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Publisher description.
Tomas O'Crohan's sole purpose in writing The Islandman was, he wrote, "to set down the character of the people about me so that some record of us might live after us, for the like of us will never be seen again." This is an absorbing narrative of a now-vanished way of life, written by one who had known no other.
Island Cross-Talk, first published in 1928, was the first book to come out of the Blasket Islands, that remote, tiny community off the West Kerry coast speaking a dying language. In these pages from his diary, Ó'Crohan jotted down snatches of conversation, anecdotes, descriptions of the landscape and the sea.
A translation of the classic autobiography by Tomas O'Crohan based on the fullest and most definitive 2002 Irish language edition by Prof. Sean Coileain.
This is the story of a boy's growing up on the Great Blasket, a sparsely inhabited, Gaelic-speaking island off the coast of Ireland. It tells of the simple life of a society that no longer exists, with a humor and poetry refreshingly remote from the modern world that replaced it.
'It is Williams's Welshness that makes the examination of her mixed-race identity distinctive, but it is the humour, candour and facility of her style that make it exceptional . . . an engaging and perceptive voice describing an engrossing and particular personal story.' – Gary Younge 'In its exploration of geographical, racial and cultural dislocation, Sugar and Slate is in the finest tradition of work to have emerged from the black diaspora in recent times.' – The Guardian 'Within this review, I can only scrape the surface of the many dimensions of Williams' memoir, so I strongly encourage you to read this precious book for yourself, and find those parts of it which speak most to you.'...
* 'The Loneliest Boy in the World – he has only seagulls as playmates.' 1949 newspaper article * Gearóid Cheaist Ó Catháin had a unique childhood – he was the last child brought up on the Blasket Islands of Ireland's southwest coast. The nearest in age was his uncle who was thirty years older. In this affectionate memoir, Gearóid recalls growing up on the island without a doctor, priest, school, church or electricity. Despite public perception of this small, vulnerable fishing community, he remembers a wonderful childhood, cherished by parents and neighbours. His memories are entwined with the beliefs and customs handed down through the generations and are an insight into life on the Blaskets. He speaks with authority of the difficulties and challenges facing the final generation on the island. The Blaskets, with their deserted, crumbling cottages, will live on, in part due to the invaluable memories of the last child of the Great Blasket Island. • Also available: From the Great Blasket to America by Michael Carney
Known affectionately as "the Queen of Gaelic Storytellers," Peig Sayers here offers reminiscences of the daily events that made up her life (such as seal catching, collecting turf for roofs, preparing for a funeral wake) alongside the tragedies of drownings at sea, pilgrimages, and the news of the 1916 revolution in Dublin City. It is a unique record of an essential part of the oral Gaelic tradition.
Mike Carney was born on the Great Blasket Island in 1920 in that unique, isolated Irish-speaking community. Mike left in 1937 to seek a better future in Dublin and eventually settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, with other former islanders. The death on the island of his younger brother set off a chain of events that led to its evacuation, in which Mike played a pivotal role. This is the story of his life and his efforts to promote Irish culture in America, to preserve the memory of The Great Blasket, to respect roots left behind and to set down roots in a new land. Written as Mike approached the age of 93, this memoir is probably the last of a long line of books written by Blasket Islanders. * Similar to: An Irish Navvy - the Diary of an Exile and The Hard Road to Klondike
Reclaiming is a brilliantly written and thought-provoking book. Through amazing story telling, Yewande highlights the richness in her culture that so many other black women can relate to. It was extremely gripping right from beginning. -- Oloni 'This book highlights the topics and issues we still face in our society daily, including some that I've struggled with myself. I think it's hugely important we keep having these conversations and this book certainly helps do just that.' -- Olivia Bowen 'Reclaiming is comforting, yet inspiring. Yewande has admirably opened up about her experiences growing up and facing difficulties such as colourism and mental health problems, how she's so bravely ove...