Growing Up So High
A Liberties Boyhood
Published on 2. September 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-4447-4308-1 (ISBN)
Description
Sean O'Connor was born in Francis Street, in the Liberties of Dublin, a neighbourhood famous over the centuries for the sturdy independence of its people.
Now, in this evocative and affectionate book, he recollects the unique and colourful district of his childhood: the neighbours who lived there, their traditions, talk and lore, the music and poetry of the laneways and markets.
Remembrances of the 1940s classroom, of bird-watching in Phoenix Park, of roaming towards adolescence in the streets of his ancestors are mingled with tales of ancient ghosts and the coming of change to the Liberties.
O'Connor, father of the novelist Joseph, tells his story with honesty, warmth and style, and the often wry wit of his home-place. This tenderly written testament of one Liberties boy builds into a vivid and heart-warming picture of his own extended family as part of a proud community and its all-but-vanished way of life.
Now, in this evocative and affectionate book, he recollects the unique and colourful district of his childhood: the neighbours who lived there, their traditions, talk and lore, the music and poetry of the laneways and markets.
Remembrances of the 1940s classroom, of bird-watching in Phoenix Park, of roaming towards adolescence in the streets of his ancestors are mingled with tales of ancient ghosts and the coming of change to the Liberties.
O'Connor, father of the novelist Joseph, tells his story with honesty, warmth and style, and the often wry wit of his home-place. This tenderly written testament of one Liberties boy builds into a vivid and heart-warming picture of his own extended family as part of a proud community and its all-but-vanished way of life.
Reviews / Votes
To open any page at random is to be instantly swept up in a swirling cornucopia of the sounds, sights and sensations of his childhood, all rendered as fresh as when first experienced by this impressionable, mischievous and inquisitive child...O'Connor's memory of vanished shops, slang expressions and street characters is so strong that here is a memoir for any lover of Dublin folklore to test their knowledge against ... [a] vibrant memoir of a vanished Dublin * Irish Independent * A joyous portrait of family life ... a wonderful homage to the character of the Liberties and its people * Irish Times * O'Connor vividly conjures the smallest details of this childhood world - a testament to his powers of recall. The prose is filled with moments of life ... An act of careful attention and reconstruction that will prove richly fascinating to anyone who grew up in Dublin in the middle of the 20th century * The Sunday Business Post *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Castleknock
Ireland
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
496 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4447-4308-1 (9781444743081)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2013
Hachette Books Ireland
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Se?n O'Connor was born in 1938 in Francis Street in the famed Liberties of Dublin. He is the seventh of 13 children in a family whose roots in the Liberties extend to 1750. He left school at age thirteen to go to work, and eventually became a Chartered Engineer, holder of a Master's Degree in Science (Trinity College), a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland and a Member of the Irish Bar, winning major prizes for Engineering Design on the way. He is married to Viola, lives in Dublin and is the father of five children: novelist Joseph, art-historian Eimear, singer-songwriter Sinead, psychotherapist John and music industry publicist Eoin. Growing up so High is Se?n's first book.