Irish Literature

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The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry was named “Novel of the Year” for 2008 at the Irish Book Awards and was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The novel tells the story of Roseanne Clear McNulty, a patient at Roscommon Regional Medical Hospital. Dr. William Grene has been her psychiatrist for 24 years. Roseanne is near 100 years old but doesn’t know her true age. She was first a patient in Sligo Mental... Read The Secret Scripture Summary

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“The Sniper” is a short story by Liam O’Flaherty. It was first published in the British socialist newspaper, The New Leader in January 1923. The story takes place within the span of a few hours during an afternoon in June 1922 (the beginning of the Irish Civil War). The Irish Civil War was a one-year struggle that began in June 1922 and concluded in May 1923.“The Sniper” portrays the experience of a Republican (rebel) sniper... Read The Sniper Summary

Donal Ryan’s debut novel, The Spinning Heart, was published in 2012 and chronicles the effects of a declining economy on a small Irish village. When the economy was booming, Pokey Burke headed a lucrative construction crew—the main source of jobs and revenue for many people in the village. However, once the economy plummets, Pokey disappears, taking with him the pensions of his crew and leaving most of the housing projects unfinished. Many of the men... Read The Spinning Heart Summary

Published in 2016, The Trespasser is a crime fiction novel by Tana French. Set in contemporary Dublin, Ireland, the story follows Detective Antoinette Conway, the lone female member of the famous Murder Squad, whose routine domestic murder case turns out to be anything but. The Trespasser is the sixth novel in French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. Called the “First Lady of Irish Crime” by The Independent, French was born in the United States but resides... Read The Trespasser Summary

The Witch Elm (2018) is a psychological crime thriller by best-selling American Irish author Tana French. The story follows Toby Hennessy, who unearths harmful family secrets while salvaging his identity after a traumatic assault. A standalone novel separate from French’s award-winning Dublin Murder Squad series, The Witch Elm appeared on NPR’s list of best books from 2018 and the New York Times’s notable books of 2018. Other works by this author include The Trespasser (2016)... Read The Witch Elm Summary

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Translations is a three-act play by Irish playwright Brian Friel. The first performance was staged in Guidehall, Derry with the Field Day Theatre Company, which was founded by Friel. Dealing with themes of communication, progress, and rebellion, Translations’ premiere, in September 1980, was backgrounded by The Troubles, a period of tremendous cultural and political change in Northern Ireland. Shortly after the premiere of Translations, Bobby Sands led the historic Irish Hunger Strike, along with nine other... Read Translations Summary

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