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.