Bracklin native launches first book

Well known Bracklin native Paddy Finlay is launching his first book at the Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore next Friday evening, December 14 at 7.30pm.

Paddy’s book, 'The Molly Mare and Other Stories', is a collection of short stories, poems, letters and photos, capturing life in rural Ireland from the 1940s right up to modern times. Set against the backdrop of a young nation finding its place in the world are stories that evoke laughter and emotion. Growing up on the family farm with six brothers in Bracklin, just outside Tullamore, Paddy draws us into his childhood world of play and antics mixed together with hardship and survival.

In this book, Paddy has tried to relay from memory the language, as spoken in the local dialect of the time. He compiles stories from a time that has since passed; before automation on farms, when shoes weren’t worn and the supply of food was scarce. Throughout the book, words, turns of phrase, ways of life, place names and people are recalled, lest they be forgotten. From the animals that featured in his youth to the sporting heroes of the county, Paddy evokes humour tinged with jolts of reality.

Paddy was motivated to recall and tell these stories by a desire to archive the daily life of his time. He draws inspiration from the great characters he has met and the drastic changes he has witnessed.