What happened next?
JEAN'S JOURNAL WITH JEAN FARRELL
This photo was taken in Athlone library lately. All the librarians were there to mark Lorraine Dockery’s retirement. Lorraine was a most pleasant helpful assistant and will be missed. I was glad to see Gearóid O’Brien amongst them. Gearóid retired from the library more than five years ago. He was invited back for the occasion. Missing from the picture is the present chief librarian, Cailín Gallagher.
I have been a member of Athlone library all my life. As children, how we loved running down the steps beside the Father Mathew Hall, close to St Peter and Paul’s Church. The entrance to the children’s library was right beside the river.
Ernan Morris was the chief librarian there until 1983. Gearóid began his career working with him. The adult library was upstairs and strictly out of bounds to us.
Our library moved across the bridge, to the Civic Centre, in 2004, twenty years ago now.
As young children, as well as reading our comics, we read many books. I particularly loved ‘What Katy Did.’ I was absolutely delighted to discover a follow up book called ‘What Katy Did Next.’
Now we can discover what two other well-known characters did next. Roddy Doyle has written a sequel to ‘The Woman Who Walked into Door.’ It is called ‘Paula Spencer.’ The story is set ten years after we last read about her. She is struggling to bring up her children alone.
Colm Tóibín has also written a sequel to ‘Brooklyn.’ Remember Eilis Lacey, who emigrated to New York from Enniscorthy? I’ve read the book and I’ve seen the film, at least twice! Now we can find out what happened to her next. I read, ‘It is set in 1970s and Eilis is living with her husband Tony Fiorello and their children in Long Island. But a shocking piece of news at the opening of the novel propels Eilis back to Ireland, to a world she thought she had long left behind and to ways of living, and loving, she thought she had lost.’
Both these books will be published during 2024 and I look forward to reading them.
What happened next, in stories, was always of interest to me. I wrote recently about the fact that most tales in Bunty ended with a ‘cliff-hanger.’ Another reader was in touch last week, about this very popular comic. One of her friends, in Saint Peter’s National School, was Colette Tormey, who lived in Castle Street. All week, all the girls in their sixth class would discuss the stories in Bunty. They’d be dying to know what happened next.
This reader told me that she and her friends were only allowed buy their Bunty after school, every Monday. However, Colette Tormey was allowed buy hers at lunch-time. She bought it in Dolan’s shop, on her way back to school. Colette’s friends would all be waiting for her, in the playground. There, leaning over each other’s shoulders, they’d read what happened next, with great excitement.
I got many good books for Christmas and gaze with pleasure at the pile beside my chair. ‘Dear Gay’ is one I am particularly looking forward to reading. This, I know, will contain a record of how life was for our Irish mothers long ago (as we read our comics.)
Novels that annoy me are ones where the story jumps back and forward in time. I’d be reading a very interesting story set in, say, 1990. Just when I’d be getting into the tale, I’d turn the page and find myself back in 1969. Then, a few more 100 pages on, the story jumps to 2019! Please!
This is the way the latest version of ‘Little Women’ is filmed. ‘Little Women’ is a story I love. It is set in the 1860s (and Jo should have married Laurie!)
I’ve read the book many times and have seen every version of the film many times too. Elizabeth Taylor, as a child, played the part of Amy in the first one I saw.
In the latest version our own Saoirse Ronan plays the part of Jo. The film starts at the end, then it keeps jumping back and forth in the story. If I hadn’t read the book many times, I definitely couldn’t follow the film! I do not know what the point is in presenting stories in this manner?
As well as having a pile of good books to read, I also have some lovely films recorded. Throughout the coming weeks I look forward to watching Gone With The Wind, Fiddler on the Roof, Doctor Zhivago, Love Story, Calamity Jane and more. A film could be made out of all the shenanigans to do with the plan to knock Athlone Castle, back in the 1960s. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all about this in Gearóid O’Brien’s very interesting articles lately. As my sisters and I were away in boarding school at the time, I wasn’t aware of all that happened. I loved the idea of the pupils in the secondary schools coming on board and taking to the streets.
As well as enjoying Gearóid‘s column I agreed wholeheartedly with what fellow columnist Bernie Comaskey wrote recently, in this newspaper. It is very annoying to see so many able bodied people drawing the dole while there are so many jobs available here in town.
I’ll end with this quote. “We are like books. Most people only see our cover. The minority read only the introduction. Many people believe the critics. Few will know our contents.”
jeanfarrell@live.ie