A Year in the Woods; An Irishman in Northern Mesopotamia; and The Papers of Maurice FitzGerald
A Year in the Woods: Montalto through the Seasons by Paul Clements (Merrion Press,)
The year 1992, the last days of summer, and Paul Clements and his wife move into a rented cottage in the woods of the Montalto estate, near Ballynahinch in Co Down. The move is intended to be temporary, but a year later they are still there: laying down memories of quiet rural living, absorbing the lessons of place, and observing the natural world into which they are now folded, and with which they come to feel a profound connection. This bewitching book – finely produced by Merrion Press – is the result of this unexpectedly lengthy sojourn: Clements is deeply sensitive to the effects of the changing seasons, and aware of the other creatures who share this space – and he renders his experiences in stirring and beautiful prose.
– Neil Hegarty
An Irishman in Northern Mesopotamia by Nicholas Mackey (Unicorn, £25)
Northern Mesopotamia stands between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers in what is now southeast Türkiye – the Turkish government changed the country's spelling to Türkiye in 2021. The author's journey through a distinctive part of west Asia embraces many aspects of history with an exploration of ancient wonders in 'the cradle of civilisation'. His book also reflects cultural life, the food, and colourful descriptions of local bazaars. As a young boy growing up in Ireland, Mackey read about the region, which lit a fire within him, leaving a deep impression. This forms part of a wider story, recalling a tour of the region based on his journal. The writings of explorers Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, as well as the historian Herodotus, are all invoked.
– Paul Clements
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The Papers of Maurice FitzGerald, 18th Knight of Kerry by Adrian FitzGerald (Kingdom Books, 2 vols, €50)
This collection of the papers of Maurice FitzGerald, 18th Knight of Kerry, has been prepared by his descendant Adrian FitzGerald, and is published in a boxed set of two volumes. Maurice FitzGerald (1774–1845) represented Kerry constituencies in the Irish House of Commons before the Act of Union of 1800 and afterwards in Westminster. He supported the union, but on the understanding that it would be accompanied by measures of Catholic relief. When such measures were not immediately introduced, he became disillusioned and increasingly absented himself from parliament. Catholic Emancipation was not granted until 1829. FitzGerald later opposed O'Connell's movement for repeal of the union.
– Felix M Larkin
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Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Gráinne O'Hare on Belfast's literary boom: ‘It's a city of great storytellers'
Tell us about your first novel, Thirst Trap. Thirst Trap is set in my home city of Belfast . It's about three best friends who live in a crumbling house-share together, still grieving the death of the fourth member of their group a year after her passing. The three women are struggling to move on from the home and the life they all shared together in their 20s. Nights spent partying have become a sort of desperate distraction from their losses and their fears about the future. How did the story evolve as you wrote it? Did it surprise you? The novel sort of grew up alongside me. It started as a patchwork of scenes about Belfast women just going out and about their lives in their mid-20s. The characters got older with each fresh draft of the novel, and as they – and I – approached 30, I finally worked out the story I wanted to tell. The novel isn't anywhere near the same one it would have been if I'd finished it when I was 25, and I'm glad. What or who made you want to be a writer? I grew up loving funny writers – Jane Austen and PG Wodehouse , Victoria Wood and French and Saunders. I started writing because I wanted to capture that kind of humour in my own words. Are you conscious of being part of a new wave of Belfast writers such as Michael Magee, Susannah Dickey, Rachel Connolly, Róisín Lanigan, Aimee Walsh, Wendy Erskine, Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin? Aimee Walsh and I actually met doing an MA at Queen's [University] ; we've been great friends for over a decade and it's such a joy to see our names together as part of a Belfast literary boom. Belfast is a city of great storytellers and it's heartening to see not just a proliferation of Belfast novelists, but the variety and multitudes within everyone's work. READ MORE You've been shortlisted for the Francis MacManus Short Story Competition and the Bridport Prize, and twice came in the top three of the Benedict Kiely Short Story Competition. Duchess is great! Can you see common themes emerging? Looking back on all my short stories, a lot of them have themes of female friendship similar to those in my novel. I also find I write a lot more about fertility, pregnancy , and motherhood in short fiction ( Duchess being one example). Tell us about your PhD on 18th-century women's life-writing at Newcastle University. My research is about the ways in which misogynistic tropes were used in British print media to undermine the Methodist church in the 18th century, and the ways in which Methodist women preachers used memoirs, journals and letters as a platform to argue for the legitimacy of their leadership. I'm not a Methodist but these women were so alive on the page that I wanted to dedicate my research to highlighting their lives and voices. I passed my PhD examination in May, which I'm really proud of. I got to fill in 'Dr Gráinne O'Hare' when I was connecting to free wifi in a pub last week. Delighted. You are media editor of Criticks reviews for the British Society of Eighteenth-Century Studies. Any recommendations? The Great is my favourite 18th century-based series, it's so funny and original. Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) would be my top film recommendations. Which projects are you working on? Right now, I am working on my second novel. Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage? I did recently fulfil a long-term dream of going to Chatsworth House, which was home to Georgiana Cavendish in the 18th century and Debo Mitford in the 20th, as well as being a possible inspiration for Austen's Pemberley. What is the best writing advice you have heard? I always come back to this advice from Stephen King , when he said, 'sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position'. You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish? That's a no-brainer. I would legislate for a free Palestine . Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend? Naomi Booth's latest novel Raw Content is one of the best books I've read this year. A recent film I remember really enjoying was The Outrun – Saoirse Ronan can do no wrong. At the moment I'm enjoying a weekly pop-culture podcast called Everything Is Content. The most remarkable place you have visited? The Greggs Champagne Bar. It opens in Newcastle city centre over the Christmas period, you sit and eat a sausage roll with a knife and fork, and there is a £425 bottle of Cristal on the wine list. I would love to know who is pairing that with their steak bake. Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party? Aimee Walsh and James Conor Patterson – great writers, great craic. Also Nancy Mitford, Carrie Fisher, Evelyn Waugh and Donna Tartt. The best and worst things about where you live? See above: the Greggs Champagne Bar. 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Irish Times
3 days ago
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‘There's people being bombed from the f**king sky': Kneecap's Mo Chara would ‘get over' US visa being revoked
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known as Mo Chara in Kneecap , has said he'll 'get over it' if his visa to travel to the US is revoked. The Northern Irish rap group is reapplying for visas, he said, as he faces a terrorism offence charge in the UK. Ó hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah, after someone from the crowd handed it to him at a gig last November. Last week, the case was adjourned by a court in London and he was freed on unconditional bail until August . In an interview with the Guardian on Friday, Ó hAnnaidh said: 'Maybe visas get revoked, you're not allowed in America again, it's not ideal – but Jesus Christ, there's people being bombed from the f**king skies, and people being starved to death. READ MORE 'We're in the process [of applying for new visas], hopefully it works. But if it doesn't, I can go about my day without having to worry about my next meal or my family being bombed. Visa revoked, I can get over it.' When asked if he regrets what happened at the gig in question, Ó hAnnaidh said: 'It's a joke . I'm a character . Shit is thrown on stage all the time. If I'm supposed to know every f**king thing that's thrown on stage, I'd be in Mensa, Jesus Christ.' He added: 'I don't know every proscribed organisation – I've got enough shit to worry about up there. I'm thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat.' The band believes the charges are part of a concerted effort to distract from their vocal support of Palestine. 'We're a distraction, to take away [attention] from what's happening in Palestine,' Naoise Ó Cairealláin, aka Móglaí Bap, said in the same interview. 'It's all being livestreamed – you can never say you didn't know what's happening in Palestine, and that's why they want to bog us down and go through old videos. Over 100 people were killed in the last four days – that's the real story.' He alleges that the US and the UK 'are complicit in this genocide' on the grounds that each country has sent military supplies to Israel. Ó hAnnaidh was charged with the terrorism offence shortly after Kneecap performed two sets at Coachella, the popular California music festival. As is commonplace at the group's shows, they displayed a message stating: 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,' and the words 'Fuck Israel. Free Palestine'. The band are due to perform at Glastonbury on Saturday, a set dubbed 'inappropriate' by UK prime minister Keir Starmer due to the terrorism charges and separate remarks about MPs. Footage from a November 2023 gig appears to show one of the band's members saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' The band later expressed their 'heartfelt apologies' to the families of David Amess, a Conservative MP who was murdered in 2021, and Jo Cox, a Labour MP who was murdered in 2016. When asked about the 'Kill your local MP' footage, Ó hAnnaidh again stressed that he's playing a character on stage. 'It's satirical, it's a f**king joke . And that's not the point. The point is, that [video] wasn't an issue until we said 'Free Palestine' at Coachella. That stuff happened 18 months ago, and nobody batted an eyelid. 'Everybody agreed it was a f**king joke, even people that may have been in the room that didn't agree – it's a laugh, we're all having a bit of craic. The point is, and the context is, it all [resurfaced] because of Coachella.' After those gigs, Ó hAnnaidh said Kneecap's opponents 'went and combed through eight years of a career ... they're really scraping the bottom of the barrel'. 'If you believe that what a satirical band who play characters on stage do is more outrageous than the murdering of innocent Palestinians, then you need to give your head a f**king wobble.'
Irish Times
23-06-2025
- Irish Times
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine: A sparklingly polyphonic debut novel set in modern Belfast
The Benefactors Author : Wendy Erskine ISBN-13 : 978-1399741668 Publisher : Sceptre Guideline Price : £18.99 It was part of the mission of Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin (1895-1975) to explain the work of Fyodor Dostoyevsky – to explain, that is, why Dostoyevsky's novels, with their endless side-trails of backstory, do not really resemble most of the novels published in the late 19th century. Dostoyevsky's contemporaries – Arnold Bennett, Henry James – were forever complaining that novels such as The Idiot and The Possessed were shapeless, rambling, inchoate. Henry James memorably described The Idiot as a 'fluid pudding'. For Bakhtin, these criticisms missed the point. Dostoyevsky, Bakhtin said, did not belong to the 'monologic' traditions of western thought and western fiction. He did not, in other words, conceive of a novel as the utterance of a single (if perhaps concealed or disavowed) authoritative voice. Instead, Dostoyevsky's assumptions were 'dialogic'. A novel by Dostoyevsky, according to Bakhtin, offers 'a plurality of independent and unmerged voices and consciousnesses, a genuine polyphony of fully valid voices.' Truth, in Dostoyevsky's novels, is distributed, decentralised. This is the secret of their shapelessness. Wendy Erskine's sparklingly polyphonic debut novel, The Benefactors, is built on a similar insight. It is about many things – among them, the distributed nature of truth. The setting is contemporary Belfast and its hinterlands. There is no single protagonist. Certain characters receive the lavish attentions of a third-person free indirect style. Some voices – narrating short sections in the first person, scattered throughout – go unnamed. Traditional novelistic structure is eschewed. What a Hollywood screenwriter would call the 'inciting incident' doesn't occur until halfway through the book. Erskine never gives you the tiniest hint that one particular point of view, one particular character, might be preferred, might be central. 'The benefactors': in the most immediate sense the title refers to an OnlyFans-style website, 'Bennyz,' short for benefactors, on which young women do online sex work for men who send them money. Erskine's finely tuned ear for language, and for its contemporary modes of evasion and concealment, allows her to ventriloquise the jargon in which this seedy operation cloaks its inequalities: 'Tertiary factor is access to exclusive content, dictated by the beneficiary.' READ MORE On Bennyz, the men are the 'benefactors', though really, of course, we understand that it is they who are the beneficiaries – of patriarchy, one of the novel's deep subjects. Misty, the teenage girl who ends up an unwilling, and often unwitting, link between all the book's separate characters and voices, has a Bennyz account. This is held against her when, in the novel's central event, she is raped by three young men, one of them the son of wealthy parents, two of them the sons of extremely wealthy parents. [ 'I wanted to do something radical': Belfast author Wendy Erskine on her debut novel, which centres on a rape ] Summarised like this, The Benefactors might sound like one of those ripped-from-the-headlines, state-of-the-young-people, how-would-you-feel-if-this-happened-to-you sort of novels that publishers try to sell to book clubs – the sort of novel that is supposed to provoke a meaningful discussion about 'issues'. (Side-note: a good novel is itself a meaningful discussion of 'issues', aka the varieties of human experience.) But the effect of Erskine's polyphonic method is to undermine op-ed simplicities, to insist on complexity. As one of her anonymous voices puts it, 'no one should presume anything at any point about anybody'. The Benefactors is anti-presumption; it is, as Bakhtin would say, dialogic. Three characters get the lion's share of Erskine's remarkably empathetic attention. First is Frankie Levine, who grew up in care in England, worked as what is euphemistically called 'a high-end escort' and is now married to a Belfast widower, Neil Levine; Neil is vastly rich because of an 'early 1990s innovation in compression software'. Second is Bronagh Farrell, who is chief executive of a charity that helps what are euphemistically called 'disadvantaged youth'. Third is Miriam Abdel Salam, whose husband, Kahlil, now dead, ran a successful restaurant-supply company. These three women are the mothers of the three boys who rape Misty at a house party (in a scene that is evoked only indirectly, via dialogue, flashback, police reconstruction). Misty's father, Boogie, is a taxi driver; he also receives some of Erskine's lavish third-person scrutiny. In part, the novel is about how rich people mobilise to protect their class interests; in part, it is about how human connections of all kinds are mediated by class, and by the hypocritical ways in which we speak about it, even to ourselves. Erskine has published two excellent books of short stories, Sweet Home , and Dance Move . The Benefactors is a kind of short-story writer's novel. There is a sense in which it works by accreting a sequence of virtuoso short stories until critical novelistic mass is achieved. At points it's maddeningly indirect; at other points, magnificently enigmatic, persuasive, fresh. It takes a good writer to mobilise such a range of voices, moods, perceptions. It takes a very good writer indeed to offer us characters who, like actual people, speak so beautifully for themselves. Kevin Power is associate professor of English at Trinity College Dublin
