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Truth & Dare: Short Stories about Women Who Shaped Ireland
Leaders. Rebels. Pioneers. Short stories about some of Ireland's trailblazing women by award-winning writer Martina Devlin.
In this collection we encounter Countess Markievicz back from the dead to cast a disapproving eye over modern Ireland, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington on hunger strike in prison, and Somerville and Ross discussing book business with their London agent Mr Pinker.
Others we meet include a range of activists Anna Parnell in a pawnshop, Belfast's Mary Ann McCracken walking her brother to the scaffold, and Dr Kathleen Lynn locking horns with an archbishop.
Authentic and poignant, witty and revealing, Truth & Dare draws on true events to breathe life into an extraordinary cast of women.
Their times were out of step with them now their time has come
In this collection we encounter Countess Markievicz back from the dead to cast a disapproving eye over modern Ireland, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington on hunger strike in prison, and Somerville and Ross discussing book business with their London agent Mr Pinker.
Others we meet include a range of activists Anna Parnell in a pawnshop, Belfast's Mary Ann McCracken walking her brother to the scaffold, and Dr Kathleen Lynn locking horns with an archbishop.
Authentic and poignant, witty and revealing, Truth & Dare draws on true events to breathe life into an extraordinary cast of women.
Their times were out of step with them now their time has come
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2018
About the author
Martina Devlin
19 books38 followersMartina Devlin is an Irish novelist and journalist. She lives in Dublin with her husband David and their cat Chekhov - the latter snoozes at her feet and keeps her company while she writes. It's all a far cry from her Fleet Street days, when she went to Parkhurst (a maximum security prison) to meet gangland leader Reggie Kray, was shown how to do The Twist by the maestro Chubby Checker, and kept watch while Anthony Burgess of 'A Clockwork Orange' filled his pockets with all the uneaten cakes at their interview over afternoon tea. She has had nine books published, beginning in 2000. Her work has won a number of prizes including the Royal Society of Literature's VS Pritchett Prize and a Hennessy Literary Award, and she was twice shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards. A current affairs commentator for the Irish Independent, Martina has been named columnist of the year by the National Newspapers of Ireland. She is vice-chairperson of the Irish Writers Centre, and has a certificate as a chartered director from the Institute of Directors. But none of that impresses Chekhov the cat.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 6, 2018
I will say right off the bat that I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, and I'm grateful to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
I will also add that my grasp of Irish history is pretty limited, though that did not impede my enjoyment of the book. The stories were varied enough across genres, and in focus on the women's lives, that it didn't feel dull or repetitive, and I feel like I know more about each of these women, even if I maybe don't have their entire biographies down pat.
My one sort of qualm with the book really (and this may be a cultural thing I'm not in touch with or whatever) but a large number--practically all, if not all--of these stories revolved pretty heavily around these women's relationships to men, especially husbands and brothers. I understand that that may also be a side effect of how these women became famous, but it was odd to read stories of these women and have most of the story really truly be about their brothers or husbands. (We won't touch the Maud Gonne piece because I like totally understand why that part of her life was chosen but also like yikes.)
But overall this is totally approachable and at times really interesting and humanizing set of stories, and I'm glad I know more (or anything!) about these women now.
I will also add that my grasp of Irish history is pretty limited, though that did not impede my enjoyment of the book. The stories were varied enough across genres, and in focus on the women's lives, that it didn't feel dull or repetitive, and I feel like I know more about each of these women, even if I maybe don't have their entire biographies down pat.
My one sort of qualm with the book really (and this may be a cultural thing I'm not in touch with or whatever) but a large number--practically all, if not all--of these stories revolved pretty heavily around these women's relationships to men, especially husbands and brothers. I understand that that may also be a side effect of how these women became famous, but it was odd to read stories of these women and have most of the story really truly be about their brothers or husbands. (We won't touch the Maud Gonne piece because I like totally understand why that part of her life was chosen but also like yikes.)
But overall this is totally approachable and at times really interesting and humanizing set of stories, and I'm glad I know more (or anything!) about these women now.
December 19, 2025
Jane Wilde, "Speranza," was a nationalist poet, journalist, writer, and essayist.
She was born in 1821 and was the mother of famous poet Oscar Wilde.
When Jane was coming to her end, she had to overcome so many obstacles in life, one being her other son Willie. Instead of being a supportive son for his ageing and dying mother, he tried everything he could to manipulate his mother into giving him her inheritance and wealth to feed his addiction to alcohol, yet he had his own family to support.
While Jane was being bombarded by her son's demands for wealth, she was more worried about her son Oscar rotting in prison and being treated like dirt.
There were times she would zone out of reality and life as if she were already dead, and she would see her daughter Isola and her husband William's daughters, Emily and Mary, and then she would drift back into reality with her son Willie still going on about money, but she knew her daughter Isola and Emily and Mary were waiting for her in death! Jane would die in London in 1896, and her son Oscar would have paid for all her funeral expenses.
Mary Joy McCracken
a social reformer, abolitionist, and businessman.
At a young age, growing up, Mary was a lover of animals, especially birds; she hated seeing them in cages when she was young; she would let them free when ever she saw birds caged up in town, but she would always return to see the birds being caged again, wondering to herself if they were the same birds.
But her favourite brother, who looked after her when she was young, listened to her stories about saving all the birds and gave her advice in life and adulthood, was a supporter of Irish freedom and the United Ireland, and that would be Henry Joy McCracken.
Her brother's rebellion against the British monarchy didn't go as planned, as false information got to Henry, and he would’ve attacked the British army, which he shouldn’t have done, leading to his defeat.
In doing so, Henry was sentenced to execution for treason against the king. Mary would’ve been there every day until his execution as she loved her brother and didn’t want him to be alone and die in vain; he had a dream which he wanted to fulfil. Leading up to his execution, he would never speak a word until his time was up, but before his hanging, he looked down and saw Mary looking up with tears in her eyes.
He finally spoke his first words in weeks and told Mary, "A bird will find its freedom one day, my sister."
Mary smiled because she knew
Henry always listened to her stories; her other brothers didn’t want to know because she was only a girl.
Mary would die in Belfast in 1886.
I love how Martina Devlin captured these extraordinary women in her own words, showing their personality, their struggles in life, and how they shaped Ireland in their own image. I’ve yet to finish the book, but these are the two women’s stories that stood out for me so far as I write a short review in my own words. But so far, it's been an incredible read.
She was born in 1821 and was the mother of famous poet Oscar Wilde.
When Jane was coming to her end, she had to overcome so many obstacles in life, one being her other son Willie. Instead of being a supportive son for his ageing and dying mother, he tried everything he could to manipulate his mother into giving him her inheritance and wealth to feed his addiction to alcohol, yet he had his own family to support.
While Jane was being bombarded by her son's demands for wealth, she was more worried about her son Oscar rotting in prison and being treated like dirt.
There were times she would zone out of reality and life as if she were already dead, and she would see her daughter Isola and her husband William's daughters, Emily and Mary, and then she would drift back into reality with her son Willie still going on about money, but she knew her daughter Isola and Emily and Mary were waiting for her in death! Jane would die in London in 1896, and her son Oscar would have paid for all her funeral expenses.
Mary Joy McCracken
a social reformer, abolitionist, and businessman.
At a young age, growing up, Mary was a lover of animals, especially birds; she hated seeing them in cages when she was young; she would let them free when ever she saw birds caged up in town, but she would always return to see the birds being caged again, wondering to herself if they were the same birds.
But her favourite brother, who looked after her when she was young, listened to her stories about saving all the birds and gave her advice in life and adulthood, was a supporter of Irish freedom and the United Ireland, and that would be Henry Joy McCracken.
Her brother's rebellion against the British monarchy didn't go as planned, as false information got to Henry, and he would’ve attacked the British army, which he shouldn’t have done, leading to his defeat.
In doing so, Henry was sentenced to execution for treason against the king. Mary would’ve been there every day until his execution as she loved her brother and didn’t want him to be alone and die in vain; he had a dream which he wanted to fulfil. Leading up to his execution, he would never speak a word until his time was up, but before his hanging, he looked down and saw Mary looking up with tears in her eyes.
He finally spoke his first words in weeks and told Mary, "A bird will find its freedom one day, my sister."
Mary smiled because she knew
Henry always listened to her stories; her other brothers didn’t want to know because she was only a girl.
Mary would die in Belfast in 1886.
I love how Martina Devlin captured these extraordinary women in her own words, showing their personality, their struggles in life, and how they shaped Ireland in their own image. I’ve yet to finish the book, but these are the two women’s stories that stood out for me so far as I write a short review in my own words. But so far, it's been an incredible read.
December 30, 2018
A book of short stories on women who shaped Ireland's history, bringing their stories to life. I loved the chapter on Countess Markievicz!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews