A Return to Writing
It was when McGahern returned to Leitrim that he began writing again. His next novel, The Leavetaking, was published in 1975. His best-known book is Amongst Women (1990). It is the story of Michael Moran, a former soldier from the War of Independence. Moran bullies and dominates his family in the unforgiving farmlands of Monaghan. This book is celebrated for its detailed portrait of the main character, who is nasty from beginning to end. The novel was made into a mini-series for television in 1998.
John McGahern at a book signing
This photograph of John McGahern was taken in Kennys bookshop Galway in August 1990 with Dr Noel O'Neill.
Leitrim County LibraryJohn McGahern at a book signing
Leitrim County Library
Leitrim County Library
John McGahern at a book signing
This photograph of John McGahern was taken in Kennys bookshop Galway in August 1990 with Dr Noel O'Neill.
Leitrim County LibraryMcGahern's final novel was That They May Face The Rising Sun (2001). It is a story about life in an Irish village and is centred on the everyday lives of the people who lived there.
McGahern is also considered a master within the Irish short story tradition. He wrote many short stories, including 'Korea', which was later made into a feature film by Cathal Black. It won the Asta Nielsen Best Film Award at the Copenhagen Film Festival in 1996.
John Mc Gahern, Memoir 2005
This extract is from the book John Mc Gahern, Memoir 2005 p.4. Published by Faber and Faber.
John Mc Gahern, Memoir 2005
John Mc Gahern, Memoir 2005
This extract is from the book John Mc Gahern, Memoir 2005 p.4. Published by Faber and Faber.
Common Themes in McGahern's Writing
The recurring themes in John McGahern's stories include life in rural Ireland; bullying, violent father figures; everyday lives of country people; and the relationships of men to women and of parents to children. He commonly goes back to his childhood in Leitrim, the death of his mother and life with his violent father as sources of inspiration.
The following is an excerpt from his first novel, The Barracks.
'Mrs Regan darned an old woolen sock as the February night came on, her head bent, catching the threads on the needle by the light of the fire, the daylight gone without her noticing. A boy of twelve and two dark-haired girls were close about her at the fire. They'd grown uneasy, in the way children can indoors in the failing light. The bright golds and scarlets of the religious pictures on the walls had faded, their glass glittered now in the sudden flashes of firelight, and as it deepened the dusk turned reddish from the Sacred Heart lamp that burned before the small wicker work crib of Bethlehem on the mantalpiece.'
John McGahern died in 2006 at the age of 71. He will be remembered as one of the best modern writers that Ireland has produced, particularly on rural themes.