Product Description

Irish construction workers in post-war Britain are celebrated in song and story. Donall MacAmhlaigh kept a diary as he worked the sites, danced in Irish halls, drank in Irish pubs and lived the life of the roving Irish navvy. Work was hard, dirty and dangerous, followed by pints in the Admiral Rodney, the Shamrock and the Cattle Market Tavern. Living conditions were basic at best. This vivid picture of an Irish navvy's life in England in the 1950s mirrors that of an entire generation who left Ireland without education or hope. Days without food or work, the hardships of work camps, lonesome partings after trips home, periods of intense isolation and bitter reflection, all were part of the experience.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15615 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-01
• Original language: Irish
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 190 pages

Review
A must for any who can relate to building up and tearing England down. --Irish Edition

One of the most authentic voices of the Irish in Britain. --Bookshelf

So remarkable and compelling. --Peter Sheridan, Ireland on Sunday

Ireland on Sunday, Peter Sheridan
Remarkable and compelling

About the Author
Donall MacAmhlaigh from Galway moved with his family to Kilkenny when aged fourteen. Later he returned, joined the army and left in 1951 after three years at Renmore Army Barracks, Galway, and emigrated to England. He died in 1989.