Irish Emigrant Book Review, No. 25 (August 1997)

Perfectly Natural by Rose Doyle
“Perfectly Natural”, is of the type that is impossible to put down once embarked upon and as such is perfect holiday reading. Based in a small town in Kerry, a county the author knows well,the story centres around Sive Daniels and her search for the truth abouther birth 25 years earlier. She only knows that her mother, Eileen Brosnan, refused to talk about her life prior to Sive’s birth in London and, when Eileen dies violently, she resolves to unravel the mystery. What follows is a totally convincing tale of the hidden life of Ireland 30 years ago. Encompassing a love affair across the class divide, an unplanned pregnancy and an examination of the power of money, Doyle also explores, as a lesser theme, sexual abuse by the clergy and the manner in which it was dealt with.

There Was an Ancient House by Benedict Kiely
- A book which was banned as “indecent and obscene” when it was first published in 1955 has been reissued by Wolfhound Press as part of its Classic Irish Fiction series. Benedict Kiely’s “There Was an Ancient House” follows the careers of a number of men as they enter the novitiate of a religious order in the midlands of Ireland. The author’s own time spent as a Jesuit novice is reflected in the preciseness of detail describing the daily life in the novitiate; the “ne tangas” rule which precludes any physical contact, the measured periods of meditation, the ordeal of reading aloud with the required diction at mealtimes, and the quarter of charity where each novice has his faults proclaimed aloud. Kiely presents us with two contrasting characters, the sensitive poet McKenna and the ex-journalist Barragry, both struggling spiritually and both destined to leave the “ancient house” before their training is finished. The values and ambience of the period are vividly drawn by the author whose prose is, as always, reinforced with a distinctive poetic quality. Although this has been described by Kiely as the closest he has ever come to writing a “religious book”, a touch of humour leavens the seriousness of the choices to be made by the novices.

Poor Scholar: A Study of William Carleton (1794-1869) by Benedict Kiely
- Another Benedict Kiely book to be republished is the 1947 work “Poor Scholar: A Study of William Carleton (1794-1869)”. Reissued to mark its fiftieth anniversary and to coincide with the William Carleton Summer School, the book is an affectionate look at a fellow county man whom W. B.Yeats regarded as “The greatest novelist of Ireland by right of the most Celtic eyes that ever gazed from under the brow of story-teller”. Linking the life of the author with characters and events in his many works, Kiely paints a picture of the idle scholar who disdained the priesthood and set off south from his native Tyrone to spend most of his life in Dublin. Insuch books as “The Red-Haired Man’s Wife”, “Redmond Count O’Hanlon, the Irish Rapparee” and “The Emigrants of Ahadarra”, Carleton portrayed his own neighbours and the way of life prior to and in the aftermath of the Famine.

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Killoyle by Roger Boylan
- ”Killoyle”, the fictitious account of the goings on in a small town in the south-east corner of Ireland, is subtitled An Irish Farce, and this it proves to be. The style of writing is a little off-putting initially since each page is adorned with a substantial footnote which seems to interrupt the narrative flow. After page two I decided to ignore these “asides”, for this is what they are in essence, but by page 10 I was hooked on the rather jaundiced sense of humour portrayed in this commentary on the main story.The employees of the Spudorgan Hall hotel are paraded before us, each typifying an Irish character or caricature; Milo Rogers, headwaiter and poet; Wolftone Gray, catering manager and telephone evangelist; KathyHickman, fashion writer and former pin-up girl; Emmet Power, manager and avowed freethinker; property developer and general gombeen man Tom “theGreek” Maher; and of course the whiskey priest, Fr Doyle. Author Roger Boylan writes with wit and a keen eye for the ridiculous - his description of the actor made up as a Native American which “inexplicably left patches of European pallor exposed: one by his left earlobe, another on his neck, a third up by his daringly low hairline....” is crowned with the footnote “This thespian poltroon later became (hold on to your hats) president of the United States, prehensile forehead and all;”.

Another Alice by Lia Mills
- Lia Mills’ “Another Alice” is a book which leaves a memory with the reader, a reminder of the basic defencelessness of small children as experienced by Alice and her daughter Holly. The adult Alice is trying to keep their lives flowing smoothly but is haunted by fragments of memory which her conscious mind is determined to conceal. The pain of these recollections, her abuse by her father and a family friend, is finally eased through the intervention of Ruth, a counsellor. The skill with which Ms Mills enters into and evokes the thoughts and feelings of the young Alice contributes greatly to the overall strength of the narrative.

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The Man who Stayed at Home by Maureen Erde
- Rather reminiscent of Maureen Erde’s “Help! - I’m an Irish Innkeeper”,(see IE Book Review for May, 1997) “The Man who Stayed at Home” is written in a more measured style and with a greater awareness of language. It,too, relates the experiences of an American woman living in Ireland who tries to come to grips with the local way of life; Pat Shannon bought a small house in Connemara and, having made one short voyage in a similar vessel, decided to buy a Galway Hooker. Pauraic O Cualain, the man of the title, emerges through the narrative as the one who characterises the ingenuity and stubbornness of Connemara men. Where this book differs from Maureen Erde’s is in its rather abrupt ending when, after a long periodduring which Pauraic guides the author in her dealings with the locals, she unwittingly insults him and he refuses thereafter to have anything to do with her. It is a sad ending to what has been a productive relationship,amusingly described.

A Short History and Genealogical Guide - The Royal Irish Constabulary by Jim Herlihy
- Himself a member of the Garda Siochana, Jim Herlihy has written a book on the Royal Irish Constabulary which was prompted by a perceived need for a genealogical guide to the force. The author felt that it would be necessary to preface this guide with an outline history of the force fromits origins in the 19th century to its disbandment in 1922. “A Short History and Genealogical Guide - The Royal Irish Constabulary” contains a wealth of material including a case history on one member of the force, Constable Patrick Joseph Larkin, who died last year aged 100. With aforeword by Professor Kevin B. Nowlan, the book also contains a number of appendices listing members who were wounded or killed in action, those to whom medals were presented and a number of useful addresses, as well as step by step pointers to tracing one’s ancestors in the RIC.

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Richard Tyrrell by Jennifer A. Kelly
- Having travelled many times between Galway and Dublin I am familiar with the village of Tyrrellspass with its roadside castle, and now a book has been produced which gives the story of one of the Tyrrell family, an Elizabethan soldier. “Richard Tyrrell” by Jennifer A. Kelly began as a local history project but has been expanded to appeal to a wider audience. Richard Tyrrell, whose family had held sway in the area from the 12th century, was a captain in the Crown forces who changed over to the rebel side along with Hugh O’Neill and took part in the Battle of Tyrrell’s Pass,the Battle of Kinsale and the Siege of Dunboy, which effectively signalled the end of the rebellion. Ms Kelly gives meticulous detail relating to military life of the period and quotes extensively from state papers,giving her book an interest for the history student as well as those with a interest in the locality.

Successful Environmental Management by Joe Sheerin
- Environmental Management is a very topical subject, with people becoming increasingly aware of the need to preserve and interact with the world in which we find ourselves. However many of us are rather vague as to what Environmental Management actually entails and it is to fill this gap that Joe Sheerin has compiled “Successful Environmental Management” in which he sets out the legal situation and offers advice on protecting the environment, recording the experiences of twelve organisations which have successfully attained an Environmental Management System standard. Other contributors to the work include Sean Coleman of J&H March McLennan, Michael Brophy of EMA International and Dr Pat Macken of Price Waterhouse.

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