8 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS January 2006Ir<strong>is</strong>h Booksin ReviewBy Frank WestThe Road Before Me (Began Behind)By J. Sean CallanAuthor House/800-839-8640: Bloomington, IN, 2005, 358 pages, $21.00The priest was giving a sermon for That was in 1950’s Ireland, but thethe retreat at the boys-only school. He retreats we had here were very similar:was speaking to adolescent boys who longer on fear, short on kindness.were only just becoming aware of girls. The author of th<strong>is</strong> autobiography <strong>is</strong>He commanded “We must stamp out Sean Callan. He <strong>is</strong> a playwright, authorsmut. Excorciate it. We must be chaste and medical doctor. He lives with h<strong>is</strong>in every way. In thought, in word and wife in the Chicago area. He play,in deed” he railed.Hearthstone, was recently produced“Indeed we echoed...” at the Ir<strong>is</strong>h <strong>American</strong> Heritage Center,and I reviewed Courage and Country,h<strong>is</strong> wonderful biography of Civil Wargeneral James Shields.Webster’s Dictionary states thatan autobiography <strong>is</strong> “...the story ofones own life written by oneself ”.That sounds simple enough, but SeanCallan shows immense bravery inexposing h<strong>is</strong> feelings fears and otheremotions to us, the readers.Callan’s autobiography <strong>is</strong> composedof stories of events that occurredduring h<strong>is</strong> life. These are placed ona time structure: they can be aboutwhen he was a boy, to when he was ayoung man about to fulfill h<strong>is</strong> dreamof becoming a doctor. Callan has a giftfor telling stories.I personally admire h<strong>is</strong> struggleto overcome obstacles in h<strong>is</strong> life. Hefather was a policeman; h<strong>is</strong> mothera housewife/ There was no moneyin the family but there was plenty ofself-respect and determination.Sean Callan mentions the story ofDr. Noel Browne. He was a memberof the coalition government thatcame to power in Ireland in 1948.He proposed the “Mother and ChildScheme”. Callan tells us it included“educating women about childbirthand reproduction. Th<strong>is</strong> did not sit wellwith the Ir<strong>is</strong>h Catholic Hierarchy. Dr.Browne was accused of introducingbirth control into the country... H<strong>is</strong>proposal was roundly condemned bymany of the clergy.” Needless to say, itwas not enacted and women continuedQualityBooks atAffordablePricesSend $2 for complete catalogue to:Celtic Heritage BooksP.O. Box 770637Woodside, New York, 11377-0637to be denied knowledge about theirown bodies.A sentence from the cover says “th<strong>is</strong>rewarding book will make you laugh,cry, glad and sad in a roller coasterride along the byways and back streetsof Ireland”.As he says, the purpose of the book<strong>is</strong> that “I want my progeny to be able touse it as a resource and stepping stoneto the past. I want them to be able toknow about my life and me. To knowwhere and when I grew up and how Icame to be who I am”.The stories in the autobiography,The Road Before Me, describesCallan’s personal experiences, butthey also describe life in Ireland. Theperiod he writes about <strong>is</strong> the: 1940’s,1950’s and the 1960’s.Urban sprawl hadn’t begun yetin Ireland. Even the cities werephysically close to the countryside.And society was close to traditionalIreland. Th<strong>is</strong> proximity shows uprepeatedly in the book’s stories.Society, both in Ireland and here,was more closely knit then: peoplebelonged to extended families; andthey had close relations with theirneighbors. People didn’t move often,and they got to know each other overseveral generations. Interaction withWords, Words, Words“May we all be alive at th<strong>is</strong> timenext year.”Th<strong>is</strong> traditional Ir<strong>is</strong>h toast for theNew Year <strong>is</strong> cited by the author ofWords, Words, Words: Houghmangandie,Knockers, Trolley & Others byDiarmaid O’Muirithe. Sitric/ LilliputPress/ Dufour Editions/ 610-458-5005:Dublin and Chester Springs, Pennsylvania,2005, 72 pages, $18.95.The author write the column “WordsWe Use” in the Ir<strong>is</strong>h Times. He alsowrites a column for the Ir<strong>is</strong>h monthlymagazine, The Oldie. He was senior lecturerin Ir<strong>is</strong>h at the University CollegeDublin. And he has publ<strong>is</strong>hed severaltheir books about the origin of words.Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> a man who loves words:their sounds, origins, uses and nuances.The dedication for the book <strong>is</strong> telling:“Words alone are certain good.”Choose froma wide range of titlesArchaology, Art, Folklore,Geneology, H<strong>is</strong>tory,Literature, Children,Language, <strong>Music</strong> andM<strong>is</strong>cellaneousTel/Fax 718-478-8162Toll Free: 877-785-2610 ext. 0236email l celt_books@msn.com other people, and the ensuing humanwarmth was important and valued.Something that <strong>is</strong> often m<strong>is</strong>sing today.People are more re<strong>served</strong>, d<strong>is</strong>tant andwary today.I’m not saying things were betterthen, but I am saying that closenesswith people was more the norm andmore valued then. Versus the <strong>is</strong>olationwe often see today.Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> an optim<strong>is</strong>tic, ennoblingand humorous look at the life of oneIr<strong>is</strong>h man. I enjoyed reading The RoadBefore Me, and I think you will too.* * * * * * * * * * * * * *Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> a quote that illustrates howacutely the young student doctor,Sean Callan, ob<strong>served</strong> the world.The pompous, arrogant doctor wasleading the student doctors on rounds.The patient in the bed in front of themhad emphysema. The doctor opinedthat he was probably a smoker, andhe was d<strong>is</strong>appointed when the patienttold him he was not.Then the doctor predicted that hemust play a wind instrument. “I do, sir.Indeed I do”...said the patient.” Tellus which wind instrument, my goodman” said the doctor in h<strong>is</strong> annoyingpaternal<strong>is</strong>tic way.“The accordion” said the patientproudly.William Trevor recommended th<strong>is</strong>author to The Oldie, and suggested heand h<strong>is</strong> books be added to the annuall<strong>is</strong>t of books and authors suggested bythe magazine. He described the author’swriting as “delightful”.That pra<strong>is</strong>e from William Trevor <strong>is</strong>amazing because he <strong>is</strong> the spectacularlypowerful and prolific Ir<strong>is</strong>h author whohas written many acclaimed novels andshort stories. H<strong>is</strong> most recent novel, TheStory of Lucy Gault, became a NewYork Times Notable Book.Trevor says about DiarmaidO’Muirithe:” H<strong>is</strong> knowledge <strong>is</strong> encyclopedicand he conveys it with such wit,style and enthusiasm that he <strong>is</strong> neverless than a delight to read.”If words and their origins excite you,you will enjoy reading th<strong>is</strong> book.
January 2006 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS 9The Bible War in Ireland: Second Reformation and thePolarization of Protestant-Catholic Relations, 1800-1840At the end of the eighteenth century,an evangelical movement gainedenormous popularity at all levels ofIr<strong>is</strong>h society. The Bible War in Irelandidentifies th<strong>is</strong> evangelical movementas the origin of Ireland’s protestant“Second Reformation” in the 1820s,which broke into open expressionwhen Archb<strong>is</strong>hop William Mageeof Dublin claimed ecclesiasticalsupremacy for the Church of Irelandin h<strong>is</strong> famous inaugural sermon in St.Patrick’s Cathedral in October 1822.Th<strong>is</strong> effort, in turn, helped provoke arevolution in political consciousnessamong the Catholic population, ledby B<strong>is</strong>hop James Warren Doyle. TheDoyle-Magee controversy set thestage for the emergence of the CatholicChurch as a leading player in theIr<strong>is</strong>h political arena, culminating inthe Catholic Relief Act of 1829. Extensivelyresearched, Irene Whelan’sbook puts forward a uniquely challenginginterpretation of the originsof religious and political polarizationin Ireland.Irene Whelan, born in Clifden Co.Galway, was educated at UniversityCollege Galway and the Universityof W<strong>is</strong>consin-Mad<strong>is</strong>on. She <strong>is</strong> associateprofessor of h<strong>is</strong>tory and directorof Ir<strong>is</strong>h studies at ManhattanvilleCollege in Purchase, New York.www.w<strong>is</strong>c.edu/w<strong>is</strong>consinpress/books/3903.htmUniversity of W<strong>is</strong>consin Press, $60,ISBN 0-299-21550-4.Hot Wh<strong>is</strong>persof an Ir<strong>is</strong>hmanHot Wh<strong>is</strong>pers of an Ir<strong>is</strong>hwoman <strong>is</strong> adelightful tale from the Emerald Islesabout a fe<strong>is</strong>ty Ir<strong>is</strong>hwoman, Vi, whofinds love anew when she joins forceswith an old flame, Liam, in order tofind a legendary treasure of gold. CanLiam convince Vi that her love <strong>is</strong> moreimportant than the fate of the legendarytreasures, while still continuingh<strong>is</strong> search for the elusive gold?Dorien Kelly set aside a legal careerto return to her first dream – writing.She has received both the RomanceWriters of America’s Golden HeartAward, and the Georgia RomanceWriter’s coveted Maggie Award. Herfirst novel was nominated for theRomance Writers of America’s RITAAward and <strong>is</strong> the first of three contemporaryromances set in the fictionalIr<strong>is</strong>h town of Ballymuir. Dorien livesnear Grand Rapids, Michigan with herhusband and three children.www.simonsays.c omPocket Books; paperback $6.99;ISBN: 0-7434-6460-5
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