The Last House of Ulster
CBC Books | CBC | Posted: March 16, 2017 8:56 PM | Last Updated: March 17, 2017
Charles Foran
In the 1970s, Charles Foran met the McNallys, a Catholic family living in Belfast. Many years and many trips later, Foran came to see their home as a window onto the often violent and volatile world of Northern Ireland. First published to great acclaim in 1995, The Last House of Ulster continues to resonate with readers today. This is the story of Mairtin, arrested at 20 as a member of the IRA, of his sister Patricia who, dazed and exhausted, approaches a soldier and demands that he lower his gun, and of gentle Sean, who grows up knowing that he must leave Belfast. Most of all, this is the story of James and Maureen McNally, who struggle to hold on to their own hopes and dreams while raising their family in a war-torn country. (From HarperCollins Canada)
From the book
Did I remember how to get to the McNally house? I remembered the promontory of a mountain that backdropped a lower North Belfast suburb. I remembered a neighbourhood along the western slope of the mountain, a tree-lined street in the heart of the neighbourhood, a red-brick house near the middle blocks of the street. I remembered the low fence and gated driveway outside the house, the curtained bay windows and red panelled door facing the road. I remembered every room behind the windows and door, every stick of furniture in each of the rooms. The ring of the telephone. The aroma of the fire. The taste of grilled potato bread.
From The Last House of Ulster by Charles Foran ©1995. Published by HarperCollins Canada.