Memoirs and Journalism
Dr Noel Browne , Against the Tide (Blackstaff IRE). Tremendously important autobiography and account of Irish political life by one of Ireland's key twentieth-century radicals. Dr Browne pulls no punches and leaves you feeling both appalled and inspired. Ciaran Carson , The Star Factory (Granta; Arcade). Magical account of growing up in 1950s and 1960s Belfast; Carson has a poetic ingenuity reminiscent of Dylan Thomas. Liam Fay , Beyond Belief (Hot Press UK o/p). Hilarious, irreverent look at the state of religion in Ireland. Myles na Gopaleen , (aka Flann 0'Brien), The Best of Myles (HarperCollins UK). Priceless extracts from a daily humorous newspaper column by 0'Brien's alter ego. Frank McCourt , Angela's Ashes (Flamingo; Touchstone). Stunning memoir of a Limerick childhood; a tale of bleak, desperate poverty, laced with astonishing moments of humour and a deep respect for the lives led. In the sequel, 'Tis (Flamingo; Simon & Schuster), McCourt finds both escape and a sense of purpose through education in New York. Nuala O'Faolain , Are You Somebody ? (New Island Books; Owl Books). Despite a life rich in ideas and experience, this memoir reveals an Ireland that until recently treated women with, at best, indifference. Neat sketches of literary Dublin in the 1950s, puncturing one or two cosy myths along the way. Colm Toibin , The Sign of the Cross: Travels in Catholic Europe (Vintage; Pantheon). Novelist Toibin uses his journalistic skills to find the old-time religion in Ireland and elsewhere. Bad Blood (Vintage UK) is a perceptive account of a journey along the line that divides Northern Ireland from the rest of the island. John Waters , Jiving at the Crossroads (Blackstaff; Dufour o/p). Curiously engaging autobiography which traces a fascination with Fianna Fail politics through the formative years of a western youth in the 1970s and 1980s.
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