The Sea and The Silence

Set on the coastline of the Irish Sea among Anglo-Irish Catholics at home neither in Ireland nor England. People who send their progeny to private English Boarding Schools ensuring their continued alienation in the land of their birth. Told from a woman’s point of view Iz marries a man who proves to be a ne’er do well who philanders on the side. Irish tempers, red hair and freckles, pubs, priests, fishing, and country estates figure large in the storyline.

Around the halfway point after a significant crisis point we jump back nearly 30 years to Iz in her post-teen years at the time when she met her future husband. Her Father, it transpires, was no better manager of his affairs than her future husband. The question gets asked, should one accept an arranged marriage that assures one financial security, or should one marry for love. The Irish troubles seen from this point of view look different. English landlords given Irish Estates by Cromwell held large tracks of land often lying fallow as was Iz’s family home. Landless Irish peasants clamoured for land reform.

Then as now the promise of youth is squandered in battles on foreign shores. Duty vies with dreams for dubious outcomes. This is an Irish story, not one with happy endings. But it is well-written and worth your time.