- Paperback: 353 pages
- Publisher: Roberts Rinehart Pub (March 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1570980632
- ISBN-13: 978-1570980633
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 13.7 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,739,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Set in the impoverished rural Ireland of the 1950s, this novel, a bestseller there, is at once a rueful elegy to a vanished spirit and a comic celebration of an enduring theme in that country's letters-the indomitable Irishry. Keane, who wrote the play The Field (upon which a recent film was based), tells the tale of the village of Dirrabeg and the perennial battle between a handful of families who celebrate the pagan festivals and the Catholic Church, which in a pique threatens to excommunicate all who participate in the January Wrendance. The bodhran of the title (pronounced bow-RAWN) refers to the traditional Irish drum. Its sound--that strange mixture of life and antiquity--comes to represent the gaiety and poetry of a life lived for fun rather than in fear. Keane pits the charming Wren dance celebrants Donal Hallapy, Monty Whelan, Rubawrd Ring and others against the cruel, conniving Canon Tett, the parish priest. As in Brian Friel's Tony Award-winning play Dancing at Lughnasa, the unrestrained spirit triumphs over the repressive forces of organized religion, only to succumb to inexorable economic realities. There is abundant humor here-the revenge upon the wife and daughter of a church sympathizer is delicious; but perhaps the book's lasting achievement is its finely detailed portrait of rural poverty in Ireland. For those who wear the green, this book will provide a bounty of laughs and tears.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Set in the 1950s, Keane's sly, funny, heart-rending novel focuses on the struggle of the poor rural community of Dirrabeg, Ireland, to keep its traditional way of life against the pervasive influence of the Catholic Church. Canon Tett, the parish priest, mounts a campaign against the ancient holiday of Wren Day, celebrated by Wrenboys marching over the countryside playing music led by the Bodhran (a drum), and collecting donations to finance the wrendance. A party involving music, dancing, and drinking, the wrendance is the only entertainment all year for most Dirrabeg residents, but to Canon Tett it is wicked and sinful. Keane, an Irish writer whose play The Field was made into a movie in 1991, writes lyrically of a vanished way of life, presenting appealing characters whose only solution to the unrelenting poverty and church harassment is emigration to England. This special treat for lovers of traditional Irish music is recommended for most collections.
- Patricia Ross, Westerville P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- Patricia Ross, Westerville P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice novel about old Ireland,
By
This review is from: Bodhran Makers: A Novel Of Ireland (Hardcover)
I am planning a trip to Ireland and always enjoy reading some books set in the place I am visiting. This novel is a nice look at the older Ireland. It deals with the Church and the conflict with the Church of some local villagers who want to do their traditional "wren dance" celebration. It was a good read and I think I got a feel for the place I am going to be visiting.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Homage to a proud people who never demeaned themselves.,
By Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bodhran Makers: A Novel Of Ireland (Hardcover)
With the liveliness of a stepdance and the simplicity of a Dingle Peninsula landscape, Keane introduces us to the harsh life of the close-knit community of Dirrabeg, a community facing extinction in the mid-1950's. Many of the young have left for England or America, where there are opportunities and chances for secure lives. Those remaining behind love their land and their independence but fear for the future as the bogs get thin, the yields are poor, and the children have little hope of success.For Donal Hallapy, devoted father of a large family, times are very tough. But Donal is a bodhran player, an expert in the ancient drums of his Celtic forebears, a musician in great demand whenever the once-a-year wrendances take place, all-night singing and dancing hooleys which can be traced back to pagan times. This paganism, the secret nature of the celebrations, the drinking that takes place, and the fact that the church has no control over them has made them anathema to "the clan of the round collar," in the person of Canon Tett, an ultraconservative and downright sadistic priest determined to bring the free spirits of Dirrabeg to bay by ending the fun of the wrendances. The prose is straightforward and earthy, the dialogue salty and realistic, and the interactions of the characters so natural that one can share the joys and sorrows, the humor and anger, and the frustrations and all-too-brief personal satisfactions. The natural world, which is exquisitely described, even in its harshness, takes on almost human dimensions, influencing the action directly, while providing a vivid canvas upon which the contest between church and village is played out. The humor is broad, almost slapstick, but tempered by an overarching feeling of melancholy and impending doom. Though some may find the clergy to be caricatures and the message a bit too didactic, Keane provides us a rare glimpse of the last days of a now-vanished world.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews) 18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Irish culture preserved through music and this book,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Bodhran Makers (Paperback)
I was lucky enough to be able to read this book in large chunks of uninterrupted time, which was fortunate because upon stepping into this world I found it difficult to stay away for long. The contrasts between pagan and catholic,town and country, tradition and progress were highlighted by vivid language and colorful characters. As the wrendance was being planned, I could feel the excitement of this one time a year when the country folks could forget their poverty, their adherance to a strict moral code, and just enjoy the music, dance, and the company of good friends. The bodhran served as a reminder of who they were, their past, traditions, and culture, its drumbeat serving as a heartbeat to keep these things alive. I've travelled through Ireland twice in recent years and have seen and heard the culture preserved in music and customs that are often pagan, but veiled by the catholic church. The Bodhran Makers welcomes the reader in with a glimpse at the past through the eyes of characters I won't soon forget. It's at once funny but poignant in its portrayal of class struggle and divided loyalties.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully captures the feel of Irish countryside and music,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Bodhran Makers (Paperback)
I love traditional Irish music. It is unassuming yet marvelously intricate, exuberant yet with an undercurrent of the deepest sorrow. What I found out on a recent visit to Ireland is how deeply their music is ingrained into their cultural and national identity (every Irish coin is imprinted with a harp). This book goes a long way to demonstrating how closely Irish music is tied to the souls of the Irish.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Joy To Read,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Bodhran Makers (Paperback)
I happened to pick up one of Keane's essay collections while travelling in Ireland and they were laugh-out loud funny. The Bodhran Makers was even better - this book had everything. A great cast of characters, a fast moving story, love, humor, and the sense of sadness that comes when one finishes a really great book and wishes it could go on forever. I highly recommend this book -- it would be great to read anywhere but if you happen to be heading on vacation to Ireland, ORDER IT TODAY!
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