Eilís Dillon (1920–1994)

Best friends Dara and Brendan, growing up together on a small island off the west coast of Ireland, confront the fact that they are soon to leave their home in order to attend high school on the mainland in this poignant children's novel from Eilís Dillon. When the boys discover that Mr. Webb, a retired schoolteacher living in their island fishing community, plans to make his home in isolation, on the nearby uninhabited "Island of Ghosts," they help him with his preparations. Little do they show more realize however, that when they agree to sail with him to the island, in order to help him set up, that they will not see their home for quite some while. Kidnapped by Mr. Webb, who wants them to live on the island, the boys are believed drowned by the people of their own island. Only the boys' sisters, Barbara and Cait, believe that they are still alive, setting out to rescue them...

One of the most celebrated Irish children's authors of the twentieth century, Eilís Dillon wrote fifty books over the course of her career, in both the Irish and English languages. The Island of Ghosts was first published in 1989, four years before Dillon's death. It is an engrossing adventure story, one which explores the idea of the past as something that haunts us in the present. This manifests itself, not just in the actual spirit that the children experience, on the eponymous 'island of ghosts,' but also in the overarching story, and in Mr. Webb's maniacal quest to repopulate one of the abandoned western islands. The theme of the abandonment of the western islands of Ireland and Scotland, over the course of the twentieth century, in one that has been explored in many books, whether for children or adults. Dillon manages to capture both the romantic appeal of the the western islands, as an idea, and the human tragedy of the loss of the communities that once lived on them. In this way, the name "island of ghosts" refers not just to the actual spirit, but to the ghosts of the past - the ghosts of the people who once lived there. This doesn't appear to be one of Dillon's more popular works, but I found it very powerful, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thoughtful upper-level middle-grade fiction. show less

I had to go back to one of Eilís Dillon's children's or young adult books (I'm sure this would work for either) after reading her mystery Death at Crane's Court. My memory was right! These are wonderful stories. I much prefer them to her mystery. I was totally captivated. Great characters. Wonderful sense of place. Quite the page turner. I really loved being in this world. I think this would make a good book club book. The ending would create lots of discussion, I think.

A deeply enthralling children's adventure set on and off the Galway coast. A missing father, legendary treasure, hard-bitten rogues, danger on land and on sea, all told with realism and romance, written with beautiful clarity and perfectly-crafted prose, a vivid portrayal of Irish rural life and coastal and village fishing communities and lovely illustrations by Richard Kennedy. Some of the story-telling conventions creak a bit, but the writing raises this book several levels, this is surely show more a classic of children's literature. show less

A murder mystery set in a residential hotel in the west of Ireland in the 1950s. Reserved thirtysomething George is told he may only have a short time to live, so moves to the hotel of Crane's Court just outside of Galway City. Not long after he arrives, the hotel's obnoxious new owner is found dead. Whodunnit?

I found this to be just okay. Eilís Dillon's cast of quirky characters is fine if stock (though one of them has an unexpectedly macabre quirk indeed). But this is a whodunnit where show more the sleuthing and the solution rely on a certain kind of psychological framing and off-stage sleuthing, and I just didn't find Dillon's characterisation believable here. Is that really how someone would behave? Nor is the apparent narrative approval for statements about how the lower classes are more prone to murder, etc, all that convincing either. show less