Protestant Boy

by Geoffrey Beattie

Geoffrey Beattie grew up in the notorious "murder triangle" in North Belfast, where during 30 years of the Troubles more than 600 people were killed. Many of his childhood friends ended up dead or in prison, while Beattie himself moved to England, at first to study and eventually to build a highly successful career as a psychologist. On a visit home to see his ailing mother, Beattie began to explore his Ulster Protestant ancestry and to reflect on the unfashionable and little understood Protestant community. His search takes him to the trenches of the Somme, to the Plantation villages of Ulster, and to Drumcree for the Orange march. And it also takes him deeper into his mother's character?at the heart of the book is an extraordinarily vivid portrait of this opinionated, witty, exasperating Ulsterwoman. Protestant Boy is an honest, beautifully written book about the stories that families and cultures tell themselves, and about the silences that they leave behind.

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[David Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but I have read some of his other books and he was one of my Psychology lecturers in my first year at sheffield so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me as well.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this in a charity shop in Ireland and gave it a go.
I'm interested by what he had to say as i was born there.
Has obviously done a lot of research into his family life in Belfast.
He gives a very honest opinion of life during the troubles.

[Gary Knapton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A psychologist and writer and Irishman in exile explores his family tree. Saying goodbye to Mum is a warm and moving sub narrative. This is also an investigation into how semantics and linguistics perpetuate hostile momentum and the inertia of war. Sublime. Wonderful. Bravo Geoff!