Midlife Irish: Discovering My Family and Myself

by Frank Gannon

If Bill Bryson set off for Ireland to discover his roots, then you'd have MIDLIFE IRISH--an illuminating, entertaining, and heartwarming look at one man's search for where--and who--he came from. Irish-American. What does this vague term really mean? Millions of people describe themselves as Irish-American, but beyond celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a drunken zeal, how many of them know really anything about their cultural ancestry? It is this curiosity that got the better of Frank Gannon--the son of a couple of straight-off-the-boat Irish immigrants. His mother and father, who never spoke about life on the Emerald Isle, raised him in New Jersey, thousands of miles from Ireland. But after both his parents passed away, he realized he knew nothing about whom they really were and where they came from--and in effect, where he came from. Now at the half-way point in his life, Gannon decided to fill in the blanks. He embarked on a journey to Planet Green and slowly pieced together the lives of his parents. Before long, he discovered much about his mother and father, and just as much about himself. At times funny, poignant, and heartbreaking, MIDLIFE IRISH draws on the universal themes of love, loss, and laughter that have kept the Irish both miserable and happy--often at the same time--throughout the years. This story of one man's search for his cultural identity will have phones ringing off the hook at the Irish Board of Tourism, as readers will want to take off

Genres: Ireland, Nonfiction, Travel, Biography, Memoir

Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warm, witty, affecting. A lovely memoir.

[Margie Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book if u have an Irish background. Author Frank Gannon has a great Irish sense of humor and I LOL'd at many of his descriptions of Irishness, which really hit home for me. During the book I wanted to jump on the next boat to Ireland, still do.

I didn't want their journey, or mine , to end.

[Armelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The random "quotation" marks every other "sentence" really distracted me from Frank Gannon's "tale" of finding his Irish "roots."

[Gerry Durisin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about Gannon's writing -- too flip, too many non-sequiturs -- annoyed me throughout most of this book, but I stuck with it, and was pleased with the ending of his memoir, and with the overall impression of his trip to Ireland and his search for information about his parents' pasts.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If You Know, You Know....thanks Frank!

[Lauren Roche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect light read on the history of Ireland. Very funny and sweet. I loved reading about his parents.

[Meg Metzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book super enjoyable. Frank's Irish humor made me laugh out loud as I turned the pages...not the whole book, but definitely many lol moments. His truth when having the "disagreement day" with his wife in Athlone cracked me up, because we all have those days when traveling with a loved one for an extended period of time. I was glad that they took the first part of their trip to just amble and enjoy the island because that's the best part of traveling in Ireland. No turn is a wrong turn because there is always something pretty to see. (I just got back from my 10th trip) (Family there). Growing up as an Irish Catholic I could relate to so much of what he said about his childhood and his parents proclivities. I remember my Dad rejecting Angela's Ashes because Frank McCourt made the Irish look dirty and poor. My assessment then was that it hit too close to home about his parent's childhoods and he didn't want to associate with that (a message he took on board from his parents). Like other reviewers, I didn't want his adventures in Ireland to end because I loved hearing all about his travels. Loved the book and if he wrote more, I would read those, too!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is mostly a light-hearted series of observations about Ireland, some of them kind of thought-provoking. What nudges the book beyond that are his memories of his Irish parents and the way they were so different from everyone around them. The author grew up with a disconnect between his parents' Irishness (holy water fonts in every room of the house, potatoes all the time) and his parents' unwillingness to talk about their lives in Ireland. He goes to Ireland to finally tie up the loose ends. All in all, a pleasant, humorous, and sometimes sad read.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Dad was 1st generation Irish born in America. I loved the book. The author goes to Ireland to seek his roots..........mostly funny, but sad realities and memories are uncovered. His tender understanding of his Mother's hurt from childhood really touched me. He is darn funny, too! Loved this book.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

(book club choice & personal) second time reading this - author grew up in NJ, parents from Ireland. Enjoyable quirky humor. I never read a book twice - first read about 5 years ago, then it was my choice for the month for book club

no audio book available

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I could relate, and found myself laughing out loud through most of it! His trip to Ireland to find where his parents were born and raised was an amazing experience, finding "home." A joy!

[Peter OBrien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Understanding Irishnesss

I often wondered why I felt so at home visiting Ireland. It’s nice to know that I am not alone in this. I’ve often said that the feeling is like being in on the local joke and accepted for who you are.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed it purely because I enjoy reading about my Irish heritage. Wouldn't recommend it to my non-Irish friends as the book/ writing style is not terribly engrossing.

[Karen Fiandaca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read especially for those of Irish descent and who have been to Ireland.

[NuNu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found many areas of Frank Gannon's memories of his parents which could have been written about my Irish relations who had come to America from the "Old Country"

[Regina DeVos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading MIDLIFE IRISH. I really enjoyed; it was a nice memoir of the author finding his roots in Ireland.