The Bodhran Makers [Paperback]

John B. Keane (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 156833186X | ISBN-13: 978-1568331867 | Publication Date: October 10, 2000

A saga of the struggle between hard-living farmers and the Church, The Bodhran Makers is set in rural Ireland in the 1950s. The Bodhran (pronounced bough-rawn), makers of the title are "poverty stricken people who never lost their dignity." Every January, they celebrate their Celtic ancestry with a festival of singing, drinking, and music making with the Bodhran, a drum made from goat skin.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in the impoverished rural Ireland of the 1950s, this novel, a bestseller there, is at once a rueful elegy to a vanished spirit and a comic celebration of an enduring theme in that country's letters-the indomitable Irishry. Keane, who wrote the play The Field (upon which a recent film was based), tells the tale of the village of Dirrabeg and the perennial battle between a handful of families who celebrate the pagan festivals and the Catholic Church, which in a pique threatens to excommunicate all who participate in the January Wrendance. The bodhran of the title (pronounced bow-RAWN) refers to the traditional Irish drum. Its sound--that strange mixture of life and antiquity--comes to represent the gaiety and poetry of a life lived for fun rather than in fear. Keane pits the charming Wren dance celebrants Donal Hallapy, Monty Whelan, Rubawrd Ring and others against the cruel, conniving Canon Tett, the parish priest. As in Brian Friel's Tony Award-winning play Dancing at Lughnasa, the unrestrained spirit triumphs over the repressive forces of organized religion, only to succumb to inexorable economic realities. There is abundant humor here-the revenge upon the wife and daughter of a church sympathizer is delicious; but perhaps the book's lasting achievement is its finely detailed portrait of rural poverty in Ireland. For those who wear the green, this book will provide a bounty of laughs and tears.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Set in the 1950s, Keane's sly, funny, heart-rending novel focuses on the struggle of the poor rural community of Dirrabeg, Ireland, to keep its traditional way of life against the pervasive influence of the Catholic Church. Canon Tett, the parish priest, mounts a campaign against the ancient holiday of Wren Day, celebrated by Wrenboys marching over the countryside playing music led by the Bodhran (a drum), and collecting donations to finance the wrendance. A party involving music, dancing, and drinking, the wrendance is the only entertainment all year for most Dirrabeg residents, but to Canon Tett it is wicked and sinful. Keane, an Irish writer whose play The Field was made into a movie in 1991, writes lyrically of a vanished way of life, presenting appealing characters whose only solution to the unrelenting poverty and church harassment is emigration to England. This special treat for lovers of traditional Irish music is recommended for most collections.
- Patricia Ross, Westerville P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: Roberts Rinehart (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156833186X
• ISBN-13: 978-1568331867
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,980,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irish culture preserved through music and this book, June 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bodhran Makers (Paperback)

I was lucky enough to be able to read this book in large chunks of uninterrupted time, which was fortunate because upon stepping into this world I found it difficult to stay away for long. The contrasts between pagan and catholic,town and country, tradition and progress were highlighted by vivid language and colorful characters. As the wrendance was being planned, I could feel the excitement of this one time a year when the country folks could forget their poverty, their adherance to a strict moral code, and just enjoy the music, dance, and the company of good friends. The bodhran served as a reminder of who they were, their past, traditions, and culture, its drumbeat serving as a heartbeat to keep these things alive. I've travelled through Ireland twice in recent years and have seen and heard the culture preserved in music and customs that are often pagan, but veiled by the catholic church. The Bodhran Makers welcomes the reader in with a glimpse at the past through the eyes of characters I won't soon forget. It's at once funny but poignant in its portrayal of class struggle and divided loyalties.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully captures the feel of Irish countryside and music, September 13, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bodhran Makers (Paperback)

I love traditional Irish music. It is unassuming yet marvelously intricate, exuberant yet with an undercurrent of the deepest sorrow. What I found out on a recent visit to Ireland is how deeply their music is ingrained into their cultural and national identity (every Irish coin is imprinted with a harp). This book goes a long way to demonstrating how closely Irish music is tied to the souls of the Irish.

The bodhran of the title is the simple frame drum of Irish music, and its rhythms come to symbolize the the essence of being Irish. This book is set in the 1950's during one of the great waves of Irish emmigration, and it chronicles the stories of a small community of farmers on the southwest coast of the Island, and in particular, one bodhran player and one bodhran maker. Their lives are filled with poverty, drink, hard work, and song. They are both succored and oppressed by the ubiquitous institution of the Catholic Church. The Church, though, is jelous, and cannot abide traditional music competing for its attentions, so the greatest triumph of the book -- the creation of the perfect bodhran -- also serves to trigger the deepest tragedy. It is the institution of the Church, along with the gossip crucible of small town life and the economic realities of a financial system that is built upon the foundations of support sent home by emmigrants that finally drives the farmers from their home land, though the music, the drum, and the love of the country travel with them. All of this works together to provide a rich mix of literature: tragic and joyous at the same time. It is beautiful. It is musical. And above all, it is intensely Irish.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joy To Read, May 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bodhran Makers (Paperback)

I happened to pick up one of Keane's essay collections while travelling in Ireland and they were laugh-out loud funny. The Bodhran Makers was even better - this book had everything. A great cast of characters, a fast moving story, love, humor, and the sense of sadness that comes when one finishes a really great book and wishes it could go on forever. I highly recommend this book -- it would be great to read anywhere but if you happen to be heading on vacation to Ireland, ORDER IT TODAY!