The Journeyman Tailor

by Gerald Seymour

Undercover in Northern Ireland for the British, Gary Brennard and Cathy Parker struggle to keep their true identities from the residents of County Tyrone, even as the IRA goes to any length to uncover them

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Ireland, Crime, Espionage, Audiobook

349 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Gerald Seymour (born 25 November 1941 in Guildford, Surrey) is a British writer.

The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London. Initially a journalist, he joined ITN in 1963, covering such topics as the Great Train Robbery, Vietnam, Ireland, the Munich Olympics massacre, Germany's Red Army, Italy's Red Brigades and Palestinian militant groups. His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975, and Seymour then became a full-time novelist, living in the West Country. In 1999, he featured in the Oscar-winning television film, One Day in September, which portrayed the Munich Olympics massacre.
Television adaptations have been made of his books Harry's Game, The Glory Boys, The Contract, Red Fox, Field Of Blood, A Line In The Sand and The Waiting Time.

Reviews

[Madhu Madhusudana]

The story is set in the days when Provisional IRA was the most active. It is set in the Altmore mountain of Northern Ireland, a stronghold of a Provo brigade. It concerns Jon Jo Dennelly an IRA terrorist temporarily based in London, He has apparently no misgivings about the innocents getting killed in his bomb attacks. Once the young family of a “target” gets killed instead of the man himself. Another time the intended shooting victim survives and is able to give a good description of the attacker.
The story also concerns Mossie Nugent who is the informer (the Songbird) – he is actually an information officer within the IRA. He is compromised because of his previous record and getting caught while drunk driving. The British Intelligence offers him release from Jail – the price is for him to become a spy, His job is to report the activities to the British. In particular the MI5 wants him to persuade Donnelly to return to home so he can be caught.
It is the job of Cathy Parker a young woman of small stature but extreme toughness and her assistant, the strong but inexperienced Bren to protect Mossie at all costs. To achieve this, Cathy is prepared to go to any lengths – including killing minor operatives, facing extreme dangers herself, and deflecting the suspicion on to other innocent people. A poignant case is that of Patsy Riordan a 19 year old simple man who is picked up by the British for interrogation and dropped back in his hometown 24 hours later. Because, he was unharmed, IRA think he is the informer and torture him. His distraught mother walks from one key operative of IRA to another to plead for his release. Everyone turns away from her telling her that her son needs to be punished. In desperation, she turns to the parish priest. He also pleads helplessness. But soon after she leaves, he telephones a really important person in London (he was his school mate) and asks the British government’s help in getting the boy’s release. A big rescue operation is set in motion involving 500 soldiers and several helicopters. This confirms the suspicion of the IRA and they execute the innocent boy. Cathy justifies the killing of the innocent youngster by saying that you need to sacrifice a goat in order to catch a wild animal. But the analogy ends there. The goat’s family are not disgraced and ostracised by its own community. But the parents of Patsy O’Brien had to undergo shame and ignominy for their son’s alleged betrayal.

I found the book initially confusing because of the use of outdated jargon and abbreviations – RUC, UDR etc. Also the style is a bit off putting – each chapter has several sections in which action shifts from place to place. There is also a little too much detail – maybe the novel should be two thirds its present size (460 pages). In Irish folklore, the ‘Journeyman Tailors’ are two people who betray an Irish rebel/patriot to the British dragoons, so Mossie Nugent may be considered a Journeyman Tailor.

[Matt Galley]

Brilliant!!!

[Barbara]

A thriller set in 1992 County Tyrone. All of the characters from the MI5 to the IRA man on the run, and the informer are compelling. You want all of them to survive and "win" which is, of course, impossible. Hard to put down to the end. I'd give it 4 and a half stars if I could.

[Keen Reader]

This is not usually the type of book that would catch my attention. It was loaned and recommended to me by a friend and so I gave it a shot. These pages drip with a dark, gritty realism. The misery and hardship of the Troubles is brought home unvarnished and unwashed. This is a tale of espionage, violence, murder and paranoia that spread throughout Northern Ireland for three decades. It’s also a story of divided loyalties, compromised priorities and betrayal upon betrayal.

I didn’t particularly warm to Seymour’s style of writing, but I still enjoyed this and found much of the background and historical details particularly interesting. With Seymour’s vast journalistic experience of war zones, it lends this book a convincing authenticity, where every small detail was considered. He really captures the murky complexities of both sides of the Troubles and we see that there are no winners, only varying degrees of misery, loss and suffering for everyone. This depicts a grim and all too real world where luck plays a bigger part than truth and where politics triumph over justice.

[Nancy]

I really enjoyed this book...couldn't put it down and it was over way too quickly. A subject that I am very interested in and that I found very believeable and authentic. I felt it was a well-balanced account of events during the troubles. Also, hurray for the very strong female character. I could have done without the love interest between the two main characters...unnecessary but as my son said, maybe his publisher asked him to put it in. I am definitely going to read more Gerald Seymour.

[Stuart Chambers]

Honestly speaking, Gerald Seymour is an outstanding author and I have read many of his novels and thoroughly enjoyed most all of them. Sadly not this one, the Journeyman Tailor is disappointing on all levels!

[Marj Osborne]

This was the first novel I have read by Gerald Seymour and I really enjoyed it. I found the inside look at the politics fascinating, the characters well drawn and then action gripping and tense. I felt transported to another time and place - the mark of a great storyteller.

[Catherine]

After reading some reviews I was looking forward to reading this book but I’m disappointed, I didn’t get to know any of the characters, I didn’t like the writing style & the story was quite boring really.

[Julie Round]

Crime and corruption in Ireland. A great story but needing concentration because of the constant changes in points of view.

[Mr Roy Davidson]

432 pages

[Stuart Haining]

7/10 15% SH. Not one of his best but a good tale about the troubles and IRA. Poor ending, not worth Reading again .

[J. Christen]

Maybe not the best known of Seymour's books, but possibly one of the most interesting. I won't say more - just read it.

[Aidan O'Riordan]

Better than I expected, kept me engaged

[Arlette]

very hard to get into , too many characters to keep straight ,jargon confusing

[John Murphy]

Of the 3 novels written by this author centered around the conflict in the 06 this is perhaps the weakest but still a damn good tale packed with detail and deception.
The situation in the north of Ireland was often referred too as a "a dirty war" and this book highlights the dirty tricks employed by the security forces in their handling of touts (informants) and how innocent lives were fancifully thrown under the bus to protect sources.
Although purely fiction it is fairly obvious this type of thing went on and while neither side could claim to be whiter than white I was pleasantly surprised by the neutral tone of the book which is generally not the case on a subject which raises the heckles on all sides.
Although not a trilogy as such; I would advise anyone with a passing interest in Irish history/politics to read these 3 books in order starting with Harry's Game and finishing with this one.

[Michael Martz]

Unfortunately, 5 stars is all I can give 'The Journeyman Tailor'.... it deserves a few more. Great writing by a master in an intricately plotted, entirely believable story combine to become a novel that is now on my 'all-time favorites' shelf. I can't believe it hasn't been made into a movie.....

The setting is the era of the 'Troubles' in Ireland. A master IRA assassin is on the run and heads for England, while the entire machinery of Great Britain's military and police is on the hunt. The story, though, is on the micro-level, with a hyper-focused young lady spychaser and her newly assigned assistant working with an informant to lure the assassin back to his home in order to bring him to justice. Moral dilemmas abound, the tradecraft and procedural descriptions are first rate, the action is frighteningly credible, and the heroine leaves an indelible mark on everyone she meets. And did I mention the writing? First class.....

All in all, an excellent novel by a true master of his craft. An incredible book!

[Glen]

First off, this is a really well-told tale, and for those who want a chilling but true to the facts account of what the Troubles of Northern Ireland were (are?) all about, one could do worse than this thriller. Seymour does an admirable job of humanizing all his characters save one, the enigmatic, morally ambiguous and deadly Cathy Parker, point agent for British counter-insurgency efforts against the IRA and the Tyrone Brigade's most notorious and wanted member, Jon Jo Donnelly. Like the recent film '71, this novel, like other British authorial treatments of the Troubles, portray Ulster as a place where the norms of civilization simply do not apply, where despite the veneer of ordinary life the dehumanizing reality of war is the underlying material. It reminds me of nothing so much as American films about Vietnam such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now.

[Greta]

If Northern Ireland's war with Britain and within it's borders is anything like what's described in the The Journeyman Tailor, then I feel immense relief that there is peace in their land today. What a miserable existence, no wonder those who have experienced war are always against it. No one is safe in a power struggle, especially not the women and children. Peace.

[Elia]

Interesting characters with promising plot then all of a sudden it becomes too confusing with changing details and sites within a chapter and too many character entering at the same time. Also too many abbreviations without explanations that one is supposed to figure out.

[Barry Bridges]

For me this is one of the best thrillers I have read. Dealing with the troubles in Northern Ireland it is gripping, well paced and keeps you turning pages. I literally sacrificed sleep to finish this book!

[Richard]

I selected this one as my first read to learn something about "the troubles" in Ireland. Didn't get to the cause, but did get some of the modern brutality. A bit confusing at the beginning but held together well at the end. 3.7

[Henry]

Like many thrillers this had cardboard cut-out characters and embarrassing sex.

Also so confusing! In a book with Northern Irish, Southern Irish, English, Scottish accents you have to flag up who’s speaking. I had to reread whole dialogues cos I got the accent wrong in my head!

[Simon]

If you want something that tells the story of the Northern Ireland "troubles" from a local point of view, this is it. A cracking read.

[Mary Lou]

Interesting to read this book now from a post-9/11 viewpoint. What the British experience in Northern Ireland can teach us about antiterrorism tactics (or, Here We Go Again).

[Edward]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11613277

[Jem Wilton]

Like Harry'as Game - a great book

[john reilly]

Excellent and suspenseful read set in the troubles in Northern Ireland in the seventies. Intriguing and realistic plot.

[Alan Aspray]

Kept me wanting more and built up to a great climax

[Lucy]

Excellent. July 1993.

[Tony]

Brilliant tale of the bitter story of the troubles in Ireland in the 80's. Well written.