5 Irish Fiction Recommendations for St. Patrick’s Day

I guess a St. Patrick’s Day post is a tradition now. Anyway, this is the fourth year in a row for me, which is probably the longest I’ve ever stuck with anything in my life. I’ve done a post about green books, books with “green” in the titles, and Irish mythology books, so now I might as well actually give some recommendations of Irish fiction.

I’ve read many books with Irish main characters, but I narrowed the list to those books that are both a) set in Ireland (no books about Irish in America), and b) written by Irish authors (no books about Americans visiting Ireland).

Here they are, in no particular order:

Circle of Friends, Maeve Binchy

A novel about growing up and navigating community and school, Binchy portrays the struggles of growing up without a traditional family and how important those relationships can become. The main character has problems with identity and acceptance because of her complicated family history and finds comfort in friendships with the more affluent crowd at her college, conforming in order to fit in. She has to experience challenges, heartbreaks, and lost relationships in order to discover and accept who she is and wants to be. I read this novel quite a few years ago and remember enjoying the experience.

An Irish Country Doctor, Patrick Taylor

The quintessential story about rural Ireland, the titular doctor is on a steep learning curve as he joins an existing practice under the supervision of the resident MD. It’s not enough to have a medical qualification to be effective and appreciated, he must learn the people, the customs, and the vernacular. With amusing style, he relates episodes along the rocky road to becoming a full, functioning member of the community. I can’t honestly remember much of the plot, except that I enjoyed it and have had the phrase “soft hand under a duck” stuck in my head ever since.

Reluctantly Charmed, Ellie O’Neill

The main character of this novel decides her luck as has to change, so she half-seriously embarks on a folk ritual to summon fairies to grant her wish. Though her goal is to revamp her flailing love life, she lets herself in for much more than she bargained for when the ritual amasses a public following and starts opening the door to the other side. Not to mention, she finds her dream guy holds up better when admired from afar than when actually in a relationship with him. Shenanigans ensue and she has to put a stop to her charm before a personal disaster becomes a national catastrophe. It is a fun rom-com style read.

The Irish R.M., E. Œ. Somerville & Martin Ross

Published in several volumes, the experiences of an Irish Resident Magistrate are hilarious and at times convoluted episodes of wily mischief and cultural clashing. I first became acquainted with the Irish R.M. through the 1980s TV series adaptation, which is a bit of a slow, drily humorous, at times outrageous, series full of oddball characters and of course the titular R.M. His proper, English gentlemanliness faces a severe trial when faced with the loose law-abiding of his assigned part of Ireland. A particular embodiment of this trial is found in his landlord and neighbour, Mr. Florence Knox, whose love for foxhunting and horse-trading is only rivalled by his nose for mischief and mayhem. The book is much the same.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce

Ostensibly a coming of age tale about Stephen Dedalus, this short novel is often seen as autobiographical in ways. It tells of growing up and schooling, learning about religion and vice, making and losing friends. Exploring literature and the longings and desires that clamour for utterance in art of any kind, the narrative takes on different styles at different intervals. I found the bit of early experimentation with stream of consciousness in this novel interesting and fitting for how it was used, while still being intelligible. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone interested in getting acquainted with Joyce.

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