Introduction

224
Melanie Swiatloch
Caldwell, being herself from the North of Ireland, delimits the Catholic identity of
Saoirse, Daisy and their mother from that of their Protestant neighbours and of
course also from the girls’ Protestant father who does not like his wife to tell the
children Irish stories by incorporating these Irish words. It is important that no
translation is given: a sense of familiarity or distance is created, dependent on the
fact if the reader is an Irish speaker or not. At the same time these words not only
function as delimiters. They also demonstrate the part of Saoirse that comes from
a Catholic Irish background and thus stress a communal belonging. The usage of
Anglo-Irish vernacular also finds a way into the text as for example in the form of
“Yer ma’s a Taig 28” or “What are youse havin’?” (Caldwell 68, 79). As already
brought up earlier certain regions like Belfast have easily recognisable dialects. By
using the vernacular forms of language the sense of place and belonging is thus
strengthened and readers from the same or nearby regions can identify with the
characters.
As an important feature of postcolonial writing, Storey also mentions the usage
of allegory. Most crucial here is the image of Ireland being a woman who
needs the help of a young rebel in order to save her lands lost to foreign invaders,
a story that has also been taken up by William Butler Yeats in Cathleen ni Houlihan
(1902). In several of Daniel Corkery’s stories the main character falls in love with
a young woman who stands in some relation to the nationalist movement. The
rebel is held back from his beloved, however, a union will only be possible if the
Irish nation is created (Storey 68). This theme is also repeated in McLiam Wilson’s
Eureka Street where Jake is attracted to the radical Aoirghe. She believes in everything
that stands for a truly Irish culture and is even ready to accept violence as a
means to achieve Northern Irish independence from Great Britain. The allegory
works a bit different here as Jake and Aoirghe are united in the end. An Irish nation
is not established but Aoirghe’s eyes are opened when she finally recognises
that violence cannot bring peace but only sacrifices innocent victims like the
young Roche. It is not an Irish state that is built but rather the acceptance of the
Northern Irish state. In the end there is peace as well in the form of the ceasefires
of 1994.
To come back to the authors Storey chose as an example it can be seen that
they were not completely positive about nationalism, either. Frank O’Connor,
Sean O’Faolain and Liam O’Flaherty were dedicated to the negative effects of
violence as well and questioned the use of it. Storey thus describes the central
theme of their stories 29 as stories of disillusionment that feature a “deep disappointment
in the nationalist movement” and points out “the theme of betrayal”
(Storey 69). Storey in reference to that stresses a very important fact: “There is a
28 An offensive term to describe a Catholic Irish person.
29 The stories referred to are: O’Faolain’s “The Patriot”, “The Small Lady”, “The Death of Stevey
Long”, O’Connor’s “Guests of the Nation”, “Jo”, “Alec”, “Jumbo’s Wife”, O’Flaherty’s “The
Mountain Tavern”, “Civil War”, “The Sniper” (Storey 69).