REVIEW BY TRISH CORCORAN
The Boys From Ballymore
By Anthony Brown
Penguin Books Australia, 2001
355 pages, $23
Liam O'Brien returns to Ballymore after living in Australia, he remembers. Ballymore is a small town in Tipperary, Ireland. Liam finds the town stifling, but as the story unfolds, you discover that the source of his frustration is much more complex. Liam has suffered an enormous loss, his Australian wife died in a car accident.
Anthony Brown's first novel revolves around the family and friends of the O'Briens. The entire family endured a lot of grief. The father disowned Liam's older brother Tommy because of his alcoholism. Tommy's son Conor committed suicide when he was unable to find work in Ballymore.
Tommy and Liam had never been close, but throughout the story they are drawn together. Tommy's drinking buddy, Paddy Mullins, is a self-taught historian, fascinated in particular with the local area. He becomes obsessed by a wall, which he believes is the remains of the one that once surrounded the town. Paddy explains that in 1650, the wall was instrumental in holding back Oliver Cromwell's army long enough for the local rebels to secure victory. Paddy has many entertaining and interesting stories, interwoven in the plot, passed on from his grandfather. Some are factual, some are based on Irish myth and legend.
Paddy's obsession with the wall leads to a struggle to stop the development of a shopping centre on the site of the remaining section of the wall. Tommy the factory worker goes head-to-head with the mayor and the local MP.
Hand-in-hand with this struggle, the confidence and morale of these working-class people is boosted. Tommy starts playing music again; Paddy tells the woman of his dreams that he loves her; and they find other things to do with their time rather than getting drunk. Tommy wins the respect of his little brother Liam.
The novel gives a real sense and appreciation of the difficulties of day-to-day life for working-class people in Ireland. Tommy doesn't have a permanent position at the factory and frequently has no work when the boss doesn't need him. When Tommy wants host a party, he and his wife have to budget very carefully to afford it.
The lack of employment and opportunity have a real impact on the lives of the people of Ballymore, from young Conor's death, to Liam emigrating to be able to pursue a career. Liam is the bright spark in his family. He moved to Australia when he finished school and went to university in Queensland. He is the only family member to have a degree.
At one point Liam explains the "affliction" of the Irish migrant: "We fall in love with the old country because we live so far away from it. It brings tears to our eyes to even mention its name over there... We do things we would never do if we lived here. We drink green beer and wear green underwear on St Patrick's Day... We go to the Irish pubs there thinking they'll be like the ones back home. They're not... We find ourselves becoming more Irish than if we were to live in Ireland."
From a family that has suffered such grief and bitterness, the story develops in a way that it is almost too good to be true. However, I'm not sure whether that's a fault or a positive feature, because, I have to admit, I always like a happy ending.
From Green Left Weekly, February 6, 2002.
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