What do you think?
Rate this book
When Summer's in the Meadow: Our Life in Clare
Details the experiences of two novice farmers on a farm in western Ireland, relating their experiences at animal husbandry, their attempts to have a child, and their assimilation into Irish life
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
4 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Niall Williams
34 books1,739 followersNiall Williams studied English and French Literature at University College Dublin and graduated with a MA in Modern American Literature. He moved to New York in 1980 where he married Christine Breen. His first job in New York was opening boxes of books in Fox and Sutherland's Bookshop in Mount Kisco. He later worked as a copywriter for Avon Books in New York City before leaving America with Chris in 1985 to attempt to make a life as a writer in Ireland. They moved on April 1st to the cottage in west Clare that Chris's grandfather had left eighty years before to find his life in America.
His first four books were co-written with Chris and tell of their life together in Co Clare.
In 1991 Niall's first play THE MURPHY INITIATIVE was staged at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. His second play, A LITTLE LIKE PARADISE was produced on the Peacock stage of The Abbey Theatre in 1995. His third play, THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT, was produced by Galway's Druid Theatre Company in 1999.
Niall's first novel was FOUR LETTERS OF LOVE. Published in 1997, it went on to become an international bestseller and has been published in over twenty countries. His second novel, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN was published in 1999 and short-listed for the Irish Times Literature Prize. Further novels include THE FALL OF LIGHT, ONLY SAY THE WORD, BOY IN THE WORLD and its sequel, BOY AND MAN.
In 2008 Bloomsbury published Niall's fictional account of the last year in the life of the apostle, JOHN.
His new novel, HISTORY OF THE RAIN, will be published by Bloomsbury in the UK/Ireland and in the USA Spring 2014. (Spanish and Turkish rights have also been sold.)
Niall has recently written several screenplays. Two have been optioned by film companies.
His first four books were co-written with Chris and tell of their life together in Co Clare.
In 1991 Niall's first play THE MURPHY INITIATIVE was staged at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. His second play, A LITTLE LIKE PARADISE was produced on the Peacock stage of The Abbey Theatre in 1995. His third play, THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT, was produced by Galway's Druid Theatre Company in 1999.
Niall's first novel was FOUR LETTERS OF LOVE. Published in 1997, it went on to become an international bestseller and has been published in over twenty countries. His second novel, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN was published in 1999 and short-listed for the Irish Times Literature Prize. Further novels include THE FALL OF LIGHT, ONLY SAY THE WORD, BOY IN THE WORLD and its sequel, BOY AND MAN.
In 2008 Bloomsbury published Niall's fictional account of the last year in the life of the apostle, JOHN.
His new novel, HISTORY OF THE RAIN, will be published by Bloomsbury in the UK/Ireland and in the USA Spring 2014. (Spanish and Turkish rights have also been sold.)
Niall has recently written several screenplays. Two have been optioned by film companies.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 7, 2024
When Summer’s in the Meadow: Our Life in Clare is the second memoir by Niall Williams and Cristine Breen, the young Irish/ American couple fleeing the publishing industry in New York City to follow their ancestral roots back to Ireland. In their first book, O Come Ye Back to Ireland Niall and Chris open their hearts and their lives to the world as they settle in Christine’s grandfather’s cottage in County Clare near the village of Kilmihil. And this book is no exception as they put their names on the adoption roles in Dublin as they anxiously go through the steps of the process when they first welcome Baby Deirdre into their lives and the following year as they wait in anticipation when the adoption is finalized. With drawings throughout the book by Christine Breen, the most heartwarming sketch is the final page of the book with three sets of Wellington boots, the smallest pair belonging to Deirdre May.
Niall Williams was born and raised in Dublin. He has an MA in American Literature from University College Dublin and a Certificate in Farming from the Irish Agreicultural Advisory Board. Christine Breen was born in New Jersey and grew up in suburban Westchester County, New York. She is a graduate of Boston College and was studying Irish Literature when she met Niall. After working in New York in the publishing industry, they both decided to become small farmers in rural county Clare.
Niall Williams was born and raised in Dublin. He has an MA in American Literature from University College Dublin and a Certificate in Farming from the Irish Agreicultural Advisory Board. Christine Breen was born in New Jersey and grew up in suburban Westchester County, New York. She is a graduate of Boston College and was studying Irish Literature when she met Niall. After working in New York in the publishing industry, they both decided to become small farmers in rural county Clare.
“Everything old was being renewed. For the first time in half a century these thick stone walls would shelter a child.”
August 3, 2021
In 2018, a little over three years ago I read this couple’s first memoir, O Come Ye Back to Ireland: Our First Year in County Clare after reading his History of the Rain, which I loved. Since then I’ve slowly worked my way through most of his books, including their latest, In Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden. Since these memoirs were written in the 80’s, finding copies - at least for me - has been more difficult, but I finally managed to get a copy of this one recently, and so returned to read the second of their memoirs of their early years in Ireland.
This is early on in their story of moving to Ireland, for him it is a return to the land of his birth, far from Dublin where he grew up, for her to the land of her ancestors, to live in the 200 year old cottage and land previously owned by them. They left behind the hustle and bustle of life in NYC a year and a half before, hoping to find a more fulfilling life, a life in a small village and a simpler life, working the land and developing friendships. A place where neighbors are actually neighborly and willing to lend a helping hand. They hope that eventually they will be able to add a child to their family through adoption.
There are many wonderful parts of this memoir that share the gift of helpful, and willing to help neighbors, the friendships that are flourishing, the land, their crops and animals. The peace and quiet of this life against the lack of immediate gratification, the easy access to your heart’s desires they had in NYC. Their neighbors and friends they’ve made in that time are there for them when they need a hand, and as they begin the adoption process, always willing to lend comfort during the lengthy process to be approved. Once approved they are there for them while they wait again for that child to be born, to be available, and finally, to legally be their child.
This memoir includes these early years when Deirdre, their daughter, first joins them, their days and work on the farm, the animals and the birthings that follow among their animals. The friends that lend helping hands when needed, the friends who come to visit them from afar, and visiting family when they return, briefly, to the U.S.
Once again, I have to leave Kiltumper, but I am already looking forward to returning, hopefully soon.
July 14, 2015
I've read this entire series of four books and I loved every bit of them. If you love Ireland, think you love Ireland, think you want to live in Ireland, these are the books to read. The poetic words of Niall Williams and the beautiful artwork of Christine Breen are a magical combination.
May 16, 2022
A real pleasure to read this second book of five (so far) in the Kiltumper non-fiction series of this little family's life in West Ireland. Looking forward to the others in series, then to both Williams' and Breen's individual books. What a soothing joy to read this in the midst of the world's turmoil!
Loved this quote:
"We have found the framework for a peaceful life."
Loved this quote:
"We have found the framework for a peaceful life."
June 10, 2024
I've had this book forever and had never gotten around to reading it until now. To make matters worse, I own the book that comes before this one and sets the stage and have never read it either. I don't know why I've read them out of order, but will no doubt read the first book after enjoying the second. I really like the fact that it was a shared effort between husband and wife. It was interesting getting their different perspectives on shared events. Although he does most of the writing, her comments punctuate and compliment his story telling.
This couple has lived the dream of moving from the United States to live in Ireland. This has always been in the back of my mind but is something that I've never acted on. Kudos to them for following their dream and for sharing the experience with the rest of us. I'm guessing their daughter is now in her thirties. I wonder if she shares either of her parents' passions for writing or painting? I wonder if she moved to the United States? No doubt I'll need to follow up and discover if there are any other books by this family. Maybe the best way to do that is a trip to Ireland, as if I need an excuse.
This couple has lived the dream of moving from the United States to live in Ireland. This has always been in the back of my mind but is something that I've never acted on. Kudos to them for following their dream and for sharing the experience with the rest of us. I'm guessing their daughter is now in her thirties. I wonder if she shares either of her parents' passions for writing or painting? I wonder if she moved to the United States? No doubt I'll need to follow up and discover if there are any other books by this family. Maybe the best way to do that is a trip to Ireland, as if I need an excuse.
December 26, 2023
Second title in the "Kiltumper Series." Niall Williams and Christine Breen left NYC in the mid-80s and moved to the west of Ireland, their ancestral homeland, in search of a more balanced life. My husband and I were also in search of a more balanced life, but we ended up in Ohio instead of Ireland. LoL. I enjoy reading these books because of our shared yearnings, during the same time frame, in different locales. Here are some of the passages that really spoke to me:
P. 6
No, we were not ready to go back. For here in the rains Kiltumper, in the very house where Chris's grandfather had been born, we had found something that we had come in search of. As Chris had written in her journal: "We have found the framework for a peaceful life. And despite the loneliness that sometimes seems invasive and the pain of childlessness, we have chosen to remain committed to our new way of life."
In the wind and the rain of west Clare we had become part of a community, made new friends like Lucy and Larry, Tessie and Jay, Martin and Martin (among a whole host of extraordinarily welcoming and generous neighbors); we had learned the rhythms of land, the ways of west Clare farming, and a sundry of daily things that were integral to the life about us. We had discovered a new way of living. We had Bridget, Susie, Phoebe, and Gerty; we had our hens and chickens, and Max, our black cat. With them, we had formed a unit here within which there was a very real and tangible sense of peace. Caring for them, tending and nursing the flower and vegetable gardens through all seasons, we had been able to put aside some of our grief when a trip to Dublin had confirmed that we were unable to have children. The garden, the farm, and our neighbors had come to mean so much to us. In the hush, on twilight evenings, walking back along the western road toward the sea, it sometimes seemed to both of us that the axis of our lives had shifted profoundly. No, we were not going back now was my response. Or, as Chris would say, not yet.
P. 66
It was with the energy of urgency then that I took off my sweater in the sunshine and bent down to begin refooting the turf on the bog. I was alone up there as I had been many times before. And yet there was a different feeling to the work. Not only did I feel the sensation of all the labor in bog and meadow that was going on ceaselessly about me, but more than that, I felt part of something larger. I worked on with incredible gladness there and handled the sods like pieces of the day itself. Windless time passed and the warm light of July bathed the bog with sunshine. The first sharp dried edges of the turf almost broke off in my hands and I felt a wave of faith sweep across the purple and green of heather and moss: this turf would fully dry, I heard myself say. This summer would be good.
For the rest of the morning that same lightness and hope filled every moment of my working. There, on the bog of Kiltumper, I felt giddily happier than I had ever felt before. I worked steadily, bending and unbending to the turf in a kind of mesmeric serenity, when suddenly it came to me: everything was being made new, I thought. I am seeing and feeling everything newly now. In this work is the child. I am a father now.
P. 91 (In honor of my son Michael)
Our parish is full of Michaels. When Chris and I first arrived in Kiltumper, it was something of a joke between us, like one of those awful stage-Irish stories in which Mick says to his brother Pat who says back to Mick, and so
on, forever. Michael, Mike, Mick, Mehaul, Mikey, and Mickey: the place is thronged with them, a circumstance easily explained by the fact that our village, Kilmihil, literally means the church of St. Michael, the Archangel. In our first two years here, we have grown quite used to these various derived appellations and try to call no one Mick who is really a Mikey, nor hail a man as Mike who goes by the full name Michael. It's a tricky business, of course, and who knows how often we may have spoken of Mick Considine or Mickey Brew, when we were really referring to their cousins, Mikey Considine and Michael Brew!
Given this superabundance of Michaels, it is easy to imagine the importance of Michaelmas in Kilmihil.
P. 167 (We have experienced a bit of this too.)
For some time now, Chris and I had understood that for a little band of our closest friends and relatives, our continued living here had become a kind of light on the horizon. In some small way we were an emblem of hope or freedom or something, a counterimage of green fields, peace, and quiet, against those days when urban life rushed or pushed too hard and fast upon the spirit, and left a gnawing dissatisfaction inside. "Yes, we are still here, and never more happy," we would write, feeling as we did some responsibility for making other people's dreams true.
Kiltumper had come to seem a sort of relief post, quite literally a place apart, a place to come to in which to draw breath and look outwards across the fields, to find the direc- tion of your life. Here, in the green and gray rain light, the world took on a different aspect. As elsewhere in the west of Ireland, time here seemed to slow to a standstill. Walking the winter roads in the drizzle, bringing in turf for the fire . . . .
P. 212
. . . the light drew her to the Burren.
In the Burren, 350 square miles of limestone plateaus and mountains are home to wild flowers found nowhere else in the country. It is one of Ireland's magical places. Like Glencolumbcille in Donegal, Maam Valley, the lakes in Connemara, or ribbons of road out the Dingle penin- sula, the Burren is one of those places that quieten and make you giddy at the same time. It is full of mystery and surprise, stones and flowers. Nothing had happened there, it seemed, for all eternity. And in that, for me, lay so much of its attraction. The spiritual sense of the Irish landscape has always been as real as the rain to Chris and to me. There's a kind of untouched, untouchable holiness in places that seeps inside you.
P. 6
No, we were not ready to go back. For here in the rains Kiltumper, in the very house where Chris's grandfather had been born, we had found something that we had come in search of. As Chris had written in her journal: "We have found the framework for a peaceful life. And despite the loneliness that sometimes seems invasive and the pain of childlessness, we have chosen to remain committed to our new way of life."
In the wind and the rain of west Clare we had become part of a community, made new friends like Lucy and Larry, Tessie and Jay, Martin and Martin (among a whole host of extraordinarily welcoming and generous neighbors); we had learned the rhythms of land, the ways of west Clare farming, and a sundry of daily things that were integral to the life about us. We had discovered a new way of living. We had Bridget, Susie, Phoebe, and Gerty; we had our hens and chickens, and Max, our black cat. With them, we had formed a unit here within which there was a very real and tangible sense of peace. Caring for them, tending and nursing the flower and vegetable gardens through all seasons, we had been able to put aside some of our grief when a trip to Dublin had confirmed that we were unable to have children. The garden, the farm, and our neighbors had come to mean so much to us. In the hush, on twilight evenings, walking back along the western road toward the sea, it sometimes seemed to both of us that the axis of our lives had shifted profoundly. No, we were not going back now was my response. Or, as Chris would say, not yet.
P. 66
It was with the energy of urgency then that I took off my sweater in the sunshine and bent down to begin refooting the turf on the bog. I was alone up there as I had been many times before. And yet there was a different feeling to the work. Not only did I feel the sensation of all the labor in bog and meadow that was going on ceaselessly about me, but more than that, I felt part of something larger. I worked on with incredible gladness there and handled the sods like pieces of the day itself. Windless time passed and the warm light of July bathed the bog with sunshine. The first sharp dried edges of the turf almost broke off in my hands and I felt a wave of faith sweep across the purple and green of heather and moss: this turf would fully dry, I heard myself say. This summer would be good.
For the rest of the morning that same lightness and hope filled every moment of my working. There, on the bog of Kiltumper, I felt giddily happier than I had ever felt before. I worked steadily, bending and unbending to the turf in a kind of mesmeric serenity, when suddenly it came to me: everything was being made new, I thought. I am seeing and feeling everything newly now. In this work is the child. I am a father now.
P. 91 (In honor of my son Michael)
Our parish is full of Michaels. When Chris and I first arrived in Kiltumper, it was something of a joke between us, like one of those awful stage-Irish stories in which Mick says to his brother Pat who says back to Mick, and so
on, forever. Michael, Mike, Mick, Mehaul, Mikey, and Mickey: the place is thronged with them, a circumstance easily explained by the fact that our village, Kilmihil, literally means the church of St. Michael, the Archangel. In our first two years here, we have grown quite used to these various derived appellations and try to call no one Mick who is really a Mikey, nor hail a man as Mike who goes by the full name Michael. It's a tricky business, of course, and who knows how often we may have spoken of Mick Considine or Mickey Brew, when we were really referring to their cousins, Mikey Considine and Michael Brew!
Given this superabundance of Michaels, it is easy to imagine the importance of Michaelmas in Kilmihil.
P. 167 (We have experienced a bit of this too.)
For some time now, Chris and I had understood that for a little band of our closest friends and relatives, our continued living here had become a kind of light on the horizon. In some small way we were an emblem of hope or freedom or something, a counterimage of green fields, peace, and quiet, against those days when urban life rushed or pushed too hard and fast upon the spirit, and left a gnawing dissatisfaction inside. "Yes, we are still here, and never more happy," we would write, feeling as we did some responsibility for making other people's dreams true.
Kiltumper had come to seem a sort of relief post, quite literally a place apart, a place to come to in which to draw breath and look outwards across the fields, to find the direc- tion of your life. Here, in the green and gray rain light, the world took on a different aspect. As elsewhere in the west of Ireland, time here seemed to slow to a standstill. Walking the winter roads in the drizzle, bringing in turf for the fire . . . .
P. 212
. . . the light drew her to the Burren.
In the Burren, 350 square miles of limestone plateaus and mountains are home to wild flowers found nowhere else in the country. It is one of Ireland's magical places. Like Glencolumbcille in Donegal, Maam Valley, the lakes in Connemara, or ribbons of road out the Dingle penin- sula, the Burren is one of those places that quieten and make you giddy at the same time. It is full of mystery and surprise, stones and flowers. Nothing had happened there, it seemed, for all eternity. And in that, for me, lay so much of its attraction. The spiritual sense of the Irish landscape has always been as real as the rain to Chris and to me. There's a kind of untouched, untouchable holiness in places that seeps inside you.
April 6, 2011
Liked it--not quite as magical as the first book but still good.
July 13, 2024
Beautifully written, heart-breaking and heart-healing book by couple Niall Williams and Christine Breen. It's the story of a couple making a new life together after working in Manhattan for many years and feeling the call to return to Ireland for native Niall Williams and his American wife and artist, Christine Breen. It's the story of their adoption of a 3 month old baby girl, Deirdre after receiving the news of not being able to have one of their own. It's the process that they go through, the emotional roller-coaster of the adoption process and learning to be new parents. This book is a story of love, between a husband and wife, parents and child, neighbor for neighbor, as the community is very much a part of this couple's lives.
A wonderful story told in a beautiful way with the authors' words and illustrations.
You will never forget their story.
A wonderful story told in a beautiful way with the authors' words and illustrations.
You will never forget their story.
July 22, 2018
The stories of rural life in Ireland were readable; however, I struggled with the subplot of adopting a child. Ultimately this book implies that life has no value without a child and a child makes everything better...This overwhelming opinion made it hard to find enjoyment in the memoir as it - probably unintentionally - indicates that there is no other opinion to have in regards to children.
February 28, 2022
"Details the experiences of two novice farmers on a farm in western Ireland, relating their experiences at animal husbandry, their attempts to have a child, and their assimilation into Irish life."
Book 2 - Gives reader a first hand account of the weather, learning to farm, and belonging to a small community in West Clare, Ireland.
Book 2 - Gives reader a first hand account of the weather, learning to farm, and belonging to a small community in West Clare, Ireland.
July 14, 2023
I have worked backwards reading the Williams-Breen memoirs. This was again a lovely book full of the joy of adopting Deirdre as a baby--who in the around the world book I read was 16 years old.
I have at least one more intervening memoir to read. And I can always hope for more. I found this book from a used book distributer.
I have at least one more intervening memoir to read. And I can always hope for more. I found this book from a used book distributer.
Read
February 6, 2024See my review of O Come Ye Back to Ireland, Niall Williams's and Christine Breen's first of several volumes of memoir about their move from busy NYC professional life to a tumble-down family homestead in (very) rural western Ireland. This title is a seamless addition to the original memoir and is everything I described of the first book, but perhaps even moreso.
June 28, 2020
Although I sometimes found the narrative overly self-involved, on the whole this is a lovely and touching account of Niall and Christine's year on a small Irish farmstead, trying to adopt a baby to start their family.
January 16, 2021
Lovely books, second in a series about an Irish author and his American wife who move to her grandfather's old cottage in western Ireland and construct a new rural life with their adopted baby daughter. Charming, evocative, honest and heart-warming.
August 1, 2021
This was another good read from memoirists Niall Williams and Christine Breen. Things are moving along for our Kilmihil family, and it's great to get an update on how things are proceeding (See https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... for the first installment).
December 8, 2022
Another installment in the bucolic lives of a New York City couple transplanted to a farm in County Clare. These heartwarming stories of friends, neighbors and family give you faith in the simple pleasures of living close to the land, day by day.
June 4, 2023
I was glad to return to the small farm in Clare. It was touching to read about the addition of Deirdre by adoption to the family. The rhythm of their lives has a pattern that flows more easily now. Having the family and the quiet life they longed for has brought them joy.
August 19, 2017
I liked this very well; looking forward to reading more of their books.
February 26, 2020
Heart warming!
July 8, 2021
The beauty of County Clare springs from this diary, which is mostly about adopting a baby.
May 3, 2022
Great passages on weather, Galway, parenthood
June 9, 2024
It really deserves more than 3 stars but no where near as good as This Is Happiness!
December 22, 2022
another warm and loving view of niall and Christine's life in ireland
April 7, 2010
With beautiful writing and awe inspiring imagery, Williams puts together a picture of survival in rural Ireland that is incomparable to anything I've ever imagined. With every trial brought me tears and with every jubilation brought a smile to my face. I love that this couple has shared their life, giving me the opportunity to live out my dream of living in Ireland through them. I can't wait to read the next book!
May 19, 2016
Satisfying continuation of the series -- this is story of Niall Williams and his artist/writer wife, Christine, as they settle more into their life in very rural western Ireland as farmers and creative folk. Major story with this one was the adoption of their first child. Not quite as good as the first book in series but definitely enjoyable.
May 12, 2012
Just as good a read as the first book. Niall and Christine really convey what life in the west of Ireland is really like. Makes me want to visit and experience for myself the hospitality of Ireland's people.
September 9, 2015
I have always wanted to visit Ireland. I think I need to go back to read the first book they wrote. This one is of their years in Ireland after they are slightly better settled and are adopting a baby. I love reading about their farm and their simple everyday life. I envy them their community.
December 26, 2014
A lovely story all around! I'm so thankful my friend loaned me these books. When I open one at the end of a long day it's as though the author says, "Come sit down, here's a cuppa, rest, relax, let me tell you all the gentle news." Definite soul food. :-)
July 8, 2015
I loved the book, enjoyed following Niall and Christine on their life in Kiltumper. Though they had learned lots more in their 2nd-3rd years living in Ireland, there was still much to learn, especially through the process of adopting their daughter, Deirdre.
April 29, 2015
A lovely story all around! I'm so thankful my friend loaned me these books. When I open one at the end of a long day it's as though the author says, "Come sit down, here's a cuppa, rest, relax, let me tell you all the gentle news." Definite soul food. :-)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews