Letters of an Irish Parish Priest

John B. Keane was born in Listowel in 1928. Having worked in a variety of jobs in Ireland and England, he married and settled down to run a pub in his native town. Now he is recognised as a major Irish writer, who has written many successful plays – Sive, Sharon’s Grave, The Highest House on the Mountain, The Man from Clare, The Year of the Hiker, Many Young Men of Twenty, Big Maggie, Moll and Self-Portrait, is his own story. This book follows his best seller Letters of a Successful T.D. There is a riot of laughter in every page and its theme is the correspondence between a country parish priest and his nephew who is studying to be a priest. Fr. O’Mora has been referred to by one of his parishioner’s as one who “is suffering from an overdose of racial memory aggravated by religious bigotry”. J.B. Keane’s humour is neatly pointed, racy of the soil and never forced. This book gives a picture of a way of life which though is in great part vanishing is still familiar to many of our country-men who still believe “that priests could turn them into goats”. It brings out all the humour and pathos of Irish life. It is hilariously funny and will entertain and amuse everybody. This is definitely a “must” book for all.