Bogmail

Patrick McGinley has written a story set in Donegal that tugs at the heart. It is the characters and the dialogue that do the tugging. There is a soaring sense of location. It's a beautiful, peculiar piece of Ireland. The plot, however, is difficult as it bumps down a Dostoyevsky-like road. I read it to page 79 and had to set it aside. I tried again and made it to page 115. I peeked at the ending and was surprised so perhaps the plot deserves more praise than I can give.

The story is set in a small village in Ireland with a wonderful cast of characters: Roarty, pub-owner; Eales, his barman whom Roarty murders and buries in the bog; Potter, a visiting Englishman with an exploration company who is accepted in the small community, but whom Roarty suspects is blackmailing him (bogmail) because he happened to see the burial of Eales's body; McGing, the local constable who fancies himself a Holmes who will solve the mystery of Eales's disappearance and apparent murder (apparent because one of Eales's feet is mailed to the constable); and a host of other characters who gather regularly in the pub and who glory in names such as Gimp Gillespie, Cor Mogail, Cruborg, and Rory Rua.

McGinely writes well with a good show more eye for description, different and interesting characters, and the complexities of life in a small village complete, of course, with the local priest. The story wanders a bit from time-to-time; it has some gratuitous side pieces, and the ending is a bit of a surprise but a little too cute. Nevertheless, for someone who has never been there, it does convey a sense of the pace and outlooks of life in a small Irish village. show less

Was brought here by the Donegal Democrats endorsement;

"a horrific concoction of filth ... a picture of life in Donegal that is revolting in the extreme ... virtually pornography veneered with an assumption of literary value ... a shocking libel on the people of Donegal."

Very witty writing throughout but the plot loses all steam two thirds of the way through.

Was brought here by the Donegal Democrats endorsement;

"a horrific concoction of filth ... a picture of life in Donegal that is revolting in the extreme ... virtually pornography veneered with an assumption of literary value ... a shocking libel on the people of Donegal."

Very witty writing throughout but the plot loses all steam two thirds of the way through.

Barman Eales may have toyed with the affections (and physical contact) of Roarty's daughter. In a moment of anger, Roarty conks Eales with a volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica and kills him on the spot. After careful consideration, Roarty buries the body out in the middle of a bog. Everything should be fine, right? But wait, letters begin arriving demanding payment to a bank account or all will be told, signed "Bogmailer". Thus begins the tale of a small town in Ireland and the patrons of a pub. At time humorous, at other serious this tale frequently requires the use of a dictionary to capture the full flavor.

Funny, macabre, quintessentially Irish.

Wonderful Irish setting. Suspense surrounded by the sea, bogs, and murder.