Light of the Diddicoy

by Eamon Loingsigh

Light of the Diddicoy is the riveting and immersive saga of Irish gangs on the Brooklyn waterfront in the early part of the 20th century, told through the eyes of young newcomer Liam Garrity. Forced at age 14 to travel alone to America after money grew scarce in Ireland, Garrity stumbles directly into the hard-knock streets of the Irish-run waterfront and falls in with a Bridge District gang called the White Hand. Through a series of increasingly tense and brutal scenes, he has no choice but to use any means necessary to survive and carve out his place in a no-holds-barred community living outside the law. The book is the first of Irish-American author Eamon Loingsigh's Auld Irishtown trilogy, which delves into the stories and lore of the gangs and families growing up in this under-documented area of Brooklyn’s Irish underworld.

Genres: Historical Fiction

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2014

About the author

Eamon Loingsigh (sounds like Lynch), is a Brooklyn-based author and journalist. He has had seven critically acclaimed books published and was short-listed for the Langum Prize, among others.

http://artofneed.com

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heroic tale for anti-heroes everywhere is firmly rooted in the rapidly changing world of the slums around Redhook and the Brooklyn docks in the 1915-1916 period. Brutal though gangs like The Whitehanders may have been, they were a source of -power and pride for the "shanty" Irish locked into society's bottom rung. But 1916 wasn't 1856, and while their way of life and their carefully constructed hierarchy seem to have won the day by the novel's end, the victory feels fleeting; an end much more than a beginning. A "Twilight" of the Diddicoy, you might say.

The author has a fine ear for the dialects of the immigrant community; even his prose has a feel for the old Gaelic syntax and metaphor as if the characters spoke English but still thought in Irish. Fortunately, Loingsigh, also captures the poetic texture of the language so that even if a reader is unfamiliar with the vernacular at first, it is persuasive and skillfully used to create the disarming sense of a foreign (yet familiar) place. Very skillful and seductive.

The narrative has an accelerating potency that never feels contrived. It is a page-turner, alright, but you never quite see it coming until you are so caught up with these characters that their savagery seems ennobled and their thuggish resistance tinged with imperishable honor.

You cheer them, knowing that their day has passed as Loingsigh turns the Whitehander's Gang into another glorious lost cause, a cornerstone motif of Celtic imaginings since the court of King Arthur.

An impressive achievement indeed.

[Carie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, having deep Brooklyn roots. This is the place my family came to in the late 1800's. Old Irishrtown, the Navy Yard, and they came with nothing. In hopes of survival, opportunity, and the surety of knowing that no one would ever rule them again. That they would take care of each other, at any cost. What Eamon Loingsigh points out very consciously, is that all things must change to move forward, and yet there are those that do not want things to change. But it is that spirit and fight that the Irish had to master in order to rise in social statuses. All based on men like Dinny Meehan, and his strong belief's in the bond of many becoming one. I also believe I'm related to half the characters in this book!

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book, and I think it was because it was hard to follow at times. There were a lot of characters, and most of them felt incredibly underdeveloped. It felt at times that there were just lists of names for the sake of filling out a "gang", but I wasn't sure who most of them were. I'm giving it three stars because it wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't a great book either. I wish it had been a bit more focused.

[Somersetlovestoread · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book two days ago and didn't know how to review it until now. The fact is I can't leave the world of 1916 Brooklyn behind. There is something in this novel that gets into your soul. The gangs of New York and their 'Honor' is something that will stay with me for a long time. As someone who is neither Irish nor American, the dialect sometimes confused me and I didn't always follow the idiom but that didn't detract, rather it enhanced the large and frightening world in which Liam Garrity finds himself. The history of the docks of New York is incredible where the produce of the world arrived at piers now devoted to pleasure gardens and kids playgrounds. How wonderful to be taken back to the height of the power and industry of Brooklyn when it was the entry point for every consumable and refugee of the world. Reliving the tragic plight of the thousands of Irish who crossed the Atlantic looking for the American dream is harrowing and sheds a light on the street gangs of the 21st century and why they exist. I can't wait to move on to the second novel in the series; 'Exile on Bridge Street' to discover what happens next to Liam Garrity.

[A Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love me some historical fiction. While this time and place are of particular interest to me, I’d have had some great grandparents and such as background characters in this story, I think it stands on its own just as well. This was a very good book. Really looking forward to the next two installments.
Very well researched, managed to capture a complicated world full of sympathetic bad guys, and as with most historical fiction- the main character is the setting itself.
Highly recommend.

[Dan Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

One finds mixed prose within these pages. At the start and in small segments throughout, Mr. Loingsigh writes with the wit and talent of the Irish. Wonderful prose, but sometimes difficult; too much of a good thing.
For the remainder of the novel, amid the very small print, there arises an American story; in this instance telling an Irish version of how people flooded our nation from the diseased shores of Europe; of how they made a place for themselves on the docks of New York's waterfronts; of how Irish gangs fought each other and all others.
Basically a love story of a love not between a young man and a girl but rather a young man coming of age while learning love of country and letters. Strong, insightful, engaging, "Light of the Diddicoy" is
Recommended.

[Mary Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book about the descendants of the Famine Irish. I knew about Five Points but this about the Irish on the Brooklyn Docks and how they survived. A lot of history but s good story.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

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[Thomas Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

In trying too hard to be poetic, this book lacked clarity and focus.

[Nnenna | notesbynnenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

About- A young boy moves from Ireland to Brooklyn, where he has to join a gang in order to survive.

Why I picked it– This was a book club pick. We haven’t actually met to discuss this yet, so I’m curious to hear what everyone else thought.

Thoughts- I’d never heard of this book or this author before, but when I posted on Goodreads that I was reading this book, I got several comments from strangers about how much they enjoyed it! I think they were excited that someone else is reading this book because it has very few ratings on Goodreads. I felt pretty neutral about it. It’s not the kind of book that I would have picked because the subject matter doesn’t interest me that much. I also found the writing a bit difficult because it features dialogue in an Irish accent. Once I got used to the language, it got a little bit easier to read, but I still didn’t find it very exciting. There were a few poetic passages that I appreciated, but I had difficulty connecting with the characters.