John B. Keane (1928–2002)

If there's one word to describe these short stories set in small Irish villages, that word is charming. The tales are good-naturedly humorous and stuffed with colorful characters. While many of the fifteen stories just take place during the season and aren't specifically about Christmas, they all share the joy and affection of the holiday. Themes of redemption, community, and generosity run throughout.
While a few of the stories feel more like funny tales told in the local pub, others are show more quite substantial and provide a glimpse into what Irish village life was like not all that long ago. It's a good book to pull out to read out loud for others at Christmas. In your best Irish accent, of course. show less

Keane's novel pits the inhabitants of a small village against the social leaders of the local market town and the local Curate of the Catholic Church. The story of rural poverty, of living day-to-day, and resilience through personal relationships, traditional music and dance, and the pub is timeless. Particularly enjoyable were the rhythm of the language, the detailed description for making a bodhran and cutting turf, and the joy of community expressed through the ceilidh. The penetration of show more the Church into daily life, the blurring of church and state, and the hypocrisy within the Church, seem accurate and provide much of the dramatic tension. That the only release from poverty and social confines comes only through emigration is also a timeless tale, but for a story based in the 1960s the Troubles are remote. This isn't a book for everyone, but I found most of the characters real and sympathetic and the plot sufficient, although full of tangents, to sustain the pace. show less

Three one-act plays by John B. Keane linked by the theme of values:

“The Spraying of John Darcy” – a not so funny satire of environmentalists set in the future when humans are put to death for damaging the environment. The message, environmentalists think human life is less-important than plants and animals. Weak.

“Backwater” – a man returns to his hometown to visit his mother after many years neglect. He brings two friends from London. The older one falls in love with the mother show more and chooses to stay. The values here are appreciating your family and home, which is sometimes easier for outsiders.

“The Pure of Heart” – this is the one I bought the book for since Pa performed in this play. Two men meet on the roadside one coming from an extramarital encounter, the other proclaiming it to be a sin. The first man tries to cajole the second into visiting another married woman for amorous shenanigans. When a tramp overhears this and tries to visit the woman they kill him. The value questioned here is why infidelity is thought more sinful than murder. show less

Good, but dark stuff.

Reading prior to seeing the movie, which a good Irish friend of mine recommended.