Too much swearing for my tastes. While I have an interest in the Irish, this was not what I expected.

Bit long, but I'll happily browse the book for a log time to come. Not for the faint of heart-there's lots of swearing. Fun tales from the family and I am sure all the descendants will love this book immensely!

As an American of Irish descent who has visited Ireland twice, in the 1980s and 1990s, I felt like this book’s stories, insights, and modern poetry very much reflected the Ireland that I knew back then. These three writers have let us into their worlds, both the ones in which they grow up and the ones they are living in now. I did spend some time in Northern Ireland when The Troubles were making an impact on daily lives in numerous ways; this certainly brings back those struggles and gives them a face and voice (so to speak). This book is not wholly focused on Northern Ireland, but a lot of it is about that small patch of the island. We learn a bit about republic sections of Ireland; we also hear stories from a person who is now a part of modern Irish diaspora. The authors have a way of writing that draws you in, whether narrative or poetic, and I can actually hear the words spoken in an Irish brogue; I think the words make more sense if your brain hears them that way! And it is more engaging. While the contents of this book are not always easy ones, I enjoyed this little literary trip back to Ireland.

Wasn't sure what to expect of this book as I don't know the authors at all. I downloaded it as my husband is half Irish so we hear lots of tales of his family's shenanigans and they are always entertaining.. I'm afraid this wasn't for me, It seems mostly to be about their fathers and how they delight in swearing or saying the wrong thing just for effect. It also read like a local pamphlet that one could pick up in a tourist information centre. I am aware that they said they wrote like they spoke but this just seems too casual for a whole book. It also seemed to be centred around a love for Belfast although one of the authors said he'd actually only ever visited three or four times, being born in California. Perhaps this is aimed at an American market or people who are familiar with the authors but I think I'll keep it in the family as far as good craic is concerned from now on.