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A Hut at the Edge of the Village: The Beauty and Trouble of John Moriarty
There is a radical agency in John Moriarty’s work not always acknowledged. As our heads spin with mythological cross-referencing, poetical leaps and the philosophical bent, it is clear that there is nothing domestic, nothing tame, about John Moriarty. The power of Moriarty is that he has found a thousand beautiful ways to say something very disturbing: we have to change our lives.
In this small book of big thoughts, award-winning author, mythologist and storyteller Martin Shaw situates Moriarty’s work with respect to our eco-conscious era and a readership seeking spiritual and philosophical guidance. Moriarty asks of us only one thing – that we move our gaze from seeing to beholding. And there the trouble begins, when we realize there is a world beyond us far bigger than our temporary ambitions.
A Hut at the Edge of the Village presents a collection of Moriarty’s writings ordered thematically, with sections ranging from place, love and wildness through to voyaging, ceremony and the legitimacy of sorrow. These carefully chosen extracts are supported by an introduction by Martin Shaw and foreword by Tommy Tiernan, a long-time admirer of Moriarty’s work.
According to Shaw, ‘These are not pastoral times we are living in, but prophetic. We are at a moment when the world as we understand it has been turned upside down. The challenge is that there are fewer and fewer people who can interpret such happenings in a deep, soulful way. Moriarty can do that. When culture is in woeful crisis, the insights never come from parliament, senate, or committee; they come from the hut at the edge of the village. Let’s go there. There is tremendous, unexpected hope waiting.’
lilliputpress.ie/product/a-hut-at-the...
In this small book of big thoughts, award-winning author, mythologist and storyteller Martin Shaw situates Moriarty’s work with respect to our eco-conscious era and a readership seeking spiritual and philosophical guidance. Moriarty asks of us only one thing – that we move our gaze from seeing to beholding. And there the trouble begins, when we realize there is a world beyond us far bigger than our temporary ambitions.
A Hut at the Edge of the Village presents a collection of Moriarty’s writings ordered thematically, with sections ranging from place, love and wildness through to voyaging, ceremony and the legitimacy of sorrow. These carefully chosen extracts are supported by an introduction by Martin Shaw and foreword by Tommy Tiernan, a long-time admirer of Moriarty’s work.
According to Shaw, ‘These are not pastoral times we are living in, but prophetic. We are at a moment when the world as we understand it has been turned upside down. The challenge is that there are fewer and fewer people who can interpret such happenings in a deep, soulful way. Moriarty can do that. When culture is in woeful crisis, the insights never come from parliament, senate, or committee; they come from the hut at the edge of the village. Let’s go there. There is tremendous, unexpected hope waiting.’
lilliputpress.ie/product/a-hut-at-the...
224 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2021
38 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
John Moriarty
13 books25 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
JOHN MORIARTY was born in North Kerry in 1938 and educated at Listowel and University College Dublin. He taught English literature at the University of Manitoba in Canada for six years, before returning to Ireland in 1971. He is author of Dreamtime (1994), and the trilogy Turtle Was Gone a Long Time: Crossing the Kedron (1996), Horsehead Nebula Neighing (1997) and Anaconda Canoe (1998).
Obituary with information: http://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/...
JOHN MORIARTY was born in North Kerry in 1938 and educated at Listowel and University College Dublin. He taught English literature at the University of Manitoba in Canada for six years, before returning to Ireland in 1971. He is author of Dreamtime (1994), and the trilogy Turtle Was Gone a Long Time: Crossing the Kedron (1996), Horsehead Nebula Neighing (1997) and Anaconda Canoe (1998).
Obituary with information: http://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 19, 2025
A desperately difficult, and rewarding read.
Moriarity sets you down a wandering path. Every few pages you'll find yourself lost and unsure - then, in a single line of poetic reasoning, you will turn around and the previous uncertainty will be washed away with the view he has presented. Martin Shaw's chapter introductions serve as road marks on this journey. He ensures you know something of the path before you set off. These brief paragraphs are excellent at setting your mindset as to better understand what is to come.
Never before have I reread so many individual lines. Some, for understanding, and yet others for their simple genius. You will find yourself accidentally skimming parts of these excerpts as you fail to connect to anything being said - then one line later you have an 'Oh' moment and are flicking back two pages.
Throughout this book I felt frustrated at my own ignorance - endless reference to books I have yet to read, historical and cultural references that have no meaning to me - it is very easy to put this book down, as I did on multiple occasions. Yet, stick with it. The reward is not of the typical literary fashion, and is quite inexplicable. I believe Moriarity wrote this book not as a set of instructions, but as a diary of his own journey to enlightenment. I leave this with more questions than answers and a reading list twice the previous length, and I think this is the point of his work. To gently push us to our own version of Tenebrae and self actualisation.
Moriarty's view of the world is one we could all benefit from. 'Here now, forever, I rejoicingly let go of needs for an empirical experience of God' - I think every reader will start rethinking their own understanding of and relationship with religion (of any kind). To stop and smell the roses, as such. I think he knows that everyone has a Torc mountain - it's just a matter of fully recognising it.
It is fitting I finished this book on Good Friday, and I will definitely be more aware of the nature that surrounds me. Unconsciously seeking my own handshake with a Hawk.
'Buddh Gaians on Buddh Gaia'
Moriarity sets you down a wandering path. Every few pages you'll find yourself lost and unsure - then, in a single line of poetic reasoning, you will turn around and the previous uncertainty will be washed away with the view he has presented. Martin Shaw's chapter introductions serve as road marks on this journey. He ensures you know something of the path before you set off. These brief paragraphs are excellent at setting your mindset as to better understand what is to come.
Never before have I reread so many individual lines. Some, for understanding, and yet others for their simple genius. You will find yourself accidentally skimming parts of these excerpts as you fail to connect to anything being said - then one line later you have an 'Oh' moment and are flicking back two pages.
Throughout this book I felt frustrated at my own ignorance - endless reference to books I have yet to read, historical and cultural references that have no meaning to me - it is very easy to put this book down, as I did on multiple occasions. Yet, stick with it. The reward is not of the typical literary fashion, and is quite inexplicable. I believe Moriarity wrote this book not as a set of instructions, but as a diary of his own journey to enlightenment. I leave this with more questions than answers and a reading list twice the previous length, and I think this is the point of his work. To gently push us to our own version of Tenebrae and self actualisation.
Moriarty's view of the world is one we could all benefit from. 'Here now, forever, I rejoicingly let go of needs for an empirical experience of God' - I think every reader will start rethinking their own understanding of and relationship with religion (of any kind). To stop and smell the roses, as such. I think he knows that everyone has a Torc mountain - it's just a matter of fully recognising it.
It is fitting I finished this book on Good Friday, and I will definitely be more aware of the nature that surrounds me. Unconsciously seeking my own handshake with a Hawk.
'Buddh Gaians on Buddh Gaia'
June 11, 2023
"Beauty and Trouble" seems apt. I love Shaw's writing, but this is very much a treasury of Moriarty's work, gathered into sections with brief introductions. I wasn't at all familiar with Moriarty's work, I've tried listening to some of the audios available online but my auditory processing disorder makes it a real struggle to comprehend and keep up with what he's saying. However, having read it, I'm not sure I'd comprehend much of it anyway! He references so much, so widely, that to understand - to begin to understand - would mean typing phrase after phrase into Google and diving down exploratory rabbit holes to gather enough information to attempt to piece together what he might mean. Which I tried, but Google didn't actually recognise the word "vajrasatvically" so my poor beleaguered brain gave up on the idea.
While Shaw would no doubt encourage readers to dive in and study hard, I'm just not in that place and doubt I will ever be. I need things to be easier. Life is hard enough, and my once ferociously intelligent mind appears to have run out of RAM and is now chugging along like a dehydrated hedgehog. For this to work for me, I'd essentially need much more of a translation into simpler terms, an explanation of what's being said because so much of it just didn't chime for me. Part of that also stems perhaps from differing world views, or merely different life experiences - being female means that none of the phallus-sword//vagina-sheath/wound worked for me at all. Heresy I know, but the Fisher King story isn't the monomyth for me, it doesn't float my goat in the same way it does for Shaw.
It's a pity, I was hoping for more spiritual sustenance than I found in this. Other readers with more RAM and sleek, fully-hydrated pumas for brains, may have more success.
While Shaw would no doubt encourage readers to dive in and study hard, I'm just not in that place and doubt I will ever be. I need things to be easier. Life is hard enough, and my once ferociously intelligent mind appears to have run out of RAM and is now chugging along like a dehydrated hedgehog. For this to work for me, I'd essentially need much more of a translation into simpler terms, an explanation of what's being said because so much of it just didn't chime for me. Part of that also stems perhaps from differing world views, or merely different life experiences - being female means that none of the phallus-sword//vagina-sheath/wound worked for me at all. Heresy I know, but the Fisher King story isn't the monomyth for me, it doesn't float my goat in the same way it does for Shaw.
It's a pity, I was hoping for more spiritual sustenance than I found in this. Other readers with more RAM and sleek, fully-hydrated pumas for brains, may have more success.
March 7, 2023
A profoundly strange book. As with any prophetic person, there's a lot here that is just unintelligible. I even think that some of it might be rubbish masquerading as wisdom.
But every once in a while, there are thoughts and images of such piercing beauty and clarity, that it makes the torturous journey of reading this book actually worth it.
But every once in a while, there are thoughts and images of such piercing beauty and clarity, that it makes the torturous journey of reading this book actually worth it.
June 6, 2025
Frustrating. Frightening. Freeing. Fantastic.
A books that’s difficult to read in both a literal sense and a metaphorical sense; difficult to digest even. Alas, that is the beauty of it. The onus is on the reader. John trusts you. And he recognises that to learn, one must put in the work. And that’s exactly what this book is - work. Shy away from it at your peril though.
A books that’s difficult to read in both a literal sense and a metaphorical sense; difficult to digest even. Alas, that is the beauty of it. The onus is on the reader. John trusts you. And he recognises that to learn, one must put in the work. And that’s exactly what this book is - work. Shy away from it at your peril though.
September 26, 2021
Not as dry as most contemporary philosophy, thankfully. But still too dry for me at times. I still greatly appreciate the efforts of those who made this book happen.
December 29, 2021
Interesting, if a bit sprawling introduction to the great Irish mystic and philosopher, John Moriarty. Recommended to anyone interested on mysticism, myth and storytelling.
January 27, 2025
Absolutely gorgeous. I'll be returning to this one for years and years. "In that divine darkness, the fishing was good" might just be the best chapter of any book I've ever read.
September 24, 2025
Just as good upon second read. I gained some new insights.
August 22, 2023
This was a mad book, and honestly, I don't know what to make of it. I didn't get a lot of the references but what I did understand, I enjoyed.
September 16, 2023
Humbling. I think I understood about 20% of this book but I loved it! Martin Shaw's chapter introductions are great (and helpful) too.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews