This Boy's Heart: Scenes from an Irish Childhood

by John Creedon

John Creedon's scenes from an Irish childhood paint a colourful and sometimes hilarious picture of a changing Ireland and the growing pains of boyhood.
Set in a city-centre household bustling with humanity, the cast includes a dozen children and another dozen adults, including aunts, an American writer, an African doctor, and a Scottish bookie.
The streets outside overflow with brewery horses, beat clubs, dance halls, nuns, priests, a Turkish delight shop and a pub where a child could sit up on a high stool and smoke his cigarette in peace.
Creedon spent the sixties striding the streets of inner-city Cork, with summers 'farmed out' to friends and family in the countryside. His stories are set in wildly contrasting worlds, from urban exotica to spacious meadows, from tales of the open road to his classroom of over fifty boys.
These are stories of friendship, fun, family and folklore. The result is a heart-warming and revealing journey into an Irish boyhood.

Genres: Audiobook, Autobiography

272 pages, Hardcover

Published June 30, 2025

Reviews

[Brian Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book more stars I'd never stop. A love story to family, Cork, Ireland, and childhood, which at the same time achieves the feat of being an accomplished piece of social history. Something rare and beautiful.

[Breeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this - just like having him sitting beside you having the chats

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Creedon ❤️

[Sarah M · Rating 4 out of 5]

My goodness how charming!!

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm originally from Cork, where this book is set, and grew up in the same area slightly later than John. This book captured the atmosphere and every day life in Cork at that time so well, and brought me right back in time. I could hear the voice of him as a young child, and could see the curiosity and boundless energy that he had, along with the innocence. I enjoyed those details as much as the story.
There's great warmth and humour in the book. He describes the tension of being the 10th of 12 children, in a very busy house filled with lots of characters, with great understanding and compassion. John is a natural storyteller, and I loved the training and big day of the donkey derby. I look forward to the next one!
I notice it says "not yet published" in the book notes, but I was able to order it online from Galway.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book so much. Cork is still such a tiny city, more like a big town really, but it's hard for me to imagine the changes since John Creedon's childhood days. He writes with such a warm, affectionate air, introducing his family and the city's characters with humour and colour. It's a difficult balance to bring a time I life with nostalgia, but without sugar-coating reality, but it's so well achieved in this book. It reminds me of Gerald Durrell's 'My Family and Other Animals with the escapades and observances. I really hope there's more to come!

[Irl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A warm and heartfelt memoir, Creedon recalls a lively and eventful childhood with remarkable clarity. His gift for detail brings both people and places vividly to life. I was especially drawn to his affectionate stories about his father, a bus driver. This is far more than a standard autobiography; it captures the essence of childhood and reminds us of the small things that truly mattered at that age. A moving, humorous and insightful listen.

[Peter Thew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood memories of a much-loved radio journalist. With eleven siblings, there was always a lot happening in the Creedon household in Cork's north inner city, and he relives the tales with a comfortable wit. Creedon is a warm, easy-to-listen-to broadcaster, and his writing is similarly attractive.

More please

[Amy Snow O'Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful snapshot of life in Cork City during John’s childhood. The characters are so recognisable to anyone who has grown up here, even now. Wonderful short stories and warm memories from John’s family.

[Shelley Kinash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. A true story Irish childhood in the 1970s. Charming. Funny. Not too sad although emotional moments. I would have rated it 5 stars but too short. Even the afterward was too short. What happened next?!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book in a long time. 5/5 stars. So funny in parts. Brilliant beginning, middle and end. Cannot wait for book 2. Read it in less than a day.

[Tracey Meudec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest, funny and heart warming.

[Angus McDonogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a lovely lovely book!

[Patricia FitzGerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

great depiction of CORK childhood