Arcadia Ireland

Happy New Year and a very warm welcome to our Spring 2018 students. I say warm, but realistically it’s a pretty cold and rainy welcome. Ireland in January has its challenges- it’s pretty cold, but the real dampener is the wind and rain. We are actually experiencing the tail end of our first storm of 2018 and so umbrellas and rain coats are the order of the day. However, all is not lost with dark and rainy days as they make perfect evenings to snuggle into your new homes, grab some comfy pjs and a hot chocolate and delve into a good book. I am an absolute book worm so decided that for the first blog of 2018 I would share some of my favourite Irish authors and books. I won’t tell you too much about their plots (where is the fun in that!) but I’ll give a general idea of what they are and who might like them.

Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Let’s start with a classic, shall we? The Picture of Dorian Gray is the one and only novel written by the very famous Oscar Wilde. While lots of people think Wilde is an Englishman, he was born and bred in Ireland. Although this novel is void of any Irish themes, it is undeniably a masterpiece. It’s old, gothic, and a little weird, but it’s a classic and nice and eerie for these winter nights.

Colm Tóibín, Brooklyn

A perfect read for anyone that’s interested in Irish/America relations, Brooklyn tells the simple story of Eilis Lacey. Like many of her kin in 1950s Ireland, Eilis is unable to find work and so makes the tortuous journey to America in the hope to provide a better life for herself and her family. Essentially this is a simple love story but it is so much more than that. It’s beautifully written and its simplicity is what makes it so unique. If you’re not that into reading, Brooklyn was recently made into a movie starring Irish actress Saoirse Ronan. Although I personally prefer paper to screen, this one is definitely worth a watch.

James Joyce, The Dubliners

I promise there have been loads of books written in more recent times that are well worth reading, but can you really do an Irish list without James Joyce? As one who is yet to master Ulysses, I feel The Dubliners gives a snippet of Joyce’s brilliance without quite as much hardship. This is actually a collection of short stories and Eveline and the collections namesake The Dubliners are my personal favourite.

Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes

Warning: this book is not for the faint hearted. McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes is a memoir about the childhood of the Irish-American Frank McCourt. Born in America, Frank and his family move to Limerick, Ireland in the mid-1930s. His memoir is a vivid picture of what Ireland was like during the depression. Although a very sad story, it’s told with a lot of wit and charm and you are guaranteed to laugh out loud at some of the childhood stories McCourt has to tell.

Hugo Hamilton, The Speckled People.

Although another childhood memoir, Hugo Hamilton’s book is nothing like McCourt’s dark and dreary tale. It still echoes the struggles of growing up in Ireland but it does so with a different cause. Hamilton’s mother is German and his father is a very nationalist Irish-man. He speaks Irish, will only let Irish speaking friends into his house and disowns his own father as he fought in the British army. That’s all a little confusing for his kids who have a German speaking mother. Written from a child’s perspective, this is a light-hearted book that deals with a lot of Irish themes.

I noticed as I wrote these out that lots of them are about a much older Ireland and one that was undeniably a little bleak. Once you get here you realise that it is certainly not the case anymore, but looking back on Ireland’s difficult past through fiction will make sure you appreciate it’s beauty and modernity now.

A few other suggestions from the office:

Room, Emma Donoghue. (Also an incredible movie.)

Cereus Blooms at Night, Shani Mootoo (Yes, she is Irish! This is actually my favourite book, but it is quite difficult to get your hands on.)

Star of the Sea, Joesph O’Connor. (About the faminie ships- seriously gripping)

Any books by Maeve Binchy. (Her books are more light-hearted with themes of love at the core. They are brilliant at describing rural Irish life.)

Anything by Shelia O’Flanagan. (Some easy, light reading for the dark evenings.)

The Blood Miracles, Lisa McInerney. (About modern day Ireland and gang life in Cork.)