Ask the Author: Brian O'Sullivan
Answered Questions (11)
Brian O'Sullivan
Who keeps taking my single socks and what nefarious uses are they being put to?
Brian O'Sullivan
Sure, Goodreads. That'll be $50 in advance. Cheers!
Brian O'Sullivan
Hi Wayne
I have two books - one's the first in a series called 'The Beara Trilogy' set in 1960s and 1990s Ireland (Wes Cork). That's a kind of mythological detective thriller but only the first of the three is published at the moment. The other's a collection of short stores called The Irish Muse.
Have to admit the 2nd century stuff has been taking up most of my time these last few years.
I have two books - one's the first in a series called 'The Beara Trilogy' set in 1960s and 1990s Ireland (Wes Cork). That's a kind of mythological detective thriller but only the first of the three is published at the moment. The other's a collection of short stores called The Irish Muse.
Have to admit the 2nd century stuff has been taking up most of my time these last few years.
Brian O'Sullivan
Hi Roy. It's been available in the UK since June. Amazon have had some tech issues over the last few months that ended up hiding a lot of books in different stores but the best way to find it is to click onto the author page and it should turn up there. If that still doesn't work. just let me know.
Cheers
Brian
Cheers
Brian
Brian O'Sullivan
Why Fionn is the greatest hero!
Hi Jordan.
This is, of course, something of a nonsense argument on my part as any decision on ‘better’ is entirely a matter of personal preference (and, therefore, completely subjective). Both the Fenian Cycle (Fionn) and the Ulster Cycle (Cú Chulainn) are recognised bodies of literature that have a number of similar patterns but my view is that Fionn was the greatest Irish hero simply because the Fenian Cycle is a lot more natural and has a greater sense of cultural authenticity.
It’s generally agreed that the Fenian Cycle remained peripheral to the written culture in Ireland between the 7th -12th century (mostly dominated by the church and later by the Normans and Gaelic lords). The stories were believed to have been predominantly transmitted orally through the generations until collected and put into written form in the 12th century.
The Ulster Cycle by contrast, was very much written for the dominant classes (feudal lords) by their literati. The professional writers of these lords were very familiar with international narratives such as the Illiad, the manuscripts on Alexander the Great, the Bible stories and so on, and these strongly influenced what they wrote. You can clearly see the influence of the Illiad in the Ulster Cycle, for example, by the fact that they’re all ‘hooning around’ in chariots, something that all the evidence indicates was highly unlikely given the forested and flooded terrain. Chariots might have worked well in the arid, flat sections of Asia Minor but they’d have bogged down fast in down-town Emhain Macha.
Anyway, that’s my ten cents worth!
Hi Jordan.
This is, of course, something of a nonsense argument on my part as any decision on ‘better’ is entirely a matter of personal preference (and, therefore, completely subjective). Both the Fenian Cycle (Fionn) and the Ulster Cycle (Cú Chulainn) are recognised bodies of literature that have a number of similar patterns but my view is that Fionn was the greatest Irish hero simply because the Fenian Cycle is a lot more natural and has a greater sense of cultural authenticity.
It’s generally agreed that the Fenian Cycle remained peripheral to the written culture in Ireland between the 7th -12th century (mostly dominated by the church and later by the Normans and Gaelic lords). The stories were believed to have been predominantly transmitted orally through the generations until collected and put into written form in the 12th century.
The Ulster Cycle by contrast, was very much written for the dominant classes (feudal lords) by their literati. The professional writers of these lords were very familiar with international narratives such as the Illiad, the manuscripts on Alexander the Great, the Bible stories and so on, and these strongly influenced what they wrote. You can clearly see the influence of the Illiad in the Ulster Cycle, for example, by the fact that they’re all ‘hooning around’ in chariots, something that all the evidence indicates was highly unlikely given the forested and flooded terrain. Chariots might have worked well in the arid, flat sections of Asia Minor but they’d have bogged down fast in down-town Emhain Macha.
Anyway, that’s my ten cents worth!
Brian O'Sullivan
Hi Lara. Essentially, I just haven't had the time to update the new covers for the paperbacks. I totally get your preferences for the matching copies so, yeas, I'll be doing that before Christmas. :)
Brian O'Sullivan
All the books left over from last years TBR pile which I never got to!!!
Brian O'Sullivan
Matt! Que c'est chouette, mon vieux! How tough has it been? I don't know where to start! My wife left me as she couldn't cope with the writing hours I was doing. Social security came and took the kids two years ago (last I heard they were working in a coal mine in Invercargill).
I recently got OOS in my left wrist from the hours of typing and I'm blind in one eye from screen blur. So far, I've received 234 rejection letters (ah, no, the postman's just arrived - 235!), the bank are threatening to evict me from my house and last night my dog eloped with the neighbour's Chihuahua.
But, you know? I feel it's all worthwhile. Everybody respects me now I'm a published author!
Heh heh. Seriously though, email me through the Irish Imbas Books website with your contact details and let's catch up. Been way too long, Matt.
And I still need to know what happened after the cookies in the Palais du Justice!
I recently got OOS in my left wrist from the hours of typing and I'm blind in one eye from screen blur. So far, I've received 234 rejection letters (ah, no, the postman's just arrived - 235!), the bank are threatening to evict me from my house and last night my dog eloped with the neighbour's Chihuahua.
But, you know? I feel it's all worthwhile. Everybody respects me now I'm a published author!
Heh heh. Seriously though, email me through the Irish Imbas Books website with your contact details and let's catch up. Been way too long, Matt.
And I still need to know what happened after the cookies in the Palais du Justice!
Brian O'Sullivan
I have about three draft chapters written and the outline's in my head but with the pressure on to deliver with the Fionn series I had to focus my limited time there instead. The Beara books are a lot harder and take more time to write - probably a full year (plus) at least. I will finish the trilogy but it might have to wait until the Fionn series and one or two other projects are done.
Brian O'Sullivan
Hi Teddy. The Fear Gorta is really more folklore than mythology - certainly any reference to the term dates from after the Great Famine (1845-1852-ish) so it's not very old. Many people believe its a mistranslation of the Irish term for Hungry Grass ('féar gortach' as opposed to 'fear gortach') and is actually a 'false' term. I think the original reference may have come from WB Yeats which makes me believe that's probably true (Yeats knew very little about Irish mythology/folklore and made a lot up). There are no credible sources of the term that I personally know of unfortunately. Sorry, not much help.
Brian O'Sullivan
Do you mean why they're fictional or why they're a couple? Come on, Goodreads! :)
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