title reveals the general tenor of this honest account
of one woman’s encounter with a life-threatening illness.
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In The Chair
ed. John Brown
- In this hugely informative series of interviews, John Brown has delved
into the biographical, social and literary influences of twenty-two Northern
poets. Beginning with questions about early family life and the introduction
to words, which Donegal poet Cathal O Searcaigh memorably describes as
“Those winged birds that made the air around me whirr with excitement”,
the editor probes the extent to which the ongoing social and political
unrest impinged on the poet’s work. A major part of each interview concentrates
on the different collections of poetry, with the editor’s questions focusing
on a particular viewpoint apparent from the poets’ work. In this way he
is able to draw out a range of influences which have coloured the poetry
of each of the interviewees, making this an invaluable book for the student
of poetry as well as for those with a more relaxed interest in Northern
literature. The poets interviewed are arranged chronologically from their
years of birth and range from Robert Greacen to Colette Bryce, encompassing
the views of poets who have helped to express the evolution of Northern
life over the past decades.
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Potato Recipes
by Biddy White Lennon
- combines the traditional with the more exotic so that Dublin Coddle
and colcannon coexist happily with Indian dry potatoes with onions and
potatoes baked in oil, lemon and garlic. The recipes are embellished with
drawings and the odd relevant quotation or saying.
Soups by Eileen
O’Driscoll
- is presented in a similar fashion with black and white drawings and
explanatory introductions. The author begins, as all good books on soup
should, with basic stock recipes, and instructions for a variety of different
soups are followed by a selection of bread recipes as an accompaniment.
Traditional
Cooking by Biddy White Lennon
- sets out in an easily assimilated fashion many of the recipes we have
come to associate with Ireland as well as a few which might be less familiar.
As in her book on potatoes, each recipe includes an anecdote about its
origins or the best way to serve it, and a final section offers instructions
for making a number of interesting drinks with an Irish twist.
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Places Apart,
Knock by Eileen Good
- Part of a series issued by Veritas, this illustrated volume on the Marian
Shrine at Knock takes the reader back to the apparition on August 21,
1879 and travels the road with both the Church and the parishioners as
the village of Knock is transformed from a small rural community to a
major place of pilgrimage with its own international airport. Ms Good
acknowledges the major players in this transformation, the best known
being Monsignor James Horan who was the force behind three enormous projects,
the visit of Pope John Paul, the building of the basilica and the establishment
of Knock International Airport. Not forgotten, however, are Liam and Judy
Coyne who founded the Knock Shrine Society of Handmaids, Stewards and
Promotors and also wrote and edited the first book on the apparitions
at Knock. With colourful illustrations and information about the different
services available at the shrine, the book provides both a practical and
a spiritual insight into the Mayo pilgrimage centre.
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