Life of Nenagh woman features in new book
Brendan and Mary Kennedy’s lives, and their transformational journey of emigration from 1950s Ireland are told in their own words, in a recent book by Máire Milner and Ann Smyth.
Through a chance conversation in the British Midlands, the authors learnt of Brendan, in his 90th year, and his desire to tell his story of a Kerry Gaeltacht childhood, evenings spent with his grandaunt Peig Sayers, driving Ruby Murray around Dungloe, and working as a Tunnel Tiger in Scotland- all before his 18th birthday.
Mary Kennedy (née Donohoe/Donohue), soon to be 90 also, grew up in Nenagh in a large and busy household: her father had been injured in the Civil War as a lad, hampering his capacity for work.
Mary recounts swimming in the Nenagh River, and chasing her friends around St Joseph’s Park, but her childhood was overshadowed by periods of ‘being sent away’: a common phenomenon in 20th century Ireland - it is now recognised to have a lifelong impact.
Half a million Irish people came to Birmingham in the 1950s, and here Mary and Brendan met, while swaying to an Irish showband in the Church Dancehalls. Brendan goes on to have a long career in the building trade, and Mary finds work in Birmingham’s booming manufacturing industry; they also found time to rear a family.
The couple never lost their links with Nenagh and Kerry, returning for annual visits. They reflect on the grip of the Catholic Church on their families, and on the wit and wisdom of Peig Sayers. This book lifts the veil on a woman many Irish people believe they know, looking at Peig through a young boy’s eyes and sharing humorous anecdotes of her.
UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE
Like many emigrant families, Brendan and Mary faced the ups and downs of establishing their life abroad, and this book takes us through them all: from the peaks of playing for Aston Villa to the troughs of the anti-Irish sentiment following the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974.
The book on their lives titled, ‘We’ve Come a Long Way’, is essential reading for anyone interested in the social fabric of Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s and the inevitability of emigration. This is a story for the ages.
As part of the research for the book, the authors enjoyed a trip to Nenagh, getting a warm welcome from everyone, while revisiting the places of Mary’s youth: the beautiful castle, the impressive church of St Mary of the Rosary, and the amazing mural tribute to Shane MacGowan.
The book is published by Redbarn, priced at €15, and for sale at The Nenagh Bookshop: all proceeds after costs will be split between the Irish Cancer Society and Birmingham Irish Association.
POSTIVE REVIEWS
The book has been the subject of very favourable reviews. Patricia Lysaght in the School of Irish, Celtic Studies & Folklore at UCD wrote: “We’ve Come A Long Way is an important social document giving first-hand accounts of Irish emigrant experience in twentieth and twenty-first century England. Brendan and Mary Kennedy’s vividly narrated life stories are redolent of dignity, courage and resourcefulness.”
Thomas McCarthy, author of The Sorrow Garden & Plenitude, also gave his reaction after reading the book: “We’ve Come A Long Way is a heart-breaker of a book, a double-narrative of exile and belonging, of simple beginnings and complex social journeys...and all the while on every page the rhythms of Irish childhood still singing in the heart.”
Marc Caball, School of History, UCD, wrote: “Animated by the narrative genius of their kinswoman, Peig Sayers, the Kennedys tell their story with skill and verve - their accounts will resonate deeply with readers. This work also chronicles the under-appreciated achievements of Irish emigrants in the reconstruction of post-war Britain. At a time when migrants are making a similar contribution to Ireland, this book makes a powerful case for the transformative potential of new social and cultural encounters.”
Evelyn Conlon, Irish novelist and short story writer wrote: “Getting someone else’s story on paper requires an empathy that bridges the gap of time. This book is soaked in that.”
Co-author Máire Milner is a retired Obstetrician Gynecologist and the other co-author Ann Smyth has had a varied career working in industry, interior design and the education sector. They live in Clogherhead County Louth and this is their first book.