‘Against The Wind’: Irish-Aussie Memoir Explores ‘50s-‘60s ‘Dark Old Days’

Recollections of the 1950s and 60s in and around Dublin, the famed capital of the Irish republic, form the basis of the historically insightful and highly entertaining memoir "Against the Wind" by Irish-Australian writer James (Seamus) O’Brien.

The times were financially tough and morally prude, with dissenters both North and South of the border few and far between. Intellectualism was suspect and liberalism was often equated with communism.

Capturing the cadences and frequent humor of Irish speech, set amidst widespread, often heart-breaking, hardship and superbly illustrated with archival documents, including his own union cards – this is a wonderful grab-bag of recollections.

“Against The Wind” provides many insights into ordinary Irish life at a time when the republic itself was battling to survive, its Northern cousin was increasingly rocked by violence, and the wider post-war world was emerging from colonialism.

O’Brien weaves together the many threads of history and his own life to produce an informed tale that will interest many readers well beyond the world’s enormous Irish Diaspora.

Available from Amazon.com and other outlets in paperback (US$14.40) or Kindle download (US$9.99).

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Note: The ISBN for "Against the Wind" is 1-922086-53-3 and EAN is 13:978-1-922086-53-2.