Despite my exceedingly Polish last name (Pinakiewicz), I am 75% Irish, a fact that both sides of my family proudly tout. And like all good Irish girls, I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: corned beef hash, green beer…and great Irish books (okay, fine - maybe not like all good Irish girls). I honor of the upcoming holiday, I thought I’d share some recommendations for books by Irish authors that I love (best enjoyed with beer or whiskey in hand). Feel free to drop additional recommendations in the comments!
Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
I’m certainly not original by making this selection, but it’s impossible to leave this classic off the list. McCourt writes a memoir about growing up in the slums of Dublin, and the writing is heartbreakingly gorgeous. He captures the vulnerability and keen observational skills of himself as a young boy so beautifully. While a tough read, this is one of my all-time favorite memoirs.
Bonus: pick up Teacher Man, McCourt’s memoir about teaching high school English in New York. I tore threw this book in a day…there is a story about a sandwich that is one of the funniest teacher anecdotes I’ve ever read.
Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann
This book blew me away - so much so that I recommended it to my mom, who read it and then went out and bought every single book McCann has ever written (and has since read them all). McCann does that amazing thing that so few authors do well: he ties disparate characters and timeframes into a spectacular, unexpected narrative that stays with you for a long, long time. This book takes place in New York City, tying in Phillip Petit’s tightrope walk across the twin towers with 9/11 - and more.
Also check out my second favorite Colum McCann novel, This Side of Brightness, about the people who find life and death in the tunnels of New York City.
A Star Called Henry, Roddy Doyle
This one was recommended to me by one of my best friends from college, who exposed me to great books (and some less-great drinking games). The protagonist is Henry Smart, an Irish boy raised in Dublin’s slums who becomes enmeshed in Ireland’s political uprisings. There are sections of this book that move at an exciting clip, and other sections that are more ruminative. As a reader, I couldn’t help but fall a little bit in love with Henry as he comes of age in such a turbulent time.
Charming Billy, Alice McDermott
This novel takes place over the course of a funeral for local boy Billy Lynch. The author introduces us to his extended family and characters in his Queens neighborhood. McDermott paints a colorful picture of the people that make up family and community; I was invested in the tangential characters as much as the portrait of Billy himself. McDermott will have you laughing as much as you are touched by the sadness
The Master, Colm Tóibín
Historical fiction about an author? This one was right up my alley. Tóibín writes about Henry James in the final years of his career, trying to redeem himself after some spectacular failures in the theater. I loved the look into the inner world of James and the humor that infused this novel.
Room, Emma Donoghue
It is extremely difficult to pull off a book written from the perspective of a child, successfully build suspense, and explore complex themes such as family, freedom, and home. Donoghue does all of this in a short yet powerful novel about a boy who was born into captivity, as the son of a kidnapped woman. You won’t be able to put it down.