The Skelper and Me
The Skelper and Me

Author: Tony Doherty

Publisher: Mercier Press Ltd

Published: 2019-10-11

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1781176744

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'As I grew older I often asked myself whether history has made me who I am, and will I, in turn, make history with that?' Tony Doherty has lived in the shadow of his father's execution on Bloody Sunday. At 18 he found himself facing long-term imprisonment, yet the soldier who shot his father was a free man. The Skelper and Me is no ordinary memoir. It is a triumph of working class resolve and resilience over the last bastion of Empire. Epitomising the old adage that 'if you didn't laugh you'd cry,' it sallies forth as a fascinating and compelling story of prison life, making a willing inmate of the reader, weaving a tapestry of the lives of his young cellmates, who never deserved such a life, but whose very existence played out, often hilariously, sometimes painfully, and at close quarter behind the steel door of Cell 5, Crumlin Road. Upon returning to a war-torn Derry in 1985, freedom had a more liberating effect on him and others than he had anticipated. As his family saw qualities in him that he hadn't realised, he began to pick up the pieces of his battered but unbroken home town, locked in bitter stalemate. At his father's cross on Creggan Hill, he promised to make right out of the wrong. The epic struggle that followed changed the course of history.

The Dead Beside Us:
The Dead Beside Us:

Author: Tony Doherty

Publisher: Mercier Press Ltd

Published: 2017-10-06

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1781175136

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In this sequel to the hugely-popular This Man's Wee Boy, young Tony Doherty struggles to come to terms with the murder of his father, Paddy, on Bloody Sunday and the impact it has on his mother, Eileen, and his brothers and sisters. At nine years old, he knows a terrible wrong has been committed against his family but lacks the understanding or the means to do anything about it – yet. For his fractured family, life goes on, with Tony determined to preserve the memory of his father and the bond they shared, even as he becomes increasingly immersed in the violent conflict raging on Derry's streets. As the 1970s unfold his father's absence remains the backdrop to the teenage Tony's newfound friendships and relationships, an ever-present ache amidst the craic and excitement of Sunday dances, first kisses and a trip to Butlins. Then, at seventeen, Tony decides it's time to join the fight.

This Man's Wee Boy
This Man's Wee Boy

Author: Tony Doherty

Publisher: Mercier Press Ltd

Published: 2016-08-05

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1781174598

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A uniquely-crafted memoir of the author's early childhood (1967–1972), the third oldest in a working-class Catholic family from the Brandywell in Derry. Written with the authentic voice of a child, this snapshot of his young life unfolds in a series of stories evoking the innocence of childhood, family dynamics and tensions, street friendships and characters, the onset of civil strife, and a family protecting itself from conflict, with CS gas coming in through the door and tracer bullets flying past the windows. The book centres on Tony's father, Patrick – a legend in his son's eyes and a man who struggles to raise a family through bitter years of economic inactivity. It beautifully and movingly portrays the relationship between Tony and the father he adores, yet slightly fears, as events, both within the family and on the streets, unfold and fuse together. The burgeoning chaos of conflict finds its way into his life through the death of a friend under an army truck and more horrifically, directly into the Doherty household. Described as 'a treasure', it draws the reader into a child's world, his innocent view of the harsh reality of life and the horrifying events unfolding around him. It has bags of humour and paints a picture of a lost world of children running wild in play, unsupervised by or worried over by adults. The book is also very moving, to the point of provoking tears at the end.

For Ava
For Ava

Author: Vera Twomey

Publisher: Mercier Press Ltd

Published: 2019-08-09

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 1781176841

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What would you do to save your child? When Vera Twomey's daughter Ava was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that causes multiple seizures a day, the family's life was thrown into chaos. Where they hoped to find treatment and support in the medical system, they found only frustration. The only medication that would have any effect on Ava's condition is a form of medicinal cannabis that was unavailable in Ireland. Thus began the family's fight to alleviate their daughter's suffering and give her a chance at life. Faced with an intransigent system and political establishment, Vera's campaign eventually culminated in her decision to walk from Cork to Leinster House in Dublin in protest to ask health minister Simon Harris for help in person. For Ava tells the story of the campaign for Ava's medication and the family's move to the Netherlands in order to legally access the medication that would save her life. It also pays tribute to the people who helped Vera achieve her goal. Above all, this is a moving story about the lengths a parent will go to for their child's health and happiness.

Marlfox
Marlfox

Author: Brian Jacques

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2010-06-02

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1407050109

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The eleventh book in the beloved, bestselling Redwall saga - soon to be a major Netflix movie! Queen Silth, vixen ruler of Castle Marl, has one mission: to create a rich oasis of beautiful treasures on her island home. And with an army of water rats and the cunning Marlfox offspring with their legendary magical powers at her command, the murderous queen seems destined to succeed.

Carry the Wind
Carry the Wind

Author: Terry C. Johnston

Publisher: Domain

Published: 1986

Total Pages: 706

ISBN-13: 055325572X

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A young man on the run from his past happens upon an old mountain man, and together they survive the Blackfeet and the Crow, bible-spouting pioneers, and sensuous women.

Brian Friel
Brian Friel

Author: Mary Ellen Snodgrass

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2017-02-19

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1476627819

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Surveying the life, work and accolades of Irish playwright Brian Friel, this literary companion investigates his personal and professional relationships and his literary topics and themes, such as belonging, violence, patriarchy and hypocrisy. Character summaries describe his most significant figures, particularly St. Columba, the victims of Derry's Bloody Sunday, and Hugh O'Neill, the Lord of Tyrone. Entries analyze Friel's style in detail, from his column in the Irish Times and his short fiction in the New Yorker to his most recent plays, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Translations, and Dancing at Lughnasa.