|
Irish Emigrant Book Review, No.96 (July 2003)
Null
and Void - Catherine Barry
There is a slow start to Catherine Barry’s novel, with a consequent slow
start to the development of the characters; indeed not all of them are
developed fully during the course of the book. However this is not true
of Ruby and Eamonn, the central pair whose dealings with the Dublin Regional
Marriage Tribunal form the focus. Their marriage has broken down, though
we are not initially told why this is so, and Ruby decides to make a “clean
cut” by approaching the Marriage Tribunal for a church annulment. This
entails a number of visits by both Ruby and Eamonn, as well as one of
their friends, and this does more than give us a fascinating insight into
the workings of the tribunal from both sides of the table. One of the
more interesting threads of the story is the gradual awakening of Father
Ebbs, the mediator, to the fact that his vocation was more in the minds
of his parents than his own mind, and two of the cases he is dealing with
provide the final impetus he needs to make his own “clean cut”. We also
learn much more about both Ruby and Eamonn, for the author has used the
device of a series of flashbacks to reveal their courtship, wedding day
and honeymoon. Still we are left in the dark as to what caused their marriage
to break down, and it is only when a further section of the tribunal process
is introduced that we understand the catalyst, an event which each has
dealt with in a different way, though with the common result of each excluding
the other. Catherine Barry’s range of characters, Ruby’s old schoolfriends
and a new friend made at the Archbishop’s palace in Drumcondra, serve
to further complicate the relationship between the pair, but through the
unfolding events the author leads them all to a new understanding of their
lives, though not all of them find this comfortable. Written with insight
and humour, “Null and Void” gives rather more to the reader than the cover
would suggest.
[ top ]
The
Eskimo in the Net by Gerard Beirne
Jim Gallagher is back living on the Inishowen peninsula after spending
a number of years working in the canneries in Alaska. Out one day working
as a fisherman on his friend Knucky’s boat, he hauls in the body of an
Eskimo. When the authorities show little interest in understanding the
whys and wherefores of the Eskimo’s appearance in his net, Jim is driven
to get to the bottom of the mystery. Concurrently, he is coming to realise
that his relationship with his two best friends since childhood, Frances
and Knucky, is changing for the worse and possibly coming to an end. ’The
Eskimo in the Net’ is the story of his efforts to understand both the
Eskimo’s origins and the current state of his life. Gerard Beirne’s enthralling
debut explores the themes of friendship, self-exploration, love and death
among others in a thoughtful and occasionally humourous way. We follow
Jim as he struggles with alcoholism and loneliness, and attempts to create
for himself a life with which he can be content. The protagonist is living
in a sort of limbo. He left Donegal to escape but he doesn’t know from
what. His friends considered him brave for setting out on his own while
they took the safe option but he saw it as running away and wondered if
they weren’t braver for staying behind and making the most of the hand
they were dealt. He’s unsure of his reasons for returning and doesn’t
know what kind of life he was expecting to find for himself. He has a
vague notion that in solving the puzzle of the dead Eskimo he will also
answer some questions regarding his own future. This is a book that will
strike a chord with the majority of readers as it examines the struggles
individuals face in coping with ever-changing circumstance and the realisation
that the only certain thing in life is that there is no certainty. Gerard
Beirne marries these observations with a good story and the result is
well worth a read. (Reviewer: Eoghan Ferrie)
[ top ]
Star
of the Sea - Joseph O’Connor
Like Joseph O’Connor’s previous novel, “Inishowen”, this book is set on
both sides of the Atlantic, but there the similarity ends for this book
has a much more serious tone. In “Star of the Sea” he examines the relationships
between landlord and tenant during the years of the Famine, placing the
action firmly in Connemara before the characters branch out to other destinations.
O’Connor has used the interesting device of presenting the facts of the
story through the reporting of an American journalist, the captain of
the ship and a series of other commentators, giving a number of conflicting
points of view. So authentic do these extracts appear that I wondered
at first whether the book was based on historical documents. This authenticity
is one of the achievements of this book, an authenticity based on extensive
research by the author. The eponymous Star of the Sea is an emigrant ship
which records a total of ninety-five deaths on its journey to New York,
but the fate of most of the steerage passengers is incidental to the main
theme of the strands which unite Lord Knightwood, Mary Duane and Pius
Mulvey. All were reared in Connemara where their paths crossed in ways
both pleasant and unpleasant, and their meeting again on the emigrant
ship has an underlying threat, a threat which is carried out before the
passengers disembark, but not in the way originally intended. They are
caught up in a web of friendship and love which is destined never to reach
fulfilment, for to some extent each has been damaged in childhood and
can neither give nor receive love. Joseph O’Connor has produced a book
which grabs the attention from the first page and maintains the atmosphere
of the Famine Years to the final chapter. This final chapter also contains
a surprise revelation which fittingly brings the narrative to a close.
[ top ]
The
Hard Road to Klondike - Micheal MacGowan
Lovers of thrilling adventure tales should commend The Collins Press for
republishing “The Hard Road to Klondike”, the classic English-language
translation of Micheal MacGowan’s account of his perilous journeys to
the Alaskan gold rush of the 1890s. The work was originally published
in English in 1962, fourteen years after the Donegal man’s death. The
memoir is based on stories collected by MacGowan’s son-in-law, folklorist
Sean O hEochaidh, and was translated by Valentin Iremonger. MacGowan was
a masterful storyteller, and the vivid tales of his hardships on the icy
Yukon are evocative and exciting enough to turn anyone into a history
buff. MacGowan is a strong individual at the mercy of powerful historical
forces. His early experiences at the hiring fairs, his sojourns in Scotland,
his emigration to the steel mills of Pennsylvania and subsequent journeys
to the mines of Montana and then Alaska are all prompted by the harsh
economic realities of the late 19th century. Like many of his generation,
MacGowan begins life as a migrant worker early: his mother brings him
to a hiring fair at the age of eight, and he is sent to work for six months
with a kindly couple. Of the rigours of his later life MacGowan repeatedly
says that “had we known what was in front of us”, he and his friends would
not have undertaken the cross-country journey from the steel mills of
Pennsylvania to the mines of Montana and Alaska. The book makes clear
that MacGowan, who has a quick temper, isn’t shy of a fight, but demonstrates
also he has a knack for more happily serendipitous encounters: he knocks
on the door of a public house as he and a few fellow hoboes seek shelter
after jumping from a train, miles from any town, and finds himself welcomed
by an Irish-speaking family. And one of the book’s gems is MacGowan’s
depiction of St Patrick’s Day in All Gold Creek where the miners erupt
into roars of joy at hearing an approaching piper playing an Irish tune,
and quickly organise an impromptu parade down to the town. The small fortune
MacGowan made in Alaska enables him to return to Donegal for a visit in
1901. He decides to stay in Donegal, falls in love, marries, and comfortably
raises a family. He would rather, he says, see one of his eleven children
“gathering rags” than heading for America. Most of the settlements that
Micheal MacGowan described are now ghost towns. “The Hard Road to Klondike”
deserves widespread recognition for its ability to bring the struggles
of the courageous men who dwelled in them, meeting the peculiar, perilous
challenges of that lost era, so magnificently to life. (Reviewer: Noreen
Bowden)
[ top ]
Fufteen
- J. McCartney
It is unclear to whom this story of the old IRA is directed. It soon becomes
obvious that the protagonist is the author’s father and we can only assume
that the narrative follows the course of his father’s involvement in that
movement from the age of fifteen. A Derry native, it is his pronunciation
of this number, both his age on joining the Fianna and the number of his
cell in Mountjoy, that gives the book its title. Young Johnny McCartney
was drawn into the IRA soon after he left school, while he was working
as a telegram boy for the Post Office, and the chronicle of the gradual
increase of responsibility follows the factual account of the activities
of Peadar O’Donnell’s Flying Column. Events at Belleek, Pettigo and Inch
Fort form part of the action seen by the young McIntyre during the Civil
War, while the ordinary business of living is woven into the text in the
form of a gradually evolving romance which eventually leads to marriage.
The initial warning to Johnny, that “once you are in the movement you
can never leave” proves all too true when he is again approached, now
the father of a family, to carry out undercover work for the IRA in the
first year of the Second World War. A spell in Mountjoy follows and the
book ends on a bitter note with the revelation that Johnny McCartney was
never again able to secure employment in the North. I suspect this book
might have worked better as a straight work of biography, for as a novel
it seems to fall somewhere between the adult and the teenage reader, and
contains much that does not progress the narrative in any way. Having
said that, “Fufteen” does give an insider’s view of what it actually meant
to be part of a movement fighting for its country, and the effect on family
and friends of such involvement.
[ top ]
The
Royal Irish Constabulary - Thomas Fennell
One of the Classics of History series, this memoir of a life in the Royal
Irish Constabulary was written after the author’s retirement from the
force, in which he served from 1875 to 1905. The book has an introduction
by Rosemary Fennell, the author’s granddaughter, who took on the responsibility
for having the manuscript published. In an orderly fashion the Northern-born
author takes us through the origins of the RIC and the day-to-day organisation
of its members with attention paid to the prospects for promotion, which
often had a religious basis, and the sometimes harsh disciplinary measures
taken against the men. Thomas Fennell focuses, however, on exonerating
the RIC from any attacks regarding their patriotism. These were instigated
by the agrarian disturbances in the later decades of the 19th century,
when the men had to assist at evictions and were seen as having sided
with the enemy. The author points out that the members of the force did
so with reluctance but in many cases they could not afford to stand by
their principles. Married men with families to support could not run the
risk of losing a secure means of livelihood, however unpopular it made
them with those whom they were policing. The antagonism towards the RIC
reached its height in the years following the Easter Rising, when they
were generally believed to be supplying information to the Government;
Thomas Fennell devotes a number of chapters to setting out the facts of
the situation for, as he states towards the end of the book, “My chief
purpose, then, has been to correct that erroneous estimate of a Force
which as a body was unequalled in point of rectitude by any other police
force in the world.”
[ top ]
New
Hibernia Review - ed. Thomas Dillon Redshaw
The Spring edition of the quarterly publication includes Elizabeth Francis
Martin’s essay on the representation of women in paintings by Paul Henry,
Charles Lamb, Sean Keating and Maurice MacGonigal; Jerrold Casway also
focuses on women in his exploration of the plight of the wives, mothers
and servants who accompanied the Flight of the Earls; and Patrick O’Sullivan,
head of the Irish Diaspora Research Unit at the University of Bradford,
gives his own views on the development of Diaspora Studies. Other contributors
include James Liddy, Thomas Duddy, Frank Ormsby, John Cronin, Gerald Dawe,
Michael Parker and Donna Decker Schuster.
[ top ]
Fallout
- Liam O’Meara CFC
We in Ireland are familiar with newspaper accounts of the groups of children
brought here from Chernobyl for holidays and medical attention, and of
the many who travel to the affected areas to bring help to the children
in orphanages in that stricken country. If, like me, you have wondered
how people have the strength to deal with the conditions they encounter,
then Liam O’Meara’s descriptions will go some way to explaining how they
overcome their difficulties. The author is a member of the Burren Chernobyl
Project; the story of the group’s first visits to Russia are a mixture
of humour, bewilderment, love and faith. In addition to detailing individual
stories, those of Alosha, of Sergei and Vika and many others, O’Meara
weaves into the narrative a story of an Irish orphan whose involvement
with the Project brings a special insight. But mostly what emerges from
these pages is the change that can be wrought in a child’s life by the
presence of love, by coming to believe that he or she is “beautiful in
someone’s eyes”.
[ top ]
Conor
McPherson, Imagining Mischief - Gerald C. Wood
Colin McPherson, playwright and filmmaker, is only in his early thirties
but is already deemed worthy of a booklength study in the Contemporary
Irish Writers series. Aimed at students and general readers alike, the
series has profiled a prestigious cast of writers and filmmakers including
Seamus Heaney, Roddy Doyle and Neil Jordan. Launch of this book is timely
as McPherson’s second and most publicised film, “The Actors”, was released
in Ireland in June of this year. The writer Gerald C. Wood is Professor
and Chair of English at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
In his acknowledgements he thanks McPherson for “granting the interviews,
entertaining some naïve questions, and generously sharing feelings
and unpublished manuscripts”; this assures the reader that this book will
be an authorised and informed look at the writer and filmmaker. The book
begins with a chronology table detailing McPherson’s university career
and listing his body of work - student plays; professional productions
as both writer and director; and his two feature films. The brief introduction
identifies McPherson as first and foremost a storyteller whose writing
examines both modern Ireland and the ethics of modern life. These subjects
are then readdressed in the closing chapter. The intervening chapters
offer full synopses of each of McPherson’s professional works, grouped
in the chapters as The Early Plays, The Weir, The Playwright as Filmmaker
and Recent Plays. Wood’s summaries are detailed and concise, though he
offers little analysis and does not address issues of writing or theatrical
style, focusing instead on plot and character development. The closing
chapter contains most of the critical analysis when he examines the theme
of mischief and morality in McPherson’s work. The struggle between the
laddish culture of drink, casual sex and crime, and the need to lead a
responsible and balanced life, is the dynamic in all of his plays and
films. It also highlights issues in modern Ireland and in particular issues
of the modern Irish male. The book is a rich resource on an emerging Irish
writer. It contains all the information of use to a student examining
McPherson - a career chronology, a detailed synopsis of all of his professional
work, a full transcript of an interview between McPherson and Wood, allowing
students to draw their own conclusions about McPherson’s work. However
the emphasis on detail over examination in the book and the lack of biographical
or personal stories make this a disjointed book for the general reader.
[ top ]
Emerald
Spirit - David Stang
Subtitled “A Journey into the Irish Heart and Soul”, David Stang gives
us an outsider’s view of the Irish and the way in which they interact
with the world. An Irish-American who now spends part of each year in
Kerry, Stang has spent some years observing our attitudes to authority,
to religion, to the world of fairies, ghosts and other unworldly creatures.
He defines the monocosmic world in which those who have gone before us
remain part of our lives and account for many of the stories of hauntings,
of old houses being left standing, of the careful avoidance of “fairy
forts” in a farmer’s field. Stang also comments on the Irish trait, so
confusing to visitors, of always telling them what he believes they want
to hear, regardless of the truth. This is contained in one of the more
interesting chapters which touches on blow-ins, derogatory terms and the
tenet that “In Ireland a humble request is far more powerful than a direct
command”. He is particularly good on the tribunals, and on the way in
which James Gogarty became a cult figure because “he took on the legal
and judicial establishments and made them look like they weren’t as smart
as they thought”. It is always interesting, though not always pleasant,
to see ourselves as others see us; while we may not agree with all of
David Stang’s observations, he has couched them in a conciliatory and
friendly fashion at which it would be churlish to take offence.
[ top ]
Wetlands
of Ireland - ed. Marinus L.Otte
To fill a perceived gap in the literature on Irish wetlands, Marinus Otte
of the Department of Botany in UCD invited a number of experts to contribute
to an extensive study of the subject. Covering the distribution, ecology,
uses and economic value of wetlands, the contributors include Roger Goodwillie
and Julian D. Reynolds on turloughs, particularly those of Co. Clare;
Barry Raftery on the archaeology of Irish bogs; Brigid Johnson on canals
and canal banks; and Catherine Casey on the incidence of corncrakes on
the Shannon Callows. With an introduction and conclusion by the editor,
a number of maps and illustrations and a detailed guide to references,
this is a valuable edition to the bookshelf of all who have an interest
in ecology and the formation of our island.
[ top ]
On
the Road to Reconciliation - John Morrow
John Morrow, a minister of the Presbyterian Church, was involved in the
foundation of both Glencree and the Corrymeela Community and much of his
ministerial life was focused on bringing together the two religious traditions
in Ireland. This memoir, however, doesn’t deal solely with his religious
life; it includes tales of his courtship and marriage to Shirley and the
various difficulties of combining family and vocational responsibilities.
Now retired, the author ministered in Ireland, North and South, and in
Scotland; this is a gentle evocation of those years.
[ top ]
Lough
Derg - Eileen Good
One of the “Places Apart” series, Eileen Good’s exploration of the Lough
Derg experience is expressed through personal memories, prayer, poetry
and reflection, and is complemented by the predominantly black and white
photography of Anne Cassidy. The spiritual aspects of the ancient pilgrimage,
with which the author draws a parallel with the three days from Good Friday
to Easter Sunday, are balanced by more practical details. She sets out
the timetable of the three-day visit and offers the pragmatic advice to
bring some defence against the midges prevalent on the island. To those
who have completed the pilgrimage it will be a reminder of what they gained
from the experience; for those like myself who have resolutely stayed
away, Eileen Good’s description might just prompt you to take up the challenge.
[ top ]
Tara
and the Ark of the Covenant - Mairéad Carew
The belief strongly held by the British-Israelite Association that the
Ark of the Covenant was to be found concealed in one of the mounds at
Tara led to three decades of dispute which involved the society, the Order
of Freemasons, The Royal Irish Antiquarian Society and a number of prominent
people on both sides of the Irish Sea. Máiread Carew examines the
chronology of events which led to less than scientific excavations at
the ancient Meath site and the personalities involved. The Association
members believed that the British people belonged to one of the lost tribes
of Israel, and that the discovery of the Ark would confirm that belief
and help to justify the continued expansion of the British Empire. Consequently
a battle was waged by society members and Freemasons to acquire the landowners’
permission to carry out the work, and they were met by the combined forces
of Arthur Griffith, Maud Gonne, W.B. Yeats, George Moore and Douglas Hyde,
who firmly believed that an Irish site should be claimed for the Irish
people. After much argument and counter-argument from newspapers to the
House of Commons the work was halted, though not before much damage had
been done to the site. It is hardly necessary to report that the Ark of
the Covenant was not found.
[ top ]
With
Fife and Drum - Gary Hastings
Gary Hastings from east Belfast is no mean flautist himself and, having
grown up in the tradition of Orange Lodges and their music, he is well
qualified to write on the subject. He is at pains to point out that to
many musicians in the North the idea of sectarianism takes second place
to the music. As he says in his introduction, “There’s good music and
decent people in the middle of the whole mess on both sides of the house,
and it’s important never to forget that”. After a general outline of the
Orange Order and its association in particular with the Lambeg Drum, Hastings
goes into detail on the drum’s history and the different methods of construction.
He treats similarly of the fife and writes with a mixture of erudition
and affectionate realism that makes his work particularly accessible.
Traditional marches and stick-ins, competitions and musicians who play
for the sheer love of the music all feature in this entertaining and colourfully
illustrated book.
[ top ]
Irish
Historic Towns Atlas Nos. 11 & 12 - Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy has to date published twelve sections in the Irish
Historic Towns Atlas series; the latest two are Belfast Part 1, to 1840
by Raymond Gillespie and Stephen A. Royle, and Dublin Part 1 to 1610 by
H.B. Clarke. The former was published in association with Belfast City
Council. Contained in each plastic envelope, measuring 410mm by 305mm,
is a selection of contemporary maps, street plans and prints, with an
accompanying booklet carrying an extensive list of the churches, administrative
buildings and manufacturing premises in the city. The Atlas series would
obviously have great appeal in an educational setting but would also be
an interesting personal acquisition. The other towns in the series are
Kildare, Carrickfergus, Bandon, Kells, Mullingar, Athlone, Maynooth, Downpatrick,
Bray and Kilkenny.
[ top ]
|