Fierce Tears, Frail Deeds

By Dr. Anne Good Forrestal

Writing is, in essence, a solitary pursuit. Writing a historical book during the years of rolling Covid lockdowns of 2020-2021 was even more so, given that the archives and libraries I needed to consult, were closed for long periods of time. 

So, finally late last November I began moving on from editing and correcting proofs to launching my book out into the world, and, in doing so experienced a shock to the system. Suddenly my book, which had been an engrossing and deeply private labour of love for a few years, was now to be read and judged. I felt like a protective mother, hoping my baby would be well received.

On the whole, so far, it has been and I feel pleased not only to get positive comments and feedback but also to hear people engaging with the subject matter of the book, each in their own way and from their own perspectives, sometimes revealing unexpected reactions.

So, what have I been doing since I received my book into my hands at long last, on the morning of Monday 29th November? Suddenly the stressful, dragged out period of waiting was over and the fear that our launch date would arrive with nothing to launch was at an end. My first reaction was huge excitement along with an element of disbelief. We had crossed all the hurdles and achieved our goal. So long as the awful new Omicrom variant of Covid did not intervene to shut us down over the next few days, we could go ahead with our planned evening of celebration in Kenmare the following Friday 3rd December.

My second reaction was a joyous cry of “Oh it looks good” as I saw the result of all the design decisions we made with our wonderful designer, Eamon O’Sullivan of Anchor Studio in Kenmare – decisions on colour, on choice of illustrations, of typeface, of cover and inserts. I was thrilled with the end result as I held the book in my hands and flicked through the pages.

I remembered the two agonizing months of getting the design and layout finalized and especially the stressful waiting to hear from the National Archives who held my grandparents’ documents and photos about getting copies for the book. This process was made much more complicated than usual due to the fact that the staff were restricted to working mainly from home with very limited time actually spent in the place where the collections were stored or accessing the experts who were to produce the high resolution copies which we needed. In the end we had had to wait patiently for weeks for the digitized reproductions of the documents I had selected for my book to arrive. But at last they did come and I could see how good they looked, old papers and photos now looked legible and clear so that they came to life vividly on the pages. It had been worth the wait. Our publisher Lettertec of Cork had done a very good job on a modest budget. I felt very appreciative of all the expertise which lay behind the book I now held in my hands.

And so Friday came and we walked into the Kenmare Butter Market Art Centre, exhausted and excited. Coming through the door and into the old industrial space I found myself emitting a gasp of delight at the massive and beautifully decorated Christmas tree which now dominated our view from its position in the middle of the room and transformed the venue. The BMK staff, Claire and her team had done a wonderful job both with the tree and with the whole space, setting it out café style, thereby turning the social distancing requirement into an asset. Each table glowed with colour and the large room had become surprisingly intimate. It was delightful to see how welcoming the Butter Market now looked as people arrived having travelled through a stormy evening of wind and rain into warmth and shelter. Karen and her team of Senan, Sarah, Colette, Vera and Val put the final touches in place with finesse and fresh flowers, and ensured that there were dedicated places for the speakers, for the purchasing of books and for book signing.

Soon our main guest, Cllr Patrick O’ Connor Scarteen and until recently Mayor of Kerry, arrived and the evening began. There was a steady stream of people coming from miles around, stretching from Castletownbere to our South West to Sneem to our North West. Neither stormy weather nor Covid alarms had stopped our guests from attending and so, despite the restrictions on numbers which we had to impose I was thrilled to see friends from far and wide, especially fellow writers from Kenmare Writers Group and Hungry Hill Writers Group and fellow bibliophiles from our beloved Lauragh Book club. The furthest distance was bravely travelled by my cousin Dr Eileen Forrestal who drove through the stormy weather all the way from her home in Sligo via another cousin’s Cora Whittle’s home in Galway.

And so the next phase of our project was commenced. My book was sent on its way into the world and conversations began about aspects of the content of the book ranging from the value of personal stories in uncovering hidden histories, to finding historical materials in attics and under floor boards, and to the accomplishments of the national Decade of Centenaries due to conclude in 2022.