The Ten Best Irish Pubs in New England...
Five Irish novels not by James Joyce or Edna O'Brien that everyone should read:
The Secret Scriptures, Sebastian Barry
How Many Miles To Babylon?, Jennifer Johnston
Inishowen, Joseph O'Connor
Strumpet City, James Plunkett
The Story Of Lucy Gault, William Trevor
ZenYenta reminds us that on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish...
...including in Lakewood, Ohio, Mouse reminds us...
Helen Wheels regales regales us with Irish and Catholic humor...
In words and pictures, Premium T. tells the story of her Irish roots...
The Chieftains join a session at Matt Molloy's Pub in Westport, County Mayo:
Another session at Matt Molloy's. I believe that is him playing flute:
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13 comments:
A happy St. Paddy's day to ya. I'm going home soon to celebrate in a decidedly sedate manner - by doing the same things I always do on weeknights. I notice that a few folks here have taken today as a vacation day. I imagine some of them will be taking off tomorrow, too.
Wonderful pictures of Ireland - makes me long to go back.
Meanwhile, I would add John McGahern's "Amongst Women," and Roddy Doyle's "Paddy Clarke, Hahaha," to your list of novels. And although she's American, Mary Gordon's "The Other Side."
Happy St. Patrick's Day from Boston where the bagpipes are wailing today.
And a Happy St. Paddy's Day to you! What a great post to celebrate the day!
Maureen, I know Amongst Women by reputation and will add it to my list. Agree with you about Paddy Clarke and will look for the Mary Gordon title.
Incidentally Kennys Books in Galway is the source for Irish lit.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. Do you have a favorite Irish beer? My husband is half Irish and prefers Killian and Smithwicks. No Guinness for him!
By the way, I liked Trinity by Leon Uris, which is a historical novel starting around the time of the potato famine through the IRA.
Happy St Paddy's Day to you.
Love the post...the girls look like they are really enjoying themselves :-)
The girls were really sweet! The older one insisted on wiping her mouth before letting me take the picture.
I'll add My Dream of You, Nuala O'Faolain.
Sigh. Wish we were there.
Hmmm... I live in Newport, RI, and I disagree with Buskers being one of the top 10. I'd put The Fastnet Pub, which is around the corner and up the street a little, in that spot. Buskers doesn't run sessions, but Fastnet does. I was just in Fastnet tonight, hoisting a couple of Black & Tan pints and listening to Jim McGrath and the Reprobates play.
Bain aoibhneas as!
I enjoyed the pictures. Belated Happy St. Patrick's Day.
I missed your last post. The local FMLN support group had a party election night. It had food, dancing and watching on El Salvador TV the returns.
Some districts count votes, showing each ballot, with a party symbol, to the TV camera.
Celebrating in the streets.
*tossing shamrock-shaped confetti* Happy St. Patrick's Day to ya!
A day late but less than a dollar short, happy high holy day lad. A Star Called Henry is another Doyle book I read earlier this year worth picking up. Saoirse !
Interesting list and suggestions!
Anyway, in our view - having devoured more than our fair share of Irish novels back in the day during our literary phase! (i.e. before the alcohol and drugs and ladies of ill repute really kicked in!) - any list of such novels would really need to include;
1. That They May Face the Rising Sun by the late great John McGahern .... a truly sublime masterpiece.
2. Malone Dies by world literary giant Samuel Beckett - whose novels, bizarrely, continue to be seriously negleceted and under-rated.
3. The Sea by John Banville ... his greatest oeuvre.
4. At Swim Two Birds by Flann O’Brien ... a wonderful work decades ahead of its time
5. Amongst Women by the late great John McGahern ... a beautiful resonant work.
We gotta say that Joseph O' Connor and Roddy Doyle don't belong anywhere near this list!
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