Twenty Years A-GrowingMaurice O'Sullivan was born on the Great Blasket in 1904, and 'Twenty Years A-Growing' tells the story of his youth and of a way of life which belonged to the Middle Ages. He wrote for his own pleasure and for the entertainment of his friends, without any thought of a wider public; his style is derived from folk-tales which he heard from his grandfather and sharpened by his own lively imagination. The Blasket Islands are three miles off Irelands Dingle Peninsula. Until their evacuation just after the Second World War, the lives of the 150 or so Blasket Islanders had remained unchanged for centuries. A rich oral tradition of story-telling, poetry, and folktales kept alive the legends and history of the islands, and has made their literature famous throughout the world. The 7 Blasket Island books published by OUP contain memoirs and reminiscences from within this literary tradition, evoking a way of life which has now vanished. |
Contents
IN DINGLE | 1 |
MY FIRST JOURNEY HOME | 16 |
THE ISLAND | 28 |
A DAYS HUNTING | 36 |
VENTRY RACES | 44 |
PIERCES CAVE | 75 |
A SHOAL OF MACKEREL | 79 |
HALLOWEEN | 87 |
THE WAR | 139 |
THE SHIPWRECK | 152 |
THE WANDERER | 164 |
THE LOBSTER SEASON | 183 |
MATCHMAKING | 190 |
THE WEDDING DAY | 201 |
AN AMERICAN WAKE | 216 |
THE STRANGER | 220 |
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Common terms and phrases
Arra Ballyferriter began Bird Cove birds black-backed gull Blasket Blasket Island bless boat Bridget cliff coming Cove cried curragh daddo dare say devil take Dingle door Dublin Dunquin E. M. FORSTER east Eileen eyes Faith father fellow fire fish gave George girl gone grandfather gull hand head hear heard heart hill Inish Inverin Irish Island Kate King laugh leaping leapt Liam listening looked Maura Mauraid Maurice Maurice Owen melodium Michael Mickil morning mouth Musha never night Oh Lord Owen Vaun Paddy Pádrig Pats Lane pipe quay rabbits red army road rocks round Shaun Fada sheep shouting Slea Head sleep soon soul standing stopped stretched talking tell thought Tigue took Tralee turned village walked watching whistling Wild Bank woman wonder word