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Irish Male Trilogy #1
The Secret World Of The Irish Male
Book by O'Connor, Joseph
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Joseph O'Connor
105 books631 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin. He is the author of the novels Cowboys and Indians (short-listed for the Whitbread Prize), Desperadoes , The Salesman , Inishowen , Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls , as well as a number of bestselling works of non-fiction.
He was recently voted ‘Irish Writer of the Decade’ by the readers of Hot Press magazine. He broadcasts a popular weekly radio diary on RTE’s Drivetime With Mary Wilson and writes regularly for The Guardian Review and The Sunday Independent. In 2009 he was the Harman Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Baruch College, the City University of New York.
Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin. He is the author of the novels Cowboys and Indians (short-listed for the Whitbread Prize), Desperadoes , The Salesman , Inishowen , Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls , as well as a number of bestselling works of non-fiction.
He was recently voted ‘Irish Writer of the Decade’ by the readers of Hot Press magazine. He broadcasts a popular weekly radio diary on RTE’s Drivetime With Mary Wilson and writes regularly for The Guardian Review and The Sunday Independent. In 2009 he was the Harman Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Baruch College, the City University of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 22, 2021
This came out in 1994, and a lot of its cultural references are very dated, so I don't think it will find any new audiences. I was surprised how acerbic and uproariously funny Joseph O'Connor can be. Truly, he has the gift of the gab. So far, I have read two novels of his, but they were about very serious topics and nowhere near as comical as this.
I really didn't know what to expect from this book, and the blurb was no help at all. The first chapter was hilarious and very self-deprecating, so I thought this was going to be a sort of memoirs. Hence the title. Then it turned out to be a collection of loosely connected essays, which were, all in all, a very mixed bag.
Some were extremely absorbing, others were laugh-out-loud funny albeit rather pointless (such as covering the football world cup experience, or interviewing Billy Idol). I loved his observations about Anglo Irish literature, which was his university major (mine, too), and the author really knows his stuff. His story of an encounter with a young Irish homeless man in London made me cry. The interview with Terry Waite was an insightful and worthwhile read. Occasional references to his sister were also quite amusing (if you know who his sister is).
Nevertheless, the collection also had a fair share of very meh chapters.
Two essays will stay in in mind, however. His opinions concerning religion were very much up my alley; the other one, well, Mr O'Connor does not seem to hold the English in very high regard. More than 20 years prior to Brexit, he wrote a chapter about English xenophobia, and it rings very true. "Sometimes, you see, when I lived over in London, I couldn't help getting the feeling that England was headed for very big trouble." Indeed.
The author has published three more books on his "secret Irish world", the last one in 2001, but nothing since. I'd be curious to find out how he perceives the Irish situation these days, and I'd love to read an update.
I really didn't know what to expect from this book, and the blurb was no help at all. The first chapter was hilarious and very self-deprecating, so I thought this was going to be a sort of memoirs. Hence the title. Then it turned out to be a collection of loosely connected essays, which were, all in all, a very mixed bag.
Some were extremely absorbing, others were laugh-out-loud funny albeit rather pointless (such as covering the football world cup experience, or interviewing Billy Idol). I loved his observations about Anglo Irish literature, which was his university major (mine, too), and the author really knows his stuff. His story of an encounter with a young Irish homeless man in London made me cry. The interview with Terry Waite was an insightful and worthwhile read. Occasional references to his sister were also quite amusing (if you know who his sister is).
Nevertheless, the collection also had a fair share of very meh chapters.
Two essays will stay in in mind, however. His opinions concerning religion were very much up my alley; the other one, well, Mr O'Connor does not seem to hold the English in very high regard. More than 20 years prior to Brexit, he wrote a chapter about English xenophobia, and it rings very true. "Sometimes, you see, when I lived over in London, I couldn't help getting the feeling that England was headed for very big trouble." Indeed.
The author has published three more books on his "secret Irish world", the last one in 2001, but nothing since. I'd be curious to find out how he perceives the Irish situation these days, and I'd love to read an update.
November 29, 2025
Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...
Well, I'm a Greek woman but this is a collection of articles/essays on various issues so it's not necessary to be an Irish Male to read it and appreciate it. On the other hand it was first published around 1994/1995 and some topics are very time and place specific and the book hasn't age that well.
I liked the author's humor on some chapters and I found his point of view and/or experiences interesting, especially on subjects such as Irish writing and writters or the tourism appeal of the heritage of James Joyce or attending the Football World Cup of 1994 in USA among the Irish fans. Some chapters on how he met and interviewed people like Billy Idol or David Byrne felt irrelevant to me.
All in all it was a fine read to pass the time with, but I think there is a reason you'll not find new editions of it around. One of those books that makes sense when first published, but won't stand the test of time!
Συλλογή άρθρων για πολλά και διαφορετικά θέματα. Πρωτοεκδόθηκε το 1994. Αν και δεν χρειάζεται να είσαι Ιρλανδός ή γένους αρσενικού για να το διαβάσεις, αρκετά θέματα που τότε ήταν επίκαιρα και βγάζαν νόημα πλέον είναι ξεπερασμένα.
Μου άρεσε το χιούμορ του συγγραφέα σε κάποια κεφάλαια καθώς και οι απόψεις του ή απλά οι εμπειρίες του σχετικά με το που πάει η Ιρλανδική λογοτεχνία, το κατά πόσο η ιδέα μεγάλων συγγραφέων όπως ο James Joyce έχει ξεπεράσει κατα πολύ την ίδια την λογοτεχνική αξία των έργων του, οι εμπειρίες του από το Μουντιάλ του 1994 στην Αμερική ανάμεσα στους Ιρλανδούς οπαδούς, κάποιες αναφορές στα πεταχτά στα αδέρφια του και ειδικά στην μακαρίτισσα πλέον Sinéad κτλ. Άλλα κεφάλαια ειδικά με συνεντεύξεις με άτομα όπως πχ ο Billy Idol με άφησαν αδιάφορη.
Εντάξει να περάσει κανείς την ώρα του, αλλά υπάρχει λόγος που δεν υπάρχουν πρόσφατες επανεκδόσεις του βιβλίου...
Well, I'm a Greek woman but this is a collection of articles/essays on various issues so it's not necessary to be an Irish Male to read it and appreciate it. On the other hand it was first published around 1994/1995 and some topics are very time and place specific and the book hasn't age that well.
I liked the author's humor on some chapters and I found his point of view and/or experiences interesting, especially on subjects such as Irish writing and writters or the tourism appeal of the heritage of James Joyce or attending the Football World Cup of 1994 in USA among the Irish fans. Some chapters on how he met and interviewed people like Billy Idol or David Byrne felt irrelevant to me.
All in all it was a fine read to pass the time with, but I think there is a reason you'll not find new editions of it around. One of those books that makes sense when first published, but won't stand the test of time!
Συλλογή άρθρων για πολλά και διαφορετικά θέματα. Πρωτοεκδόθηκε το 1994. Αν και δεν χρειάζεται να είσαι Ιρλανδός ή γένους αρσενικού για να το διαβάσεις, αρκετά θέματα που τότε ήταν επίκαιρα και βγάζαν νόημα πλέον είναι ξεπερασμένα.
Μου άρεσε το χιούμορ του συγγραφέα σε κάποια κεφάλαια καθώς και οι απόψεις του ή απλά οι εμπειρίες του σχετικά με το που πάει η Ιρλανδική λογοτεχνία, το κατά πόσο η ιδέα μεγάλων συγγραφέων όπως ο James Joyce έχει ξεπεράσει κατα πολύ την ίδια την λογοτεχνική αξία των έργων του, οι εμπειρίες του από το Μουντιάλ του 1994 στην Αμερική ανάμεσα στους Ιρλανδούς οπαδούς, κάποιες αναφορές στα πεταχτά στα αδέρφια του και ειδικά στην μακαρίτισσα πλέον Sinéad κτλ. Άλλα κεφάλαια ειδικά με συνεντεύξεις με άτομα όπως πχ ο Billy Idol με άφησαν αδιάφορη.
Εντάξει να περάσει κανείς την ώρα του, αλλά υπάρχει λόγος που δεν υπάρχουν πρόσφατες επανεκδόσεις του βιβλίου...
September 24, 2024
At times uproariously funny, at times boorish, and at other times boring, this uneven collection of essays has not aged terribly well and many of the cultural references would only resonate with residents of Eire, but there are some memorable pieces, such as the "Me and Jesus" bit, his interview with David Byrne, and his remarks on James Joyce and Roddy Doyle. A lot of other readers seemed to enjoy the lengthy, concluding piece on coming the US for the World Cup in 1994 (?) with a bunch of Irish fans, but I found it rather tedious and felt he was trying too hard for a laugh in every paragraph, so for me it was a concluding thump rather than a bang. Still and all, an entertaining read.
November 28, 2024
I frequently take this 1994 book off the shelf to read the chapters about World Cup USA 1994 where the author "embeds" with the Irish Soccer fans following the team.
I dare anyone to read out loud the passages set in Disneyland Florida - without having to stop and wipe the tears of laughter from their eyes.
The interaction of hungover middle-aged & male Irish Soccer fans with the "have a nice day" attitude of the Disney host gives new truth to the phrase - People separated by a Common Language.
I dare anyone to read out loud the passages set in Disneyland Florida - without having to stop and wipe the tears of laughter from their eyes.
The interaction of hungover middle-aged & male Irish Soccer fans with the "have a nice day" attitude of the Disney host gives new truth to the phrase - People separated by a Common Language.
October 26, 2018
Another hilarious reads from Joseph O'Connor.
April 9, 2025
Gave up! Too many good books to read! Started out promising then became boring quite quickly
August 24, 2021
Very funny!
May 18, 2011
I read this thru this collection of ramblings, skipping the boring parts.
Some parts of the book are funny, but there are too many chapters I just skipped. Like the ones of James Joyce and the worldcup (just because he is Irish, does he have to cover all the Irish topics out there, in the same book?)
The reviews at Amazon for this book are rather amusing. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-World-...
The rating is for the the funny parts - they saved the rest of this. Would still make a nice travel read or something to enjoy a few pages or a chapter at a time, especially for the homesick Irish out there.
Some parts of the book are funny, but there are too many chapters I just skipped. Like the ones of James Joyce and the worldcup (just because he is Irish, does he have to cover all the Irish topics out there, in the same book?)
The reviews at Amazon for this book are rather amusing. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-World-...
The rating is for the the funny parts - they saved the rest of this. Would still make a nice travel read or something to enjoy a few pages or a chapter at a time, especially for the homesick Irish out there.
March 15, 2012
Like any essay collection, this is very hit or miss. But the World Cup Diary at the end is utterly charming. These essays were written in 1994 and they feel very much like a time capsule. I really loved the interview with David Byrne (of the Talking Heads), and it made me wish there was more just straight ahead journalism in the book. (On an interesting side note, his sister is Sinead O'Connor - the crazy singer of "Nothing Compares 2 U" and she does come up a couple of times.)
July 12, 2012
This had the contents of a nice 100 page collection - the rest were just page-fillers unfortunately. The piece on the World Cup was fantastic however, as were the chapter of interviews (particularly with Terry Waite and David Byrne). I'd recommend skipping the rest and going to the ending for these.
August 10, 2015
A collection of stories and musings which started strong but was a little tedious after a while so I found myself skimming through a lot of it. It wasn't badly written by any means it's just that at over 20 years old a lot of the humour and references seemed dated.
I prefer O'connors fictional work.
I prefer O'connors fictional work.
January 21, 2009
Funny but always with a twist
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November 9, 2010I remember laughing, but that's about it.
July 1, 2012
Occasional writings from the early 1990s collected and loosely themed. Often hilarious, O'Connor superbly captures the spirit of both time and place.
July 19, 2012
Simply a hoot! One of those books that had me laughing out loud in public places.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews