Me and Nu: childhood at Coole;

by Anne Gregory

Lady Gregory was the cornerstone of the Irish Literary Revival. Legendary, as a hostess at Coole Park in Co. Galway, she was also a prolific author and playwright, and a Director of the Abbey Theatre. Written by one of her grandchildren who was born and raised at Coole, this book gives a new dimension to what we know about a remarkable woman.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published November 23, 1970

Reviews

[Ted Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a memoir of the idyllic childhood of Lady Gregory's two granddaughters on Coole Park, Co Galway, during the second and third decades of the twentieth century.
Although written many years after the events it describes, it captures beautifully the child's view of the world. The First World War and the Irish War of Independence wrought enormous changes in Ireland, but the children, free spirits, roamed the woods of Coole and played their games largely oblivious of the violence and the tragedy surrounding them.

[LuciaMaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely book! And the illustrations were so sweet.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While only the foundations remain of the great house at Coole Park, visitors can still see the walled garden with the copper beech where famous guests were invited to carve their initials after dinner. One of Lady Gregory’s grandchildren tells stories of her childhood at Coole, including stories of her grandmother and other famous Irish writers such as W. B. Yeats and George Bernard Shaw from a child’s perspective. The humorous illustrations nicely supplement the text. But the realities of the class system and politics of the time weave through the stories told by this seemingly naïve voice, foreshadowing the changes to come.