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Irish Emigrant
Book Review: Issue No.104 (Mar 2004)
At War - Flann
O’Brien
Under the pseudonym Myles na gCopaleen, a name taken from Dion Boucicault’s
“Colleen Bawn”, Brian O’Nolan/Flann O’Brien alternatively entertained
and irritated the readers of the Irish Times with his column “Cruiskeen
Lawn”; much as one of his successors does today in An Irishman’s Diary,
though obviously with a lesser mastery of the art. In this collection
the editor, James Wyse Jackson, has gathered together in chronological
order columns from the years of the “Emergency”. The title is ironic in
itself, for Flann O’Brien was at war with a significant sector of the
Irish population as well as being at war with himself, to a certain extent.
The “corduroys”, anyone with any pretensions to the arts, receive a regular
lambasting, as do the “crowd in Kildare Street”, the Censorship Act and
a number of bodies including the ESB. But in addition to targeting his
fellow citizens, Myles na gCopaleen takes delight in showing up the use
of cliches and in one column sets out a translation from Sub-Chat to English,
including “A one-day movement of the population from the city to the seaside”
- “An exodus”. The humble apostrophe also concerns him, particularly when
it is inserted incorrectly in Finnegans Wake, and he takes many a swipe
at his own newspaper, citing ambiguous or meaningless headlines - “Cyclist
Weds” or the misuse of the English language that renders a paragraph meaningless.
Myles na gCopaleen wrote with acerbic humour, with whimsy, with introspection
and with a vocabulary in three or four languages which sometimes presents
the reader with a challenge, but he never failed to entertain and to provoke;
this selection from his writings between the years 1940 and 1945 is a
gem for the fan and a treat in store for those coming new to his writings.
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The Great Pint-Pulling
Olympiad - Roger Boylan
This is Roger Boylan’s second excursion to the mythical Irish town of
Killoyle in south-east Ireland, an excursion which revisits the characters
in his first novel, “Killoyle”, while introducing a number who continue
the farcical and idiosyncratic nature of his narrative. In a story where
East meets West, in the entanglement of Killoyle’s Mick McCreek and India’s
Anil Swain with various terrorist factions, the author has fashioned an
eclectic mix of ambitious immigrants, crooked lawyers, cross-dressing
sextons and double-crossing terrorists into an extraordinary sequence
of episodes which eventually lead to a conclusion of sorts. As with his
earlier book, Boylan has made extensive use of footnotes - in one case
the footnote goes on for three pages, leaving just a few lines of actual
text on each page - and there is no doubt that they are a distraction
from the main narrative. They are, however, highly entertaining, faintly
veiled references, in some cases, to real characters living or dead, and
add to the general chaos of the unfolding events. A familiarity with a
number of unlikely subjects - the different factions in both the North
of Ireland and the Basque country, the idols of Bollywood and range of
literary characters, (the dissident republican group is known as the Soldiers
of Brian O’Nolan) would be of definite assistance in comprehending where
exactly the author’s tangential thoughts are taking him - and us. The
plot could be condensed into: the Indian immigrant’s aspirations to own
the restaurant in which he works are achieved after he is almost killed,
spends two periods in jail and becomes, fleetingly, the star of a series
of television commercials. The simplicity of this, however, belies the
complexity of the surreal events which overtake Anil Swain, his wife and
his cousin, and the myriad other characters who people the pages of this
“mostly Irish farce” as it is described on the front cover. In case the
story has not been fixed in the mind, the novel concludes with a “nonepic”
poem setting out the main events. With the liberties he takes with language,
and the farcical events of the narrative, Roger Boylan has produced a
novel which reads as a mixture of Brian O’Nolan and Tom Sharp with the
odd Joycean aside added for good measure, but which does call for particular
application on the part of the reader if it is to be read from cover to
cover.
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Tatty - Christine
Dwyer Hickey
Christine Dwyer Hickey has an extraordinary ability to climb inside the
mind of a child trying to make sense of her life and of the adults around
her. The author has used the Dublin of her own childhood as the setting
for this examination of a dysfunctional family where alcohol rules the
day-to-day mood of the parents and where the children, Tatty in particular,
are caught in the crossfire. Tatty’s experience of being favoured by her
father and consequently rejected by her mother is given an immediacy through
the use of a child-centred reaction to the situation, a reaction which
swings from feelings of elation at being away from the trauma of family
life, when she is sent to boarding school just twenty minutes away from
home, to the devastation of her mother’s cruelty. One particularly harrowing
scene occurs when, against her protestations, Tatty is sent back to school
a day early by her mother, who then refuses to travel the short distance
to rescue the terrified child, on her own in an unlit and deserted building.
The alcoholism of both parents is just one of the problems confronting
young Tatty; an older sister with a disability causes her own disruption
to the home and the other four children must survive as best they can
in an increasingly disturbed and unpredictable environment. The telling
of this tale makes compulsive reading; the analysis of parental rows,
the intervention of the aunts and Tatty’s retreat into falsehood to maintain
some dignity are all told with a lyrical simplicity that sticks in the
mind long after the last page is read.
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The Eyes of Another
Race - ed. Seamas O Siochain & Michael O’Sullivan
Like a great number of people, I suspect, the name Roger Casement brings
to my mind Banna Strand and a debate over the Black Diaries. While O Siochain
and O’Sullivan have included excerpts from the latter, much of this book
focuses on Casement’s report from the Congo in his position as British
Consul and the part he played in founding the Congo Reform Association
with Edmond Morel. In passing, the editors also refer to a similar report
compiled by Casement on South America. In a series of observations made
on a return journey to the Belgian Congo, for Casement had been there
a number of years earlier, he compiles a report outlining the almost universally
poor treatment of the native Congolese by an ascending spiral of power.
His brief was to confirm what had been rumoured, that the Belgian monarch,
King Leopold, was using his country’s presence in Africa purely for monetary
gain. And as is so often the case, the worst treatment was meted out by
those immediately superior to the vast mass of the population, themselves
African who, given a modicum of power, practise it for all it is worth.
The authors are at pains to point out, however, that much of the atrocity,
for example the presentation of severed hands to prove action in much
the same way as foxes’ brushes were used to obtain compensation in this
country, was at the behest of their European masters. An intelligent introduction
and copious notes to each chapter render the report accessible to the
modern reader, and the inclusion of photographs of the principal characters
further helps to enliven the narrative. The diaries comprise the less
interesting section of the book, given over as they are to the day-to-day
events in Casement’s life during one year, though it has to be said that
most of his social engagements were with notable figures, amply explained
by the editors in the footnotes. The diaries can, however, be read in
conjunction with the report, setting it in context, since they cover the
same period. Even to the untrained eye there appears to be ample evidence
of Casement’s sexual proclivities but the cryptic entries appear now to
have little of the sensational value they had when the debate over the
authenticity of the diaries first arose. “The Eyes of Another Race” amplifies
for the reader a character who has possibly been seen in far too narrow
a context by far too many of his compatriots.
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Travelling Light
- Ed. Sarah Webb
A number of Irish women writers have contributed to this collection on
the loose theme of travelling, with the proceeds of the sale of the book
going towards the upkeep of a new children’s ward at Kisiizi Hospital
in Uganda. The mood of the stories varies widely, from the rather scary
experiences of Louise East in South America to the spiritual journey experienced
by Grace Wynne Jones in New Mexico. The high humour of Martina Devlin’s
search for the perfect amber necklace in St Petersburg is offset by the
seriousness of Dervla Murphy’s “Letter to Niamh”, a record of a visit
to Rwanda. Many of the contributors have taken the opportunity to write
of the political and human situations in countries hit by strife; writer
and traveller Mary Russell recalls a visit to Baghdad in 2001 while Mary
Henry reports on her travels on behalf of the Irish Red Cross Association
to Afghanistan just after the Gulf War. Both women have tales to tell
of hardship and hostility, and Marian Keyes’ “Tell the People in Ireland:
An Ethiopian Journey” focuses solely on the hardship she encountered when
visiting Concern refugee camps in the African country. However the tone
of this collection is eclectic and some of the stories give good advice
to the traveller, while others offer strange tales from faraway places.
Olutyin Pamela Akinjobi recalls two stories she heard in her native Nigeria
that defy rational explanation. Some of the travellers tell of marathon
journeys, while others, nearer to home, make a journey of life rather
than miles. Clare Dowling gives an account of her first trip to Dublin
for a week’s study that taught her a salutary lesson in self-preservation,
while Marita Conlon-McKenna, working as an au pair in France, discovered
early in life that wealth does not necessarily bring happiness. There
is something in this collection of women’s stories for every mood, and
it has the added incentive that EU1.28 from each purchase will go towards
the children of Uganda.
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Take a Break in
Ireland - Pat Preston
After a short introduction to the country, Pat Preston launches into a
detailed guide to places to see, and places to stay, in Ireland, starting
off with Dublin. Each chapter is neatly divided into sections giving basic
facts about the location, a list of the major events taking place throughout
the year, and either a driving tour or walking tour of the area, with
recommended restaurants and pubs coming under the heading of “Pat’s Picks”.
These latter sensibly give opening times in addition to the kind of fare
to be expected on the menu. The descriptions of each town and village
featured in the tours include an explanation of the place name and a list
of any notable features in the immediate vicinity. Much of the advice
given is invaluable to the visitor coming from abroad, giving as it does
a number of useful websites to be explored. While the different sections
feature relevant maps, it is possible that a general map of the country
would be a useful inclusion. “Take a Break in Ireland” will help to inform
and enhance any visit, whether taken by someone from overseas or a resident
answering the call to “See Ireland First”.
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The Dublin Review
- Ed. Brendan Barrington
The Spring edition of this literary review features, among others, Tim
Robinson writing on the islands off the coast of Connemara, and of the
potential damage to be done to the landscape if plans for windfarms are
realised. His essay includes traditional tales from the Carna and Roundstone
areas which have been handed down for generations and explain the names
given to many locations in the area. Christine Hunt Mahony recalls her
childhood and a very special visitor to the school she attended, while
Damien Keane writes of a new view of the wartime broadcasts of Francis
Stuart following the discovery of transcripts at Princeton University.
Glenn Paterson and George O’Brien contribute essays with a Northern slant,
Amit Chaudhuri explains how her poetry became based in location and short
stories are submitted by Anthony Caleshu and Philip O Ceallaigh.
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The Alphabet Sisters
- Monica McInerney
Monica McInerney has certainly chosen an unusual set of heroines for her
latest novel, a larger than life Irish grandmother and a species of Antipodean
whose closeness does not survive the rigours of growing up. A main concept
is that each one has something to hide; Lola, the Irish-born grandmother
who, while urging her granddaughters to “Face your fears and tell the
truth”, has been less than truthful about her own life; Anna, the oldest
of the three, with a marriage that is less than idyllic; Bett, who refuses
to admit that the great tragedy that blighted her young life was actually
nothing of the sort; and Carrie, one of the authors of that tragedy who
has failed to overcome her own guilt. Despite this serious note, however,
“The Alphabet Sisters” teems with life and enjoyment, mostly at the instigation
of Lola, master schemer and matchmaker who contrives to gather the three
sisters under one roof to put an end to a three-year silence among them.
Husbands, children, boyfriends and even parents play second fiddle to
the relationships between Lola and the three girls she launched as children
onto the showbiz circuit and whom she is determined will regain the closeness
they once had. Although her ambition is realised, tragedy strikes once
again and the novel’s early promise is not sustained. Rather, despite
sickness and death overtaking one of the characters, the reader is left
with an oversweet “happy ever after” ending; a pity, as for three quarters
of the narrative the author has succeeded in presenting a lively and interesting
tale.
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The Feckin’ Collection
- Colin Murphy & Donal O’Dea
This rather quirkily named collection includes four volumes covering the
topics of Slang, Songs, Quotations and Recipes. In the Irish Slang book
the authors take a less than reverent stance towards the establishment
in this country, defining slang words in the context of a number of high
ranking officials: “Shower of Savages (expression) - Loud, ignorant, unsophisticated
crowd of people. (usage) Q: “Who’s that shower of savages in the corner?”
A: “That’s the Cabinet”. In fact the usefulness of the four volumes is
belied by the respective titles given: “The book of Irish Songs yer oul’
fella always sang when he was jarred at a hooley” “The book of feckin’
Irish Slang that’s great craic for cute hoors and bowsies” “The book of
luvely Irish Recipes yer ma useta make when you were a little gurrier”
and “The book of deadly Irish Quotations some smart fecker in the pub
is always blatherin’ on about”. Each book contains a fair sample of useful
facts, enlivened by humour which may not always be to the taste of the
reader but which does give a different slant to a number of topics aired
frequently in the past.
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Who Needs Irish?
- ed. Ciaran Mac Murchaidh
The general consensus in this collection of essays by Irish speakers is
that our language is an essential part of who we are, whence we sprung
and where we will travel in the future. In her essay “The Sound Within”,
Kate Fennell asserts, “The sound of Irish seems to be lodged in the subconscious
mind of our people”, while in the opening essay Alan Titley states his
belief that “Irish-breathing Ireland is never more than a few generations
away”. A recurring complaint is the demand for a translation of Irish
names; Neasa Ni Chinneide is constantly asked for the English version
of her name, and discovered that the English version was entered on her
birth certificate because the person responsible in the nursing home where
she was born “simply refused” to record the name in Irish. Many of the
contributors examine the reasons for the decline in the use of Irish,
successive governments’ attempts to revive it, and the encouraging increase
in the number of gaelscoileanna throughout the country, both North and
South. Padraig O Mianain gives an interesting perspective on what it means
to be a native Irish speaker living in the North of Ireland, and Gabriel
Rosenstock reflects on his choice to write in Irish rather than English,
a choice which has given freedom to himself and other writers in Irish
since “We can say what we like. Nobody’s interested”. A number of contributors
look with optimism to the Official Languages Act of 2003 while also bemoaning
the exclusion of Irish as an official language of the EU. Perhaps one
of the main thrusts of this collection of thoughts on our first language
can be summed up in Padraig O Mianain’s belief that “the first thing any
Irish-speaker needs to survive is a healthy layer of very thick skin”.
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