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Irish Emigrant Book Review, No.74 (Sept 2001)
THICKER THAN
WATER ed. Gordon Snell
- This collection of Irish stories focuses on the coming of age of
young Irish people and, as the editor tells us in his introduction, this
process is also reflected in the burgeoning prosperity of Ireland over
the last decade. The contributors are all successful writers who have
given their own slant on the overall theme. The problems of the early
teenage years are addressed in a variety of ways. Perhaps best conveying
the confusion, self-loathing and the certain knowledge that childhood
has been left behind is Jenny Roche’s, “A Dot on the i”. Berni feels cheated
by her growing body and sets out on the path of bulimia to counteract
her perceived weight problem. She constantly compares herself to her friend
Mary, picturing her as “an elegant antelope beside a hairy molly slug
ape”. The title story, by Emma Donoghue, has a similar facility for portraying
the thoughts and feelings of a young girl making the transition from childhood
to womanhood, and in this instance she has given voice to two different
stages in the process, with the sisters Jean and Ginny and their differing
reactions to their mother’s remarriage. Both Ita Daly and Tony Hickey
choose to write of young people on the verge of moving to a new life.
Ita Daly’s “A Headstrong Girl” tells of Orla’s coming to terms with an
illness that has left her bald, a personal journey for which she receives
help from an unlikely source. Tony Hickey’s “Saying Goodbye” perhaps best
captures the differing paths taken by people in the process of growing
up. Martin is in total disbelief that Conor, the one he thought of as
his best friend, could have made plans to leave the country without his
knowledge. This story exemplifies particularly well one of the truths
of growing up, that things cannot stay the same. Marita Conlon-McKenna
looks at the dark side of teenage life when innocence leads to violence,
while both Peter Cunningham and Maeve Binchy reflect on the way in which
the behaviour of parents impacts on the maturing child. Cunningham’s “On
the Verge of Extinction” is related by an old lady from her hospital bed,
remembering the life-changing events which occurred when she was twelve,
while Maeve Binchy’s “When Grania Grows Up” shows us the baffling world
of failing adult relationships and a young girl struggling to make sense
of it all. Other contributors to this absorbing collection include Shane
Connaughton, Vincent Banville, June Considine, Helena Mulkerns and Chris
Lynch.
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THE VILLAGE
OF LONGING by George O’Brien
- First published fourteen years ago, this memoir of a Waterford childhood
holds all the wonder, the joy and happiness of youth combined with the
anxiety, confusion and guilt that are part and parcel of an Irish childhood.
George O’Brien’s early years were unusual, his mother was dead and his
father living and working in Dublin so the young George was reared by
his grandmother, known somewhat confusingly as “Mam”, and her two adult
children, George and Christy. All three had a considerable influence on
the young boy, though each played a distinct and separate part in his
upbringing. Mam was the voice of authority, as much to George and Christy
as to her grandson, while George took on the role of man of the house
and father figure and was “erratically interested in making a man” of
his nephew. Christy, who appears to have had little life outside the home
where she helped her mother, was the main provider of fun to Seoirse,
as he was known, and he grew to cherish their shared outings. The father,
absent for much of the time but seen on a regular basis, was idolized
by his son. However the main character in this autobiography is undoubtedly
Lismore, under the twin domination of the castle and the Church. Each
is afforded an extended chapter and we learn of the remoteness of the
castle people and the terror instilled by the visiting missionaries. The
residents of Lismore identified with their home place so strongly that
every other locality was put into second place and its inhabitants pitied.
Mam felt she had to make excuses for the bad behaviour of her friend Bid
and put it down to her not being from Lismore, “a place which was...a
moral Switzerland, where decorum had been the order of the day since the
Blackwater River first carved out its somnolent deeply wooded valley and
offered a crossing-point for the town to settle on”. Games of handball
and hurling, the freedom of cycle rides with his friends, the complexities
of the adult world and the young boy’s struggle to find his own place,
all are here in this thoughtful, beautifully written chronicle of mid-century
Irish life.
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THE WHITEST
FLOWER by Brendan Graham
- Brendan Graham’s epic tale of the Famine years in Ireland and one
woman’s fight for her family’s survival is more than a chronicle of hunger
disease and flight. For the author has achieved much more than the telling
of a story, he has woven authenticated facts from three continents to
give the tale of Ellen Rua an authenticity not often encountered. Set
on the border of Mayo and Galway, and there are maps included for those
unfamiliar with the territory, the eponymous whitest flower refers to
the blossom on the potato stalk. Ellen Rua O’Malley, struggling with her
husband Michael for the survival of their four children, receives a prophesy
from a wise mountain woman that she will crush this flower when it has
become the blackest flower. In overcoming the desolation of famine and
disease and the loss of her husband, Ellen Rua chooses the chance of life
for her family, though at enormous personal cost. Her journey towards
survival takes her to Australia, Canada and her dreamt-of goal, Boston,
from where she returns to Ireland to bring her children to a new life
in America. Her global journey uncovers the injustices imposed on young
Irish girls travelling to Australia, the atrocities practised on Aborigines
and the appalling conditions endured by Irish immigrants both on board
ship and on landfall in Canada, where so many perished at Grosse Ile.
It is the wide range of Brendan Graham’s research that contributes so
emphatically to the fascination of this book, which has been adopted as
a prescribed text at MIT. His account of the beginnings of the Australian
wine trade and the whalers of the south Atlantic are just two examples
of the way in which he has succeeded in setting the Famine in Ireland
against a wider background of contemporary life. A story of hope and despair,
of birth and bereavement, it is the spirit of Ellen Rua herself which
dominates this absorbing novel.
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THE ELEMENT
OF FIRE by Brendan Graham
- In this sequel to Brendan Graham’s first acclaimed novel, “The Whitest
Flower”, we follow Ellen Rua O’Malley as she makes her way back to Ireland
to be reunited with her children, for whom and by means of whom she earned
her freedom from the ravages of the Famine which had taken their father.
Despite further sorrow, she travels with the three children to Boston
and encourages them to cut themselves off from the old life and to look
to the opportunities open to them in the New World. However it is these
very opportunities, coupled with Ellen’s inability to shake off the innate
trust in others possible in her old life, that lead to a reversal of fortune.
In contrast to the usual rags to riches stories of poor Irish immigrants
to America, a series of misfortunes of her own and others’ making cause
Ellen to lose almost all she has acquired through hard work and determination.
It is true, however, that much of her difficulty arises from her own passionate
nature and the effect she has on the men with whom she comes into contact.
Ellen has not been able to cut herself off completely from her former
life in Ireland and it is the meeting with Stephen Joyce, a man who played
an important part in her life before she left for Australia, which provides
the first step in her downward spiral. Disregarding the feelings of her
husband Lavelle and her children, she responds to their mutual passion
and so ensnares herself in a web of guilt and disaster. And through both
her family life and her illicit liaison with “the Shanafaraghaun man”
there runs the motif of music and song, reflecting the author’s own deep
involvement in music. Ellen’s two daughters play to her on the piano that
is a symbol of her newfound prosperity, while her own voice singing the
songs of her country is part of the compulsion with which men such as
Peabody and Joyce are drawn towards her. The consequences of her actions,
her subsequent guilt and her atonement, form the final part of this extraordinary
story which sees her revert to a life almost parallel to the one in the
Irish valley from which she escaped. Once again Brendan Graham has set
his meticulously researched story against a background of actual events,
the racism inherent in Boston and aimed at both slaves and Irish, the
burgeoning strength of the unions, the terrible conditions under which
people had to work and the first rumblings of the American Civil War.
The fate of Ellen Rua is as unexpected as it is terrible but Ellen’s story
concludes on a note of hope nonetheless.
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AT SWIM TWO
BOYS by Jamie O’Neill
- Heralded as the new Joyce and borrowing his title from Flann O’Brien,
O’Neill nonetheless is a unique voice in this telling of the burgeoning
relationship between two young Dublin boys set against a background of
national and international unrest. Scholarship boy Jim Mack and his friend
Doyler, equally promising though denied his chance through family poverty,
conceive an ambition which will bring together their own hopes with those
of their country. At Easter 1916, a year from when the book opens, they
plan to swim to Muglins rock from the Forty Foot and plant a flag, claiming
the rock as well as their own two selves for their country. Against this
background Jamie O’Neill has woven a compelling novel of the nationalist
struggle, a network of diverse relationships and of the gradual development
of gay love which is encouraged and monitored, ultimately selflessly,
by a member of the aristocracy who has himself spent time in an English
prison for indecency. Finally Jim comes to understand that MacMurrough’s
tales from ancient Greece were “more than stories, they were patterns
of the possible”, opening up to Jim and Doyler what their love for each
other could become. The forerunner of the growing friendship of Jim and
Doyler is the army comradeship of their fathers, former sergeant turned
grocer Mr Mack and the alcoholic Doyle, both of whom fought in the Boer
War. Mr Mack is ambitious for his son and also for his older boy, Gordie,
who is caught up in the Gallipoli landings of the First World War, while
the young Doyler’s aspirations are cut short by paternal violence and
banishment. The boys’ coming together is brought about by the patriotic
fervour of the wonderful Eva MacMurrough who is endeavouring to preserve
the family name by overlooking her nephew’s homosexuality and finding
him a suitable wife. Place all these characters in the pivotal period
leading up to Easter 1916, throw in a number of historical figures such
as James Connolly and Edward Carson, treat the whole with humour, compassion,
tenderness and an innate understanding of human nature, and what emerges
is a tour-de-force of astonishing intensity. It is a mark of the absorbing
nature of the story and the intricacy of language and construction that
my immediate reaction on finishing “At Swim, Two Boys” was a desire to
re-read it immediately.
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PADDY INDIAN
by Cauvery Madhavan
- Irish life as seen through the eyes of an immigrant doctor, its
similarities and differences with life in India, is the subject of this
novel. At a time when we in Ireland are experiencing an increase in the
non-national population, the novel reveals what it means to be a foreigner
in Ireland, that foreignness easily identifiable by the colour of one’s
skin. Padhman Anant has come to Dublin from Madras to further his studies
at the Royal College of Surgeons and, despite having a cousin already
here and being drawn into the social circle of his colleagues at the hospital,
he is painfully aware of his difference. Such is his sensitivity that
he anticipates racist reaction where none is forthcoming, and interestingly
puts his feelings of inferiority down to three hundred years of English
rule in India, an interesting variation on the seven hundred years so
often cited in this country. When he meets up with a fellow-intern with
whom he immediately strikes up a rapport, he is sure that “every eye in
the place was aggressive, disapproving of the fact that he was with Aoife”.
Though Padhman’s feelings are genuine the author has managed to imbue
her novel with humour that transcends bitterness and, in charting the
course of Padhman and Aoife’s relationship, she has drawn a wonderful
character in the shape of Padhman’s increasingly frantic mother in India.
Amma is terrified that her son, who is destined to be the third generation
obstetrician in the family, will take up with an “unsuitable” woman and
is constantly phoning him to give unwanted advice and to try to inveigle
information out of him. The contrasting lifestyles of Dublin and Madras
as described in the book help to underline the differences which Padhman
and Aoife will have to overcome, while the descriptions of food, both
Indian and Irish, are written with loving detail. This is an entertaining
tale of love, loyalty and tradition which illustrates the many similarities
as well as the differences in Irish and Indian culture.
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SAINT MOLING
LUACHRA by Maire B. De Paor Pbvm
- A member of the Presentation order, Maire de Paor has based her
work on St Moling Luachra on a mediaeval manuscript, “Leahbar Tighe Molling”.
Though this has been lost, it was transcribed by one of the compilers
of the Annals of the Four Masters, Brother Micheal O Cleirigh, under the
title “Geinemain Molling ocus a Bhetae”. Though Moling was born in the
Sliabh Luachra area of Kerry his name is most associated with the south
Carlow region where, in the seventh century, he established a monastery
in what is now St Mullins. In his preface to the book Bishop Ryan of Kildare
and Leighlin is at pains to point out that this is a work of hagiography
rather than a biography and certainly the author concentrates more on
the analysis of the original text than on biographical details.
BAD HAIR DAY
& OTHER POEMS ed. Tony Hickey
- A companion piece to “Ink Bottle”, reviewed last month, this collection
contains poems by young Kilkenny writers between the ages of eight and
thirteen. Under a selection of headings including School, Nature &
Space, and Personal Thoughts are poems which demonstrate at the same time
similar reactions but unique expression. The theme of bullying elicits
some painful images of loneliness as well as advice on how to deal with
bullies, while notable in the “Animals” section is Peter Cody’s description
of his cat: “A magnificent, majestic, Curious creature, A placid and peaceful,
Flawless, feline.” Most topical must surely be Fiona Ryan’s poem entitled
“Peace”: “Let us not hear Gun fire. Let us hear The singing of the birds.
Let us not see Buildings tumbled By the falling bombs. Let us see A flower
growing From its seed. Let us not hear The drums of war. Let us hear The
laughter of children.” This is a collection which can be savoured by adults
and children alike.
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A SALMON IN
THE POOL by Susan Connolly
- This is less a book, more of a literary map of the River Boyne showing
places of interest accompanied by descriptions in prose or verse appropriate
to the location. The book opens out into a double-sided chart featuring
verses ranging from the eighth century “A Breastplate” translated by Kuno
Meyer to the more familiar such as F.R. Higgins’ “Father and Son”. Also
included are a description of a walk along the Boyne by C.E.F. Trench
and excerpts from Mary Lavin, Thomas Kinsella and the compiler, Susan
Connolly. Details are included of the landmarks chosen, the poems and
prose extracts and a list of the bridges of the Boyne while the map also
features sketches of many of the monuments of the area.
IRISH WRITERS
OF THE PAST ed. Carol A. Dingle
- Carol Dingle has compiled a book of quotations of Irish writers
listed in alphabetical order from William Allingham to W.B. Yeats. To
some is devoted more space than others and an inordinate amount, more
than a third of the entire work, is given to Oscar Wilde. James Connolly’s
comments on the way in which professed patriots can ignore “all the wrong
and the suffering, the shame and degradation” on the streets of Ireland
has a modern ring to it, while George Bernard Shaw’s caustic comment,
“He knows nothing and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly
to a political career”, could give many politicians pause for thought.
Jonathan Swift directed his criticism at the legal profession when he
said, “It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done
before, may legally be done again; and therefore they take special care
to record all the decisions formerly made against common justice and the
general reason of mankind”. George Russell, on the other hand, defined
a literary movement as “five or six people who live in the same town and
hate each other”. However more benign comments can be found, from such
as Elizabeth Bowen and Oliver Goldsmith.
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PRIESTS AND
PEOPLE IN PRE-FAMINE IRELAND by S.J. Connolly
- In this second edition of S.J. Connolly’s book there are no revisions
except for the sake of clarity, though in his introduction he points out
that it can now be looked at in the light of study undertaken since 1980.
Focusing on the relationship between the clergy and their people in the
years 1780 to 1845, three specific areas are uppermost, the attempts by
the clergy to stamp out the practice of patterns and wakes, the whole
area of marriage, and the problems of public order associated with movements
such as the Whiteboys and the United Irishmen. The pagan associations
of many of the patterns, and the decidedly non-mournful behaviour at many
a wake, aroused the opposition of the Catholic Church which which made
vigorous attempts to control or stamp out the proceedings. Their attitude
to sexual laxity among the Irish was to go so far as to excommunicate
those who trans-gressed, while their attitude to marriage caused any couples
to resort to a “couple-beggar”, a disaffected priest who would marry those
who had been turned away by the official Church. With regard to the violence
ensuing from a number of movements, the Church again was unequivocally
opposed and in some cases the clergy allied themselves with the civil
authorities, as well as preaching from the altar against any such rebellious
movements. The author concludes that the problems faced by the clergy
in pre-Famine Ireland were less concerned with a general indiscipline
among their flock than with alternative conventions to which the populace
adhered in the face of Church opposition.
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