That Unearthly Valley by Patrick Mcginley
A canny, loving portrait of a 1940s and 50s rural Irish upbringing, a moving homage to the folk imagination, and a heartfelt valedictory for a traditional way of life 'subsistence farming, sheep-rearing, hand-weaving, fiddle-playing and story-telling' that has largely vanished from our shores. Born in Glencolmcille in 1937, McGinley tells of growing up in the back of beyond, an isolated, seaside village marked by a generosity of spirit and a true sense of community, wherein he first encountered such mysteries as crab toes, family, sex, death, and school, along with a larger-than-life local curate, Fr James McDyer, a radical socialist in a Roman collar. McGinley also deftly describes a number of other illustrious blow-ins to the Glen, from the eponymous St Colmcille to the renowned American painter Rockwell Kent, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, and British composer Sir Arnold Baxe. Here is a deeply felt, consummately plumbed, and superbly crafted story of our vanishing past to sit on the shelf next to Alice Taylor's To School Through the Fields
Patrick McGinley was born in Glencolmcille, Co. Donegal. He was educated at Galway University. Subsequently, he moved to London to work in book publishing. His novels include Bogmail (London, Martin Brian & O’Keeffe, 1978); Goosefoot (London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1982); Fox Prints (London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1983); Foggage (New York, St. Martin’s Press, 1983/London, Jonathan Cape 1984); The Trick of The Ga Bolga (Jonathan Cape, 1985); The Red Men (Jonathan Cape 1987); The Devil’s Diary (Jonathan Cape, 1988); and The Lost Soldier’s Song (London, Sinclair Stevenson, 1994). His Donegal childhood and boyhood are described in his memoir, That Unearthly Valley, published by New Island in 2011.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781848401198 |
| ISBN 10 | 1848401191 |
| Title | That Unearthly Valley |
| Author | Patrick Mcginley |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | New Island Books |
| Year published | 2011-09-01 |
| Number of pages | 318 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |