Connacht Tribune
Author’s new novel has origins in grandfather’s life story
A Galway author with a host of top ten bestsellers to her name has turned her hand to historical fiction – in an effort to keep the real life story of her grandfather alive.
Sharon Mulrooney is best known as the author of a string of popular fiction titles, including Daddy’s Girl, Matthew, Meet Matthew and More to Life – but her new novel, A Fine Young Man, is a bit of a departure. 
The Galway city native turned her hand to historical fiction partly because it’s what she loves to read herself – but also because “the story of my grandfather is so incredible I really wanted to make sure it wasn’t lost.”
That grandfather, Herbert MacManus in real life or Bert O’Brien in the book, was born in Dublin but reared in Newcastle upon Tyne from the age of two – speaking only English as his father felt that Irish was “associated with poverty”, explains Sharon.
But when Bert was twelve, he met a native Connemara man who was working in the mines near where he grew up – and this man taught him to speak Connacht Irish fluently in secret.
Herbert MacManus as a 21 year old Timire
While his older brother Leo went to fight in the WW1 trenches in France, Bert was drawn back home to Ireland.
In 1919, when he was only 18 years old, he was one of the early Timirí (messengers), teaching Irish to the National School teachers as part of the language revival movement. They aimed to inspire the next generation of children to love their native language.
It was here that Bert met his wife-to-be, a primary school teacher whom he was teaching Irish to. They wed in 1924.
The story follows him as he dodges Black and Tan patrols, carrying messages for the Volunteers as they never suspected a man with an English accent to be teaching Irish in secret.
He became one of the first people to join the Garda Síochána and served in the Guards for nearly 40 years, ultimately becoming the Chief Superintendent of the Gardaí in Galway and overseeing the visit of President Kennedy in 1963 before he retired.
“Because he spoke Irish he got promoted really quickly,” Sharon says.
He spent the latter half of his career in Galway responsible for the whole area out to Clifden.
Although the story is based on him, Sharon gives herself a lot of “poetic license” with fictional stories and characters – but she says the “main strands” of the story were told to her father by her grandfather while they were fishing on Lough Corrib in the 1950’s.
The timing of this novel coincides with Blian na Gaeilge, a celebration of the Irish language using five themes: the revival of the language over the last 125 years, the creativity of the language, the vibrancy of the language, the participation of the community and finally, the value of our Gaeltachtaí.
Bert at 87
It also marks 125 years of Conradh na Gaeilge, the social and cultural or ganisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide.
Sharon was born and raised in Galway, attended Salerno Secondary School and continued to study in the old Galway RTC, now GMIT.
After graduation, she moved to London where she now lives with her husband and teenage children – but she often goes home to Galway as her parents live in Barna.
Set during the turbulent times of 1914 to 1939, ‘A Fine Young Man’ is published by Poolbeg Press, and is available in paperback or on Amazon Kindle.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
