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The Divil in the Bog Boreen

 

By

 

P.O.McDonagh

 

ISBN:  978-1-905451-64-7

 

Price:  €15.00

 

About the Author

 

P.O( Ollie) McDonagh comes from Wilkinstown Navan Co. Meath and is a full time Union official with Siptu.

 

 

 

Sample Excerpts

 

 

One……

 

There is no sadder leaving than he who leaves before his time,

There is no sadder loss than the loss of youth in its prime,

There is no darker sound than the whishing of an arrow in the night,

There is no harder fall than the fall of an eagle in the glory of its flight.

 

Two…..

 

It was then that the face appeared, with big rounded cheeks, and wide open eyes the face was black and sported a black beard, the whites of the eyes shone in the dark and the teeth gleamed a pure flash of white against the dark background. There was a light beside the face as though someone was holding a candle it made the face glow although the skin was as black as night and Danny knew he was staring in to the face of the Devil himself.

 

Three…..

There was great kafuffle for a few minutes as everybody even those who had been about to leave decided they would have one this round, some wanted to stay just out of curiosity, others were staying anyway and there were those who were totally influenced by the prospect of free drink. “Be gob” said old Dan Mitchell “perhaps these black fella’s aren’t so bad after all”

“A decent man” said the equally old Frank McCabe

“Would you like to have him marry your daughter” said the not as old Dan Reilly

“Be Jaysus I wouldn’t wish that on any man” said Barney.

 

Four….

 

 “Well in this country a woman is only at her best in the eyes of society if she is a victim”

“A victim”

“Sure a victim of child rearing, a victim of abuse, a victim of loneliness, one is expected to grin and bear it all, then you wake up one day and it’s all behind you, life practically over”.

“That don’t seem right”

“What’s right got to do with it”

“How is a man in similar circumstances supposed to handle it”

“He goes to the pub, and  if he chases skirt all over town then everybody understands, sure a man gets lonely you know” the tone of cynicism was totally apparent.

“Yeah” said Nick exposing his southern drawl, “still everybody’s got needs and desires both mentally and physically.”

“Nonsense I’m a Catholic”

Nicks smile was broad this time as he heard the tone of sarcasm in Kitty’s voice “and how does a catholic respond to these things”

“Three hail Mary’s and a bath in holy water, works every time”.