Groundwork

by Robert Welch

Focusing on the province of Munster, in southern Ireland, and panning back and forth over some four hundred years, from 1586 to 1956, Welch chronicles the family histories of the Condons, Herberts, Holmes, and the O'Dwyers. He focuses in on periods of great national disruption-the Elizabethean conquest, the Famine, emigration, the struggle for Irish independence. And he lets his characters speak in their own words, to tell us how they and their families fared through these events. It is their voices that make up Welch's story-individual, intimate, shockingly immediate-and the voices of their English masters. ""This powerful novel from Ireland is literature of the first rank, revealing a fiction born of the clash between history and legend.""-Booklist. ""Welch has succeeded brilliantly.""-New York Times Book Review

202 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

American anti-communist and cofounder of the John Birch society.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at some a couple of families through the generations and how their actions have shaped what the families and people are today. I'm not sure if their being Irish contributed to the story or not. I think it would have been just as fascinating no matter their culture. I'm not trying to belittle the Irish. Families and people, their motivations and history are just interesting.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well done. Probably an Irish person would understand some of the history a little better.
I like the sense of history/ancestory, ie, a family has ancestors who had lives and struggles, back in the 1800's, the 1600's, which affect who you are today.
It was hard to put down because the chapters were so short.

[Jenifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting in parts but a bit disjointed.