Heritage Partner
Against The Wind
  • Bendigo, Victoria
  • Australia
Share on Facebook MySpace

Against The Wind's Friends

  • Colm Herron
  • RE/MAX Ireland
  • Fran Reddy
  • Bit Devine
  • Ryan O'Rourke
  • Gerry Regan
 

Against The Wind's Page

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



Recollections of the 1950s and 60s, largely 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 direct from the publisher, from Amazon.com and other outlets in paperback (US$14.40) or Kindle download (US$9.99).

You'll find reviews and other comments at www.beingbookish.com

Against The Wind's Blog

The Diary of an Emigrant and Dissenter

Posted on November 30, 2014 at 1:00am 0 Comments

Book Review

"Against the Wind", by J.A. O'Brien

 Reviewer: Michael Halpenny

 

The full title of this book is "Against the Wind: Memoir of a Dissident Dubliner." However, this is not the diary of someone strenuously opposed to the Good Friday Agreement,…

Continue

Lockout: Dublin 1913

Posted on April 9, 2014 at 6:30am 2 Comments

2019 is the 106th anniversary of the 1913 lockout in Dublin. Often referred to as a strike, it is more accurate to call it a ‘lockout’ since many of those to suffer from the vengeful actions of the employers were not members…

Continue

Comment Wall (3 comments)

At 8:03am on April 2, 2014,
Admin
Fran Reddy
said…

Welcome to the Wild Geese family! Nice to have you here with us :)

Fran

At 12:30pm on April 8, 2014,
Admin
Fran Reddy
said…

Welcome to our community ATW :)

At 9:02pm on May 10, 2014, Gerry Regan said…

Just noticed this great review on Amazon.com:

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A right crack of a tale January 7, 2014
Format:Paperback|Verified Purchase
Jame's O'Brien's book is a glorious overview of a lost era (thankfully?) from Irish life. Told with good humour and candour, so it seems, this was a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading, not at all like the mountain of other Irish memoirs over the last twenty years or so.

You need to be a member of The Wild Geese to add comments!

Join The Wild Geese

Profile Information

 
 
 

The Wild Geese Shop

Get your Wild Geese merch here ... shirts, hats, sweatshirts, mugs, and more at The Wild Geese Shop.

Irish Heritage Partnership

ZenBusiness:
Start a Business Today!

Adobe Express:
What will you create today?


Adverts

Extend your reach with The Wild Geese Irish Heritage Partnership.

Congrats to Our Winners

© 2024   Created by Gerry Regan.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Service