A Ghost Upon Your Path

by John McCarthy

A personal exploration of Irish identity.

We all have a need to belong, to have a place we feel tied our nation, our family, or our home town. So how is it that one can find these feelings of belonging in a place where one has never lived? Despite his Irish name, John McCarthy never thought of himself as Irish. Yet ever since he first visited Ireland over twenty years ago, he has had a sense of another connection apart from his antecedents.

To explore this affinity he sets up home on the west coast of Ireland and immerses himself in the lives of those around him. In the midst of a welcoming, caring and close-knit community, he hears stories of isolation, frustration and even madness. There, McCarthy finds an Ireland that is not just the idealized place so often presented to visitors, but one beneath which run darker currents.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Ireland, Memoir

329 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

John McCarthy was a television journalist who was held captive in Beirut for 5 years from 1986- 1991. Upon his return, he journeys to County Kerry in Ireland to seek solace and find out about the land of his ancestors.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into it. It was not the book.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just an ok read. There was a lot here that was interesting but the details of places and names were too much for me. I have been spoiled in the past by biographies that give more anecdotes and personal memories of family and friends. The subject is obviously an interesting man, however for me, his story gets bogged down in the "statistics".