By John O’Brien, Jr.
@Jobjr
The Elephant of Belfast
By S. Kirk Walsh
Counterpoint Press ISBN: 978-1-64009-511-3. 320 Pages
This national bestseller has such an unusual storyline, I just had to get it. I was fortunate enough to meet and spend some time with author S. Kirk Walsh at the Irish Echo Arts & Culture Awards in April; with her warmth, personality, and soft-spoken stories, I knew the book would be great.
It is. In the novel, it is 1941, just after the start of World War II. The zoo where 20-year-old Ms. Hettie Quin is the first and only female zookeeper, is at the center of the story’s physical place. The emotional place is many years and hurts in the making.
Hettie is on deck, waiting with the Zoo Manager and the owner for the three-year old, orphaned elephant named Violet to arrive from India, the newest member of Belfast’s Bellevue Zoo. They are all nervous, scared of things going wrong, and hopeful that Violet will be a boon for the zoo.
“As she pushed sweaty strands of hair form her eyes, she took in the sight overhead – a young elephant being maneuvered through the air. A crane and a system of chains and pulleys elevated the animal from the deck of the moored steamship. The elephant’s trunk coiled up and then unfurled like an open fist. There was a hollow trumpet call. The crowd – women, men, children, sailors, dockworkers – let out a collective gasp, their gazes following the orchestrated movements of the hoisting operation…”
That is just the beginning of this novel, but not the beginning of the story, nor is the story a work of fiction. It was inspired by the true story, in that time and place, and thoroughly researched and recalled by author. The Elephant of Belfast was inspired by some of the life of Denise Austin, who was also called “The Elephant Angel,” and who was, in fact, the first female zookeeper at the Belleview Zoo in Belfast.
Hettie was abandoned by her father, lost her sister as she gave birth to Hettie’s niece Maeve, would then lose her mother in the Belfast Blitz … Hettie and Violet work together, survive and find comfort together, as Hettie realizes that, Violet; Ferris, another friend in the story; Maeve; and Hettie herself … all the survivors central to her life, are now orphans. Yet perhaps they are all closer than many – left alone and drawn together by trials and courage, the IRA, bombs and the breaking hearts all around them.
The Elephant of Belfast is a wonderful story, featuring characters shaped by our times, our trials, and in the end, our triumphs. The Elephant of Belfast is available through Counterpoint Books and S. Kirk Walsh’s https://www.skirkwalsh.com website. It is Highly Recommended.
Bláth na hÓige Self-Titled Album from TG4
12 Tracks, 45 minutes. 2023 Gael Linn Records and most digital platforms.
Gael Linn, Aniar TV and TG4 released Bláth na hÓige (Flowr of Youth), a digital album based on the TG4 programme of the same name. The Irish language sean-nós song tradition is an integral part of Ireland’s musical and cultural heritage.
The hugely successful TG4 series features eight young singers at an emergent point of their musical lives. Here on the digital release, 10 musicians blend beautifully.
They collaborate under the musical direction of acclaimed sean-nós singer and musician Síle Denvir, 2023 recipient of Gradam Ceoil TG4, and the illustrious fiddle player Colm Mac Con Iomaire, at Stiúideo Cuan in Connemara, to develop their own understanding of the sean-nós tradition. Bláth na hÓige emerged from this creative retreat.
Gael Linn, Aniar TV and TG4 released Bláth na hÓige (Flowr of Youth), a digital album based on the TG4 programme of the same name. The Irish language sean-nós song tradition is an integral part of Ireland’s musical and cultural heritage.
The hugely successful TG4 series features eight young singers at an emergent point of their musical lives. Here on the digital release, 10 musicians blend beautifully.
They collaborate under the musical direction of acclaimed sean-nós singer and musician Síle Denvir, 2023 recipient of Gradam Ceoil TG4, and the illustrious fiddle player Colm Mac Con Iomaire, at Stiúideo Cuan in Connemara, to develop their own understanding of the sean-nós tradition. Bláth na hÓige emerged from this creative retreat.
Performers:
Colm Mac Con Iomaire: Fidil / Fiddle; Síle Denvir: Amhránaíocht, cláirseach/ Vocals, harp; Séamus Ó Flatharta: Amhránaíocht, cláirseach, bodhrán / Vocals, harp, bodhrán; Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta: Amhránaíocht, fidil / Vocals, fiddle; Máire Ní Churraoin: Amhránaíocht / Vocals; Étáin Ní Churraoin: Amhránaíocht / Vocals; Cathal Ó Curráin: Amhránaíocht, bouzouki, fidil/ Vocals, bouzouki, fiddle; Méabh Ní Bheaglaoich: Amhránaíocht, bosca ceoil, bouzouki, harmonium / Vocals, accordion, bouzouki, armóin; Piaras Ó Lorcáin: Amhránaíocht, bouzouki, bodhrán/ Vocals, bouzouki, bodhrán; Megan Nic Ruairí: Amhránaíocht, piano, harmonium / Vocals, piano, armóin.
Powerful vocals and stories from the start recall Moya Brennen’s beautiful, haunting work in the Last of the Mohicans. Solos mix with full ensembles as songs and tunes range from joyful to lament, perhaps even the fading recognition of how much the sean-nos tradition has impacted Irish music, worldwide, without the accolades it much deserves. Irish fluency is not required to enjoy, assimilate and be moved by this ground-breaking work. Bláth na hÓige is a marvelous, superb work, an education in the tradition and culture of Ireland, still going strong, but welcoming of a new vibrancy too.
Song Credits/ Teidil chreidiúna
Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 trad. arranged by Bláth na hÓige / Traiceanna 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 Traidisiúnta, cóirithe ag Bláth na hÓige; Track 3 ‘Seoltaí Geala’ Comp. Proinsias Ó Maonaigh / Traic 3 ‘Seoltaí Geala’ Cum. Proinsias Ó Maonaigh; Track 8 ‘Slán Leat’ Comp. Eilín Ní Bheaglaoich / Traic 8 ‘Slán Leat’ Cum. Eilín Ní Bheaglaoich; Track 12 ‘Amhrán na nGael’ Comp. Méabh Ní Bheaglaoich / Traic 12 ‘Amhrán na nGael’ Cum. Méabh Ní BheaglaoichLabel / Lipéad: Gael Linn; Produced by / Léirithe ag: Aniar & Síle Denvir; Recorded in / Taifeadta i: Stiúideo Cuan, An Spidéal; Recorded by / Taifeadta ag: Jack Warnock; Mixed and mastered by / Measctha agus máistrithe ag: Ciarán Byrne; Design / Dearadh: Highwire.
Bláth na hÓige will be available on most digital platforms on the renowned Gael Linn label from https://lnk.fu.ga/blathnahoige
