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My Soul Swims the Boyne

 

By

 

Amanda Griffith

 

ISBN: 978-1-911131-67-0

 

 

About the Book:

 

 

John Patrick Reilly was born in 1927, in an old lock-keepers cottage on the banks of the River Boyne.  He was proud of his humble beginnings and as a boy he believed he was rich beyond his wildest dreams, yet all he had was the love of his warm and caring family—that and unadulterated freedom.

 

His tales of growing up in rural Ireland are written with care and passion, not only for those he know and for the life he loved, but also for the beauty of his surroundings—something he never took for granted.  John describes with incredible detail, the world he grew up in, his family, his friends and the community around Slane village, Stackallan National School and Slane Castle, where he lived, played and worked.  His memoirs will not only be relevant to those who knew him, but to all those with a love of yearning of times gone by. 

 

This is a heartfelt story with family values at the core.  A wonderful legacy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

 

                                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The years she spent longing for a child before she was finally blessed with a beautiful daughter of her own were also tough times and although the highs and lows of her journey into motherhood have all been dutifully documented, they will always remain private.  She insists that she has lived an ordinary life and that her priority was simply to be a good daughter, wife and mother but when in 2014, her father lost his eyesight on top of all his other ailments, her patience and reserves were tested to the full.  She became her father’s full-time carer and watched his slow decline whilst also battling with her own tiredness, frustration and anger brought on by recent events.  Feeling trapped and despondent she once again turned to writing and as her idea to document her father’s memoirs developed, it eventually brought much needed solace to both of them.  Amanda describes working on her book, My Soul Swims the Boyne as daily medicine for each of them and although they are her father’s stories, Amanda has brought them to life.

 

‘My father was a good man and I love talking about him.  I want to honour him and keep his memory alive’.  These are the first stories she has published.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amanda Griffith does not consider herself to be an author but when asked to reflect, she states that the most painful parts of her life have been marked with writings of one kind or another.  It seems that when she was hurting most—she took pen to paper.  For her, it helped.  Her old teenage diaries with stories of unrequited love and missed opportunities brought about by shyness and lack of self-confidence now make her smile.  The diaries of 1980, the year her older brother was killed in a car accident and 1986, the year her first husband died from a heart attack when only 29 years old, are still painful for her to read.