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The Bogman
Orphaned as a child, Cahal Kinsella returns from an industrial school in Letterfrack to the small farming village of Caherlo in West Galway, to live under the rule of his tyrannical grandfather. Cahal must learn to assert his individuality if he is to have any hope of freedom from his misery.
With humor and humanity, Walter Macken paints a haunting, memorable portrait of the hard life of subsistence farming, of loveless arranged marriages, and rebellion against suffocating social mores.
Written in 1952, this masterpiece is brought back to life in New Island’s Modern Irish Classics series.
With humor and humanity, Walter Macken paints a haunting, memorable portrait of the hard life of subsistence farming, of loveless arranged marriages, and rebellion against suffocating social mores.
Written in 1952, this masterpiece is brought back to life in New Island’s Modern Irish Classics series.
388 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
7 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Walter Macken
45 books63 followersWalter Macken was an Irish writer of short stories, novels and plays.
Originally an actor, principally with the Tadhbhearc in Galway, and The Abbey Theatre, he played lead roles on Broadway in MJ Molloy's The King of Friday’s Men and his own play Home is the Hero. He also acted in films, notably in Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow. With the success of his third book, Rain on the Wind, he devoted his time to writing. His plays include Mungo’s Mansion (1946) and Home is the Hero (1952).
His novels include I Am Alone (1949); Rain on the Wind (1950); The Bogman (1952); and the historical trilogy Seek the Fair Land (1959), The Silent People (1962) and The Scorching Wind (1964). His short stories were collected in The Green Hills (1956), God Made Sunday (1962) and The Coll Doll and other Stories (1962).
He also published a number of books for children, including Island of the Great Yellow Ox (1966); and Flight of the Doves (1968), which was adapted for the cinema.
Originally an actor, principally with the Tadhbhearc in Galway, and The Abbey Theatre, he played lead roles on Broadway in MJ Molloy's The King of Friday’s Men and his own play Home is the Hero. He also acted in films, notably in Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow. With the success of his third book, Rain on the Wind, he devoted his time to writing. His plays include Mungo’s Mansion (1946) and Home is the Hero (1952).
His novels include I Am Alone (1949); Rain on the Wind (1950); The Bogman (1952); and the historical trilogy Seek the Fair Land (1959), The Silent People (1962) and The Scorching Wind (1964). His short stories were collected in The Green Hills (1956), God Made Sunday (1962) and The Coll Doll and other Stories (1962).
He also published a number of books for children, including Island of the Great Yellow Ox (1966); and Flight of the Doves (1968), which was adapted for the cinema.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 29, 2012
Walter Macken...wow, I'm going to hunt down every book you ever wrote. Stumbled across a review for the "The Bogman" in an Irish magazine and was curious about it. It was published in 1952 and tells the story of Cahal Kinsella an Irish bastard reared in a public institution and released to the care of his Grandfather just as he is on the verge of manhood. He enters the village Caherlo and here is where the story is spun. Depressing? Well, maybe...sad, yeah, a little but in the end..ehhhh, you be the judge reader!
I could not put this book down, and would have inhaled it in a single sitting if I didn't need to attend to life. The story very nearly jumps out of the pages. Each character is so brilliantly developed you will find thinking about them feels similar to thinking about people you have actually met. What makes the whole thing stick in my brain though is the undertones of a different story being told. I haven't quite worked it out, but it is something to be weighed by everyone who has ever made a mistake in their life and/or treated another harshly or coldly those trespassed against you. The young vibrant Jennie sums it up when she says to Cahal one day down by the bog...
"I'll never forgive me mother for that day of threshin'. That day, I wanted to go out and help you, despite. They locked the door on me, and she hit me, and she'd have given me more...If I had gone out that day I would have been another help, and that thing would never have happened..that thing was a terrible thing Cahal, I cried all night that night, so I did. And then they say it was her own fault, and a penance from God, and a punishment for sin, and I don't think so at all. I think it was their fault and that when they die God will be up there waiting for them, and He'll say, 'Well, well, if it isn't the villagers of Caherlo. And now, hmmm, let us have a little chat about that day'...."
Macken's style is so dang smooth and yet colloquial. The story can be a bit like the relationship of Ireland and GB, how even the former "small" man can be brutal when given the power and means to do so. It is the seduction of tradition and being on the strong side at the expense of harming something vulnerable because of its ability to manifest the shortcomings of your own self or its even its singular will to daring to dream. There's more to be said, but the straight simple message is...I will think of this book the next time I find myself yammering on about my "neighbor."
Cahal loves song and cleverly composed several about his fellow villagers, you will find title "Bogman" a clever title to a song in the form of a novel about a life, in full Irish style...sad, poignant, beautiful, a bit sentimental, and brutal.
I could not put this book down, and would have inhaled it in a single sitting if I didn't need to attend to life. The story very nearly jumps out of the pages. Each character is so brilliantly developed you will find thinking about them feels similar to thinking about people you have actually met. What makes the whole thing stick in my brain though is the undertones of a different story being told. I haven't quite worked it out, but it is something to be weighed by everyone who has ever made a mistake in their life and/or treated another harshly or coldly those trespassed against you. The young vibrant Jennie sums it up when she says to Cahal one day down by the bog...
"I'll never forgive me mother for that day of threshin'. That day, I wanted to go out and help you, despite. They locked the door on me, and she hit me, and she'd have given me more...If I had gone out that day I would have been another help, and that thing would never have happened..that thing was a terrible thing Cahal, I cried all night that night, so I did. And then they say it was her own fault, and a penance from God, and a punishment for sin, and I don't think so at all. I think it was their fault and that when they die God will be up there waiting for them, and He'll say, 'Well, well, if it isn't the villagers of Caherlo. And now, hmmm, let us have a little chat about that day'...."
Macken's style is so dang smooth and yet colloquial. The story can be a bit like the relationship of Ireland and GB, how even the former "small" man can be brutal when given the power and means to do so. It is the seduction of tradition and being on the strong side at the expense of harming something vulnerable because of its ability to manifest the shortcomings of your own self or its even its singular will to daring to dream. There's more to be said, but the straight simple message is...I will think of this book the next time I find myself yammering on about my "neighbor."
Cahal loves song and cleverly composed several about his fellow villagers, you will find title "Bogman" a clever title to a song in the form of a novel about a life, in full Irish style...sad, poignant, beautiful, a bit sentimental, and brutal.
October 10, 2012
A very believable account of the way of life in the rural Ireland of the past. When the poorhouse loomed for those who couldn't pay their debts. Villages and rural areas decimated by emigration. Sons and daughters leaving for America not knowing if they would ever see their families again, A depressing picture of the times long ago which we could be seeing about to happen again :-(
October 28, 2022
Set in rural Ireland, this is the story of one community and the challenges one illegitimate young man has when he comes to live with his grandfather. There's great depictions of the bogs and farms, the people, and the music/verse, the culture. The story is engaging as it winds around to the climax. This is the second time I've read it. Will keep it for another read in a few years.
September 4, 2023
Throughly enjoyed this tale of a boy returning to his small village and the challenges of subsistence living in an interdependent community. Although written 65 years ago really carries.
February 16, 2021
I enjoyed this read very much. I think what I appreciated most was the constant little conversational statements the characters made in each social situation. The Irish call it “banter”.
It was not that each person wanted the last word in any discussion. Nor, was it that each character was bestowing any particular wisdom. The characters in this story lived in rural Ireland. Their lives were very hard, filled with political unrest, the influence of the a dominant Church culture, and deep, deep poverty. Yet their lives were rich with hope, and the closeness of an isolated village. Often their survival depended on the labor/ or barter of their combined neighbors.
And even with this history, the individuals had quiet opinions of each person of the village. The story, and what I loved, was the banter that kept them going through their lives. It found it reminiscent of my Mother’s rural upbringing in rural Ireland, and family gatherings.
I really expect to read this again. It was like reading between the lines. Oh, and their was a love story hidden in there.
It was not that each person wanted the last word in any discussion. Nor, was it that each character was bestowing any particular wisdom. The characters in this story lived in rural Ireland. Their lives were very hard, filled with political unrest, the influence of the a dominant Church culture, and deep, deep poverty. Yet their lives were rich with hope, and the closeness of an isolated village. Often their survival depended on the labor/ or barter of their combined neighbors.
And even with this history, the individuals had quiet opinions of each person of the village. The story, and what I loved, was the banter that kept them going through their lives. It found it reminiscent of my Mother’s rural upbringing in rural Ireland, and family gatherings.
I really expect to read this again. It was like reading between the lines. Oh, and their was a love story hidden in there.
June 5, 2021
This story gave me a look into small village life in Ireland and the tiring amount of physical labor required to operate a small farm and live a very simple life almost at the poverty level. It showed how much this village of just a few families depended on one another, and if they turned on you, it could ruin you. The story also gave me insight into the character and personality of these people, which helped me understand some of these traits that were passed onto my own family from those who came from Ireland to the US.
November 7, 2022
This is as good as any book that I’ve read by an Irish author. As someone with a rural upbringing I found the way of life and turns of phrase evocative and a delight. Great characters throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Good old fashioned story telling. A classic.
February 8, 2017
Interesting take on Ireland's tradition of matchmaking - definitely not painting it in a positive light. The power of small communities can be fearful too, even creating a mob like atmosphere.
March 11, 2024
A stellar and gripping read that drops you into small village Ireland. An incredible balance around the simplicity of life and the complexity of living during that time, as seen through the eyes of a few families. Not a very uplifting story, but one that will stick with you.
March 27, 2025
Uniquely written, portraying the life of a young man in a time not so long ago yet feels like a world separate to the Ireland I live in today. Amazing how Macken crafts the story through exceptional character development
December 1, 2020
Great book!
What a cracking read. I loved it from start to finish. Feel so delighted to have discovered Walter Macken's books.
What a cracking read. I loved it from start to finish. Feel so delighted to have discovered Walter Macken's books.
April 15, 2024
doing my ancestors proud by reading this (but how could i not read something set in a bog?)
October 25, 2024
Clearly written by someone who knows rural Ireland, and it's past, and knows the people therein. Macken creates wonderful characters and fills their lives with his authentic words. A lovely read!
April 3, 2023
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023...
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023...
August 1, 2011
good but de-press-ing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews