Customer Reviews

A Ghost Upon Your Path: An Irish Journey

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have ever felt at home, someplace you have never been before, you will be able to relate to John McCarthy's `A Ghost upon Your Path'. He returns to Ireland to find more of his family history and even though it is not emphasized nor brought to the forefront of the book , he finds inner peace. He was captured for over 5 years while he was working in Beirut in 1986 as a journalist and this has to have played a part in this physical and inner journey.

Many streams of Irish history are covered; they mainly center around his family history and those he comes to know in the town of Inch. He ponders the role of the church in Ireland, including recent revelations of abuse, and the troubles between Protestants and Catholics. There are intelligent musings on the history and the failings of much of modern society in Ireland.
It is all, it is interesting reading, including his descriptions of squalls blowing in off the coast, sunsets and sunrises. Throughout there is the sadness of being captive during his mother's final illness with cancer and what must have been her pain of knowing her son was a incarcerated in a far away land; but these thoughts do not overwhelm the story of Ireland and finding your family's ancestors.
Those who like to read of Irish history, the search for ancestors and the hunt for self and inner peace would enjoy this reminiscence.