The Great Ulster Book

The Confession of St. Patrick by St. Patrick

https://www.amazon.com/Confession-Saint-Patrick-Letter-Coroticus/dp/0385491638

May, Lou and Cass: Jane Austen's Nieces in Ireland, by Sophia Hillan was an excellent read and a great piece of research. For listings of books published in NI since 2000 go to the NIPR website, www.nibooks.org.

Sam McBratney: The Chieftain's Daughter

Poems by W.R. Rodgers; edited and introduced by Michael Longley.

Seamus Heaney's North.

Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf, which although not exactly an "Ulster Book", does have the benefit of having been done by an Ulsterman and uses Ulster idiom. In English literature it is canonical, and Heaney's as I understand, is now the most widely used translation in universities. Heaney is also our Nobel Laureate.

Cal, by Bernard MacLaverty.

Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People, by Susan McKay.

As an atheist, I hesitate to put this forward as a "great" book, but it certainly Ulster, and has had probably more of an impact than any piece of writing to come out of this place.

James Ussher's Annals of the Old Testament. Accursed, but surely should be on that shelf.

Ah! How could I forget Ciaran Carson's translation of The Tain! Ulster through and through.

A History of Ulster - Jonathan Bardon

The Making of Modern Ireland 1603-1923 - J.C. Beckett

How about a mention for the Blackstaff Press too for consistent quality in terms of range of titles, design and production over the course of so many difficult decades?

Three Plays for Ireland (Northern Star, Heavenly Bodies, Pentecost) by Stewart Parker.

My Lady of the Chimney Corner by Alexander Irvine

or if it has to be modern,

Silver's City by Maurice Leitch

Does Jennifer Johnston not constitute as an Ulster writer? Shadows on our skin or How many miles to Bablyon should be included in my humble opinion

For someone regressing back to childhood I always enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis. They certainly contain much that would be good to put into practice. I'm just away to the wardrobe... :-)

not really an ulster book and off topic but in this slot can i share a discovery with ya all, C-span the american politico website has a new series of programs that for me with a bent on history is facinating and enlightening. the series is called 'the contenders' . the also rans, for president,

some of you might find it interesting also,

They ran and lost but changed political history

Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - a classic children's book.

Bernie McGill, The Butterfly Cabinet.

Oscar Wilde, "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Wilde's exploration of moral schizophrenia. A debauched socialite maintains his youthful good looks, while his portrait in the attic slowly disintegrates into a vision of evil.
Also
Oscar Wilde, "Complete Works". Bittersweet satire, subversive one-liners and profound existentialist philosophy all masquerading as well-made, drawing-room entertainment.

@16.BluesBerry :
What was Oscar Wilde's connection to Ulster?

17 mscracker

Portora Royal School in Enniskillen. Samuel Becket too.

@18. newlach:
Thanks!

He’s not exactly an Ulster writer – maybe a tiny bit? – but I like William Trevor and want to read more of his work.

Marie

Well, The Story of Lucy Gault is certainly one of the most haunting books I have ever read.

Maybe Ulster is a tiny bit Munster, or the other way round... maybe we're all a tiny bit something else :-)

20 marieinaustin

This week's Something Understood with Fergal Keane had a short reading from Felicia's Journey:

https://bbc.kongjiang.org/www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0171yqr

Great recommendations, here on this thread.

21, 22,

Thank you, peterm2 and newlach. I have to admit I haven’t read The Story of Lucy Gault yet. Thanks for reminding me of it. I only discovered Trevor about four months ago and I read his Selected Stories and Love and Summer – his insight floored me, and it’s been confirmed he has even better to offer. I will put Lucy Gault after the next two books on my list. Newlach, I really like Ismael Lo’s Nabou – sounds/feels beautiful. I was just listening to that elsewhere – the world’s a tiny bit tiny after all. :)

Newlach,

Do you know who that is singing Sonnet 29, around minutes 22-24 on the programme??

Oops - sorry to single-handedly bottle-neck this thing, whilst you are all tucked in your beds...but Peter, maybe I don’t want to be haunted- or do I ? If there’s another William Trevor I should read first, please anyone suggest. Go raibh maith agaibh.

Marie

The Story of Lucy Gault - you could try this:

https://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/aug/31/fiction.whitbreadbookawards2002

but it's a bit of a spoiler! I didn’t mean ‘spooky’, I meant poignant and evocative.

Peter,

The Story of Lucy Gault it will be then. :)

How about 'The road to notown' by Michael Foley - a great fun novel - and a Blackstaff original

I'll give you a Great Ulster Book; 'War Diaries 1939-1945' by Field Marshall Viscount Lord Alanbrooke. A gripping read which unveils the man, without pretension, who deserves much wider recognition as really the chief architect of Allied victory in World War II. In fact he's a shoo-in for a PERMANENT place on the fourth plinth on Trafalgar Square - he'd even have an equestrian statue like the other three. Only trouble (for this thread) is that he wasn't born in Ulster (France), but his father and ancestors were Ulstermen, and he felt strong enough ties to have been, for instance, Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast in the decade before his death in 1963.

May God rest his soul.

@26. peterm2 :
I found "The Story of Lucy Gault" at the library today. Thank you for the recommendation!

The Ulster English dictionary by John Pepper ?

Maybe not, but very funny !

I am going to make 2 choices from different genres that could serve as ‘bookends’ for the mainly safe choices above within the Ulster literary classic canon.

Padraic Fiacc’s anthology ‘The Wearing of the Black’. Fiacc is an outsider in the varied meanings of the word, he is the Troubles ‘war poet’. There is a raw immediacy to Fiacc’s anthology that makes me return to it. It’s significant that his troubled psyche and dogged battle with the literary establishment mirrored what was going on in the urban streets.

Michael Duke’s play “Revenge’ is my joint first choice. It is theatre’s equivalent of ‘Night of the Living Dead’. The play offers the community stark choices – either go forward to the brave new world of acceptance and reconciliation or remain forever trapped in a zombistic past and the sectarian bloodlust it gives rise to. Incisive drama at its best. Kudos to Tinderbox as you can buy the play directly as a photocopied script for £3 +P&P.

Mick Ellison